Greg Ruda and his son Spencer are no strangers to big games. They went to Game Six of the NBA Finals in 2008 and have been to multiple AFC Championship games. They were very impressed with this year’s Superbowl host city of Atlanta, GA sharing that everything was walkable and centralized. “The most exciting thing we did in Atlanta was go to the Patriots pep rally. We got to see Robert Kraft cheer with the fans before the game and see old Patriots legends like Richard Seymour,” said Greg Ruda.
Photo courtesy of Ruda FamilyWhile the halftime show was disappointing to him, Greg shared that the special effects were cool. “The Mercedes Benz Stadium was probably the most modern stadium we have ever been to. More impressive than the Cowboys’,” Ruda said.
For Tim O’Neill Sr., attending the Super Bowl during the New England Patriots/Tom Brady era has been one of his “bucket list” items. He was particularly excited because he got to experience it with his sons, Timmy Jr. and Henry. Timmy was able to attend the Super Bowl in Houston (Patriots vs. Atlanta) with a college friend, so he has already seen one exciting win.
Photo courtesy of O’Neill FamilyFor two lucky Gorham families, seeing Tom Brady and the New England Patriots capture their sixth Lombardi Trophy since 2002 was the experience of a lifetime. (Top photo L-R) Greg and Spencer Ruda. (Bottom photo L-R) Tim O’Neill Sr., Timmy O’Neill Jr., and Henry O’Neill.
O’Neill said they stayed with family in Atlanta so that improved their experience with an “insiders view of the city.” He added, “We went to a number of NFL sponsored events on Saturday and couldn’t believe what a tremendous job the NFL does for the fans. All the NFL events had past stars like Michael Vick, Deion Branch and Kurt Warner taking part.”
Both men agreed that it felt like a Patriots home game with the ratio of Patriots fans to Rams fans approximately 80/20. In a sea of Patriots fans cheering on their team, both fathers and sons shared memorable experiences. Finally, after an exciting fourth quarter, they all were thrilled to be in attendance to see Tom Brady earn the sixth Super Bowl ring of his career with a 13-3 win over the Rams. As TB12 says, “We’re still here!”