Gronk gives Super Bowl tickets to man who advocates for fellow veterans

This weekend, one lucky Florida veteran will be traveling all the way to Phoenix to cheer on his favorite team in the Super Bowl, and his ticket was completely free.

Walking through Marc McCabe’s home, it’s like a military museum.

“If I had a fire in my house, this would probably be the first thing that goes out of the house with me,” said McCabe, referring to his collection of military coins.

McCabe served 20 years in the Navy and Marines, followed by 20 more years as chief advocate for the Vietnam Veterans of America.

“These veterans, these warriors, they earned those benefits, every last one of them. It’s my job to make sure the VA gives them the highest level of disability allowable by law,” said McCabe.

McCabe has helped to recover almost $1 billion for Florida veterans alone.

“It’s satisfying to know that at the end of the day, we have changed the quality of life of a lot of people,” said McCabe.

His continued dedication recently caught the attention of Rob Gronkowski and USAA, who invited him and a friend to this year’s Super Bowl in Phoenix.

“It took a while to set in, obviously, there’s a lot of people out there worthy of this, and I don’t think I’m that worthy. I just do my job,” said McCabe. “I’m very honored, very humbled, just to go to the Super Bowl; it’s like everyone’s bucket list.”

McCabe actually attended the University of Kansas and grew up rooting for the Chiefs.

“I’ve always been a Kansas City fan since they had Lenny Dawson back in the day,” said McCabe.

What he’s most excited about is meeting Gronk in person.

“He’s like a big kid, and I relate to big kids,” said McCabe.

McCabe said he’ll be pinching himself every hour right up to kickoff just to make sure it’s not a dream.

By Robert Boyd, WFTS.