The Biggest Steelers Fan in Torch Lake Township

Don Schultz was a Steelers fan far back in the mists of time when Chuck Noll had a 2-12 year, or maybe 1-13, who remembers now? Because he was also a Steelers fan in the 1970s when Noll coached the team to four Super Bowl Championships.  He was a Steelers fan when he married Sharon and when their kids were born.  And today, Don Schultz is the biggest Steelers fan in Torch Lake Township.  Maybe in all of Antrim County.  Who else is he going to root for—the Lions?

Don has an entire wardrobe of Steelers wear, from the hat and the No. 58 shirt to jackets, boxer shorts, t-shirts . . .  

right down to his slippers.

He has quantities of Steelers paraphernalia, including not just one but two Terrible Towels, multiple caps, a coffee mug . . .

His cellphone has a Terrible Towel for crying out loud. 

He has a complete set of Steelers automotive accessories: license plate, headrests and floormats.

The long-suffering Sharon is supportive of Don’s fandom.  She fully understood how important it was to spend an entire day in Canton, Ohio, at the Football Hall of Fame.  When the Steelers are in the Superbowl—which happens fairly often when you think about it—she makes a party and swipes one of Don’s shirts to wear in honor of the occasion.  They have a cozy Steelers throw that they can snuggle under.

She is in charge of the excellent treats.  And get this—she forced me to take some.  You have to like a woman like that, even if she is the selfsame Township Treasurer who sends you your tax bills.

As I set out for home, I stopped to take a picture of Don and Sharon’s flagpole, with, you guessed it, a Steelers banner hanging right up there under Old Glory.

I just went to check—wouldn’t want to post this if totally bizarre things happened at the game while I was tootling on about floormats and Terrible Towels—and discovered that poor Christina Aguilera apparently made the same kind of mess of the National Anthem that I would make if I tried to sing it on national television.  My favorite comment on the issue: It’s football.  Not a war memorial service.  Get another beer.

I am as puzzled over the Great National Obsession as other people are puzzled over my affection for hockey. I do not care who wins the game (althought if I did care I would have to care for the Packers, who come from the Ancestral Lands of Wisconsin). I have excellent treats, a warm dog for each foot, and a pile of books. May your evening be equally satisfactory.