It took a while for the news to sink in for Gary Schacher.
He was on a Zoom call with The American Legion and USAA to discuss the logistics of the 2026 Army-Navy game when he learned he was going to the Super Bowl.
“We began talking about the Army-Navy game, and the person from USAA said, ‘Well, you know, the Army-Navy game is like the Super Bowl in college,’ and then he said, ‘Oh, and by the way, you’re going to the Super Bowl,’ and it didn’t register,” Schacher told the Deseret News on Tuesday.
“It took a few more minutes of them to say it again and again that I was selected to go on a trip to the Super Bowl.”
Once the news finally hit him, Schacher was “shocked” and felt “extremely humbled.”
Schacher, who served in the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserves for 26 years, is one of seven veterans surprised with trips to this year’s Super Bowl.
“I had numerous friends volunteer to go with me, carry my bags. I told them they’d have to deal with my wife (Laurie) on that. She was coming with me,” he said.
The Navy veteran from Cobbleskill, New York, has USAA, The American Legion and New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart to thank for the opportunity.
Getting a Super Bowl invite from Jaxson Dart
The American Legion nominates veterans and then works with USAA, which partners with NFL players who have military connections or a history of military appreciation, to send those veterans to the Super Bowl.
Dart, who has family members who have served, partnered with USAA and The American Legion to announce Schacher’s selection on Jan. 29.
In a statement given to the Deseret News, Dart said he appreciated the connections he has made with fans and the New York community “who show up for us every single day.”
“To show my appreciation, I’m grateful to work with USAA and The American Legion to recognize a deserving military veteran and NFL fan, GMC Gary Schacher with a trip to the Super Bowl! Coming from a military family myself, it’s important for me to honor those who served because we wouldn’t have the chance to do what we love on Sundays without the sacrifices made by heroes like Gary,” Dart said.
As part of Schacher’s trip, he gets to meet Dart and other NFL players in the Salute to Service Lounge at the Super Bowl.
That meeting is what Schacher’s looking forward to the most. Even though he’s a New York Jets fan, Schacher considers himself “a New York fan” and roots for the Giants — as long as they’re not playing the Jets.
“He’s the up-and-coming star of the NFL,” Schacher said of Dart.
The topic Schacher really wants to talk to Dart about? His Corner Canyon High School connection with former Jets quarterback Zach Wilson.
How a ‘spur of the moment’ turned into 26 years
In 1980, Schacher enlisted in the Navy at 19 years old in what he described as “a spur of the moment thing.”
One day, his friend, whose father served in the Army, asked Schacher if he wanted to come to the recruiter’s office with him.
There, they spoke to a Navy recruiter. A month later, Schacher and his friend had shipped out.
That “spur of the moment” led to 26 years of service. Schacher began his Navy career assigned to a ship in Mayport, Florida.
As a Navy reservist, he served with a Weapons Station Unit and a Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Unit. In 1990, he transferred to the Navy Seabees.
His service took him to several bases in the U.S. and overseas, including New Jersey, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Spain and Iraq, where he served his last tour.
Schacher returned to active duty for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and 2004. He retired in 2006 at the rank of E7 Chief Petty Officer.
Schacher’s two-plus decades of service earned him four Navy Commendation Medals and three Navy Achievement Medals, the Navy Expert Pistol Medal and the Navy Expert Rifle Medal.
He also received the New York Conspicuous Service Star and the New York Medal for Merit and was inducted into the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame in 2017.
Schacher’s service to his fellow military men and women continued into his retirement as a founding member of the Leatherstocking Honor Flight, which transports World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the World War II memorial.
He also helped establish the Patriot Highlander Challenge obstacle course, a fundraiser for wounded veterans and support networks in New York.
He has also been heavily involved in The American Legion. In 2018, Schacher was the first Iraq War veteran to serve as commander of The American Legion Department of New York.
Through it all, Schacher has always loved playing and watching football, whether it’s high school, college or professional.
“(It’s) just a great sport,” he said.
Schacher sees parallels between the camaraderie found in the military and on football teams.
“Because you’re so involved with your team, whether it’s military or athletics, the camaraderie is just unbelievable, and it’s part of why I joined The American Legion after I got out of the military was to keep that camaraderie,” he said.
Twenty-one years ago, the Patriots beat the Eagles in the Super Bowl. At the time, Schacher was stationed in Iraq. The chief petty officer didn’t have access to a television feed to watch, but he remembers a concrete barrier on the base being painted in honor of the big game.
Schacher doesn’t need to worry about having a television feed this year. He’ll be able to watch the game just fine from his seat at Levi’s Stadium.
“I’m so extremely humbled to be chosen for this opportunity to both USAA and The American Legion and Jaxson Dart for making that press release inviting my wife and I. It’ll be a memory that will never be forgotten,” he said.
Who will Schacher be cheering for Sunday? Definitely not his division rivals.
“New England always destroys the Jets, so it’s hard for me to root for New England. So, I’m going to have to go with the Seattle Seahawks.”