Fifty-five years ago, Don Crisman sat in the Los Angeles Coliseum with four of his friends, skeptical about this thing being called the “Super Bowl.” It was Jan. 15 and they’d paid just $12 a piece for their tickets. That game changed football forever, and it also changed Crisman’s life. On Sunday, the 85-year-old is attending his 56th game, this time at SoFi Stadium.
This game will be bittersweet for Crisman, who said he’s up there in age, and with deteriorating health, Super Bowl LVI will likely be his last trek to the annual event.
“I think this is my last rodeo but we’ll see,” he said. “You know, you never know. The Patriots, my team, may improve, and if they get in the game I have to go.”
Crisman joined KNX In Depth to explain how the first game happened and how the "Never Miss a Super Bowl" club came to be.
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Long story short, Crisman was living in Colorado when his bank offered up five tickets to the Jan. 15, 1967 game. Five tickets that few people had any interest in, since the concept was new. He shared what it was like to be in the stands.
“It was only a little over 60,000 people, it was a third maybe even more empty,” he said. “It was kind of like a college bowl game, you know? It wasn’t a big deal. I’ve said all along, there were many sports writers who said the American League as it was for the first four years of the super bowl would never catch up and would never be competitive.”
But, Crisman said, that all changed when Jets Quarterback Joe Namath pulled off the win in Super Bowl III, and Len Dawson duplicated the feat for the Kansas City Chiefs the next year at Super Bowl IV.
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After 10 or 12 games, Crisman said he and his friends created the club, and committed to attending the games together every year. This year, he'll be joined by Gregory Eaton and Tom Henschel, who will also celebrate their 56th game this year.
After all those games, is it possible to have a favorite? Yes, Crisman told KNX. Three, in fact.
“I have a favorite. [Super Bowl 51] where my Patriots were behind by 23 or something and came back and won in overtime, that’s gotta be my favorite,” Crisman said.
“Close second, Super Bowl 49. Again, my Patriots won with a last second interception. You know, two games we should have lost, we won. Those are my two favorites.”
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He also has a favorite that doesn’t involve his team. And that's Super Bowl III.
“When Joe Namath and the Jets beat the Colts…that was special because, I was a real strong Patriots fan and I believed in the AFL, which became the AFC,” Crisman said.
“And to see them win that early was really special. And it changed a lot of people's opinions. And I think it saved the game.”
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