STATE OF THE SUPER BOWL CON'T:
WHO GOES?
No one I know loves the Super Bowl more than Lansing businessman Gregory Eaton. But he won't be watching Sunday night here on Channel 10 when the Patriots meet the Seahawks. And it's an amazing reason why as told by News
10’s Jamie Kuras:
You may think that Tom Brady’s six Super Bowl appearances is a big deal. And it is, but not when you compare it to Gregory Eaton, who has been to every single Super Bowl, beginning with the first back in 1967.
"My good friend Herb Aderly, he played for the Green Bay Packers, he says 'c'mon, we gotta go to this game, we're going to play in the coliseum, I got your tickets, don't worry about anything'. Then the second one, they played in the second one, c'mon we'll go to Miami."
And so his streak began; 48 Super Bowls in all. He says it's much different experience now.
"It’s different today, back in the day; your ticket was ten dollars. Now they're $1900 or $2,000. You didn't have to go through security. The security is unbelievable and it was just a big party"
He remembers former Michigan State head coach George Perles winning Super Bowls with the Steelers, however, he says his best memory comes from Super Bowl 2.
"After the game, i got in with Herb Adderly and Boyd Dowler and we were in my rental car going back to the airport because they were going out west for the All-Star game. They said ‘C'mon Greg, you're going with us.’ So that was a big thrill."
Tickets to the Super Bowl are always hard to come by but Gregory has always known the right people to get him in.
"I’ve been a season ticket for the Lions for the last 40 years, and they took care of me the last 2 years. Nick Saban when he was with Miami, he got me tickets. Sherman got me tickets. Dean Look was an NFL ref and he got me tickets. Bubba Smith has got me tickets. So you get on the phone and now it's sort of, ‘Gregory, we'll get you tickets somewhere to keep the streak going.’ "
And he thinks this year's game is going to be a close one.
"I think it's going to be a pick’em. I like Seattle. I think they have a 4-leaf clover and a rabbit's foot after last week."
He says he plans on going every year until his health no longer allows him to.
I have no idea how many people alive today have seen all 48 Super Bowl games, but I do know that Lansing's Gregory Eaton will be in Glendale, Ariz., today to see his 49th.
Retired Detroit News columnist Jerry Green is one of three newspaper writers to have covered every game, but Eaton figures he must be in select company among fans.
Eaton, who works at Karoub Associates in Lansing, began with the 1967 game when his buddy, former Michigan State All-American Herb Adderley, got him tickets for the inaugural game in Los Angeles. Adderley played for the Green Bay Packers, who beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10. Adderley was Eaton's ticket source for several years before others in the NFL, whom he knew, helped out from time to time.
Eaton is a 40-year holder of Detroit Lions season tickets and that provided an avenue for ticket help. The well-traveled Lansing businessman paid $1,900 face value for his ticket to tonight's game — he paid $10 in 1967.
He prefers New Orleans over any other host city and says the biggest change through the years has been the security, estimating that it will take 90 minutes to get into the stadium today.
Lansing Businessman Greg Eaton
Is a "Super" Fan
By: Jamie Kuras - Email
Updated: Fri 12:45 PM, Jan 30, 2015
By: Jamie Kuras - Email
‘Gregory, we'll get you tickets somewhere to keep the streak going.’ "
10’s Jamie Kuras: You may think that Tom Brady’s six Super Bowl appearances is a big deal. And it is, but not when you compare it to Gregory Eaton, who has been to every single Super Bowl, beginning with the first back in 1967.
"My good friend Herb Aderly, he played for the Green Bay Packers, he says 'c'mon, we gotta go to this game, we're going to play in the coliseum, I got your tickets, don't worry about anything'. Then the second one, they played in the second one, c'mon we'll go to Miami."
And so his streak began; 48 Super Bowls in all. He says it's much different experience now.
"It’s different today, back in the day; your ticket was ten dollars. Now they're $1900 or $2,000. You didn't have to go through security
. The security is unbelievable and it was just a big party" He remembers former Michigan State head coach George Perles winning Super Bowls with the Steelers, however, he says his best memory comes from Super Bowl 2.
 |
| Gregory Eaton's buddy from MSU days. |
"After the game, i got in with Herb Adderly and Boyd Dowler and we were in my rental car
going back to the airport because they were going out west for the All-Star game. They said ‘C'mon Greg, you're going with us.’ So that was a big thrill." Tickets to the Super Bowl are always hard to come by but Gregory has always known the right people to get him in.
"I’ve been a season ticket for the Lions for the last 40 years, and they took care of me the last 2 years. Nick Saban when he was with Miami, he got me tickets. Sherman got me tickets. Dean Look was an NFL ref and he got me tickets. Bubba Smith has got me tickets. So you get on the phone and now it's sort of, ‘Gregory, we'll get you tickets somewhere to keep the streak going.’ "
And he thinks this year's game is going to be a close one.
"I think it's going to be a pick’em. I like Seattle. I think they have a 4-leaf clover and a rabbit's foot after last week."
He says he plans on going every year until his health
no longer allows him to. 
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