CINCINNATI — Phil Amrein bought a new Bengals hat when the then-named Paul Brown Stadium first opened its doors. For decades, he's worn that same hat to every game, pledging he wouldn't buy another won until the team won a Super Bowl.
"I think they can win every year — even in the 90s," Amrein said.
A jewelry store owner by day, the 2022 Bengals Fan of the Year goes to every game he can with his wife Shelley. Whether it's in Cincinnati or London, England, Amrein has been to 349 games. To call him a big Bengals fan, he said, is an understatement.
"How big a fan am I? I'm not sure you can be too big a fan of the Bengals," Amrein said.
It was that passion for his team, along with letters sent to the Brown family, that lead the team to name Amrein their fan of the year — an honor Amrein called "unbelievable."
The team told Amrein by tricking him into spending a few hours doing silly promo shoots for the holidays. Instead, head coach Zac Taylor helped create a moment Amrein will never forget.
In a video posted to Twitter, production staff made Amrein pose in various holiday scenarios with the Bengals mascot, including one where he poses as a child on Santa's lap. Staff also make Amrein sing a few holiday songs before asking him to say "Merry Christmas" to the camera in different languages, some of which didn't actually mean "Merry Christmas."
After a few minutes of fun, Taylor walks into the room.
"Do you know that this is all a lie?" Taylor asked before reading a letter Amrein's wife wrote.
"I am nominating the love of my life, my husband of 35 years. Phil Amrein for Bengal Fan of the Year. He is absolutely the most loyal, dedicated, positive and upbeat fan of the team that you can ask for. He always speaks in a positive manner no matter what the score says. Loyalty is a gift, and he is loyal at all times."
After reading the emotional letter, Taylor handed Amrein the game ball.
After a quick moment of tears, Amrein accepted the one-of-a-kind gift and thanked the team.
"This is really really cool. I'm absolutely blown away," he said.
Amrein said he remains as positive as ever that Cincinnati will win the Super Bowl this year.
"We're going to make the playoffs and we're gonna get hot, we're gonna get healthy and we're gonna make a run," Amrein said. "We're gonna win it this year, because I'm going to be in Phoenix with my wife and our friends, and we're going to win the Super Bowl. This is it. It's our time."
Phil Amrein: A positive guy, the fan of the year and a man in desperate need of a new Bengals hat.
"Come on guys," he said. "I need a new hat."
Watch the full video here:
A superfan and bilingual Christmas caroler all in one 😂
Congrats to Phil Amrein for being selected as our 2022 Fan of the Year! pic.twitter.com/s8JZdGEi2y
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) November 14, 2022
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