Don Crisman has attended every Super Bowl ever played, and this year is no different. Crisman, who lives in Kennebunk, Maine, plans to be in Atlanta when the New England Patriots take on the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

But it almost didn’t happen.

“If you asked me in September, I would have said it was over,’’ said Crisman, 82.

The retired telecommunications executive was battling ulcerative colitis, and “it was a bad scene,’’ he said. He even had to spend a week in the hospital.

“I wasn’t worried about the Super Bowl,’’ he said. “I was worried about no longer being on this planet.’’

But he has made nearly a full recovery (“I’m 95 percent,’’ he said) and he’s very much looking forward to attending his 53rd Super Bowl.

“It turned around, and I’m ready to go. I’m feeling good about the future,’’ he said with a chuckle. “When you’re 82, you take one day at a time.’’

Crisman is a loyal Patriots fan. Always has been. Always will be.

“I’ve been a Patriots fan since the franchise was created,’’ he’s quick to point out.

He still remembers the team’s first appearance in the Super Bowl in 1986, when the Chicago Bears won in a rout.

“The game was over at the half,’’ he recalled. “The Bears’ defense was just incredible.’’

He marvels at how far the Patriots have come since Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994. If you ask Crisman, the success the Patriots have enjoyed in recent years is truly extraordinary.

“I don’t think it’ll ever be duplicated,’’ he said.

On Thursday morning, he’ll get up before dawn and head to Portsmouth, N.H., catch a bus to Boston, and then board a flight to Atlanta from Logan Airport. On Sunday night, he’ll be at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where he’ll keep his perfect attendance record intact.

Crisman is originally from Rhode Island, and has always enjoyed football. As a youngster he played sandlot football, but he never took part in an organized league.

“I was a shrimp,’’ he said. “I wasn’t built for football, but I love the game.’’

Crisman was living in Colorado when the first Super Bowl was played in 1967. He had befriended some guys who worked for a bank, and like him, they loved football.

“We were all football nuts,’’ he said. They decided to venture out to Los Angeles and attend the game, the first AFL-NFL World Championship between the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League and the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League.

His ticket cost $12.

“And that was one of the good seats,’’ he said. Unlike modern Super Bowls, there were plenty of seats available.

“The place was only two-thirds full,’’ he said.

College marching bands performed at halftime and, in a little-known fact, two different balls had to be used. The NFL and AFL used different sized footballs, so the referees had to swap out the ball every time the other team’s offense took the field, Crisman said.

The Packers ended up beating the Chiefs, 35-10, and the Super Bowl trip with his buddies from the bank became an annual tradition. As the years passed, the game grew in importance and popularity.

“In the first couple of years, tickets were easy to get,’’ he said. “A significant change from where we are now.’’

For this year’s big game, tickets were a bit more pricey than in 1967: $1,700 each.

This year, Crisman will be joined at the game by his daughter, Susan, and one of his sons, either Don or Daryl. As of this week, the brothers were still figuring out who gets to go.

He’s looking forward to witnessing more history being made, and is especially happy that he’s able to root for his beloved Patriots.

“They’re the most hated team in America,’’ he said, a touch of pride in his voice.

Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com.