If watching his team destroy the Broncos from his U.S. Army post in Kandahar, Afghanistan, wasn’t good enough for diehard Seahawks fan Sgt. Christopher Hogan, a call from President Barack Obama to issue congratulations rather than orders really topped everything off.
"It's nice to have something special happen to you when you deploy," he told NBC News via Skype. "This is definitely one of the funnest days I've had since I've been in Kandahar."
For the men of the U.S. Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment, a nine-and-half hour time difference meant waking up in time for kickoff at 3:55am. After putting in a long day workday on Sunday, most of them "skipped the gym and went straight to bed," in order to get a few hours of rest, said Hogan.
With Broncos fans outnumbering Seahawks fans on the base there had been a lot of good natured trash talking in the run up to the regiment’s Superbowl party, which saw the troops wash down pizza with a few “near beers,” a non-alcoholic brew substitute. Thanks to the “Legion of Boom” those tables have been turned.
"Anything that can bring us closer to home makes a difference,” said Hogan, whose regiment has served a long deployment in one of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan. “It's the little things.”
Facing his wife Kaitlin, a lifelong Broncos fan, might be a tougher assignment for Hogan after his team’s victory as both compete to influence their four-year-old son Brycen.
“It get him to say ‘go Seahawks,’ just to get her riled up,” he joked.