TAMPA, Fla. — Tonight is the night Buccaneers fans have been waiting for!
The team is kicking off their 2021 preseason with a home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
This will be the first time the Bucs have started their preseason with a home game since 2013.
We caught up with legendary super fan Big Nasty to help get us pumped up!
“This right here is the plaque that’s actually in the Pro Football Hall of fame,” said Keith Kunzig.
We’re used to seeing Keith Kunzig, aka BIG NASTY, in a lot more make-up.
“Something I’m very proud of. To get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame once, but to get it done twice, first time was with VISA in 2001 and then 2020 was Ford, that doesn’t happen,” he said as he showed us his plaques and awards inside his football room at his home.
It’s a huge honor, but he says there’s a memory even better.
“This is probably the coolest thing on here, at least the most memorable,” he said as he pointed to a large picture of the stadium and a very special message on the Jumbotron.
“It says Debbie will you marry me, I love you, love Big Nasty on the Jumbotron,” he said.
There are a lot of memories inside his cave of collectables, but the best stories come from the heart.
It all started with his brother Little Nasty.
“Unfortunately he had passed in 2020. His memory lives on with me forever,” Kunzig said.
Big Nasty’s love of football all started when he was 8 at his first game with his father.
Now that love is something he shares with his daughter, even at the Super Bowl.
His wife and family are his biggest supporters.
"When we went to the exhibit, she came out and I was sitting down taking a break, and she came over and she was crying, and she goes, ‘I can’t tell you how proud I am of you’. That’s the best thing in the world man,” he said.
Pride is everywhere inside his home, from autographs to Bobbleheads.
“That’s the first Bobblehead made of any super fan, ever,” he said as he showed us a special Big Nasty Bobblehead.
However, there’s a difference between a super fan and a hall of famer.
It’s all about giving back to the community.
He has two charities, the “Nasty for a Day” tailgates that raise funds for local children’s charities and the “Drugs are Nasty” program.
“It’s twenty plus years doing the Drugs are Nasty Program. It’s say no, walk away, and tell somebody and it’s about story telling. Make sure it gets into the kids where they understand it and we can stop one child from even attempting to do drugs, it’s a win win,” said Kunzig.
With the start of the season here, Big Nasty leave us with some final words of Super Fan wisdom…
“When you’re loyal, you go to the mountain top and win it. Whether you stick with it whether they win or lose, that’s really what being a fan is about,” he said.
Big Nasty says he’s looking forward to preseason, but nothing can compare to his excitement for Thursday night football with the Bucs and the Cowboys!