Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receiver Santonio Holmes, once a standout at The Ohio State University, was named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XLIII, marking the first time that a former OSU player has won the award. Holmes caught nine passes for 131 yards, including the gravity-defying game-winner with 35 seconds to play.With the Browns and Bengals having become poster boys for NFL futility, Holmes gave Ohio reason to cheer last night's winners -- but he wasn't the only "Buckeye" with a hand on the Lombardi Trophy.
Pittsburgh scored its first touchdown on a one-yard run by Columbus-born Gary Russell, a graduate of Walnut Ridge High School.
As time expired in the first half, Steelers' linebacker and NFL Defensive MVP James Harrison -- an Akron product who played for Kent State University -- returned an interception 100 yards (a Super Bowl record) for a tide-turning touchdown.
Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, understandably favored by some over Holmes for Super Bowl MVP, is a native of Lima and starred for Miami University in nearby Oxford.
Ok, so Holmes originally is from Florida, Russell played his college ball at Minnesota and the Steelers, AFC North Division rivals of Cleveland and Cincinnati, generally don't get much love west of the state line. No matter -- our "local" kids, homegrown or adopted, acquitted themselves well yesterday.
I can celebrate that.
