My daughter and I were featured on WCVB’s “Chronicle” which aired February 1, 2008.

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I was featured in the Friday, December 9, 2005 edition of the Saugus Advocate.

You can view the actual pages here: Page One | Page Two

The Ultimate Pats Fan
By Tara Stead

As New England Patriots logos, emblems, limited edition collectors items, random pieces of football paraphernalia and even a custom made goal post , deck the halls, home and body of Saugus Native Rick Florentino, its fair to name him one of the Patriot’s biggest and most loyal fans.

“I am not the biggest Patriots fan, but there is no one bigger than me,” Florentino said.

Becoming a devoted admirer of the Patriots upon the team’s formation in 1961, Florentino walks, talks and breathes everything and anything related to his beloved football team.

“I have held season tickets for 22 years and I probably missed no more than 30 games,” he said, “and some of the games I missed I listened to on the radio. I could probably even recite plays from games played in the 60s and 70s.”

From shower curtains to Christmas decorations, to license plates and tattoos, almost everything Florentino buys or already has is somehow Patriots related.

“Most of my stuff is limited editions and I have over 60 autographed pieces from the 1960s until now,” Florentino said. “I have been collecting this stuff for years…it’s my hobby.”

Florentino exhibits his prized possessions by sections throughout his home. He has an “old Patriots” section, where everything displayed is marked with the old Patriots emblems and logos, and a Super Bowl section dedicated to anything he has collected over the years relating to the Patriot’s five Super Bowl appearances. Some items are separated by different generations of Patriot’s teams while the huge goal post replicate Florentino hand crafted out of plumbing pipes is stationed smack-dab in his living room, behind the couch.

“I wanted to create the ultimate sports room,” said Florentino. “The goal posts extend through the entire length of the couch.”

With the Patriot’s logo hand painted on his car and a Patriots tattoo on each arm, one could only image Florentino’s reaction to the Patriots first Super Bowl victory.

“I cried,” he said. “I cried tears of joy and the next morning when I went to breakfast at Hammersmith, everyone in there was waiting for me as I listened to We Are the Champions in my car. When I walked in everyone stood up clapping and congratulated me like I played in the game. Everyone knew how much it meant to me.”