Ocala-the Center of the Universe

Okay, so maybe that's a bit of an overstatement.

However, there often seems to be a nexus with important stuff going on.

Case in point...and it's a bit of a stretch... is the Super Bowl. It's in Tampa and of course you knew that. But, did you know that the Steeler's coach has an Ocala connection?

(Hey, we take our celebrities wherever we can find them!)

When the Pittsburgh Steelers walk onto the field at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa today for Super Bowl XLIII, one of the team's biggest fans - an Ocala resident - will be there rooting them on.

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Ocala's Ed Tomlin is the father of Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.

Ed Tomlin, of Ocala, is the father of Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin.

Ed Tomlin, 61, formerly worked at ClosetMaid as an assistant warehouse manager and was president of Marion County's chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He grew up near Fort King Street.

Mike Tomlin, 35, is heading to the National Football League's championship game just two years after signing on with the Steelers for a reported $2.5 million a year, his first head coaching job in the NFL. He is the first African-American head coach in the Steelers' 75-year history.