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Mike Schuster is a person known to me through several sports entities, not the least of which is his dressed up character Puck Head for the Providence Bruins. Mike, a Computer Consultant by trade, is more popularly known as 'Patriot Man,' dressed in full logoed regalia. His knowledge of the statistics, the insights, the legislative manderings and his forthright support of the New England Patriot's efforts is without parallel or peer. He has appeared, in character, in a myriad a news stories, occaisional program teases and is a household football term to many other sports fan, "Patriot Man." Ah-h-h, even the name - it rings a bell (of freedom, going from town to town informing the general public of needed information) doesn't it? Did I mention his great web site 'mikeschuster.com,' with Patriot info, links and his photos? As fans from just about every sport venue are depicted through blibs on TV teasers, Schuster's efforts, on a higher plane if there ever was one, are worthy of full length features. Such a movie could only be titled, "Dedication Knows No Boundaries, The Mike Schuster/Patriot's Partnership." |
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My brother, Mike Schuster, has been a huge Patriots fan since 1971 when the Patriots moved to our hometown.
He attended Schaeffer Stadium's inaugural regular season game, an upset win in Jim Plunkett's debut.
A few years later he got a job hawking concessions so he could attend all the games.
Five years ago he bought a house near the stadium so he could walk to the games (his living room looks like a Patriots museum), then made a vow that the next time the Patriots made the SuperBowl he would shave his head and paint it to look like a Patriots helmet. A week before SuperBowl XXXI he did just that (I was the lucky one who painted his head!). Then spent a week in New Orleans, winning SuperBowl tickets in a fanatic fan contest and sleeping on other fan's hotel room floors when he was unable to get a room of his own. This year Mike really went the extra yard to support the Patriots. In addition to attending all the games wearing full Patriots regalia and facepaint, he spent what must have been hundreds of hours working closely with Town officials, other Foxbrough residents, and the Patriots organization to make the New Patriots Stadium a reality. He attended numerous informational, planning board and advisory board meetings, then combatted the misinformation diseminated by some of our fellow Foxborough residents by devoting his website (www.mikeschuster.com) to ''New Patriots Stadium Information'' and writing many letters to local papers refuting the inaccurate claims of stadium opponents. He was also one of the principal organizers of Foxboro in Common's ''Tailgate Rally'' - an informational and get-out-the-vote rally that took place last month on Foxborough's Town Common. He even taped ''Vote Yes'' lawn signs and bumperstickers to his Corvette, handing out ''Vote Yes'' lawn signs, bumperstickers and voter registration forms as he ran errands around town. Judging by the large voter turnout at the Town Meeting and overwhelming stadium support he was extremely sucessful in educating the voters and getting them to show up at the Special Town Meeting. 500 words is really not enough to fully describe Mike's fanaticism for the Patriots. See his website for more information, the SuperBowl pictures are especially entertaining and there's a ton of New Patriots Stadium information there. Mr. Joseph Mastrangelo must have been a very devoted fan to have his family honor his memory with the Patriots Fan of the Year trophy. I'm sure he suffered through many of the Patriots lean years yet continued to support his team. My brother has supported the Patriots, through good times and bad, and even sacrificed a full head of hair to prove it. He says you appreciate the good times more if you suffer with the team through the bad. I can think of no better way to continue to honor Mr. Mastrangelo's memory than by naming a fan of Mike's caliber Patriots Fan of the Year, he truly is a Patriots FANatic! |
