(Long Island, N.Y.) Sometimes there are win-win situations that may feel like a loss when it’s all said and done. The New York Giants went into their Week 17 matchup versus the Philadelphia Eagles knowing that a victory was not enough to make another Super Bowl run. Big Blue needed outside help in the form of three other teams losing, making it an unlikely scenario from the get-go.
But there were some fans in attendance that thoroughly enjoyed the experience, the 42-7 Giant win, and didn’t even mind when the Detroit Lions didn’t hold up their end of the bargain by dropping their contest to the Chicago Bears, one of the teams that the G-Men needed to lose.
“I was born a Giants fan and was lucky enough to experience the Lawrence Taylor era,” said United States Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Mack Hopkins, who was the grand prize winner of the Van Heusen Style in Training sweepstakes. “Being on the sidelines during pregame warm-ups was a great experience, seeing Eli Manning – who is my favorite player – and Victor Cruz up close like that was something else.”
Hopkins, 35, saw an online ad for the contest back in September and entered on a whim, never expecting to ultimately be declared the winner. The married father of three was notified approximately two months later that he had won and would be a very special guest (plus one) at the Giants game, to go along with a lot more.
“My wife and I were picked up by car at our home in Huntington Station and were taken to the Ace Hotel in Manhattan,” said Hopkins, who was born in Glen Cove and grew up in Westbury and Freeport. “We stayed the night there and were driven in the morning to MetLife Stadium.”
While they were on the home team sideline, a group from Newtown, Connecticut joined the husband and wife Hopkins pair. “It was a very emotional moment, seeing those Sandy Hook Elementary School families that went through that,” a solemn Hopkins recalled. “I was at a loss for words at the time.”
As the clock ticked towards the 1:00 pm kickoff, Hopkins received a very pleasant surprise when he was invited out to midfield for the coin toss. “I was wearing my Eli Manning number 10 jersey and walked out with the Eli and Justin Tuck,” he said. “They announced my name over the PA system. It was definitely one of the greatest moments of my life besides my children being born.”
The happy couple was then invited up to one of the suites to watch the game and there was plenty to cheer about. Manning threw for five touchdowns as the Giants trounced their division rivals from south of the Turnpike, but it became a matter of crossing your fingers as the Bears opened up a 10-point lead against the Lions. But the squad from Detroit made it interesting and closed the gap as the Giants game commenced. That’s when the term ‘scoreboard watching’ took on a new meaning.
“They showed the last five minutes of the (Bears-Lions) game on the big screen at the stadium,” the 12-year military veteran said. “So everyone stuck around to see the outcome.”
The Lions’ comeback fell short as the 26-24 Chicago win eliminated the Giants from playoff contention. But that didn’t change the experience for a proud fan dressed in blue.
“I’ve been to the new stadium about six times before this, but it was totally different,” said Hopkins, who also received $2,000 worth of clothing and a $500 gift certificate to Macy’s in the contest.
So it was back to the Ace Hotel for another night’s stay for Hopkins before reporting back for duty at his post as a recruiter out of Garden City, where he has been for a few years after being deployed overseas.
The good guys won that day – in more ways than one.
