Wisconsin native Tim Fons missed the birth of his first child to attend a Green Bay Packers game.

"And that was against the Steelers," he said.

His pregnant wife bought him the tickets to the game on Dec. 25, 1995.

"I was surprised that she purchased the tickets knowing it was her due date," he said.

The Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers that day and there were no complications during the birth of Fons' first daughter. The family, now living in Gainesville, is heading to Wild Wings Cafe for the game today. But they might have some competition for that big-screen TV.

Jessica Rhodes-Touchet and her family of 15 Steeler fans make a regular appearance at Wild Wings. The staff is accustomed to seeing their black-and-gold attire on Sundays.

"When we walk in they just shake their heads, ‘She wants the big screen,'" Rhodes-Touchet said.

Rhodes-Touchet's devotion is a family tradition: her dad is a fan, and her daughter is already in-training. Alyssa, 9, alternates between the roles of cheerleader and coach, and her mother often hears her talking tough to the team on-screen: "Get up, get back in there! You're not hurt!"

"She'd make a great offensive line coach," Rhodes-Touchet said.

Fons' youngest daughter is also catching onto her parents' football fever.

"She's starting to ask questions about the rules," he said. "She's a big Aaron Rodgers fan."

Rhodes-Touchet appreciates Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, but she's not convinced Green Bay can outmatch her Steelers.

"I really don't think they're going to come with what it takes to beat the Steelers - we have, like, the total package," she said.

Ret. Lt. Col. Jimmy Hendricks, 56, of Gainesville thinks that the Steelers will have a hard time against the Packers.

"They're going to have a game for their money," he said.
The Steelers "don't understand Midwestern values," he said. "It's not just about winning. It's about how you can outsmart the opposing team."

So for Hendricks, whose wife is from Minnesota, being a Packers fan is about rooting for her home region.

"It's a family tradition: go Midwest, go with the cheeseheads!" he said.

Fons says that fans of the Packers are more committed than others.

"Packers fans are the most loyal," he said. "They're also some of the most respectful."

But Rhodes-Touchet's family of Steelers fans promises stand by their team no matter what the outcome.

"We're fans regardless," she said. "We can't win every game."

Hendricks won't be at Wild Wings with Fons, Rhodes-Touchet and other football fans. His wife is with family in Minnesota, so he'll watch the game from the campus of Riverside Military Academy, where he teaches.

"It's going to be a good game," he said. "It's not going to be lopsided."