From Foxboro to Santa Clara: A Patriots Father-Son Dream Comes True
Sunday’s Super Bowl send-off at Gillette Stadium brought more than just goosebumps from the frigid wind chill - it delivered a once-in-a-lifetime surprise for one Massachusetts father and son.
Aaron and Duncan Tarver made the early morning trek from Dighton to Foxboro with no expectations beyond cheering on their beloved Patriots. But what started as a cold-weather rally turned into a cross-country ticket to the big game. Thanks to a Bud Light-sponsored giveaway, the Tarvers are headed to Santa Clara to watch the Patriots face off against the Seahawks in next Sunday’s Super Bowl.
“I never thought I’d be here, never thought in a million years,” said Duncan, still stunned after learning he and his dad had won the coveted tickets.
The Tarvers were among the first to arrive at Gillette, pulling into Patriot Place around 4 a.m. - hours before the rally began. With temperatures plunging below zero and wind chills making it feel like -10, it was a test of true fandom. But for Aaron and Duncan, the cold was just part of the experience.
“We just stuck together because we didn’t know what was going on,” Aaron said. “I was like, ‘If there’s 100, 200 of us, we’re all best friends.’ This was a team day.”
The giveaway was simple: the first 300 fans to check in at Bud Light’s on-site activation were entered to win either Super Bowl tickets or beer money. The Tarvers hit the jackpot - a dream come true for a father who’d never been to a Super Bowl and a son who grew up in the Patriots’ golden era.
Duncan, 24, was born just as the Patriots dynasty began to take shape in 2001. His earliest vivid memory as a fan?
The 2007 season - the near-perfect campaign that ended with a gut-punch loss to the Giants. Now, nearly two decades later, he’s getting the chance to witness a Super Bowl in person, with his team back on the game’s biggest stage.
And this time, it’s a new era. The Patriots, sitting at 17-3, are heading into their first Super Bowl under head coach Mike Vrabel and rookie quarterback Drake Maye. It’s a fresh chapter, but the energy around the team - and the region - feels familiar.
“I’m just trying to be grateful for it all. It’s incredible,” Duncan said. “Talking about fandom, bias, I think we’d be the best team every single year, but I would be lying if I said I thought that we’d be going to the Super Bowl.”
The send-off rally itself was a full-blown celebration of New England football culture. Over 10,000 fans packed the lower bowl and field at Gillette, braving the cold to catch one last glimpse of their team before it heads west. Patriots alumni were out in force - Matt Light, Dan Koppen, Patrick Chung, and Robert Ninkovich among them - leading chants and sharing wisdom with the current squad.
The Dropkick Murphys set the tone with a few live tracks, including a Patriots-themed spin on their anthem “The Boys Are Back.” This time, it was “The Pats Are Back,” and the crowd roared in approval.
But the loudest moment came when Vrabel and a group of players took the stage. The first-year head coach, who knows a thing or two about postseason battles from his playing days, showed his appreciation for the fans and his team.
“Every week we played here, it got better and better and better,” Vrabel said. “A coach is only as good as his players, I promise you that.
I know that for a fact. And a big part of our success is our players.”
Then came the handoff - not on the field, but on the mic - to quarterback Drake Maye, who’s been at the center of this season’s resurgence.
“You guys have been great all season,” Maye told the bundled-up faithful. “Man, wouldn’t be here without you guys.
What a journey, and we still got work left to do. … Celebrate when we get back.
Go Pats, baby.”
After the rally wrapped, team buses rolled out with a full police and fire escort, bound for TF Green Airport in Rhode Island. Fans lined the roads, waving and cheering as the team departed - one last show of support before the final battle of the season.
Among those fans was Kayla O’Connor, who summed up the moment with a sentiment that echoed across the crowd.
“Every game, we were just like, ‘This is it. We’re coming to the end of the season,’” she said.
“And every time, we were like, ‘They really are something, they really are a team.’ They called it a family at some point, and it looks like it.”
She added, “There’s nothing like New England.”
And for the Tarvers, there’s nothing like being part of that family - especially when it means heading to the Super Bowl together.