Two obsessed Oregon Ducks football fans plunged into the end zone of holy matrimony in front of the Rose Bowl Thursday morning.
Lisa DeFluri and Steve Twomey traded a bridal gown and tuxedo for Oregon jerseys adorned with “8,” the number worn by the Ducks’ 2014 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Marcus Mariota.
“We’re not traditional, we love football and love the Ducks,” Lisa told CNN. “And it’s a Heisman year.”
The couple had plans for a wedding on the beach at Santa Cruz, Steve said, “but this randomly came up and sounded much better.”
The ceremony took place in front of the looming Rose Bowl in Pasadena, where the 25-year-old Eugene residents’ beloved Ducks would play the Florida State Seminoles that evening in one of two first-ever NCAA Division I semifinal championship football games.
The giddy bride and groom stood next to a card table piled with tailgate treats while Steve’s stepfather, Randy Miles, presided.
“There’s no coincidence these (wedding) rings are shaped in ‘O’ for Oregon,” quipped the minister, who got his ordination online.
Tailgaters whooped when the couple, sweethearts since seventh grade, kissed.
“I feel like I will want a divorce if they lose, but I feel like we will win,” Lisa deadpanned.
“She’s the sarcastic one,” said Steve.
The couple are both school teachers and attended Western Washington University, but they bleed Oregon green and yellow.
“We grew up loving the Ducks,” Steve explained.
“I just thought they had really cool helmets when I was in like fourth grade,” Lisa confessed.
Never mind an altar and flowers, these newlyweds stood on asphalt, and nearby a decorative football wedged between chips and salsa read “2015 Rose Bowl Steve & Lisa Just Married.”