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IRVINGTON, N.Y. New York Giants fan Adam Arnegger said last week's Super Bowl victory was a historic moment for the team. He celebrated the win by bringing his two kids, aged 2 and 5, to the Irvington Senior Center for a photo with the Vince Lombardi trophy on Saturday.
I was actually fortunate enough to be at the game so it's fun to be able to put the icing on the cake and hold the trophy, he said.
Irvington resident and Giants' spokesperson Pat Hanlon coordinated the event. Hanlon began a tradition of sorts the last time the Giants claimed championship victory in 2007 when he borrowed the trophy for his son's fifth birthday party and later made some impromptu stops so that area residents could see it.
As I was bringing it home that Friday afternoon, I realized that it would be a waste of valuable time if we didn't share it with more than the kids that had been invited to the birthday party, he said.
Hanlon also has another connection to the trophy: he lives in the house of the man who designed the trophy. He said the reception to the trophy this year and in 2007 has been great.
We're just thrilled to be able to do this, Recreation Supervisor Joe Archino said.
A group of more than 100 people in the Senior Center burst into applause when they saw the silver football enter the upstairs room. An organized line formed as people whipped out their cameras to get a few shots of the trophy as it went past.
Irvington Mayor Brian Smith and his family were the first to get a shot with the trophy in their hands, in a hand-off that lasted less than a minute. Others were not far behind and eagerly took photos while they waited for their moment of glory.
The line to view the trophy stretched around the room, down the stairs and to the back of the building. Village officials notified residents late Friday afternoon in a village-wide email that the trophy would be making a two-hour stop. They urged residents not to spread the news around because they could not handle a large crowd appearing.
Don Marra came an hour early to see the trophy. Marra said he's been a lifelong Giants fan.
I remember going to games at Yankee Stadium, he said. The Super Bowl is such a special and unusual event. I just wanted to be here.
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