Tim Horgan of Carson City and Bart London of Sparks are at the Super Bowl today in Atlanta after winning a Nevada Day Bash and Benefit raffle at the Ormsby House.
"I'm an extreme football fan and I just didn't believe it for quite a while," Horgan said from their hotel room in Atlanta. "I thought Bart was playing a joke on me."
The two work in Secretary of State Dean Heller's office. They purchased the $10 raffle ticket together to benefit local burn victims, Stephanie and Trevor Bond.
London said he doesn't feel guilty for winning off of the shared ticket because he often supports a good cause.
"I buy things like that all the time," he said. "A couple of dollars here and a couple of dollars there, I think it brings good karma."
He later joked, "I feel real good about it now. I'm real happy."
However, the two said that they have both committed to help sell tickets for next year's event.
"We figured that since we won the tickets, we'd be a good spokesperson for the cause."
The duo arrived in Atlanta around 4 p.m. Friday afternoon. They said the weather was cold but that they were glad to be there.
"Now that we're here and it's actually happening, it's even more exciting," London said.
It is the first time for both of them to go to the Super Bowl.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime sort of deal," Horgan said.
They said they went out to eat Friday night at a barbecue restaurant.
"We wanted to get some of the local cuisine," London said.
Saturday, they planned to tour the city and see the Olympic Stadium.
"Then we're going to catch dinner at The Varsity, a restaurant here," Horgan said. "I guess it's a real happenin' place."
Today, they are off to the Super Bowl between the Tennessee Titans and St. Louis Rams.
They placed a $25 bet on the Titans-split in half, of course.
This year's event, hosted by the Ormsby House, benefited the Bond-Bryant family, who were injured in a fire that raced through their former home in Elko. The family now lives in Carson City. The annual event raised about $32,000.
The children's mother, Lori, returned to her native Carson City after the fire. Every six months Trevor and Stephanie must travel to Sacramento, Calif., for skin graft treatment. Stephanie escaped the fire and returned to the burning home to save her brother, who suffered extensive second- and third-degree burns. A neighbor, who was also a police officer, reportedly grabbed Trevor from the fire scene and drove him to the hospital where he nearly died.
Professional golfer Patty Sheehan provided some autographed items for the auction and sale, as well as some star power to the fund-raiser event. A second place prize went to Sandy Huffman, who won a trip for four to Disneyland. The $500 cash prize award went to Carson McFadden.