OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire will follow the NFC champion Seahawks to Detroit for the Super Bowl in two weeks.
She and her husband, Mike, already have a place to bunk: with Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and her husband. The Granholms and Gregoires are old friends from when the two governors served as attorneys general of their respective states.
Gregoire was wearing a big “12” lapel pin at her weekly news conference and a large “12” banner was pinned atop the main doors of her Capitol office suite. That was a reference to the mythical 12th man on the field – the fans who produced so much noise it rattled opponents.
She was still bubbling with enthusiasm Monday after attending the playoff game in Seattle on Sunday, although good-naturedly complaining about her throat and her ears being shot from all her yelling and from the thunderous roar of the crowd.
“The defense was just awesome, the offense was as good as they’ve been all season and the fans were tremendous,” she said. “Together, it was quite the showing.”
It’s Seattle’s first Super Bowl appearance.
Gregoire said she has been a fan ever since she and her husband became season ticket holders in the first season 30 years ago, even commuting from Spokane for games when she was attending law school and working for the attorney general’s Eastern Washington office.
She said she’s looking forward to collecting on her bet with North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley: southern barbecue, slaw and hush puppies. She said she’ll place a friendly wager with Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, joking that she’ll ask for a price break on Pennsylvania steel for the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge if the Seahawks beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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