Fifty-nine years. Think about that for a second. In 1967, the average cost of a new house was roughly $14,000, gas was 33 cents a gallon, and a bunch of guys in Green Bay were about to play a football game that nobody even called the "Super Bowl" yet. Most people don't even keep the same car for a decade. But for a tiny, elite group known as the Never Miss a Super Bowl Club, that first kickoff in Los Angeles wasn't just a game. It was the start of a streak that would survive heart surgeries, family emergencies, and the skyrocketing costs of a ticket that used to be cheaper than a movie date is today.
Honestly, it’s kinda miraculous when you think about the logistics.
Life happens. People get sick, businesses fail, or sometimes you just can’t find a flight to a city like Miami or New Orleans during the busiest weekend of the year. Yet, these men found a way. While the group used to be larger—originally including fans like Stan Whitaker and others—the core "club" that gained national fame through Visa commercials and NFL documentaries eventually narrowed down to three legendary stalwarts: Don Crisman, Gregory Eaton, and Tom Henschel. These aren't just fans. They are living archives of American sports history.
What it Really Takes to Stay in the Never Miss a Super Bowl Club
You can’t just buy your way into this kind of longevity. Well, technically you have to buy the tickets, but it’s the grit that keeps the streak alive. Take Don Crisman, for example. Don is from Maine. If you’ve ever tried to fly out of New England in the dead of winter, you know it’s a coin flip whether your plane even leaves the tarmac. He’s the unofficial "president" of the group, and he’s been there since Super Bowl I—back when it was officially the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. He actually has a program from that game where the ticket price was just $12.
Twelve bucks.
Today, you can't even get a beer and a hot dog at the stadium for twelve bucks. But for Don and the others, the money became secondary to the ritual. The Never Miss a Super Bowl Club represents a weird, beautiful commitment to being a witness. They saw Joe Namath’s guarantee in III. They were there for the Dolphins' perfect season in VII. They watched the helmet catch, the wide-right miss, and the Philly Special in person.
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The Logistics of a Fifty-Year Streak
How do they do it? It’s not like the NFL was handing out free tickets for the first forty years. For a long time, these guys were just regular fans scrounging for seats. They had to navigate the secondary market long before StubHub existed, often relying on luck and a growing network of connections. Eventually, the NFL and sponsors like Visa recognized the marketing gold mine of their dedication. They started helping with ticket access because, let’s be real, it’s great PR. But the travel? That’s all on them.
Gregory Eaton, who joined the core group in the public eye later on, brings a different flavor to the club. He’s a business owner from Michigan. He’s seen his Detroit Lions fail to make the big game every single year of his life, yet he shows up anyway. That’s a specific kind of sports masochism that deserves respect. He’s often talked about how the streak is the one constant in a life that has seen plenty of ups and downs.
The Physical and Financial Toll
People often ask if they ever considered quitting. The answer is usually a blunt "no," but it hasn't been easy. There have been scares.
Don Crisman once thought the streak was over due to a health issue, and there was a period where the sheer cost of the trip started to feel unsustainable. In the early days, you could walk up to the gate and find a seat. By the 1990s, the Super Bowl had transformed into a corporate gala. The "regular fan" was priced out, replaced by celebrities and tech moguls. If it weren't for their status as the Never Miss a Super Bowl Club, they might have been forced to watch from their living rooms like the rest of us.
- Super Bowl I (1967): $12 ticket. The Los Angeles Coliseum wasn't even full.
- Super Bowl LVIII (2024): Average get-in price was hovering around $8,000.
- The Travel Factor: Factoring in hotels that require four-night minimums at $500+ a night.
It’s an expensive hobby. Tom Henschel, who splits his time between Pittsburgh and Florida, has been a Steelers fan through and through. He actually met Don Crisman at Super Bowl XVII in 1983. They were sitting near each other, realized they’d both been to every game, and a bond was formed. Imagine that—just two guys in the stands realizing they shared the same crazy obsession.
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Why This Streak Matters More Than the Scores
The scores fade. Do you remember who won Super Bowl XV off the top of your head? Most people don't. But for the members of this club, each game is a marker of time. It’s a yardstick for their own lives. They remember who they were with, what their health was like, and what the world felt like that year.
The Never Miss a Super Bowl Club is basically a living time capsule. They saw the transition from grainy black-and-white television broadcasts to 4K resolution and drone cameras. They saw the halftime show go from marching bands to Michael Jackson and Dr. Dre. They’ve watched the game evolve from a literal "game" into the single most important day in the American advertising and entertainment calendar.
There is a certain sadness to it, too. The club is shrinking. Time is undefeated.
Every year, the sports world holds its breath a little bit, hoping all the members make it to the stadium. There’s a profound sense of "last man standing" about the whole thing. They are very aware of their mortality. They talk about it in interviews with a kind of practical, old-school stoicism. They know the streak will end one day, but they’ve vowed that as long as they can walk—or be wheeled—into that stadium, they’re going to be there for the coin toss.
Beyond the "Official" Club
While Don, Tom, and Gregory are the most famous, there are often rumors of "shadow" members—people who claim to have been to every game but don't want the media attention. Or fans who missed just one because of a family funeral and are forever "disqualified." The NFL doesn't keep an official registry of every person who has ever entered the stadium, so the club is largely self-policed and verified through ticket stubs and programs.
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It’s about the proof. If you don't have the stub, did it even happen? For these guys, the collection of memorabilia is worth a fortune, but they’ve rarely shown interest in cashing out. The memories are the point.
The Legacy of the Ultimate Super Fan
What can we learn from the Never Miss a Super Bowl Club? It’s not just about football. It’s about the power of showing up. We live in a world where everything is "on-demand." We can watch highlights on our phones or stream the game from anywhere. But there is no substitute for being in the room where it happens.
These men represent a generation that valued physical presence. They didn't "consume content"; they experienced an event. Their streak is a middle finger to the idea that life is too busy or too complicated to maintain a tradition. They made it a priority, and because they did, they became a part of the very history they were trying to watch.
When you see them on TV this February—usually in a short segment before kickoff—look at their faces. They aren't looking at their phones. They aren't worried about the betting spread or their fantasy football team. They are just taking it in. One more game. One more year.
Actionable Steps for Aspiring Streak-Keepers
If you’re looking to start your own streak—whether it’s the Super Bowl, the World Series, or just a yearly trip with your kids—take a page from their playbook:
- Start Small, Stay Consistent: The first ten years are the hardest. Once you hit a decade, the "sunk cost" starts to work in your favor. You won't want to break the chain.
- Document Everything: Don’t just rely on your phone's cloud storage. Keep physical artifacts. Programs, stubs, even a napkin from the stadium. These become the "proof" that validates your story later in life.
- Build a Support System: Don, Tom, and Gregory have each other. They check in. They coordinate. It’s a lot harder to quit when you have friends expecting to see you at the gate.
- Budget for the Long Haul: If you’re eyeing a major event, create a dedicated "streak fund." Inflation is a beast, and today’s $8,000 ticket will be $20,000 before you know it.
- Prioritize Health: You can’t go if you can’t travel. The members of the Never Miss a Super Bowl Club often cite their relatively active lifestyles as the reason they can still make the trek every February.
The streak isn't just a record. It's a testament to the fact that while players come and go, and stadiums are torn down and rebuilt, the fans are the ones who actually hold the game together. They are the heartbeat of the sport. Don, Tom, and Gregory are just the ones who stayed the longest.