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Brother, sister surprised with Super Bowl tickets
It's Super Bowl week. And that means die-hard 49er fans are packing up and heading to Las Vegas for the big game and one pair can't believe their luck.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - It's Super Bowl week and that means die-hard 49er fans are packing up and heading to Las Vegas for the big game.
Phillip Ramos of Turlock is one of them, and he can't quite believe his luck. He and his sister won free tickets.
"Through the roof. I'm shocked. I'm grateful. And it's like now I just can't wait for it to hurry up and get here," says Ramos.
The free tickets were through a promotion. Olivia Culpo, influencer and fiancée of 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, chose the pair at random, surprised them with the tickets, and then posted the video to Instagram.
"If you saw my face in the video it was very shocking. My brother started crying, and we just couldn't believe it," says Lorrie Schindler, Ramos' sister.
Ramos is an Army veteran who did two tours in Iraq. And though he was desperate to go to the big game, tickets seemed out of reach.
"I'm on a fixed income and I probably wouldn't be able to afford the tickets anyway, so to be gifted this is amazing," he says.
With ticket prices anywhere from $5000 to $20,000, even the 408 Faithful had to think twice. But Joe Yturralde, who goes to nearly every game, was determined not to miss this one.
"I thought it was expensive in Miami four years ago. This: whoa. But this is what we save up for. This is what we become season ticket holders for. This is the ultimate goal," he says.
Sean Spanek is going too. He says the game is all he can think about. He's hoping this rematch with the Chiefs will mean 49ers redemption.
"I've been having sleepless nights just like the players, to be honest with you," Spanek says.
For Ramos, there are souvenirs to purchase and there's a new skill to learn: Instagram. He wants to make sure he documents every bit of this trip.
"So now I've got to figure it out. I've got a lot of people saying we're going to live through your eyes, so yeah, it's like I've got to at least not let them down," he says.