INDIANAPOLIS - Arriving on in Indianapolis Thursday, the Hynoskis, Henry Sr. and his wife Kathy, were already getting the royal treatment.
"We flew out on a charter plane the players use," Kathy said. "I couldn't believe it when I saw it."
The red carpet doesn't stop there. The weekend leading up to Super Bowl XLVI, that Henry Jr. and his New York Giants' teammates are playing the New England Patriots in, is guaranteed to be a busy time.
"There are some festivities, and then there's the Hall of Fame exhibit that I'd like to see," Henry Sr. said. "It's all predicated on time. It's a nice itinerary they have set up for us."
The atmosphere is a first for the couple. Henry Sr. never made the playoffs and although each NFC playoff game this year got bigger and bigger, it didn't approach the magnitude of the Super Bowl.
There are exclusive parties they've scored invitations to because Henry Sr. is a former player and Henry Jr. is a hot commodity, like one thrown by GQ.
Impressive environment
Watching the crowd in the Super Bowl village from his hotel room high above, Henry Sr. was
impressed, even though he'd just gotten into town.
"The village is below us and goes on for a number of blocks," he said. "It's pretty amazing. It's a beautiful venue to host the Super Bowl."
Henry Sr. has talked to people who have been to past Super Bowls and had to be shuttled around whole cities to get to events. That's not the case in Indianapolis, where everything is neatly packaged in one downtown environment.
It allows more ease of travel, and maximizes access to stars.
"We rode up the elevator with Jerry Rice and he said that he thinks the Giants have a good shot on Sunday," Kathy said. "We told him Henry was a rookie and not even (Jerry) got to experience this as a rookie."
Support back home
Henry Jr. also has one more thing up on Rice, he has a burger named after him back home.
It's part of the support the community at large has shown the Hynoskis all season. The turnout at a community photo event, the ribbons, the burgers have all made what was already bound to be special, that much more amazing.
"It's a bit overwhelming, although I think it is exhilarating," Henry Sr. said. "The exuberance by the people is amazing.
"The moral support and backing from the community is something that when he's my age he's going to remember."
