ANDOVER, Mass. (AP/WHDH) — Mark Feigenbaum is no typical Patriots fan.
He attends most home games, one away game each year and has attended all 10 Super Bowls the Patriots have played in so far. The upcoming Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3 will be his 11th.
‘I’ve been a season ticket holder since 1976 and with four club seats, it allows me two Super Bowl tickets,” he said.
In 1996 he was named the New England Patriots Fan of the Year, and in 2000 he was named to the VISA Hall of Fans.
Feigenbaum, 60, grew up on Lakewood Terrace in Haverhill. A member of Haverhill High School’s Class of 1976, he attended many Hillie football games at the stadium.
“I’ve always loved football and ever since I went to my first NFL game, I just can’t get enough of it,” he said.
A certified financial planner, he lives in Andover with his wife of 33 years, Gail. They raised two sons, James, an economics professor at Boston University, and Tom, a senior at Boston College.
Getting to see a Patriots Super Bowl used to be easier.
“When the Pats played the Bears in 1986, there were only 5,000 season ticket holders so everyone got tickets,” he said.
The game, which was played in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, didn’t turn out as he’d hoped.
“The Pats got killed and lost 46-10,” he said.
Feigenbaum said that when he bought season tickets, he never imagined the Patriots would be in so many Super Bowls.
“It’s like the gift that keeps on giving and I can’t believe we’re going again,” he said about his upcoming trip to Atlanta to see the Pats play the Los Angeles Rams. “To think the Pats will be in their 11th and Brady is about to play in his ninth.”
For his 60th birthday a few months ago, Feigenbaum’s wife presented him with a framed display of his 10 Super Bowl tickets.
“We’re talking about adding the 11th to the poster or starting a new one,” he said.
For the third time in recent years, Feigenbaum is taking his son Tom to the Super Bowl.
“I took him to the game in Arizona against the Giants, which the Pats lost but should not have, and I took him to the game in Indianapolis against the Giants, and the Pats lost again,” he said. “So he hasn’t been to a Pats winning Super Bowl.”
Feigenbaum is still bothered by last year’s Super Bowl loss against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Belicheck should have played Butler,” he said. “Although he’s already the greatest of all time, I’d really like to see Brady win his sixth — which would be icing on the cake and make up for last year’s loss to Philly, which was very upsetting.”
Feigenbaum doesn’t have a huge collection of football memorabilia, but he does have some choice items, including a championship hat Patriots player David Givens tossed to him after Brady’s second Super Bowl win in 2004 against the Carolina Panthers.
The following year, while having dinner in Jacksonville near the Patriots’ hotel, he noticed Patriots owner Bob Kraft and his family.
“They all signed that hat,” Feigenbaum said.
When named to the VISA Hall of Fans, he got to mingle with some of the most recognized football fans in the country.
“They flew me and a friend to the Pro Football Hall of Fame where they had big fans from every team, including the Denver barrel guy, Fireman Ed from the Jets, the Kansas City arrow guy, the hog guy from Washington, the Rams guy with a watermelon head, the Violator from Oakland, Crazy Ray from the Cowboys and the Cleveland dog mask guy and others,” he said.
Feigenbaum is expecting a close game for this year’s Super Bowl.
“It’s not going to be a walk in the park and they’ll have to play their best game,” he said.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)