Former Giants Punter Sean Landeta Holds Signing At Stop & Shop

Roughly 30 people, many decked in blue New York Giants gear, stood in line waiting for an autograph from former Giants punter Sean Landeta Saturday at Stop & Shop in New City.

But when Kelly Chambers, the first person in line, received his autograph, the blank sheet of while paper didn’t have a sprawled version of Landeta’s name on it anywhere. Instead, it simply read “Kerrianne” in big block letters.

Kerrianne, 5, is one of Kelly Chamber’s three children. Kelly Chambers, Kerrianne Chambers, Kristen Chambers, 11, and Ryan Chambers, 12, arrived at around 11:50 a.m. Saturday to wait in line to get Landeta’s autograph. The 20-plus-year NFL veteran hit some traffic and was running a bit late, so at around a quarter after 12, Kerrianne climbed into the seat intended for Landeta on the opposite side of the table and signed an autograph for her dad. Nobody else had her sign anything.

“We were here doing some shopping earlier in the morning and saw the sign that he was going to be here this afternoon,” Kelly Chambers said. “We’re all big Giants fans, so we went home and the kids collected all the Giants stuff they own from the house and came back here.”

While he hadn’t previously met any Giants, Ryan Chambers did get to speak to former Giant, current Raider, Kevin Boss on the phone back in March. Kelly Chambers said they have a family friend who knows Boss, who asked him to call Ryan the night before Ryan was scheduled to have leg surgery.

Landeta showed up about 20 minutes late, apologized the line of about 30 people that had been waiting and then apologized to every person individually for making them wait. He even stayed later than scheduled to make up for running a bit behind. He signed pictures of himself that he brought, along with anything else people asked, including footballs, cards, hats, sweatshirts, etc. He also signed multiple items for people who had friends or family that couldn’t make it.

“I periodically try to get out in the tri-state area for some signings,” Landeta said. “It’s good to go out and see the fans and talk to them.”

The free signing was the second of its kind at the New City Stop & Shop, after Keith Hamilton, who played for the Giants from 1992-2003, held a signing there in February. Stop & Shop is the official supermarket of the New York Giants, and was advertising food items to buy to enjoy with your football watching in displays behind Landeta, along with selling Giants gear.

Landeta didn’t just bring pictures of himself punting a ball to sign, though. He also brought his two Super Bowl rings, which he won as a member of the 1986 and 1990 Super Bowl champion Giants. He placed them on the table, letting people get an incredibly close look to the rings and even try them on if they wanted to. After two young boys tried them on and had their picture taken with Landeta, they hopped off to the side and one said to the other, “Dude, we just tried on real Super Bowl rings!” Landeta said he brings the rings with him to all of his signings.

“It’s nice for the fans to get to see them and take pictures with them,” Landeta said. “They certainly like to see them. It’s probably not too frequently they get to be that close to Super Bowl rings.”

Jerry Donofrio and his grandson Grant Whitney each tried on a ring and took a picture with Landeta.

“I thought I was going to get to take it home with me,” Donofrio joked after the ring briefly got stuck on his finger. Whitney had the exact opposite problem, and the ring was too big to really stay on his finger.

Brandon McMahon, 14, and his brother Brian McMahon, 8, also tried on the Super Bowl rings. Brandon McMahon, who was celebrating his 14th birthday afternoon by going to get Landeta’s autograph, was the only person who put both rings on the same finger, however.

“It was a little heavy,” he said. “Well, pretty heavy, actually.”