Eagles fans have long turned the page on snowball fiasco, ‘No one was trying to hurt Santa Claus’

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

You know what that means in Philadelphia: Santa and snowballs and a time of month that cursed Philly fans for almost six decades with a reputation that they are the most belligerent, boorish group in all of sports.

You’ve surely heard the annual Christmas tale before; of how fans near the end of one of the worst seasons in Eagles history dipped their fingers into snow at Franklin Field on a frigid December afternoon, cupped their hands and pelted poor ol’ Santa Claus with snowballs — long before anyone was beaten at Dodgers Stadium, or a Kansas City Royals coach was assaulted on the infield, or the “Malice at the Palace” occurred, or any of the other countless incidents of abominable behavior that surely would stain any other team’s fanbase — except they weren’t from Philly.

The Eagles, only six years removed from an NFL championship, started 0-8 in 1968 under coach Joe Kuharich and seem poised to finish with the worst record in the league and earn the No. 1 draft pick in the draft. That meant a chance at selecting USC running back O. J. Simpson.

Only once had the Eagles won two straight games — hadn’t anyone heard of Tankadelphia? — essentially surrendering the top spot to Buffalo; disillusioned fans were fed up headed into the finale. And when the Eagles needed a pinch-hit Santa to fill in for the real-deal halftime act either stranded elsewhere in a snowstorm or simply no-showing because of one, they plucked a fan out of the stands who happened to dress as Saint Nick to toss candy canes into the crowd.

As instructed, 20-year-old Frank Olivo ran downfield past a row of elf-costumed “Eaglettes” and the team’s 50-person brass band playing “Here Comes Santa Claus.” Only fans turned on him in his disheveled outfit, angry over another lost Eagles season, and cold, tired and feeling a bit churlish, they booed and chucked snowballs at the woeful Santa impostor.

“Certainly,” said Eagles fan Ray Didinger,…

Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/eagles-fans-turning-page-on-snowball-fiasco-no-one-was-trying-to-hurt-santa-claus

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Publish date : 2023-12-24 20:18:45

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