Norman Oliver has had a crush on the Cincinnati Bengals for 50 years. And the Wilmington native wants the owner to know he exists.
“I’ve called the Bengals office and tried to talk to [owner] Mike Brown. But I only got as far his administrative assistant.
“I said, ‘Look, I need to talk to him, because I’m the biggest fan in Delaware,’ ” said Oliver, a native of South Wilmington, who bought a pair of Row 17 tickets near the field to see the Bengals play the Los Angeles Rams at Super Bowl LVI in California this Sunday.
If the Bengals win, Oliver has a plan that might get Brown to notice him.
“I’m gonna come on the field and they’re going to escort me off,” he said with a laugh.
The revitalized Bengals have put Oliver in a unique situation for Sunday’s game. He has to decide which jersey to wear. And he has about 40 of them.
“I might wear a Joe [Burrow] jersey, because he’s hot. He’s been a part of this turnaround. I could wear a Ken Anderson jersey to honor him. But I might just bring a couple of jerseys and change them during the game.”
Oliver, the CEO of Rock Solid contracting in Wilmington, even has a tailor-made Bengals blazer that cost $2,500, which he recently wore to church.
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For the big game on Sunday, he’ll accessorize his outfit with his new Bengals-themed sneakers that his wife, T. Lynn Oliver, bought for him.
He’s also taking his favorite Bengals hard hat.
“I said please don’t [wear that]. And Norman said, ‘I am going to go through the airport with it,’” Lynn said in embarrassment. “I mean, he is really a fanatic. And I’ve never met someone like him in that regard when it comes to football.”
‘Greatest event ever’
This is going to be Oliver’s fourth consecutive Super Bowl since the New England Patriots defeated the Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in 2019.
His itinerary for the weekend includes participating at the Super Bowl Experience, the NFL’s interactive theme park.
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On Friday and Saturday he’s going to a party, and on Sunday he’s going to tailgate at SoFi Stadium where the menu includes filet mignon, steak and lobster, he said.
The seats where he and Lynn will be sitting during the game is close to the field in a section that will feature celebrities, Oliver added. “It’ll take me a year to pay the tickets off, but I’m going to pay it.”
At the stadium he’d love to bump into celebrities Magic Johnson and Bengals legends Ken Anderson, Ickey Woods and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson.
Having been to the Super Bowl the last few years, he anticipates this time will be unlike any other, because he finally has a horse in the race.
“This will be the greatest event ever when Cincinnati wins. Muhammad Ali is my favorite, but this will be [like] Muhammad Ali beating Joe Frazier and Sonny Liston.”
They are Super Bowl Valentine’s
Oliver and Lynn met in 2019 during Super Bowl weekend in Atlanta.
They found each other at a pre-game event that featured NBA legends Dominique Wilkins and former 76ers center Dikembe Mutombo. Gerald Wilkins, brother of Dominique, also was there.
Lynn said she wasn’t looking for a relationship. But things changed once Oliver intercepted her attention.
“Norman said, ‘There’s something special about you,’ ” Lynn explained.
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Oliver stepped away for a bit, then Lynn decided to chat with Gerald Wilkins. “Norman comes back and he said, ‘You know I’m going to make you my lady, right?’ I was like, ‘Right, whatever. He’s just talking noise.’”
When Lynn was ready to leave, Oliver decided to go, too. The pair exchanged numbers. After the Super Bowl, they met up at The Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta and had dinner.
There they ran into Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who was holding a newly-won Vince Lombardi Trophy. He was also rocking an iced-out chain that rapper Meek Mill gifted him.
Robert was at the hotel with his son Johnathan Kraft, president of the team.
“We met Jonathan and Robert Kraft and took a picture with the Lombardi Trophy, which was pretty cool. And we’ve been together ever since,” said Lynn, who added she and Oliver married the next year in late 2020.
Lynn is from ATL and travels there with Oliver every weekend where she pastors the church New Testament Gospel Ministries. She was formerly an Atlanta Falcons fan, until Oliver motivated her to switch teams.
“He made me throw out all my Falcons jerseys out. It wasn’t my choice. Norman said, ‘No, you’re my wife. If you’re going to be with me, you’re going to be a Bengal.’ I didn’t even know they existed,” she explained.
Lynn said she knew very little about football before meeting Oliver, because she was more into basketball.
But she gives her husband a ton of credit because her football IQ has improved over the last few years.
“He sat down with me and he literally taught me football … It was almost like going through a camp with him.”
‘I could’ve killed him’
Although the Bengals have previously appeared in two Super Bowls, their latest was in 1989. They lost both big games by one touchdown.
Oliver’s old schoolmate from Delaware State University, John Taylor, scored the winning touchdown for the 49ers in the ’89 Super Bowl.
Taylor’s touchdown catch landed on the “NFL 100 Greatest” plays of all time, per NFL.com.
“I was hoping John played well, because we know each other. We call each other on the phone. But when John caught that pass, I could’ve killed him.”
Taylor was recently inducted into the 49ers Hall of Fame.
Loyalty over everything
Oliver fell in love with the Bengals as a kid because he liked co-founder Paul Brown. He was fond of wide receiver Isaac Curtis and quarterback Ken Anderson.
Oliver also was a sucker for the team’s black jerseys with orange stripes. “I just loved the colors and I’ve always been a fan.”
Out of 32 NFL teams, the Bengals are one of only 12 that still haven’t won a Super Bowl. Yet the franchise’s struggles weren’t enough to make Oliver jump ship.
“Back in the day you always stuck with your team. If you’re a Washington fan, you’re a Washington fan … whoever you supported was your team,” he said. “For most of the guys in my age group, your team is your team.”
Even when his friends would talk smack, Oliver dished it right back. “We’d be 2-14 and you’d think we were 14-2, because I talked trash. It didn’t matter to me.”
Oliver’s childhood friend Wayne Jefferson is deputy director of Parks & Recreation for the City of Wilmington.
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Jefferson admires Oliver’s loyalty, something he’s consistently seen from him since they were children.
“These days we have a lot of bandwagon jumpers that go from team to team. So this is his dedication for all these years of staying with the Bengals … you gotta respect that.”
‘He’s on the field’
Jefferson is a 49ers fan, a team that would’ve played the Bengals this Sunday had they beat the Rams in the NFC championship game.
“It’s bittersweet, because my best friend in the world’s team is going to the Super Bowl,” Jefferson said. “I was going to hide in his suitcase if the 49ers won, and I was gonna travel with him.”
Oliver still wants to get the attention of the Bengals’ owner. But it might not happen from Oliver running on the field if the team wins Sunday.
“My wife is going to have to hold me back,” the longtime Cincy fan said.
But Oliver’s wife, Lynn, suspects he’s bluffing.
“It’ll be one of those things where I look up and he’s already on the field. So I got to make sure I have my charger and my phone ready.”
Super Bowl LVI broadcasts on NBC at 6:30 p.m., Sunday.
Andre Lamar is the features/lifestyle reporter. If you have an interesting story idea, email Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com.
