My dad left me with a lot of good memories when he passed away a year ago, and of course, many of them involve football.  It made me think about what I had learned and taken from him – most of you, I’m sure, have a person like that in your life that you can trace back to your football knowledge and love of the game.

Courtesy: Green Bay Packers

We owe a lot to the ones who taught us the difference between 1^st and 4^thdown, shared with us that really heartbreaking loss and talked excitedly with us at the kickoff of every new season.  In honor of my dad, I wanted to pass on some ideas to make some future football memories with those special people in your life, whether they taught you, you’re teaching them or they’re just the ones that understand how you feel about the game.  And hopefully some of these will also allow you to keep those memories alive through pictures and video.

courtesy: NBC

• Challenge each other to each act like you’re the announcers of a game for 5 minutes.  Turn down the sound and use a tape recorder or video camera to record you both “calling” the game during an entire drive.  Hint:  do your team’s game – it makes it a little easier!  
• Watch a bunch of football movies together and rank them.  It’s a perfect way to end a few Sunday nights or enjoy those rainy/snowy days.  Make it a tradition to watch your favorite one on your team’s bye week.

Courtesy: jdahms

• As my brother and dad did, watch every one of your team’s games with your football buddy and a different snack each week.  Start with root beer and Cheetos, if that’s a treat for you, or do ice cream sundaes and mojitos.

Courtesy: San Francisco 49ers

• Take a camera or video camera to every game you go with that special person and immortalize the moment.  Take a photo in a different part of the stadium every time you’re there or tape a fun tailgating “short” for every game day spent in the parking lot.

Courtesy: http://themaycrew.blogspot.com

• Play Fantasy Football together as a team in a public league.  You’d be surprised how fun it is to join forces against people you’ve never met!

• Plan trips to see your team in as many NFL stadiums as possible.  Or just try to attend one game at every NFL stadium.  In each city, jot down the best part of the trip or a funny story from it in a journal.

**This year, I’m going to 14 NFL games in all different cities, so keep reading throughout the season for suggestions when you take your trip!

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Written by Sara

Sara lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and chow chow mix, Theodore. She is an avid sports fan and currently works as an Associate Director at the NFL Network on the shows Total Access and GameDay Final. Sara knew since she was a teenager that she wanted to work in sports and has covered such events as the Olympics, College World Series, NCAA Football Division II Championship and of course, the NFL Draft, Hall of Fame weekend, NFL Scouting Combine and Super Bowl. A St. Louis native, she loves the Rams, Cardinals and Blues, as well as the Syracuse Orange (her alma mater) and the Wisconsin Badgers. In her free time, Sara likes to spend time at the beach, travel, work out, read and cook.