Philadelphia has always been known as one of the most passionate sports cities in the entire world. Whether it may be the Sixers, Phillies, Flyers or Eagles, Philly fans know how to party.
This past Sunday, Feb. 4, the Philadelphia Eagles brought a long-awaited title to the city of Philadelphia. Although the Eagles franchise had won three NFL championships over 50 years ago, the fans have been hungry for the elusive Super Bowl title.
A championship in the city of Philadelphia comes with a parade down historic Broad Street for any of its professional and collegiate teams. But this celebration was significantly different from any in the past.
Fans began to flock to Broad Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway hours before sunrise on Thursday, Feb. 8. Large crowds were forming around the city as early as 4 a.m. in anticipation of the parade.
The temperature only reached a high of 33 degrees, with wind chills in the low-to-mid 20s. Although quite frigid, it did not stop millions of diehard fans from celebrating such a historic occasion.
“I arrived in the city around 6 a.m,” Daniel Childers of Cherry Hill, N.J., said. “For eight hours, I stood on the parkway awaiting the parade and celebration on the ‘Rocky’ steps.”
“Since I go to Drexel, I just walked over the bridge to the Art Museum early this morning to get my spot,” Peter Toczylowski said.
The anticipation only grew bigger hour by hour throughout the day, awaiting the world champions to begin the five mile trek down Broad to the Art Museum. No matter where you walked, there was no escape from the loud “E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES,” chants, echoing though the cold winter air.
At 11 a.m., the Eagles victory parade kicked off, departing from Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the Eagles, in South Philadelphia. After passing by Citizens Bank Park and the Wells Fargo Center, the double decker buses made a sharp right onto Broad Street.
For the next three miles, the champs took a scenic tour up Broad Street, greeting fans leading up to City Hall. Following the journey up Broad Street came the last leg of the celebration on the Parkway.
After completing the full five-mile parade route, the players, coaches and families disembarked the busses to partake in a ceremony on the famed “Rocky” steps. Eagles insider Dave Spadaro took to the stage to open the festivities, saying that he had been waiting for this day his entire life.
“If we could, for just a moment, remember those loved ones, no longer with us, who loved the Eagles with every fiber in their body,” Spadaro said.
After pumping the fans up, Spadaro welcomed legendary Eagles play-by-play announcer Merrill Reese.
“We have waited so long, but our dream has finally come true,” Reese said, while introducing the team.
The Super Bowl Champs made an iconic entrance, marching down the steps while the crowd went crazy. Once the team settled into their spots on the stage, Dr. Jesse McGuire performed a moving rendition of the National Anthem.
“I loved the patriotic feel of the National Anthem, surrounded by thousands of people,” Joshua Jager, a student at Drexel University, said.
Moments after the anthem, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney took to the podium.
“Pennsylvania is proud of this team for the way they play and live,” Wolf said. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, especially when the Eagles are World Champions,” Kenney said.
After remarks from the governor and mayor, Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie addressed the fans of his franchise. Following Lurie’s words, coach Doug Pederson and the Philadelphia Eagles team spoke to the fans.
Pederson and the players promised the passionate fanbase that this will not be the last of the team’s successes, but this is only the beginning.
“For me, hearing coach Pederson say ‘this is only the beginning’ brought a huge smile to my face,” Alyssa Jankowski, an exercise science and health promotion major at Cabrini, said.
Out of all of the players’ speeches to the fans, one will certainly go down in history. Eagles center Jason Kelce gave an empowering, fiery speech to the millions of fans packing the parkway.
“His [Kelce’s] passion for the Eagles organization and his love for the city resonated with everybody there,” Childers said. “It will go down as one of the great Philadelphia sports moments.”
As the players began to wrap up with their final remarks, Queen‘s hit song, “We Are the Champions,” blasted throughout the city, while confetti was flying.
“It was cool to be a part of something this historic for the city,” Maxime Lewing, a student at Drexel University, said.
Although no final numbers have been announced, it is estimated that anywhere between 3 and 5 million fans showed up to celebrate the Eagles’ championship. If true, it would be included within the top five most attended sports parades in history. This accomplishment would not be a first for the city, as the Flyers and Phillies have both achieved this historic mark in the past.
“Winning this Super Bowl means everything to my family,” Toczylowski said. “Earlier this year, my uncle Frank passed away and he was one of the biggest Eagles fans I’ve ever known; this season was for him.”
