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W hen the Houston S u p e r B o w l Committee tapped Lynn Wyatt to serve as honorary chair of the Luminaries of the Game dinner Wednesday, February 1, the team was well aware of the style icon's international cachet but probably had no idea of her affinity for football. Wyatt and former Secretary of State James A. Baker III share the leadership post of the event at the Marriott Marquis Houston. NFL Hall of Famers headline the evening, breaking bread with top table buyers. We sat down with Wyatt in her River Oaks home to talk football. Your take on the Super Bowl. I'm looking forward to it in a Houstonian sort of way. No matter which team you want to win, Houston wins. Look at all the beautification and street work that's going on all over town. It's a win-win for us. What will you wear to the gala? Well, I'm not calling it a gala. It's a dinner. It's not black tie. It's cocktail attire. And we're going to have all these football players from all over, and they don't want to have to drag a tuxedo to Houston … At the moment, I'm thinking about wearing a tea-length Car- olina Herrera. Every time I wear the dress, I get so many compliments — and from so many men. You and your husband, Oscar, join Houston Texans owners Janice and Bob McNair in their owners' suite every year. Do you really like football? I'm definitely a fan. In high school, I had a crush on this adorable quarterback, and every time he made a great play, we did a special cheer for him . . . Oscar and I watch all the professional games on television. Favorite team. The Texans and Dallas Cowboys. Your top player. Tom Brady! He and his wife [supermodel Gisele Bündchen] are drop-dead gorgeous. They are movie-star beautiful. What do you think about stadium food? Do you eat it? My favorite food is popcorn,. So, of course, I eat the popcorn if it's not too salty. Champagne on ice and popcorn! I love it! 77 You were a cheerleader in high school? Yes, and in junior high. I was head cheerleader at San Jacinto High School. Oscar says I haven't stopped yelling yet. When you lived on River Oaks Boulevard and your boys were young, did you play football on the lawn à la the Kennedy clan? Yes, we did. And, let me tell you, it's hard to throw a good spiral … I would play until I broke a nail, then that was it for me. Any downside to football? I cannot stand it when a player gets hurt. I cannot bear it. There should be a 25-yard penalty or a 45-yard penalty for head butting and grabbing the face mask. There are rules against it, but they do it anyway. The penalty needs to be big enough to get their attention. If you were a guy playing football, what position would you have? Quarterback. If he's great, he's at the pinnacle. But if he loses, he has to take it on the chin. I always strive to do the best in whatever I take on. I never think of failing. I always think of a way to hit it out of the ballpark. And that's what a quarterback should do. "I WAS HEAD CHEERLEADER AT SAN JACINTO HIGH SCHOOL. OSCAR SAYS I HAVEN'T STOPPED YELLING YET." — Lynn Wyatt Lynn at home in Houston