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Winner, Matt Brady and Nick Vogt met the Bradford couple for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings in Columbia on Nov. 19. They chatted for about two hours and got to know each other better – and even talked football.

“They’re awesome people, really good people,” Winner said. “They want to meet up again and want to stay close, which we’re all for.”

The only awkward moment was when everyone first arrived. The three buddies texted beforehand about whether to wear Ravens jerseys. They opted to go with simple polo shirts. The Bradfords arrived “decked out in Steelers stuff.”

“I was like, ‘Gosh, what is this!? We can’t be seen with you guys in here with those Steelers jerseys!’” Winner said with a laugh. “They loved every minute of it.”

The two groups continue to stay in touch, and may meet up again at Sunday’s Ravens-Steelers game at M&T Bank Stadium.

“Before this, I was one of those fans that despised the Steelers and didn’t like their fans,” Winner said. “I’ve definitely changed. I still enjoy Ben Roethlisberger getting sacked, but I gained more respect for fans and their team. It’s crazy to think about because there’s no way I would have said that a year ago.”

Let this story be a lesson in two things.

1)      Ravens and Steelers fans can get along

2)      Good things happen in the world when the Ravens win

Joyce Grandstaff, an elderly Cincinnati resident and Steelers fan, had waited a long time to see a game at Heinz Field. Thursday night’s game on Oct. 1 was her first, and Joyce witnessed a dramatic 23-20 Ravens overtime win.

It turned out to be good fortune (even for her) that the Ravens won.

Two sections over were some good-hearted Ravens fans who were willing to lend a helping hand to a Steelers fan. That apparently isn’t an oxymoron.

Shawn Winner was with about 10 guys on a bachelor party road trip to Pittsburgh. He was one of the best men who planned it. After the game, the Baltimore crew remained in their seats to savor the win a little longer as the rest of the stadium full of Steelers fans moped out.

That’s when Shawn noticed Joyce and her family. They too still hadn’t left.

“I looked up and I could just tell by the look on their faces that something was wrong,” Shawn said. “They were still sitting up pretty high in the upper deck.”

Joyce couldn’t get down the stairs to exit the stadium. She was trapped.

Joyce has suffered several mini-strokes that have affected her vision and motor skills. She sometimes has double vision, which makes going down stairs daunting and dangerous, especially from high in Section 521. She had a wheelchair waiting for her at the bottom of the section, but couldn’t get to it.

“It was so late in the day and it had been a big day that the whole effort was paralyzing, like literally,” said Joyce’s daughter, Kathryn Grandstaff-Bradford.

Joyce went to the game with her daughter, husband, and son-in-law, who were all dressed in Steelers black and gold. After the crowds cleared, the family tried to coax Joyce into attempting to go down the stairs with their help. They had helped her up, but she wouldn’t budge to go down.

Next thing you know, Shawn came walking from two sections away. He was followed by two friends, Matt Brady and Nick Vogt, and all three were wearing No. 5 Joe Flacco jerseys.

“All I can think was, ‘Let’s not start anything, fellas,’” Kathryn said. “‘You won. Yaaay! Don’t come over and rub it in our faces.’”

Instead, Shawn asked if they needed some help. Everybody in the family was so stunned that they just looked at each other and didn’t answer. They figured, if Joyce was scared to go down with her own family’s support, what were these guys going to do?

Shawn used to be a physical therapy technician and is now a fitness specialist at BAYADA Home Health in Forest Hill, Md., just outside of Bel Air. The 24-year-old Maryland native helps the older generation get through exercises and “overcome barriers in their lives.”

Shawn didn’t need a cue. He took Joyce’s hands into his own, asked her name, and said, “Well Joyce, my name’s Shawn, and we’re going to go down these steps together.”

The name Shawn pierced the Grandstaff family.

Their son/brother, Sean, tragically died six years ago. Ever since then, when anything good would happen – whether it was being saved from an accident or finding something lost – somebody in the family would remark that Sean must have been at work.

This, they gathered, was just another sign that Sean was there with them to help. After all, he was the biggest Steelers fan in the family.

“I literally sat back down, put my head in my hands and sobbed for a good, hard six minutes,” Kathryn said. “It was a power sob.”

Sure enough, Joyce rose from her seat. It took more than an hour, but the three Flacco-jersey wearing Ravens fans got Joyce down the stairs. Their bachelor party friends left them far behind.

“They practically carried her down the steps without carrying her,” Kathryn said.

Since it was so late (the game did go to overtime), the stadium staff shuffled the group out the gates without hardly enough time to really thank each other. The Grandstaffs hugged and shook the men’s hands, but didn’t exchange full names or contact info.

Days later, Kathryn wanted to further extend her gratitude and went about trying to find the men on social media. Her Facebook post about the story and her search was shared more than 2,900 times and, through some help in Baltimore, she eventually found them.

The two groups connected are now planning to get together in the coming weeks for beer and wings on Kathryn, who lives with her husband in Alexandria, Va. They plan on keeping in touch.

“These guys really went out of their way,” Kathryn said. “It really shows, Steelers and Ravens fans can get along – surprisingly.”

“No matter what kind of fan you are, you want to help out anyone when they’re in a time of need,” said Shawn, who has been taken aback by the attention the story has received on social media. “It’s been overwhelming. I’ve been very touched.”

Looking back on it, Shawn said it was an especially good thing the Ravens won, and he was right.

“If the Ravens would have lost, I probably would have stormed out of the stadium,” he said with a laugh. “If they were 5-0, man, we could probably solve world hunger.”