Sun Citians from Indiana prepare for big game

Joann Rauh won’t need to break out a butcher knife at this year’s Super Bowl party.

The Sun City resident will be surrounded by fellow fans of the Indianapolis Colts when she gathers with her husband and friends to watch the Colts play the New Orleans Saints in the NFL title game this Sunday.

That wasn’t the case three years ago when the Chicago Bears played the Colts in Super Bowl XLI.

Rauh’s sister, Marilyn, a Bears backer, attended that year’s Super Bowl party, hosted by another Sun City couple, Richard and Marilyn Prickett.

"When her sister arrived, she brought this big Bears balloon and hung it by the TV," recalled Richard Prickett, a native of Tippecanoe, Ind.

"Toward the end of the game, I was in the kitchen and Joann approached me and asked for a knife. I looked at her kind of funny, then I handed her a butcher knife."

Moments later, the Bears’ balloon came tumbling to the floor, as flat and deflated as Chicago in the 29-17 loss to Indianapolis.

To say that Rauh is a fan of the Colts might be an understatement.

She and her husband, Dr. Bob Rauh, have followed the Colts since the team moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984.

The Rauhs, from Wabash, Ind., purchased season tickets after winning a newspaper lottery.

"They really weren’t very good then," said Dr. Rauh. "They didn’t fare well until (then-coach Tony) Dungy and (quarterback Peyton) Manning showed up."

Dr. Rauh recalled the NFL draft in 1998, when the Colts debated whether to take Manning or Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf with the No. 1 overall pick.

"I wanted them to draft Leaf, because he looked so big and strong coming out of college," Rauh said. "Peyton looked a lot smaller, like he couldn’t withstand the punishment of the NFL.

"That shows you what I know."

Leaf never lived up to expectations and departed the league after several inglorious seasons.

Manning has gone on to win four MVP awards and gets a shot at his second Super Bowl ring when the Colts tackle the Saints on Sunday.

The Rauhs no longer own season tickets. They sold them several years ago, using the money to purchase a riding lawn mower.

"The lawn mower salesman ended up buying the tickets from us," said Mrs. Rauh with a laugh.

The Rauhs and Pricketts still watch every game. On game days, they venture to a Peoria sports bar if the Colts aren’t broadcast on local TV.

The Pricketts are always the hosts of the Super Bowl party, an annual event even when the Colts aren’t in the game.

This year’s menu will feature bratwursts and scalloped corn as well as an array of adult beverages.

"The first year we had a Super Bowl party, we had filet mignon and fancy tablecloths," Prickett said. "We had to cut that out to protect the guests."

One party-goer at that bash choked while eating their steak. The best tackle of the game occurred when another guest performed the Heimlich maneuver, forcing a party-saving fumble.

"We decided no more filet mignon after that," Prickett said. "The only other rule with have is no walking or talking by the TV while the game is on."