“Mom and I would go to church at Westminster Presbyterian downtown. Dad would pick us up from church, and I would change out of my shirt and tie in the back seat and put my jersey on,” Signom says with a laugh.
“Those were the two churches we went to every Sunday,” the Chaminade-Julienne High School graduate adds.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
This Sunday, Signom, who is the curator of America’s Packard Museum, will be praying for the Bengals first Super Bowl win as the three-time AFC champions face the Rams on at their home stadium outside Los Angeles.
Bengals season tickets have been in his family since 1969, when his father Bob — “a diehard fan” — sat in Nippert Stadium seats during the franchise’s infancy.
Rob began his Bengals fandom in the mid-1980s at age 5 and says until he turned 18 he attended at least eight games a year. He went to more than 100 games with his dad until 2018, a year before Bob died.
“We had a lot of great times and we had a lot of rough seasons,” says Signom, who now has the season tickets. “But he was always a stick it out to the end kind fan.”
“And all too often we’d be getting beat, sometimes by a lot, and we’d stay until the end of the game,” he adds.
After enduring more than a dozen non-winning seasons this century, Signom says the Bengals’ success has mad life easier.
“It’s so hard going through the day — year in and year out, actually — hearing family and friends or the national sporting press not take your own team seriously. Not take my team seriously,” he says.
“And it’s such a relief to see the Bengals back on the national stage again and people really pulling for us,” Signom adds. “I overheard a conversation the other day where non-football people were talking about the game and how surprising and exciting it was to see the Bengals play. That really just made my heart glow. Because it’s been a long time since people really gave us a chance.”
Recent data shows 33 of the 50 U.S. states are rooting for the Bengals to beat LA.
Signom says his expectations about the Bengals’ playoff chances this season rose after he went to the Oct. 10 overtime loss to the longtime NFC power Packers at Paul Brown Stadium.
“I said ‘it’s a shame that we lost.’ But if we can play with the Packers we can play with anybody,” he says.
“The Packers are a complete team,” Signom adds. “And while the Bengals are close to being a complete team…I knew at that moment. I said if we can play with Aaron Rodgers and Co., we can play with anybody in the league.”
The Bengals have a shot to prove that Sunday.
“I’m not holding my breath. But I do knock on wood,” he says. “I think that we have a strong team and that Rams have a great squad.
“I think that our offensive line is going to have to play together,” Signom adds. “But we’ve got probably the best (offensive) weapons the game. I think it’s going to be a close one, but the Bengals are going to come out on top.”
A BENGALS’ FAN FAVORITES
Name: Rob Signom
Resides in: Dayton
Favorite memory before this season: The Bengals were a playoff favorite before a 2006 home playoff loss to Pittsburgh. Early in the game, Steeler defensive tackle Kimo Von Oelhoffen hit Carson Palmer, forcing the Pro Bowl quarterback out of the game. “A bittersweet memory…As much as I like to razz Steelers fans, there were a lot of polite and contrite Steelers fans that day, saying ‘Gosh. So sorry for your guy and you had a great season.’ Just the kind of camaraderie and instant family that football brings at the professional level…That was a very special day, even though it was a sad one.”
Favorite moment: Being at Paul Brown Stadium Jan. 15 for the Bengals/Raiders playoff game. “I’ve seen a lot of really energized crowds in my life. I go to see hockey at Madison Square Garden in New York a lot. (PBS) was the most energized crowd I’ve ever seen.”
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