Focus on Delco
Fans come out to see the Super Bowl champion
Jeffrey Mascitelli, 3, of Springfield was one of many to greet Eagles quarterback Nick Foles at the Barnes & Nobles in Tredyffrin Thursday evening to sign copies of his book, “Believe It: My Journey of Success, Failure, and Overcoming the Odds.” See story, more photos on
Eagles quarterback Nick Foles appeared at the Barnes & Noble at Valley Fair Thursday evening for an in-store signing promoting his new book, “Believe It: My Journey of Success, Failure, and Overcoming the Odds.”
Entry to the 7 p.m. event was through first-come tickets given out at 7 a.m., which were gone in 45 minutes. The ticket required purchase of the $26 book but did not allow for any other autographs. Customers were allowed to purchase up to five books and many did.
“I like his heart,” said Mike DiAndrea of Berwyn, who arrived at the store at 4:30 a.m. for his ticket. “I thought no way was this this team going to get to, let alone win the Super Bowl, but he stepped up, he had confidence.”
Folks arrived shortly before meeting the public, where he talked to the press and signed additional books. He wore a Phillies cap and a shirt sporting Proverbs 27:17: “Iron Sharpens Iron.”
Asked about writing the book, Foles said, “I really enjoyed the process, you’re reliving every detail and I wanted to be honest. I wanted this book to be special. Some day Lily (Foles’ 1 year-old daughter) is going to read it.”
In the interview Foles credited his faith and family for helping him through tough times.
“I’m in the Pro Bowl and my wife is sick in bed and can barely move,” Foles said as he discussed his wife’s battle with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS. “There is more to life than football.”
He also said his struggles helped a friend realize that everyone in life struggles, The deeply religious Foles quoted a verse from Corinthians 12:9: “Being okay with our short comings.”
Asked if he was worried about experiencing a letdown in the coming season after winning the Super Bowl and all that comes with it, Foles said he wasn’t because he keeps training and is aware his teammates are doing the same.
Looking back on his youth, Foles said whenever he had a chance to party or celebrate he would instead opt to return to the field to train.
Foles did confess that while he has enjoyed a cheesesteak, he had never tried a hoagie. He blamed his strick food regimen that he adheres to to stay at peak performance.
The first person to get his book signed was Nick Smith, 13, of Royersford, who sported a broken arm suffered while pitching this baseball season. Foles asked how it happened and wished him well.
Barnes & Noble Vice President Mike Naab told Foles he had surpassed President Bill Clinton for his book sales rate during a recent event at a Barnes & Noble in New York. “That’s pretty awesome,” was Foles’ reply.
This was the third signing of the day for Foles. A representative for his publishing house said he had sold 1,400 books at a store in North Jersey and was on par with Tony Dungee and Drew Brees for sales following their Super Bowl seasons.
Jenn Cauthon gave the book five stars on Amazon, calling Foles honest and humble and suggesting Tom Brady could learn a lot from him.
In the book Foles tells of dealing with his wife’s serious illness during the 2013 season, the year he had his best regular season statistics.
“This gave me goosebumps,” said Al Sama, of Devon, who remembered listening to Eagles games on the radio. “I waited 58 years to win the championship. and he did it.”