The world will be watching this Sunday when the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos take the field for Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, Calif. Like usual, Tampa's Tom Henschel will have a fantastic seat.
"It's like Fourth of July and New Year's put together," he said. "It's so exciting."
Henschel, and his wife, Reggie, are the NFL's VIP guests. When the cameras scan the stands, you may catch them seated near the 50-yard line.
There's no way he could snap his streak now.
"I've been to all 50," he said proudly, holding up his golden tickets with the Super Bowl 50 logo shining on the front. "It's so important. If there was a wedding or a wake in the family it'd have to wait until I get back because I have to go to the game."
Henschel paid $12 for a ticket to the first title game on Jan. 15, 1967. Bart Starr led the Green Bay Packers to a 35-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in a game dubbed the First World Championship Game.
Since that day, he vowed to never miss a Super Sunday – and he hasn't.
"Here is my treasure here," he said, pulling out a filing cabinet drawer in his garage, revealing all of the previous 49 Super Bowl game programs.
Henschel has attended every game with two buddies: Don Crisman of Maine and Larry Jacobson of San Francisco. Another of their friends, Robert Cook of Wisconsin, also made it to more than 40 of the games with the trio before he died in 2011.
"It was like a challenge every year," said Reggie. "I was say (our lives) are about 90 percent football."
Reggie was pivotal in keeping the streak going in 1979. The NFL did a ticket giveaway to lucky fans who wrote in to the league telling why they should be given tickets to Super Bowl XIII.
"I wrote a limerick," said Reggie, who has been to 14 of the Super Bowls with her husband. "I wrote,‘Tom Henschel is my name, Football is my game, 12 are in my frame, 13 is my aim.' " In the envelope, she included a photo of her husband holding a picture frame containing the ticket stubs from the previous 12 Super Bowls.
The NFL sent them four tickets to see the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tom's favorite team, beat the Dallas Cowboys in Miami. It ended up being his favorite game of all-time.
For Super Bowl VI, Tom had to be rushed to a New Orleans hospital the morning of the game after being found in the street following an asthma attack. When he woke up, the nurse told him he had to stay for observation for 24 hours. When she left the room, Tom ripped the IV out of his arm, snuck out of the hospital and made it to Tulane Stadium in time for kickoff. Roger Staubach's Cowboys beat the Miami Dolphins, 24-3.
"It's been my passion," he said with a smile. "Just for the love of the game."
He's seen his favorite team hoist the Lombardi Trophy six times, most recently in Tampa, when the Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals thanks to a furious, last-second comeback at Raymond James Stadium in Super Bowl XLIII.
"I hope the Steelers are in it next year," he said with a smile.
Super Bowl 51 will be in Houston and Tom expects to be there. And, in Minneapolis in 2018. And, wherever Super Bowl 53 winds up in 2019.
After all, why stop now?
"I'm going to keep going until they put me in a box."
The NFL has given Tom and Reggie a pair of tickets valued at $2,500 apiece, two plane tickets and a hotel room for free. Tom was also given an official Super Bowl 50 logo football with his name laser-etched into the leather.
You can see this story during the 10News WTSP "On The Road to the Big Game," 30-minute special that will air at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 6 and at 7:340 a.m. Feb. 7.
