Published on 02/7/2012

David Diehl on the photo with his daughter Addison Elizabeth celebrated the Super Bowl victory with visible Croatian insignia: with Croatian coat of arms on his left arm, with the Croatian inscription NEUNIŠTIV (Undestroyable), and with Croatian shawl around his neck brought in 2011 from the land of his predecessors. Equally great on the defeated side is another Croatian - Bill Bellichick.

David Diehl celebrating Super Bowl with Croatian insignia

David Diehl celebrating his second Super Bowl with his daughter Addison Elizabeth, both bearing number 66

David Diehl Super Bowl winner, pride of Croatia and Croatians around the world.

Photo by Chris R. Vaccaro.

Diehl Helps Giants Dial Up Super Bowl Win

INDIANAPOLIS – They'll be dancing in the hallways at Brother Rice High School come Monday morning. Former Crusader David Diehl won his second Super Bowl title Sunday night with the New York Giants.

The lineman was part of a New York team that made NFL history as they charged down field on their final drive to beat the Patriots, 21-17, in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“Unbelievable," Diehl said. "I mean, you look at this season and the way that we fought and stuck together. We accomplished something that nobody on the outside looking in thought we could do. But the people in our room, the players on this team, our coaches, our organization - nobody said this could be done except for us and we believed in one another. Let everybody say what they want to say. The Giants are World Champs, baby.”

The crowd was eerily quiet as Eli Manning and the Giants took over for one last drive in the final four minutes.

Like he’s done countless times during the 2011 season, Manning made a series of precision passes – five to be exact, including a 38-yard out route to Mario Manningham that sparked the drive – and set New York up inside the 10-yard line. Ahmad Bradshaw finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run to win the game.

Manning, who was 30-for-40 passing, threw for 296 yards and 1 touchdown, earning his second Super Bowl MVP award against the Patriots.

“We moved the ball down the field, and Eli [Manning] made some great plays,” said Giants head coach Tom Coughlin. “[Mario] Manningham made a huge play to get us down there. We tried to take a little more time off the clock, but it didn’t work that way. Thank God it worked out.”

“It was a great game with two great teams,” Manning said. “We played to the very end. It was just a great effort on both sides. There were some big plays being made.”

The Giants led early, going up 2-0 on a safety at 6:08 in the first quarter. Justin Tuck pressured Tom Brady, who dropped back into his own end zone. Manning followed that with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz on their next possession to take a 9-0 lead at 5:28 of the first.

The Patriots eventually tacked on 17 points throughout the second and third quarters. Steven Gostkowski kicked a 29-yard field goal in the second and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw touchdown passes of 4 and 12 yards to Danny Woodhead and Aaron Hernandez, respectively.

Lawrence Tynes edged the Giants back in position with field goals of 38 and 33 yards in the third quarter and the Patriots were held scoreless in the final 15 minutes.

“I’m excited to win a championship,” Manning said. “I’m excited for my teammates. There are a number of guys, this is their first one. There are some other ones who are getting their second and more, but I’m just excited for them.”

As for the Patriots, this is their second straight loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl, having lost in 2007 to New York as well.

“They obviously played well tonight,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. “Very competitive football game, they just made a couple more plays then we did. By the way our guys played, fought, fought all year, fought tonight, and we had our chances. We just couldn’t quite make enough plays. Giants made a few more than we did.”

Asked if this is what it felt like during their last loss to the Giants, Brady didn't disagree.

“We just didn’t make enough plays," he said. "In the first quarter, we didn’t have the ball a ton. The second quarter, we played a little bit better. Third quarter, we started well and it came down to the fourth quarter. [The Giants] made some plays there at the end. We went out there to win the game. We just didn’t make enough plays.”

Source oaklawn.patch.com

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 05: David Diehl #66 of the New York Giants hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots
in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 5, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 21-17.
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

David Diehl with Croatian coat of arms.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 05: David Diehl #66 of the New York Giants poses with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Giants defeated the Patriots
by a score of 21-17 in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 5, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 05: David Diehl #66 and Chris Canty #99 of the New York Giants celebrate after defeating the New England Patriots 21-17
during Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 5, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

David Diehl with his daughter Addison Elizabeth

www.facebok.com/CroatsNA

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 05: David Diehl #66 of the New York Giants poses with the Vince Lombardi Trophy
after the Giants defeated the Patriots by a score of 21-17 in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium
on February 5, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

New York Giants Super Bowl Victory Parade Highlights: MyFoxNY.com

Giants City Hall Ceremony Highlights: MyFoxNY.com

AMERIČKI SUPER BOWL XLVI I HRVATI

"Super Bowl" nije samo športsko natjecanje, "Super Bowl Sunday" je i neslužbeni nacionalni praznik u Americi. Okupljaju se obitelji i prijatelji, jede se, pije i navija – više put nije ni važno za koju stranu, važno je da se fešta. "Super Bowl" je najgledanije godišnje događanje u Sjevernoj Americi. Cijene tv reklama tjekom utakmice su suludo velike, a na poluvremenu izvodi se "super show". Sve je pretvoreno u spektakularnu zabavu i, naravno, ogroman biznis.

U jučerašnjme (5. veljače 2012.) "Super Bowl-u" igrali su New York "Giants" i New England "Patriots". Pobijedio je New York i u tom velegradu fešta se nastavlja i završit će svečanim mimohodom gradskim ulicama.

Za Hrvate u svijetu "Super Bowl" ne bi bio zanimljiv (osim onima u Americi) da nismo imali po jednog svog "predstavnika" na obe strane. Naime, "Patriotse" predvodi Bill Belichick, jedan od najuspješnijih trenera u povijesti američkog futbola, a u "Giantsima" igra David Diehl, koji je već bio među pobjednicima Super Bowla. Obojica su hrvatskih korijena!

William Stephen "Bill" Belichick je rođen 1952 u Nashville-u, Tennessee, a rastao je u Annapolisu, Maryland, gdje mu je otac (Stephen Biličić) bio pomoćni futbolski trener u Mornarčkoj akademiji. Billov djed Ivan Biličić i baka Marija Barković iz okolice su Karlovca (Draganić), došli u Ameriku 1897. i nastanili se u gradiću Monassen kod Pittsburgha. Iz te skromne hrvatske radničke obitelji i malog mjestanca, gdje su zadugo i Hrvati imali svoju crkvu, potječe ovaj poznati čovjek u svijetu američkog športa. Bill je ponosan na svoje hrvatsko podrijetlo, ali ga ne ističe kao mladi David.

Diehl je već dobro poznat momak među mlađim američkim Hrvatima. Posebice je prepoznatljiv po tatuiranom velikom hrvatskom grbu na svojoj junačkoj mišici. Kao mlad profesionalni športaš, palo mu je napamet tatuirati hrvatski grb i time je privukao pozornost svojih kolega i drugih. Naime, čim vide grb, pitaju ga što je to, što to za njega znači... To mu daje prigodu govoriti o Hrvatima i Hrvatskoj kako najbolje zna i umije.

David je rođen 1980. u Chicagu. Po majčinoj strani hrvatskog je podrijetla, a po očevoj njemačko-holandskog. Ali hrvatska strana je u njegovu odgoju imala više utjecaja, zahvaljujući baki. Davidov djed je bio Ante Bekavac rodom iz sela Bekavci kod Lovreća, a baka Luca Šamanić je rođena u Chicagu od roditelja podrijetlom iz Garice na otoku Krku. Rođena je 1914. i zadnjih godina živi s kćerkom Myrnom i zetom Johnom Jurcev. Nisam čuo da je umrla!

Davidov otac Jerry i majka Darlene imali su tri sina: Jerry, Jefffrey i David. Otac im je umro od srčanog napada 2003., dan prije Davidove prve profesionalne utakmice. Baka Luca je unučad vodila u hrvatsku crkvu i razna događanja među Hrvatima u gradu. Išlo se na hrvatske fešte, proslavu Velike Gospe, zabave, bakalar večere.... David je u svojim studentskim godinama znao posjetiti i Hrvatski kulturni centar i družiti se s mladima. Osim toga, pohađao je katoličku srednju školu ( Brother Rice High School) na južnoj strani grada u koju je išlo, a i danas ide, dosta hrvatske djece. S njima se družio i osjećao jedan od njih. Završio je sveučilišne nauke na University of Illinois/Sveučiliste države Illinois i kao student igrao futbol.

Osim futbola, David je djelatan u mnogim dobrotvornim društvima, posebice u pothvatima za pomoć nezbrinutoj djeci i mladima koji su zalutali u životu. Kao priznanje za humanitarni rad dodjeljena mu je i nagrada "Sunshine Volunteer Award". Također, David je kao mlad momak i student, bio ne samo izvanredan športaš, nego i odličan đak i student. U puno slučajeva kod mladih ljudi škola i šport nisu baš u "dobrim odnosima", ali David nije jak samo tijelom nego i umom i duhom. Zanimljivo je napomenuti da je u studentskim danima David služio i kao „Euharistiski poslužitelj“, to jest pomagao dijeliti Svetu Pričest za vrijeme nedjeljnih misa. A to se ne dopušta baš svakome!

David je mlad, snažan i bogat, vrlo snažan i bogat, čovjek. I ovogodišnja pobjeda u "Super Bowlu" osigurava mu još veću slavu i materijalna bogatstva. Ali vjerujemo da će David i dalje ostati vjeran principima koje je naučio od bake Luce, da će i dalje ne samo pobjeđivati, nego i pomagati potrebnima, zračiti dobrotu oko sebe i biti ponosan na svoje hrvatske korjene i sve ono što je naslijedio od svojih najbližih. Nadamo se, također, da će i ovog ljeta posjetiti Hrvatsku i zajedno sa svojim rođacima i prijateljima proslaviti svoje uspjehe na jučerašnjem "Super Bowlu", i da će mu Hajdukovci prirediti feštu u zahvalu što je poslije utakmice s ponosom u raširenim rukama pred tv kamerama držao šal s Hajudukovim imenom i bojama.

Pisanje o uspjesima Billa Belichicka, Davida Diehla i mnogih drugih uspješnih Hrvata u svijetu možda mnogima u domovini zvuči kao bajka, bez stvarnog značenja za domovinu. Ali Hrvatska živi tamo gdje se i ne nadate, u srcima djece, unučadi i praunučadi raseljene Hrvatske; na športskim igralištima, u laboratorijima, na gradilištima, na sveučilištima, u bolnicama, na ribarskim brodovima... diljem svijeta. Samo tu Hrvatsku treba htjeti otkriti, prihvatiti i povezati u zajedništvo koje će biti za boljitak domovini i onih u svijetu.

Dr. Ante Čuvalo

Source sportsillustrated.cnn.com

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