Avid Steelers fan puts loyalties on display

By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HOWLAND -- Football fan or not, you can't help but notice Larry Geer's gridiron allegiance.
The Shadowood Lane man's home is practically a shrine to his favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. But you don't have to be inside to know that.
The back yard of the Geer family home faces state Route 82. Attached to the back fence is a giant, lighted scoreboard, featuring the scores of the Steelers and their opponent. Steelers banners also decorate the yard, as do yard signs featuring the black and gold of Pittsburgh.
"I don't put anything up until the season starts," Geer said. "But my family doesn't really seem to mind. In fact, they ask me when I'm going to put up more."
When it all started
Geer's affinity for the Steelers started when he was a child.
"My parents were never really into sports much, so I didn't get it from them," he notes. "But my grandfather was a fan."
Geer -- who was born in Trenton, Pa., but reared in Vienna and Howland townships -- spent three months every summer with his grandfather, James Brink, at his Pittsburgh-area home.
Brink, who was a dedicated fan of the Steelers and the Pirates, would often take his grandson to baseball games in the summer. But it wasn't that sports team Geer latched on to.
"I followed after him when it came to football," Geer said. "I wanted to be just like Pa-Pa."
Though he always followed the team, it wasn't until 13 years ago his memorabilia collection really started.
Geer, who had worked at Delphi Packard and also raced cars at Sharon Speedway, hurt his back in an accident and was no longer able to enjoy his hobby of working on cars.
About the same time, he, his wife, Judy, and their children, Lori and Mark, moved into their home on Shadowood Lane.
"I had a finished basement, and for my birthday one year the kids got me these banners," he said, pointing to pennants representing every team in the National Football League that line the walls. "It just grew from there."
Today, the collection boasts everything from potato chip bags featuring Jerome Bettis to a female mannequin dressed in Steelers garb.
Driving it home
It's not just family members who appreciate Geer's collection and efforts to boost the morale of Steelers fans who drive state Route 82.
"A few years ago, there was a knock at the door and my wife found a man standing there asking who's Steelers stuff that was in the yard," Geer said.
His wife, unsure exactly what the man wanted, hesitantly said it belonged to her husband, Geer said.
Wanted him to know
"The guy just said he wanted me to know there were other fans out there who appreciated it, and he handed her a plaque with Rod Woodson on it to add to the collection," Geer said.
Through the years, Geer has sold off portions of his memorabilia collection, and these days he puts limits on the size.
"People don't buy me stuff because they know I'm pretty particular," he said. "I don't add it to my collection unless I am certain I can display it."
slshaulis@vindy.com