SANTA CLARA – Kaye Jernigan grew up a Steelers fan, her dad a Cowboys fan.
But the Murfreesboro native always hoped one day the NFL would come to Tennessee, and when it did, she jumped on the Titans bandwagon and never looked back.
Jernigan and her father, Joe Frank Jernigan, joined a group of friends that became PSL holders, and dedicated fans.
“We drove to Memphis, went to games at Vanderbilt and then when the stadium was built, we went to all the games,” Jernigan said. “Great memories.”
Kaye Jernigan added another memory to her football fandom on Sunday – she was at Super Bowl LX as the “Titans Fan of the Year.”
Joe Frank Jernigan passed away a few years ago, but Kaye said the memories with her father at Titans games will last a lifetime
Jernigan attended Super Bowl LX with her nephew, Garrick Hutchinson. The two have lived it up this week in the Bay area, attending NFL Honors, going to the NFL Experience, and seeing the city of San Francisco.
The two were seated in Section 404, Row 24, Seats 23 and 24 on Sunday.
“It’s been great,” Jernigan said. “Unbelievable, really.”
A dedicated public servant, Jernigan served as Assistant Fire Chief with Murfreesboro Fire & Rescue before taking a job at her alma mater, MTSU, as the emergency operations manager. She’s also a board member of the Human Rights Committee for a local nursing home.
Jernigan’s support of the team, and her work in the community, earned her recognition to be one of 32 fans from across the country to win “Fan of the Year,” and earn a trip to the Super Bowl.
“I was shocked when they told me I’d been named,” Jernigan said. “It was a total surprise to me.”
Jernigan was wearing a No.25 light blue Titans jersey on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium as the team’s Fan of the Year.
“To be here at the Super Bowl, it’s been incredible,” Jernigan said. “And I’m proud to wear this jersey. I am proud to be a Tennessean, and a Tennessee Titans fan. Even if we’ve had some rough years, I am still here, loyal as ever.”