Meet the 20-Year-Old Patriots Fan Who's Become the Team's Personal Car Detailer

Two years into the startup company's founding, and more than a dozen New England Patriots players have already used its services.

Connor Heagney turned a simple TikTok message into his own startup business, one that the New England Patriots have taken full advantage of. | Photos contributed by Connor Heagney, graphic by Cam Levasseur

It started with a message on social media.

Connor Heagney was sitting at home, watching then-New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne on a TikTok live stream. Bourne, who was promoting his "Bourne Blessed" clothing line, ended up seeing the message pop up from Heagney's account.

"I told him I'll buy a shirt and I can detail your car," Heagney remembers. "He said 'Alright, bet. We can make it happen.'"

That was the start of how Heagney, the Norton native, eventually would become the team's personal car detailer. It wasn't until high school that Heagney, a captain for his high school's hockey team, began to get interested in cars. A few YouTube videos later, and that led to building out his own business.

He founded "Heagney Auto Detailing" in 2023, and within three years, he's become pretty well-known by his favorite football team.

From A TikTok Stream To The Gillette Parking Lots:

Bourne — who was Heagney's first customer — took his business cards and passed them around in the locker room. That's when the business started to take off. Players started to hit Heagney up.

Mike Onwenu reached out. Kayshon Boutte and Alex Austin were given cards at training camp, where the life-long Patriots fan would go to watch practice. Some slid in his DMs. That's when someone in the organization got in contact with Heagney, asking him to start making the trip to Gillette Stadium.

"He texted me every other day asking me to come to the stadium," Heagney said, relaying that he'd be cleaning the cars of Craig Woodson and Reggie Gilliam the following day.

Connor Heagney and New England Patriots' Andy Borregales after Heagney detailed the kicker's car. | Contributed by Connor Heagney

So then he started to do his work at the facility. During the spring months, while reporters were walking into the New Balance Athletics Center, Heagney was outside with his friend, Danny Lennon, working on cars. You couldn't miss them, as their giant trailer took up several parking spots.

Plenty of players, both current and former have since gotten their cars cleaned from Heagney. Often times, the 20-year-old will make house calls. Jaylinn Hawkins, Rhamondre Stevenson, Bryce Baringer. The list is pretty extensive at this point.

Heagney remembers Bourne as the one who kicked it all off. Stevenson on the other hand...

"I think I got mine done before KB! I thought I did at least," Stevenson laughed this week. "My car was super dirty at the time, I was like 'Might as well tap in.' He did a great job.

"That was my first time getting my car detailed, like actually detailed. He did a great job, I've been back to him plenty of times after the first time. ... We let him pull up right in our parking lot. It's just convenient."

Others, like the Patriots' specialists, learned about Heagney through their teammates.

He's Become The Patriots' Go-To Guy

"I think from that point on, I've kind of just used him to wash my car," kicker Andy Borregales said. "He's a cool guy. ... He's very professional."

"Connor will kind of make room for everyone," punter Baringer said. "I remember, I texted him a couple times just out of nowhere on Instagram, and he's like "Yeah, I can be there in two hours.' He also does a super good job."

Heagney has gotten used to approaching professional athletes. He's done work for players on the Red Sox and Celtics, and the nerves he had during his first detail have slowly turned into pride.

A look at Connor Heagney's detailing trailer, that's made plenty of stops in the Gillette Stadium parking lot. | Contributed by Connor Heagney

"Going into that detail (with Bourne), I was super nervous," Heagney said, giving props to the now-Arizona Cardinals receiver for helping him kickstart the business. "I was like, 'Oh my God, this is a Patriots player. ... We gotta make these cars look better than brand new.'"

Heagney's gotten to add plenty of players into his contacts through the business, but there's still one player's car he wants to detail. When asked, he had an answer almost instantly — "Drake Maye."

In 10 or so years, Heagney wants to grow the business into a much larger thing. But he's appreciated all the steps it's taken to get him where he is right now.

"It didn't come easy," Heagney said. "I grinded to be where I am today. I thank God for how I got there. But, yeah, it's truly amazing. I love detailing for these players. It brings a smile to my face. ... It definitely didn't come overnight."

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