TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa couple is now part of an exclusive club. Philip and Carmen Nunez are celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary.

"I thought it wasn't a big deal," Philip Nunez said. "But 75, it is a big deal."

It’s a milestone so rare, the U.S. Census bureau doesn’t have statistics for it.

Some population experts believe there are only about 1,000 American couples who have been married for at least 75 years.

Philip, 94, and Carmen Nunez, 92, got married in April 1948. They met at a block party in New York City after World War II.

“And it was sort of like that chemistry that was there, you know,” Philip Nunez said. “At the time I didn’t know it but you say hey I’m going to spend the rest of may life with her you know? And I have so far.”

Recently, the couple celebrated the anniversary at Steinbrenner Field. Philip Nunez threw out the first pitch to his son at a minor league baseball game. And then Philip gave his number one fan, Carmen, the ball.

“There’s always been that love between us,” Carmen said. “That’s always been stable, so much that we renewed our vows five times. To this day, I can’t see myself next to another man.”

The Bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg recently recognized the couple’s diamond anniversary.

The couple says the secret to a long marriage is living and a whole lot of love.