TEAM OF DESTINY
Eagles fans revel in finally being Super Bowl champions
PHILADELPHIA » From the halls of the 69th Street Transportation Center to JFK Boulevard, Philadelphia Eagles’ fans strutted their pride and spirit for the entire world to see, whether in endless chants of E-A-G-L-E-S or by climbing on roofs, savoring every moment of a long-awaited Super Bowl victory celebration.
“We’ve been waiting for them to win forever!” Elaine Charlton of Drexel Hill exclaimed as she and friend Jennifer Reilly of Springfield were on their way to the Eagles Parade early Thursday morning.
“Today is the happiest day of our lives,” Reilly said, putting the moment in perspective.
Yet, given her past less-thanSuper experience, she had very good reason.
“I was at the Super Bowl (in) Jacksonville,” she said where the New England Patriots took the championship honors away from the Birds by a mere 3 points. “I was like crushed.”
Not Sunday – and certainly not on Thursday.
Even with a long-standing link to Philadelphia’s football franchise, all the two wanted from the celebration, Charlton said, was “happiness and fun.”
Ben Worley of Haverford woke up at 4:30 a.m. to make sure he got to the celebration just in time.
“It’s unreal,” he said of this year’s season. “I’ve grown up an Eagles fan, I’m from the area. It’s (been) breathtaking to watch ... this year.”
With him was Tyler Kostack of Broomall, who spoke about the heartbreak of watching the Birds come so, so close in 2005, only to lose it and then, just when this season looked so promising, to have quarterback Carson Wentz go down.
From that precarious spot, dumbfounded fans not only saw Nick Foles ride to the rescue, but witnessed the Birds embrace their underdog status and turn it into a dream come true.
Fans never gave up on the team they love, according to the Marple man.
“It shows that the city really is the City of Brotherly Love,” Kostack said.
Among the countless chants of E-A-G-L-E-S was one particularly passionate one by 10-year-old Nicholas Evans, who was being taken to the event by his mom, Akilah Evans of Media.
“I’ve loved the Eagles since I was a little girl,” she said. “I love (former Eagles quarterback) Randall Cunningham. My birthday is on the 12th, his (nickname is) the 12th – and ever since then, I’ve been, like, in love with the Eagles.”
Even with her starry eyes, Evans was taking her son to honor her father, James, who passed his love for the Eagles’ along to her.
“My dad, he’s not here no more, he was an Eagles fan, so we’re going to have the experience with my kids,” she said. And those kids were ready. “I’ve loved the Eagles ever since I was 5,” Nicholas said, holding an Eagles Super Bowl Champion pennant. “I used to play soccer but ever since I came to Pennsylvania, my cousin Miles inspired me to play football.”
For Miles, a player for the Rose Tree Colts, the moment was astounding.
“It’s crazy, he said, “because we haven’t won any Super Bowl until now.”
Penncrest soccer player Aidan Donnelly had no problem sharing his enjoyment of one sport with another as he and a group of friends rounded the corner at 15th Street and JFK Boulevard in the direction of the Philadelphia Art Museum.
“I like that they play as a team,” he said of the Eagles.
Laura Dab, also in his group, added, “I like the community of it.”
A group from Haverford – Anna Mefford, Bridget Weidenmiller, Maddie Tintera and Erin Kelly – were munching on granola bars and apples while packed on the Market Frankford train.
The girls said they were headed downtown for the fun of it, to celebrate and to bask in the joy of being with the city.
Tintera also shared what it was about the Eagles that put them in such high esteem for her – and it had nothing to do with their athletic prowess.
“They’re so humble,” she said. “They always thank the Lord for everything.”
In amongst the throngs of fans singing “Fly, Eagles, Fly” or others climbing trees or roofs of SEPTA stations, Sabrina Tusavitz of Limerick in Montgomery County donned arms’ length felt eagle wings and a neck of white felt feathers.
The brown wings were part of a Spirit Week project she created years ago as part of an American eagle, and she has just happened to hold onto the artwork.
“On Sunday night, I actually put out my Snap story and Instagram, you can make polls, and I said, ‘Should I do it?’” she said. “97 percent wrote, ‘Yes.’”
She smiled, saying that solidified her resolve.
“Oh yes!” Tusavitz said she thought. “This is happening!”
Yet, it wasn’t a compulsive act. Tusavitz grew up with appreciation for Philadelphia football and wanted to display that in a standout, unique way.
“I’ve always loved the Eagles,” she said. “I love how it just brings everyone together.”
Barbara Duffy made the trek from her Delco home Wednesday night to the South Philly home of her brother, Thom Duffy, to be one step closer Thursday. By Thursday afternoon, the sister and brother were standing in front of 2 Penn Center, right across from City Hall.
“I’m enjoying the fact that all Philadelphians and the suburb people are just coming together and enjoying a really nice day and celebrating the Eagles,” Thom said – even if “really nice day” meant standing in one place for hours in near freezing temperatures.
That said – the enthusiasm and cheer of the crowds seemed to trump any chill.
For fans like the Duffys, this Super Bowl win was a long time coming, especially as their parents hung onto the legacies of those Eagles who made it to Super Bowl XV in 1981, only to have it cinched by the Oakland Raiders by a 2710 score.
“Mom was a big (former Eagles linebacker) Bill Bergey fan and (former Eagles quarterback) Ron Jaworski fan,” Thom explained.
Those who lived through the low points of the Philadelphia franchise had waited and dreamed for decades that a moment like this would only come. On Thursday, thanks to the team lead by Doug Pederson and the magic of Nick Foles, that wish came to fruition through teamwork, hard work and some faith when others said it couldn’t be done.
“They’re unbelievable,” Barbara Duffy said of the Super Bowl LII Champions. They’re a tight team. They work together. They’ve been the underdog and they’ve worked for this, they really have, they really have. And, that’s the whole thing – they’re a really great team.”