As we all soak in the holiday spirit, diehard New York Jets fan Joe Benigno recalled the best gift he has ever received: tickets to the Jets’ 1969 AFL semifinal game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Shea Stadium.
Appearing on WFAN’s “Evan & Tiki,” Benigno reflected on the best gift he received from Santa.
“1969, the Jets played a playoff game at home against the Kansas City Chiefs; we lost the game 13-6,” Benigno proclaimed. “It was painful, and I still don’t think we [the Jets] ever recovered from this game.”
Bro, the pain.
“But with that said, I was a junior in high school; there was a kid who had season tickets for the Jets at that point. He couldn’t go to the game, and he was selling the tickets for the game,” Bengino continued.
“Remember, this game was not on television; this game was at Shea Stadium. It was a Saturday game; they were still having a blackout in 1969, but this game was not on local television, so I am begging my mother. I said Ma, you don’t have to get me anything else for Christmas; you need to get me these tickets for the Jet game, and she did, and we went.”
Of course, the 1969 Jets were just a year removed from their miraculous Super Bowl 3 victory. Knocking off the Baltimore Colts by a 16-7 final didn’t just give Benigno his first and only championship, but it also helped transform the league into what we know it as today.
Although the Jets lost to the Chiefs in 1969, Hank Stram’s squad finished the job in Super Bowl 4 against the Minnesota Vikings, finally ending the “AFL is too weak” debate and forcing the NFL-AFL merger.
Being a diehard Jets fan is filled with heartbreak, hope, and frustration. Benigno has spent over 40 years as a diehard fan, never being disloyal to the organization and sticking with the team despite ups and downs.
Despite the continued misery, Joe Benigno’s long-standing fandom reminds us of the hardships and loyalty that come with being a diehard New York Jets fan.
