Furyk keeps close tab on Steelers
Friday, November 16, 2007
By Teresa VarleySteelers.com
When he isn’t competing in the PGA Tour on a Sunday afternoon in the fall, you can be sure that PGA Golfer Jim Furyk is either glued to his television set at his home in Florida or at Heinz Field watching his favorite team, the Steelers, in action.
“It’s hard with golf, but having the DirecTV package makes it easier,” said Furyk. “Worst case scenario I can watch the shortcut in 30 minutes and catch the game later. I watch every game for sure, whether it’s live I watch it or not it depends on whether I am playing or not. If I am not playing, I watch it live. If I am playing it’s taped and I make sure I watch it when I get home.”
He had a rare opportunity recently to attend two home games in a row, being on hand when the Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens and taking in the come-from-behind win over the Cleveland Browns.
“I go to at least one game every year,” said Furyk, who has had season tickets since Heinz Field opened. “The most games I have been to in a season is five, but I average around two or three a year. I like to sit in the stands with the rest of the fans and watch the game.”
His love for the Steelers was something that came from his parent’s, who grew up in New Kensington, just outside of Pittsburgh.
“My family has always been Steelers fans,” said Furyk, who attended both Super Bowl XXX and Super Bowl XL. “When I was a kid we lived in Uniontown and that was in the mid-to-late 70s so they were a really good team. My mom is a diehard Steelers fan. I almost didn’t have a choice. I have been a fan since as long as I remember.”
Furyk remembers the times as a kid when he was able to stay up late and watch the first half of Monday Night Football when the Steelers were playing. He probably never thought one day he would be golfing with one of the players he watched as he did when he teamed with former wide receiver Lynn Swann in an AT&T event.
He also did an ad for the PGA with former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, in which Bettis talks to him about the proper pre-game meal, and in turn takes all of his food.
“We had a good time,” said Furyk. “We had a lot of laughs. He is very personable. I met him before but never had the chance to really get to know him. I had a great time. He is a lot of fun and treats people well.”But he didn’t offer Bettis, an avid golfer, any tips.
“Not at all,” said Furyk. “A man that big should not be playing golf. I was shocked at his size. I kept thinking ankles for sure; there is no other way to bring him down than to grab him by the ankles.”
Furyk, who is known for his strong short game, consistency and unorthodox swing, has been a fan through the good and the bad with the Steelers and likes what he has seen so far from head coach Mike Tomlin.
“There has been a great buzz with him,” said Furyk. “No one knew what to expect. I love reading his quotes and listening to what he has to say. He never says a lot in terms of length of time, but he says a lot as far as meaning. He is concise and to the point.”
And he can thank Tomlin’s leadership for giving him some bragging rights for now with fellow PGA golfer Ben Curtis, a Cleveland Browns fan.
“I try to rough up Ben as much as I can because he is a Browns fan,” said Furyk. “I don’t do it too much, but I do when I can. When he won the 84 Lumber Tournament (held in Pittsburgh) he has a contract with Reebok where he wears the team colors of the city where he plays. He won 84 Lumber wearing Steelers colors. I like to razz him that it had to kill him he was wearing Steelers gear when he won the tournament.”
No comments:
Post a Comment