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Bucs
Cheering for the Raiders didn't help a St. Petersburg man, who loses an expensive Super Bowl bet with his wife.
By TOM ZUCCO, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 30, 2003
ST. PETERSBURG -- A month ago, it seemed like a pretty safe bet. There was no way the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would get past the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs. And even if they did, the experienced Oakland Raiders surely would beat them in the Super Bowl.
So late in December, Aaron Johnson told his wife he would buy her a new car if the Bucs won all three games.
What happened next is still being talked about. Down went the 49ers, down went the Eagles, and last Sunday night, down went the mighty Raiders.
And down to Crown Nissan went Aaron and Ruby Johnson.
At a little after 9 a.m. Monday, the Johnsons pulled into the Crown showroom in St. Petersburg. Charlie Braun, who was starting his first week at the dealership, was the salesman.
"Mr. Johnson walks up and says, 'My wife needs a new car,' " Braun said. "Nothing really unusual about that. Then he told me about the bet. Everyone here was just amazed.
"So we were looking at cars for a little while, and we passed the fanciest Altima on the lot. She (Ruby Johnson) says, 'What's wrong with this one?' "
What clinched the deal was the car's color.
Pewter.
"I put my foot in my mouth three games ago," said Aaron Johnson, 47, who is a driver for Sacino's Formalwear. "I just didn't think they'd go that far. And then Sunday . . ." His voice trailed off for a moment.
"We were watching together, and I was rooting for the Raiders because I wasn't ready to buy a new car," he added. "Right up to the end. But the interceptions killed me."
Johnson didn't have to do this. The Johnsons have been married only two years. He could have put it off. Or given his wife a limo ride. Or a toy car.
"She thought I was going to back out," Johnson said. "But I had to keep my word."
The cost of keeping his word:
$26,000.
As an added bonus, he gets to drive his wife's '94 Camaro.
"I'm still thinking this is all a dream," said Ruby Johnson, 44, who works as a staffing coordinator at a nursing facility. "Now I have to think of something special to do for him."
That would be nice. Especially considering what she would've given up had the Bucs lost.
"Nothing," Aaron Johnson answered. "We didn't make a bet on that, so I was stuck any way you look at it."
This, he said, was a bet he just shouldn't have made. And he'll be reminded of that for a long time.
"We put a Bucs tag on the front of the car," Braun said, "And Mr. Johnson just looked at it and said, 'Had to rub it in, didn't you?' "