Super Bowl LVIII last Sunday marks the close of another National Football League season, a big day for professional football fans everywhere. For Anna Maria Island resident Tom Curtin, the season checked the final boxes on his journey to professional football stadiums everywhere.
On Jan. 7, Curtin achieved his goal of attending a home team game for each of the 32 teams in the NFL. Bank of America Stadium was the setting of the Carolina Panthers-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game where Curtin completed his daunting mission.
As an avid traveler and Bucs fan, the January game in Charlotte, accompanied by his girlfriend, Laura Fri, was the 13th stadium for Curtin in the 2023-2024 season.
Growing up in Boston, Curtin’s first NFL game was a New England Patriots game played at Harvard Stadium in 1970.
Curtin’s destiny was set in 2007 when he started visiting different NFL stadiums, attending several games a year.
Owning his Island condo since the mid-80s, retirement allowed Curtin to become a full-time resident this past June. His April 2023 retirement was a game changer for him, allowing him to map out his plan to accomplish his goal at the Bucs-Panthers match-up.
The road to accomplishing his goal this year was not without its scheduling challenges. Attending a game in San Francisco on Sept. 21 followed by the Seattle Seahawks game on Sept. 24, only to fly home for the Monday night Bucs game on Sept. 25 was Curtin’s biggest logistical challenge.
A similar itinerary put him in Buffalo, New York on Oct. 26, traveling to watch the Colts on Oct. 29, then to Detroit for the Lions game the following night.
A schedule not for the faint of heart, crazy travel planning made Curtin’s bucket list accomplishment possible.
When asked which of the 30 stadiums is his favorite, other than Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and Raymond James Stadium, home of the Bucs, Tom said, “Allegiant Stadium in Vegas… a first-class stadium all-around.”
With fond memories, Lambeau Field, home to the Green Bay Packers, is also one of his favorite stadiums because of its rich history and memories of a stadium tour with his oldest son.
Among his other travel and sports event experiences, Curtin completed his goal of attending a professional baseball game in every Major League Baseball stadium in 2015 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
Despite attending big sporting events around the world, attending the NBA All-Stars game is one of the few things still left on his list of things to do.
North Carolina may have been where Curtin watched the Bucs defeat the Panthers 9-0 and put a cap on this mission, but it certainly will not be his last big travel plan or goal.
