He’s not from Philly, but Vic Fangio is about as Philly as you can be

He’s not from Philly, but Vic Fangio is about as Philly as you can be originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Vic Fangio isn’t technically from Philadelphia, but he’s really about as Philly as they come.

He grew up going to Phillies games at Connie Mack Stadium and the Vet. Was a huge Richie Allen fan, so he was thrilled when he finally made the Hall of Fame on Tuesday. Fangio followed the Eagles as a kid – the great linebacker Bill Bergey was his favorite and he remembers going to an Eagles-Cowboys game as far back as the Franklin Field days.

Fangio, the Eagles’ first-year defensive coordinator, grew up in Dunmore, just outside Scranton, and attended East Stroudsburg University, which is about 100 miles up Route 611 from the NovaCare Complex. He didn’t play football in college, but he sure got the coaching bug, and in 1984 he joined Jim Mora’s staff with the USFL Philadelphia Stars.

Just like that, he had an office at the Vet, where just a few years earlier he was watching Phillies games.

“I grew up a Philadelphia sports fan in all sports,” Fangio said in a chat with NBC Sports Philadelphia Tuesday. “Was here for the 1976 Major League All-Star game. Mark ‘the Bird’ Fidrych was the starter. That was a thrill.

“Came to a lot of Phillies games – a lot considering I was two hours away. And really always enjoyed them, especially since I lived through some of the lean years. And then when they got good in the mid to late 70s, that was enjoyable.

“When I got to be with the Stars and driving into work every day and Veterans Stadium was my office? That was a thrill, and I really, really enjoyed that. Got to know everybody that worked at the Vet. That was our homestead.

“It’s nice to be back home. You know, pseudo home. I have a lot of family within a couple hours and they’ve been able to come down and watch some games, stay at the house, and that’s been really nice. Something I haven’t had in a long time.”

The Stars moved to Baltimore in…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/hes-not-philly-vic-fangio-151856666.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-12-11 19:12:00

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