TOLEDO, Ohio — History took place on the turf of Toledo's Glass Bowl on Saturday with the first rendition of Italy's "Super Bowl" being held outside of the country. The Parma Panthers battled the defending champs Firenze Guelfi in what marked the first Italian Bowl played overseas in more than 40 years.
The University of Toledo got awarded the honor of becoming the first U.S. host the game with Parma winning the championship 29-13.
"It's like a dream come true, it's like an astronaut going to the moon," Italian journalist Fabio Ferri said. "It's really a dream. This is the prize for all the efforts during this long year to show our movement has grown during the year."
More than 12,000 tickets were sold according to an Italian Bowl spokesperson. Despite the competition featuring a European vibe, fans seemingly turned the event into another Saturday in the fall.
Plenty of food, games and tailgating filled the parking lots prior to kickoff.
"We've all been tailgate aficionados for 25-30 years. We travel worldwide with the Rockets, so just another opportunity to come to the Glass Bowl and tailgate and have a good time," Toledo fanatic Matthew Damschroder said. "It's just so cool that they celebrate the game we love so much here over there too.
Both teams entered the weekend with an 8-1 record and put on a dazzling display of highlights to help cap a remarkable experience for everyone in attendance.
"Honestly they've been so friendly," Cooper Bonk, who traveled up from Cincinnati said. "We've gotten pictures with them and they've been hanging out with us in the city, it's been incredible."
Bonk told WTOL 11 that he began following Italian football when the league announced it would be coming to Toledo. When asked if it should return he said "It should be the official spot. We love having them here, bring them back."
That notion appeared to flood the stands because Damschroder stood in agreement.
"It's just so cool that they celebrate the game we love so much here over there too. We're going to have a much bigger crowd here for the game then they would for the championship over there," he said. "So excited, we're hoping to make it a tradition here every year."
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