Bellingham Father, Daughter Headed To 11th Patriots Super Bowl Together
BELLINGHAM (CBS) - John Murray has been a Patriots season ticket holder for 48 years. But this weekend, the 73-year-old and his daughter will continue an even better tradition.
They'll attend their 11th Patriots Super Bowl – together.
It's hard to miss John in his somewhat outlandish game day outfit. "This is how I roll," he chuckles.
The Pats logo is printed all over his sport coat and big, floppy top hat. "I got this hat in 2001 when we beat the Rams," he says. "So I have to keep wearing it."
But daughter Shayna doesn't mind. "I'll be grateful for it for the rest of my life," she says.
On Sunday, father and daughter will be side-by-side in Atlanta to watch the Patriots at the Super Bowl, a ritual that began in New Orleans back in 1986 – when she was 8.
"It was fun being down there," Shayna says, "but I don't think I understood the magnitude of the game I was at."
Inside her Dad's Bellingham ice cream shop, the pictures and mementos document a crazy journey that has certainly escalated in the Kraft, Belichick, Brady era.
In fact, the frequent Super Bowl trips prompted John to virtually stalk the famous trio to convince them to sign his arm – which this superfan did – and then quickly made permanent. "I went down to the tattoo shop the very next day," says John.
For more than three decades, John and Shayna have shared every one of the Pats performances on the big stage – soaking in the party atmosphere – and a beverage or two.
"I remember parts of every game," John says with a smirk.
But the real takeaway, is a father-daughter bond that's pretty hard to beat.
"This is one of the rare times when I'm glad I don't have a sibling," Shayna laughs. "It's OUR thing."
"It makes a heck of a memory," her Dad chimes in.
The Murrays will fly to Atlanta tomorrow, hoping to improve on their five-and-five Super Bowl record – and have a ton of fun at the same time.
