Lifelong 86-year-old Bengals fan is going to the Super Bowl after community fundraiser

Through the help of thousands of supporters, an 86-year-old grandfather will travel to Los Angeles to support his Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.

Jim Lipscomb first gained internet attention on Sunday, Jan. 30, when his tearful reaction of watching Cincinnati beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship went viral. Within hours, his granddaughter made it her mission to send Lipscomb to the Super Bowl.

That wasn’t an easy task, as Super Bowl tickets are the most expensive ever, with the cheapest tickets selling for about $7,000, CNN Business reported.

But the grandfather hasn’t exactly had many opportunities to support his team in the Super Bowl. The Bengals’ victory in the AFC wild-card game earlier in the playoffs was their first playoff victory in 31 years, and the franchise hadn’t made it to the Super Bowl since 1988.

Lizzie Eschenbrenner started a GoFundMe to send her grandfather to the Super Bowl on Sunday, Jan. 30.

“He has loved this team since he scouted for them in the Paul Brown era,” Eschenbrenner said in the GoFundMe. “Had season tickets at Nippert. He has letters back and forth with Bengals brass over the years. I learned to ‘who dey’ from him. This is pure love right here. He deserves this.”

And for the man described by his daughter as “the oldest and most faithful Bengals fan,” the donations started pouring in.

The Ohio family was aided by the Fairfield Township Police Department, which shared the GoFundMe link on Facebook on Monday, Jan. 31. With it, the #GetGrandpaToTheSuperBowl hashtag began getting momentum.

The following day, Eschenbrener announced they had secured the necessary money to send Lipscomb to the Super Bowl in Los Angeles, where the Bengals will face the Los Angeles Rams. More than 2,100 people donated $42,079, which will help Lipscomb get “the BEST seats,” according to the GoFundMe.

Eschenbrenner will accompany her grandfather for the Feb. 13 game, she told WCPO.

“It’s always on my bucket list to go,” Eschenbrenner told the station. “You work all your life to get to go somewhere then you retire and you can’t afford it. So, you spent your whole life loving something you can’t ever go see live.”

In a video Eschenbrenner shared on social media, Lipscomb thanked the supporters who donated to help send him to the game.

“People of the world. I bless you,” he said, sporting a Bengals Super Bowl hat. “You’ve done something that many people would not think of doing. You have been such a wonderful, wonderful bunch of people that have taken me under your wing.

“I appreciate it, I love you. God bless you. Who dey!” Lipscomb said, referencing the Bengals’ iconic chant.

This story was originally published February 2, 2022 at 9:32 AM with the headline "Lifelong 86-year-old Bengals fan is going to the Super Bowl after community fundraiser."