This one is personal.
I have been a die-hard Eagles fan my whole life.
I am 62 (don't remind me!). I was five years old when the Eagles won a world championship by beating the vaunted Green Bay Packers and Vince Lombardi. I revered Tommy McDonald, Norm Van Brocklin and 'Concrete Charlie' Chuck Bednarik, but the truth is I was a little young to understand what winning a title really means.
I was a longtime denizen of the 700 Level at Veterans Stadium. Still don't believe some of the things I saw up there. At the time, I experienced one of the happiest moments of my life when Wilbert Montgomery burst off right tackle and saw nothing but frozen Astroturf in front of him. It was at that moment that 70,000 fans who had been waiting a long time realized that our beloved Iggles were going to beat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC title game and advance to the Super Bowl.
I had no idea you could be that happy and that cold at the same time.
Of course Dick Vermeil's team went into New Orleans tighter than violin strings and fell to the Oakland Raiders. Wasn't really much of a game.
Who knew it would be awhile before they got back, and when they did, Andy Reid, Donovan McNabb and the gang would again come up short, falling to the New England Patriots.
I've been in the newspaper racket for four decades. Over the last 30-some years, it has been my distinct honor to do the bulk of the front pages of the Delaware County Daily Times.
In that time, I've done a few special front pages when our teams won titles.
There was Villanova. Twice. The first time I put a simple 'NOVA WINS head on a blue background.
In 1983 the Sixers won a world championship. I had our graphic arts (yes, we used to have one of those, too), affix a crown to the Sixers logo.
And of course there was that magical 2008 Phillies team. When they won I designed a page that appeared to look like the Phillies uniform in red pinstripes with another World Champs lead hed.
But in all that time, I never got to design the one page I had always hoped for: the Eagles winning a Super Bowl.
Until Feb. 5, 2018.
Yep, just about a month ago.
I knew exactly what I was going to say on that front page. After all, I had been waiting all my life to do it.
PHINALLY!
Emblazoned on a photo of Super Backup and Super Bowl MVP clutching the Lombardi Trophy.
It was perfect. It encapsulated the long wait, along with the special Philly flavor of the event.
It turned out just the way I had hoped.
I liked it so much, in fact, that I asked our bosses if they would have it emblazoned on T-shirts for the staff as a memento of what certainly was a very special moment in Philly sports.
They arrived yesterday. I had some of the staff put them on so we could take a picture. We ran it today on our Page 2 Focus on Delco.
I posted an image of the T-shirt on social media. I kind of knew what was going to happen next.
Everybody wants one.
We probably could have sold lots of them.
I'm not even sure I will wear it. It likely will sit in a drawer next to the "Cardiac Kids" T-shirt I bought in downtown Philly at the 1980 Phillies World Series parade. I've never had that one on either.
I waited my whole life to do that front page.
It sums up everything I wanted to say.
The Eagles are Super Bowl Champions.
Phinally!
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