There's a funny thing about writing.
You never know where it's going to go, or who you might make a connection with, sometimes delightfully unintended.
That's what happened when a reader responded to my weekly print Letter From the Editor column.
In it I talked about a lifetime of - for the most part - frustration as a dedicated Eagles fan, including many years as a season ticket holder in the legendary 700 level of Veterans Stadium.
But I also detailed the days of my youth and some of the quarterbacks I've seen come and go wearing the green and white.
One of them was Jack Concannon.
That struck a nerve with Kelly Cicchino.
So who is Kelly Cicchino?
Well, she knows a little bit about Jack Concannon.
She's his daughter.
I'll be honest, I had no idea Jack Concannon still had family living in this area.
I do know.
Kelly sent me an email to tell me how much she enjoyed the mention of her dad.
"Thank you for your most recent shout out to my dad, Jack Concannon." Kelly wrote. "As a local family, we appreciate the acknowledgement minus negativity. His 16 grandchildren will appreciate peeking at this one. Merry Christmas!"
I wrote her back and admitted that her dad was my favorite Eagle growing up.
Concannon, a Boston College product, spent several years with the Eagles, probably best known for leading the team to several key wins in 1966. The Birds wound up with a 9-6 record, second place in the Eastern Conference, which in those days got you into something called the Playoff Bowl. Concannon was traded to the Bears for tight end Mike Ditka. He also spent time with the Cowboys, Packers and Lions.
But to me he will always be an Eagle. I patterned my game as a kid after his scrambling ability.
She then explained how she was sharing my emails with her four kids.
Another generation of die-hard "Iggles" fans, no doubt.
Merry Christmas to all the Cicchinos - and the Concannons.
Here's hoping for a Super Bowl victory in our stockings!
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