Updated

A fire has torn through the Illinois home of former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman and Super Bowl champion Ted Petersen.

Petersen tells The Daily Journal in Kankakee the Sunday blaze that left his home in rural Momence (moh-MENSS') in Kankakee County uninhabitable "could have been a lot worse."

The cause is under investigation.

Fire fighters were able to recover Petersen's 1979 and 1980 Super Bowl rings. Petersen played seven seasons with the Steelers. He is now athletic director at Kankakee Community College.

Momence Fire Protection District Chief Monty Buchanan says flames were visible through the garage roof. He says it took crews about 45 minutes to get the flames under control.

Momence is about 60 miles south of downtown Chicago.