Friends, Family Gather To Cheer On 49ers, Ravens
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Nestled on a quiet street in Dormont is a direct link to the Super Bowl.
A sign in front of a house indicating the residents' love for the Ravens is just the start of it.
Inside were Gino Gradowski's aunts, cousins, two grandmothers and a host of friends where there to cheer on Dormont native - turned Raven guard - in Sunday's Super Bowl game.
"People say, 'are you really rooting for the Ravens?'" one of his family members said. "I say, 'yes I am. My grandson's playing.'"
And root they did.
Throughout the whole first half, they only caught a glimpse or so of Gradowski on the field - but the Ravens had a great first half.
And when the Ravens do well - so does "Gino's" Pittsburgh family. And honestly they don't care what Steelers fans might think of them cheering for the Ravens.
"Blood's thicker than water," the family says.
But a few miles away, support for the 49ers was evident in the O'Connor household in Squirrel Hill.
Marlene Emrow was there watching the game, but her heart was in San Francisco with defensive line coach Jim Tomsula - who grew up down the street from her in Lincoln Place.
"He lived four doors away and he was a nice young man," she said. "Then when he went to high school he decided he wanted to go to Steel Valley."
And now, years later, he's coaching a Super Bowl team and those who knew him when, were cheering for his success.
And by the second half, there was something for the 49ers fans to cheer for.
"Being that we didn't have the Steelers to root for," Emrow said. "Having watched him grow up and seeing the nice young man that he became."
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