Two military veterans will be in Minneapolis Sunday for the Super Bowl thanks to Cardinals star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
Fitz worked with USAA and the Pat Tillman Foundation to send Army veteran Kyle Brown and National Guard 1st Lieutenant Joseph Wheaton to Super Bowl LII.
Brown's and Wheaton's trips also include room for one guest each, according to the USAA, which said it will be working to coordinate similar trips with other NFL players.
Wheaton will be joined by his wife Brianna while Brown's girlfriend Lucinda will accompany him.
Both men are Tillman Scholars.
“Both Kyle and Joseph have extensive military service records making them very deserving recipients of a trip to the Super Bowl,” Fitzgerald said in a release from USAA. “I look forward to meeting with them and am thankful to have teamed up with USAA and The Pat Tillman Foundation to award this once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Brown is stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington with the 2nd Ranger Battalion. He was deployed to Iraq three times and Afghanistan once between 2006 and 2009. Brown rose to the rank of E-5 and was granted an honorable discharge in 2009.
Wheaton joined the Army shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks and served as a Recon Team Leader and Sniper Squad Leader with the 2nd Ranger Battalion. He saw six deployments: four to Afghanistan and two to Iraq. He was honorably discharged in 2007 and now serves as a Judge Advocate in the National Guard.
Brown is a Portland native and 49ers fan. Wheaton, who is from Maine, will be cheering on his Patriots vs. the Eagles.
The two are set to meet with Fitzgerald at a USAA military appreciation event Saturday.
The Super Bowl is set for Sunday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. on 12 News.