The basement of Don Crisman’s home in Kennebunk is adorned with Super Bowl memorabilia. Crisman has been to every Super Bowl and will be heading to Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas in February. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

As he has each year since 1967, Don Crisman is heading to the Super Bowl.

A Kennebunk resident, Crisman, 87, is one of three fans to have attended each Super Bowl since the inaugural game between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs nearly six decades ago. Last year and again this year, he and his friends Gregory Eaton of Michigan and Tom Henschel of Florida were given a pair of tickets by Verizon to America’s biggest sporting event.

The trio has the distinction of being the only fans to have attended every Super Bowl. Crisman met Henschel at the Super Bowl in 1983 in Pasadena, California. The pair met Eaton in the mid-2010s.

“Going to the game is a chance to relive our past and remember all the other games and share stories,” Crisman said Monday. “The game is not as important as meeting the guys… I’m looking forward to it.”

Super Bowl 58 is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Crisman and his daughter will fly to Las Vegas on the Wednesday before the game and return home the following Tuesday.

Crisman has been an eyewitness to many of pro football’s great moments.

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He was there in 1969 when Joe Namath led the New York Jets over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III after guaranteeing victory. Crisman saw the Miami Dolphins complete their undefeated season with a 14-7 win over Washington in Super Bowl VII. He saw the Pittsburgh Steelers become the dynasty of the 1970s with their four Super Bowl wins, and saw the San Francisco 49ers become the team of the 1980s. Crisman saw the start of the New England Patriots dynasty with the 20-17 victory over the highly-favored St. Louis Rams in February of 2002 in New Orleans.

A longtime Patriots fan, Crisman said he’s fortunate to have witnessed the team win the Super Bowl six times and play in the game 11 times. Crisman was hoping for a Super Bowl matchup between the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills, but with Buffalo’s close loss to the Chiefs Sunday night, that’s off the table.

“I’m happy to see the Lions playing well. I’m hoping they make it all the way,” he said.

Don Crisman’s tickets from the first three Super Bowls, when they were still referred to as World Championship Games. Crisman noted that the price of his first ticket was $12. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Two years ago, Crisman thought Super Bowl 56 between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals would be his final one. While the NFL sets aside two tickets for Crisman to purchase at face value, the price is now around $3,000 per ticket. That cost, combined with his limited mobility, had Crisman considering ending his streak. With Verizon providing tickets last year and this year, he decided to keep the streak going.

His daughter, Sue Metevier, will attend the game with him for the ninth time. She serves as his organizer, making sure he gets to each of his commitments during the week and booking the Airbnb at which they’ll stay. On the Friday before the game, Crisman will hold a media conference along with his pals, Eaton and Henschel. Metevier organizes the travel and lodging for the trip, and she serves as her father’s public relations coordinator and social director.

“Every year, it gets more special. It takes a lot to go and plan. We want to keep it going, and we’re blessed to be able to go one more time,” she said.

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In a press release, Verizon named Crisman as an honorary member of its Test Force, the group of engineers who work to ensure the wireless network at the game works smoothly.

“To have Don, somebody who reliably attended every single Super Bowl, to be representative of the Verizon Test Force, is such an honor,” Joe Russo, Verizon’s executive vice president of global networks and technology, said in the release.

Metevier said she and her father are waiting on specifics from Verizon as to what they’d like him to do in Las Vegas, but she expects it will include an interview or two. In an email, Verizon spokesperson Chris Berry Serico said they plan to have Crisman put Verizon’s network through a series of tests on game day and “showcase our network performance,” but declined to give specifics when asked what that entails.

From left, Tom Henschel, Gregory Eaton and Don Crisman are shown while attending the Super Bowl five years ago. They are the only fans to have attended every Super Bowl since the first one was held in January 1967. Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Her father’s Super Bowl trips have been a part of his life since the year she was born, Metevier, 56, said. Watching Super Bowl 51 with her dad, in which the Patriots rallied from a 28-3 deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons, 34-28 in overtime, is a highlight for her. Mostly, Metevier said she enjoys watching her father bask in the attention he receives at the game.

“Watching him with his friends, he’s kind of in his element,” she said. “People come up to him and say ‘You’re that guy!’ He loves it.”

Crisman said he’s not sure where they will be seated at Allegiant Stadium, but he added it’s not a concern. He’s not sure if he’ll be sitting with Eaton and Henschel.

“Any seat in the building is OK,” Crisman said.

Crisman said he hasn’t been to Las Vegas since 1999.

“I think it doesn’t resemble what I remember anymore,” Crisman said.

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