ARLINGTON, TEXAS (AP) - Just Wynn, baby.
Even before kickoff, Super Bowl Sunday was a big day for Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Jarius Wynn, who was present for the birth of his son at a Dallas-area hospital.
Wynn, a sixth-round draft pick in 2009, was released Sept. 4 before the start of this season. But he was re-signed Sept. 14 after a season-ending knee injury to defensive lineman Justin Harrell.
Wynn has played sporadically in a reserve role since rejoining the Packers. He played in the Packers’ first two playoff games, but was inactive for the NFC championship game at Chicago.
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SUNNY DAY: Finally, a decent day in Big D on Super Bowl Sunday.
Sunny, blue skies and temperatures in the mid-50s greeted Packers and Steelers fans as they streamed into gigantic Cowboys Stadium for the Super Bowl in suburban Arlington.
And the forecast for kickoff, set for 6:29 p.m. EST, called for temperatures in the low 40s with only a slight chance of rain. By game’s end, there’s a 15 percent chance of rain with temperatures maybe dipping below 40 degrees.
Most of the snow from the storm earlier in the week was cleared from around the stadium, but four of the 10 gates were not open a few hours before kickoff. Stadium officials established safe corridors around potential fall zones.
Six workers were injured Friday when sheets of ice fell from the stadium following a Thursday night snowstorm.
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MEET THE STEELERS … AND PACKERS: A few hours before the Super Bowl inside cavernous Cowboys Stadium, actor Owen Wilson displayed a few nifty moves, eluding a “defender” and catching a pass in the end zone, then spiking the ball over his shoulder.
Asked who he was picking, Wilson said he liked the Steelers: “I have the Steelers in my pool,” he said to cheers, followed by some boos from the sparse crowd beginning to filled the stadium. “But I can see the Packers winning, too.”
Singer Sheila E was mostly booed for picking the Packers.
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TOWELS OR CHEESE: Brothers Charles and Steven Friedman had a bit of a social experiment going on outside Cowboys Stadium before kickoff. The souvenir sellers were hawking Terrible Towels at one side of the table, foam cheeseheads on the other.
Which are the hotter items?
“Terrible Towels, by far,” Charles said. “I stopped counting the cases a while ago.”
But maybe this wasn’t a fair fight.
The towels _ easy to carry, fold into a suitcase and wave in the stands _ were going for $15 a piece. The cheeseheads _ bulky foam that must be worn on the head for best effect _ were double that price.
The brothers were donating part of the proceeds to charity.
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NO HARD FEELINGS: Former Patriots and Jets running back Curtis Martin was among the nominees who were not elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He praised those who were selected Saturday night.
“If I were a part of the (voting) committee, I can’t say that I would have voted any differently. I’m not being modest at all, but I truly don’t feel that there’s anyone in this year’s class that I should have bested in the voting process,” Martin said. “Of course I would have loved to get in this year but, number one the inductees truly deserved it, number two there’s always next year!”
Martin retired in 2005 as the NFL’s fourth leading rusher with 14,101 yards.
The class of 2011 is Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk, Shannon Sharpe, Richard Dent, Ed Sabol, Les Richter and Chris Hanburger.
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RECORD NUMBERS: A record crowd was expected at Cowboys Stadium for the Packers-Steelers Super Bowl.
The current record is 103,985 fans who watched the Steelers beat the Los Angeles Rams 31-19 in the Rose Bowl on Jan., 20, 1980. Next is the 103,667 fans who watched the Redskins beat the Dolphins 27-17 on Jan. 30, 1983, also at the Rose Bowl. The two other 100,000-plus crowds were at the Rose Bowl, too, at the 1977 and 1987 Super Bowls.
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AP Sports Writer Chris Jenkins, National Writer Eddie Pells and Pro Football Writer Jaime Aron contributed to this report.
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