A Bucket List That Became a Mission

In February 2012, Matt Steichen was building a scrapbook of every stadium he and his dad Craig had visited together. Football games were their thing. Their bond. As Matt pieced the scrapbook together, he asked his dad a simple question: "Is it possible to attend a game at all 32 NFL stadiums in one season?" Nobody knew the answer. So when the NFL schedule dropped that April, the father and son stayed up all night mapping it out. It was possible. Barely. Matt was newly married and working full time. The travel costs were daunting. It seemed more impossible than possible. They decided to take the leap anyway.

They called it All32in17: all 32 stadiums in the 17 week season. But as they planned and budgeted, something felt missing. They wanted the journey to stand for something bigger than football. The answer was close to home. Craig's brother Ken is a wounded warrior. Matt's grandfather Leo served in the Navy. They are the family's heroes. So Matt and Craig decided to invite wounded warriors as their guests to every single game, to say thank you in person for the service and sacrifices those warriors made.

The mission officially began in New York City. Matt and Craig met Marine Petty Officer Damian Smith and Gunnery Sgt. Chris Claude, shared lunch, stood on the sidelines during pregame, watched the NFL season kick off, and listened to the warriors' stories on the train ride home. That day changed everything. This was never just about football.

Matt and Craig reached all 32 NFL stadiums in a world record 103 days, traveling more than 30,000 miles. More importantly, they honored over 65 wounded warriors during the regular season. Thanks to Mercedes-Benz, they finished the year at the Super Bowl with four warriors at the big game: 75 warriors honored at 35 NFL games in one season.

ESPN shared their journey with the world on Veterans Day, and doors started opening. Coach Mike Ditka offered to pay for their entire trip. The Steichens accepted, but they did not keep a dime. They used the money to create Operation Warrior Wishes, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit built to keep the mission going. In 2013, New Era sponsored a second All32in17 tour, and the father and son doubled what they had accomplished the year before.

Today, Operation Warrior Wishes has hosted thousands of warriors and Gold Star families at hundreds of events across football, baseball, basketball, hockey, NASCAR, and entertainment. Craig, Matt, and seven fellow board members still volunteer all of their time, and more than 95% of donations go directly to making warrior wishes come true. The goal has never changed: honor as many warriors as possible, and give them experiences they will never forget.