Natalie's Everyday Heroes: Packers fan visits 30 NFL stadiums in 30 days; wins Fan of the Year

 

GREEN BAY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- It's a dream for a lot of football fans to visit every NFL stadium. But imagine doing it in just 30 days.

A huge Packers fan accomplished that goal this past summer. Along the way, he raised half a million dollars, and it got him on the field at the Super Bowl.

Tom Grossi started 2024 out right.

"The 2023 NFL Fan of the Year is Green Bay Packers fan, Tom Grossi," the announcer said at this year's NFL Honors awards ceremony.

This Packers fan won NFL Fan of the Year during the broadcast.

"Congrats on fan of the year, man," Jordan Love said to him when he visited Radio Row in Las Vegas the week of the Super Bowl. 

Spending Super Bowl week in Las Vegas was something he couldn't have imagined when he started Packcast on YouTube nine years ago.

"I still remember the first episode," Grossi said, from his studio decorated with Packers gear. "It was the Rams guest I had that I got 100 views on it. And I was like, 'we're at the top!'"

A New York native, Grossi chose the Packers as his team at age six.

"I told my dad, like, 'hey, I'm a Packers fan now.' And I just stayed like that for 27 years," he laughed.

That commitment has paid off.

His YouTube channel has nearly 630,000 subscribers and 280,000,000 views. And it gave him a platform for his biggest accomplishment yet.

"I'm Tom Grossi, and I'm going to 30 NFL stadiums in 30 days," Grossi said in a video from Lambeau Field, kicking off his tour.

Last June, Grossi set out to visit every NFL stadium in a month.

"I didn't know what I was doing. But just, fake it 'til you make it and we're going to see what happens," he recalled thinking.

"Grossi, Grossi, Grossi," fans in Buffalo chanted before he jumped through a table outside the Bills stadium.

"Let's do it," he yelled before jumping.

And by day six it was clear he was on to something.

"And just like the outpouring of support that came after that, was like so incredibly positive," he said.

This Packers fan has connected with fans from every team.

And by the end of his trip, he'd raised $500,000 for St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

"During that, some people started talking about Fan of the Year," Grossi remembered.

Thousands of nominations later, he took home the trophy.

He calls it all "chaotic good."

You can see the chaos in what he does, and a whole lot of good.

"It was legitimately the greatest experience of my life. Because not only was it so positive and so good, you met the kindest people," he said.

Grossi is a former high school teacher. He started posting about the Packers in his spare time.

In less than three years he's raised $720,000 for various charities. You can find Packcast and all of his 30 NFL Stadiums 30 Days videos at the link here.

If you'd like to nominate an everyday hero, send Natalie a message at [email protected].