LAS VEGAS, NV (WTAQ-WLUK) – Green Bay Packers fan Tom Grossi earned the title of NFL Fan of Year Thursday.
Grossi was selected from a pool of 32 finalists — one from each NFL team — as the league’s “ultimate” fan. He received the award at the NFL Honors in Las Vegas, the league’s annual primetime awards show.
Grossi, originally from New York, became a Packers fan when he was just six years old. His father, a diehard Cowboys fan, made every attempt to convince him to cheer for Dallas. But one day in first grade, Grossi heard about how the Packers beat the Cowboys, and he went home to proudly tell his father that he was a Packers fan instead.
Grossi has not missed watching a Packers game for the past two decades and has shared his passion for the team with hundreds of thousands of people through his YouTube channel. Since 2015, he has greeted his viewers by welcoming them to “the podcast where you don’t have to be a Packers fan, but it sure does help.” Grossi has taken his love for the Packers and the NFL and transformed it into a vehicle that he calls “Chaotic Good” – doing acts of kindness, without recognition, in an attempt to make someone’s day better.
With his platform, Grossi has worked to raise large sums for various charities with his fundraising efforts. Since 2021, he has raised over $725,000, with over $500,000 coming from his latest campaign, 30 in 30. In June of 2023, he visited 30 NFL stadiums in 30 days to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Starting at Lambeau Field, Grossi highlighted each team and its fanbase, while also supporting small businesses by hosting fan events at local restaurants and venues.
A former high school social studies teacher, Grossi believes in making sure anyone can enjoy the NFL if they want to. Whether it’s online, streaming with his fellow fans as they react to a Packers game, or celebrating the uniqueness of each team’s fanbase, he loves football and most of all, the Green Bay Packers.
The NFL’s Fan of the Year competition celebrates extraordinary fans who inspire others through their passion for football. A record-high 61,000 nominations were submitted this year. Each of the 32 nominees will represent their team Sunday at Super Bowl LVIII.
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