Zero2Cool
9 years ago
More and more of these stories need the headlines.

Imagine if the sports icon you wanted to meet more than anyone on the planet went above and beyond to meet you?

Brookville, Ind., native, Kristen Patterson left Peyton Manning no choice when she wrote the Denver Broncos quarterback a letter Sept. 21 requesting a chance to meet, but forgot to include her contact information.

That's one way to stand out among the hundreds of letters Manning likely receives.

Patterson was requesting the meeting on behalf of her husband, Army Sgt. Ryan Patterson of the 1/25 Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

In an area made up predominantly of Bengals fans, he grew up a die-hard Colts fan, watching Manning. During his two tours in Afghanistan, Patterson would set alarms to wake up at odd hours of the night just to stream Colts games. He even tried to get relocated to Colorado to catch Broncos games.

He sounds like a perfect candidate to meet his top sports icon, right?

The only problem was, Kristen Patterson wasn't writing from the contiguous United States. The couple and their 10-month-old daughter, Olivia, had recently moved 3,950 miles from where they were stationed in Fort Campbell, Ky., to Fort Wainwright in North Pole, Alaska.

She requested a meeting with Manning when they'd be back in the Midwest to attend the Broncos and Bengals game Dec. 22 while visiting family for the holidays but, of course, hadn't provided any contact information.

So Manning requested the Broncos' public relations team try to find her. It took three months but the Broncos tracked down Patterson's phone number through the utility company in North Pole. The company contacted the state troopers, who called Kristen Patterson.

She later spoke to the Broncos, setting up a meeting with Manning on Dec. 21 at the hotel the team was staying at in the Cincinnati area.

"When I got a call from (an Alaska) state trooper they asked if I wrote a letter to Peyton Manning," Patterson said, adding that she was confused at first. "They said the Denver Broncos were trying to get a hold of me. When I sent it, you never know if someone is going to read it or if it is going to be tossed in a pile. So I thought they never read it, no big deal."

A state trooper called Ryan Patterson's phone and asked for his wife. To keep the meeting a surprise, Kristen told her husband it was about a police dog demonstration for the school where she worked.

When they arrived in Cincinnati, she convinced her husband they were going to dinner with a friend, but he realized something when they arrived at the Broncos' team hotel.

"I was trying to keep it as a surprise, but I'm a horrible liar and I couldn't think of a reason why we would be going to a hotel," she said. "It would have been really hard to keep it (a secret), plus he needed time to process everything."

The hotel lobby was full of Broncos fans. Ryan Patterson's initial thought was he would be among many to receive autographs and vying to snap a quick photo and hello. Instead, the family was taken up an escalator to a private conference room.

"The team's flight was delayed, so I was pacing the room like I was expecting a child. I saw (Manning) come up the escalator and my first reaction was he is at least 15 feet tall, if not taller," said Ryan Patterson, who had a picture taken with Manning and received an autographed football. "Peyton introduced himself, asked my daughter's name and played with her for a second and thanked me for my service."

The Pattersons described Manning as personable, approachable and, above all else, genuine.

"He seemed genuinely tickled that we lived in North Pole, Alaska. He said, 'You guys are really hard to find,'" Patterson said. "Before he left he shook my hand and thanked me for my service one more time and I thanked him for being my quarterback.

"(Kristen) enjoyed the fact that she is the greatest wife ever and there was nothing I could ever do to top this. "If you asked me who is the one person, anybody in the world, I want to meet, I would immediately say Peyton Manning and she made that happen."


Here is Kristen Patterson's original letter to Peyton Manning:

Dear Mr. Manning,
My name is Kristen Patterson. I am writing to ask a question. You see my husband is a HUGE fan, and when I say HUGE I mean it. He is currently serving our country in the United States Army and has deployed twice to Afghanistan. He would set alarms to wake up at odd hours in the night just to listen to your football games. We recently had to move across the country for the Army and he tried to get us stationed in Colorado just so he could ensure that he would never miss your games.
We will be attending the Bengals vs. Broncos game on December 22, 2014, while home for the holidays, and it would mean so much to my husband if you might be able to find the time to just even say hello, not to mention it would make me to coolest wife ever of all time. I know you are a busy man, and if you can't, it will be ok. I just thought I might ask in the rare chance that you might agree to this.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Sincerely,
Kristen Patterson

IndyStar  wrote:


UserPostedImage
yooperfan
9 years ago
Cool story.
Kristen (my wifes name as well), gets the "wife of the year award".
TheKanataThrilla
9 years ago
Sometimes on the field Peyton rubs me the wrong way, but I take it as how he plays. However, off the field he seems like a really likeable guy. Thanks so much for sharing a great story and a reminder that there still are guys out there who take being a professional sports athlete as a real privilege.
Fan Shout
Zero2Cool (3m) : Let the Chiefs trade a 5th for him
Zero2Cool (3m) : Nearing 30, large contract, nope.
Martha Careful (12h) : any interest in Marshon Lattimore?
Zero2Cool (14h) : What does NFL do if they're over cap?
Mucky Tundra (14h) : They've been able to constantly push it out through extensions, void years etc but they're in the hole by 72 million next year I believe
hardrocker950 (15h) : Seems the Saints are always in cap hell
Mucky Tundra (16h) : Saints HC job is not an envious one; gonna be in cap hell for 3 years
Mucky Tundra (16h) : Dennis Allen has now been fired twice mid-season with Derek Carr as his starting QB
Zero2Cool (16h) : Kuhn let go
beast (18h) : I wonder if the Packers would have any interest in Z. Smith, probably not
Zero2Cool (18h) : Shefter says Browns and Lions will figure out how to get a deal done for Za'Darius Smith..
Zero2Cool (22h) : Packers are more likely to have 1,000 yard rusher than 4,000 yard passer
Zero2Cool (3-Nov) : It's raining hard.
Zero2Cool (3-Nov) : Packers inactives vs. Lions: CB Jaire Alexander S Evan Williams C Josh Myers Non-injury inactives: WR Malik Heath OL Travis Glover DE Bren
packerfanoutwest (3-Nov) : Malik Willis: My focus is helping the Packers win, not proving I can start elsewhere. But he could
Zero2Cool (1-Nov) : I had Texans, but the loss of another WR flipped me
wpr (1-Nov) : I thought about taking the Jets but they've been a disaster. Losing to the Pats last week
Zero2Cool (1-Nov) : Surprised more didn't pick Jets in Pick'em.
Please sign in to use Fan Shout
2024 Packers Schedule
Friday, Sep 6 @ 7:15 PM
Eagles
Sunday, Sep 15 @ 12:00 PM
COLTS
Sunday, Sep 22 @ 12:00 PM
Titans
Sunday, Sep 29 @ 12:00 PM
VIKINGS
Sunday, Oct 6 @ 3:25 PM
Rams
Sunday, Oct 13 @ 12:00 PM
CARDINALS
Sunday, Oct 20 @ 12:00 PM
TEXANS
Sunday, Oct 27 @ 12:00 PM
Jaguars
Sunday, Nov 3 @ 3:25 PM
LIONS
Sunday, Nov 17 @ 12:00 PM
Bears
Sunday, Nov 24 @ 3:25 PM
49ERS
Thursday, Nov 28 @ 7:20 PM
DOLPHINS
Thursday, Dec 5 @ 7:15 PM
Lions
Sunday, Dec 15 @ 7:20 PM
Seahawks
Monday, Dec 23 @ 7:15 PM
SAINTS
Sunday, Dec 29 @ 12:00 PM
Vikings
Saturday, Jan 4 @ 11:00 PM
BEARS
Recent Topics
2h / Green Bay Packers Talk / Derek

2h / Around The NFL / Mucky Tundra

9h / Green Bay Packers Talk / bboystyle

10h / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

11h / Green Bay Packers Talk / Cheesey

11h / Green Bay Packers Talk / Martha Careful

11h / Green Bay Packers Talk / Martha Careful

12h / Green Bay Packers Talk / Martha Careful

15h / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

18h / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

2-Nov / Around The NFL / wpr

1-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / bboystyle

1-Nov / Around The NFL / beast

31-Oct / Around The NFL / Mucky Tundra

31-Oct / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

Headlines
Copyright © 2006 - 2024 PackersHome.com™. All Rights Reserved.