BACK11-Year-Old Card Collector Tate Gallagher of Franklin, Tennessee Selected as the 2024 Panini NFL Player of the Day National Sweepstakes Winner
Lucky collector surprised with the news by former Titans All-Pro Brian Orakpo at his favorite hobby Shop – Dad’s Dugout in Brentwood, TN
IRVING, TX – JULY 23, 2025 – Every football season for more than two decades, more than 100,000 collectors at 600 hobby shops across the U.S. open packs of Panini NFL trading cards with the hope of pulling the Player of the Day and winning a prize. This year, Tate Gallagher, an 11-year-old collector from Franklin, Tennessee not only pulled the player of the day from a lucky pack, but he also parlayed it into being selected as the Panini NFL Player of the Day National Sweepstakes winner.
Tate was surprised with the news during a special event on Sunday June 22 at his favorite hobby shop – Dad’s Dugout in Brentwood, TN – in a video message for former NFL great Brian Orakpo. The former Titans All-Pro defender informed Tate, his family and 25 other customers that he will also be the special guest at a Panini NFL Player of the Day Party at Dad’s Dugout on July 14.
The party kicked off with Orakpo helping the youngster open some of his prize bounty including boxes of; Panini Select, Contenders Optic, Prizm and his first ever box of National Treasures. Some of his top pulls included: Marvin Mims NT Rookie Jumbo Prime Signature Booklet /99; Larry Allen NT auto /99; and a Tyrone Tracy Jr Prizm Deca Rookie Auto /49.
To ensure the young Titans and Alabama football fan, got a few great cards from his favorite teams, Panini also awarded him a Tyjae Spears Absolute Rookie Premier Patch Auto /199; an Eddie George Spectra Max Impact Oilers Patch /75; and a Derrick Henry/Jamal Lewis Illusions déjà vu dual patch /199. Previously at the June 14 event, Tate received Player of the Day autographed cards of Garrett Wilson, Johnny Manziel, Luke McCaffrey and a Jordan Love 1/1.
After Tate opened his boxes, 60 of Dad’s Dugout’s top customers and Tate’s friends and family got in on the fun. Following a Q&A with Orakpo, each of the guests got an autograph and a photo with the former All-Pro linebacker. Then Orakpo led a spirited box break of Totally Certified with winner receiving Player of the Day autographed cards.
Tate is a passionate sports card collector whose love for the hobby has helped build an incredible bond with his dad, Zac. The two began collecting shortly after Zac married Tate’s mom four years ago, and the hobby has since become a key part of their relationship. Tate, who has ADHD and high-functioning autism, is a walking encyclopedia of sports stats, and player knowledge. He plays baseball and plans to play football this year. His favorite Panini products include Prizm Draft Picks, Absolute, Obsidian, and Contenders.
For 25 years, the Panini NFL Player of the Day hobby shop promotion has awarded collectors with more than two million prizes. This season the promotion was staged at 600 hobby shops from January-March. His journey began just like thousands of other collectors when he uncovered the Panini NFL Player of the Day in a pack of Panini NFL cards. He was then randomly selected as the store’s grand prize winner and – in addition to receiving an Eddie George autographed card numbered to 15 – was entered in the national sweepstakes with winners from the other 600 shops.
“We are excited to create this special experience for Tate, his family and the loyal customers of Dad’s Dugout,” said Jason Howarth, vice president of marketing for Panini. “Tate’s love of collecting and how it has helped him bond with his father demonstrates the power of collecting far beyond the monetary value of the cards. We look forward to creating a memory of a lifetime for Tate, Zac and all the customers at Dad’s Dugout.”
The Panini NFL Player of the Day promotion included more than 600 hobby shops. This marks the 25th consecutive year that the NFL Player of the Day program has given an NFL card collector the chance to spend the day with an NFL player. Past players have included: Brian Jordan, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Mac Jones, D’Andre Swift, Matt Breida, Patrick Mahomes II, K.J. Wright, Jeremy Langford, Terrence West, Antonio Brown, Prince Amukamara, Beanie Wells, Pierre Thomas, Patrick Crayton, Steve Slaton, AJ Feely, Maurice Jones-Drew, Chris Simms, Rudi Johnson, Donald Driver, Ed McCaffrey, Chad Pennington and Frank Wycheck.
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