As Private First Class of the United States Marine Corps veteran Larry Schmitz stood in the tunnel at Caesars Superdome ahead of Super Bowl 59, he heard a recognizable voice echoing down the tunnel. He turned and saw Jameis Winston making his way through the fans representing each franchise for the NFL 2024 Fan of the Year.
When Winston got to Schmitz, the two embraced and had their picture taken. They chatted about the Browns and Schmitz's nomination as their Fan of the Year. After the group returned from the field and Schmitz was waiting to head back to his seat, Winston was once again standing next to him, waiting for the elevator.
"We talked for a good probably five minutes, and I gave him a little history on the old stadium," Schmitz said. "He's a good guy. We talked for a bit, and it was nice to talk to him."
Schmitz and his daughter, Katie Schmitz, attended Super Bowl 59 and represented the Browns for the NFL 2024 Fan of the Year. They walked the red carpet and attended NFL Honors, visited the Super Bowl Experience at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and watched the Super Bowl from Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9.
While at the game, all the representatives for Fan of the Year were recognized by those in attendance for their individual nominations. Katie Schmitz, who was up in the stands, watched her father proudly as he waved to the crowd when he was recognized as the Browns' nominee.
"It was so cool just to watch him, getting to see him interacting with everybody down on the field, and then watching them all line up and looking all happy," she recalled.
Throughout their stay, they built connections with other fans nominated for NFL Fan of the Year. They attended dinners and exchanged contact information for future visits for Browns games during the 2025 season.
"The Buffalo Bills guy is coming down for a game this year," Schmitz said. "We're going to meet up when they get here. I think we've found a bunch of lifelong friends."
As both Larry Schmitz and Katie Schmitz reflected on the experience of being the Browns 2024 Fan of the Year – from the original surprise on the field on Nov. 3 for the Salute to Service game to attending the Super Bowl – it's one they will hold close to them for a long time.
Katie Schmitz originally nominated her father for the Browns Fan of the Year because of his commitment to being a season ticket holder for almost 40 years. She's watched his fandom and dedication to the Browns since her childhood and all through her adult life. While attending a Browns game, she found the nomination through the Browns Dawg Tags program on their seats and submitted an application for Schmitz.
Schmitz has been a season ticket holder since 1985. He first began buying tickets in the bleachers at the previous Browns stadium, Cleveland Stadium, with his brother and friends. He grew up playing football in a grassy lot outside the former Ohio Bell building in Cleveland with friends from his neighborhood and was a referee for a local touch football league.
His fandom has taken him through different eras of the Browns, with one of his favorites being the Kardiac Kids era in 1980. Yet, he also enjoyed the era of Browns' football with QB Bernie Kosar at the helm from 1985-1993.
Katie Schmitz has been attending games since she was a child and developed her love of the Browns through the time spent with her father. They hold memories from every Sunday watching and attending games together. They added to those memories tied to the Browns from another experience centered around their love for the Browns.
"I've always had at least two tickets," Schmitz said. "And Katie's probably spent more time at games than anybody else. She's just so enthusiastic about going to the games and being with the Browns and stuff. Now we got the next generation, her daughter and my grandson, they're sitting around the house going 'Here we go Brownies.' We're training them. Everybody worries about their legacy. I think my legacy is getting training the next generation of Browns fans."
