Like a lot of New England Patriots fans from Fort Kent to Stamford, Connecticut, Michael Flanagan was hoping for a different outcome than the shocking one the Kansas City Chiefs served up on Thursday night.
But the Sanford native and 18-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps experienced a thrill that made the final score somewhat irrelevant.
Flanagan, who is currently stationed with the Navy’s ROTC program at the University of Maine, was one of four military personnel selected to lead the Patriots onto the field carrying a U.S. flag. The longtime Patriots fan was chosen to represent the Marines for Thursday’s season-opener, which featured a speech from actor Mark Wahlberg and the unveiling of the Patriots’ fifth championship banner.
“It was a once in a lifetime opportunity” said Flanagan, who has enjoyed multiple jobs in the Marines but most of his service has been as a Military Police officer.
He did two tours in Iraq as a military officer, and went back to the University of Mississippi to earn a law enforcement degree and remained in the military police field.
Flanagan and his wife, Elizabeth and their 17-month-old son, Knox, have been in Bangor since last spring and Flanagan said he enjoys it.
“I haven’t seen snow in 18 years but we got to Bangor and the people are amazing,” said Flanagan, an assistant naval science professor at UMaine.
Before the Patriots ran onto the field, Flanagan stood in the tunnel with the team and received a high five from receiver Danny Amendola and a salute from long snapper Joe Cordona, an active duty Navy officer.
“[Cordona] said, ‘good evening, sir,’ to me, I saluted him back and he said, ‘thank you very much, good luck to you tonight,’” said Flanagan, who also got a handshake from tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Flanagan was also about six inches away from quarterbacks Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo in the tunnel.
“They just walked up completely quiet and composed and they’re standing six inches away from me,” he said.
The thrilling evening turned out to be a family affair, as Flanagan’s wife was one of the holders of the lengthy U.S. flag that was draped at midfield for the national anthem, while they were seated in Gillette Stadium’s “Row of Honor,” a section of five seats located in the south end zone in which the team sits active service members.
“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for those of us that remember the dark days in Foxborough,” said Flanagan, referring to the early 1990s before owner Robert Kraft bought the Patriots in 1993 and the franchise turned a corner under the ownership of Kraft, former coach Bill Parcells and quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
Flanagan’s brother, who works in Boston, also attended the game and was seated a few rows in front of him and his wife.
Flanagan, a 1999 graduate of Sanford High School who played on the school’s 1998 Class A state championship team, grew up rooting for the University of Notre Dame, but he also became an Ole Miss fan while attending school there between 2008-2013.
“At the time Houston Nutt was the coach, “ he said. “It was quite the football school at the time.”
Flanagan’s also hoping to see the UMaine hockey team return to its heyday during his time there, and likes the fact the Black Bears have a Boston Bruins draft pick in freshman goaltender Jeremy Swayman.
He’s also working toward a master’s degree in law enforcement.
