BAYONNE’S Tom Scollan, nearly 74 years old, has been a Giants ticket holder since just before World War II, then through the Polo Grounds days. By 1956, he owned 12 season seats – “All in the same row,” he says.
So it’s not difficult to imagine his disappointment at being shut out in the Giants’ Super Bowl lottery for season-ticket holders.
On Jan. 11, Scollan’s daughter, Catherine Scollan Impalli, sent a letter to Giants’ owner Wellington Mara in which she testified to her father’s bad lottery luck and his loyalty to the team:
“I can’t recall him ever missing a game,” she wrote, “and he has never violated any of the statutes of being a season-ticket holder. Many things have changed over the years; top coats and hats [we went directly after mass] to casual clothing and canned music [sometimes it’s just plain noise].
“But my father’s principles about being a Giant fan are the same. Always respect your opponent when introduced. Always support your team, never boo. Be respectful of women and children, never use foul language in their presence [and remind those around you who forget their manners].
“My father is one of those dying breeds. He is soon to be 74, and the Giants are his passion. They sustain him through the gloom of winter. Being a first-generation American raised in an Irish-Catholic household, he would never write this letter, but as a daughter who heard the hurt in his voice, I could do no less than to ask:
“If any tickets become available, please consider this long time and dedicated true blue Giant fan, my father, Thomas J. Scollan.”
Last week, a special-delivery envelope, addressed to Tom Scollan, arrived. It was from Wellington Mara. It contained two tickets to today’s Super Bowl.