Philadelphia eagles santa claus incident

Yes, the NFC East title is still in sight for the Eagles when they host the New York Giants — but the date alone is enough to make fans at the Linc cringe at reminders of a bad rap and a bad Santa. It's Christmas in Philadelphia and you know what that means: 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 ones in all of sports. You've surely heard the tale before: 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 libertycity net — long before anyone was beaten at Dodgers Stadium, philadelphia eagles santa claus incident, or a Kansas City Royals coach was assaulted on philadelphia eagles santa claus incident 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 in under coach Joe Kuharich and seem poised to finish with the worst record in the league and earn the No.

Olivo, known as the Santa who was booed and dodged snowballs during halftime at a Eagles game, believes the infamous snowball episode launched the Philadelphia Eagles reputation for boorish fans. The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP. Yes, the NFC East title is still in sight for the Eagles when they host the New York Giants — but the date alone is enough to make fans at the Linc cringe at reminders of a bad rap and a bad Santa. The Eagles, only six years removed from an NFL championship, started in under coach Joe Kuharich and seem poised to finish with the worst record in the league and earn the No. That meant a chance at selecting USC running back O.

Philadelphia eagles santa claus incident

It is December and Eagles fans are angry. The team is losing, a disappointing season is winding down and the fans are calling for the coach to be fired. The name lent itself so well to chanting. Joe Must Go rolled easily off the tongue. Three words, nice and short, just right for the angry staccato chorus. That season culminated with one of the most storied events in the citys sports history: the fans throwing snow balls at Santa Claus. There are many versions of what actually happened that day. John Pierron, a former Channel 3 newsman, covered the story and detailed it in a letter to Comcast SportsNet. Since we are approaching the anniversary of that memorable day, we thought we would share Pierrons letter with you. It is interesting to see how much TV news has changed in 40 years. According to Pierron, who still lives in the area, the Santa incident almost went unreported. It was Sunday, December 15, It was the last Eagles home game of a dismal season.

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Philadelphia has a reputation across professional sports for having the roughest fans. Nobody knows that better than Frank Olivo. The Eagles were bad that season. They went into the game with a record, but they were coming off two wins in a row, which hurt their odds at the No. So fans went into the stadium annoyed — if they were going to be bad, the least they could do was get the top pick. In that draft, it would have been O. Fans arrived to the stadium that afternoon with snow in their seats to watch a poor team in unfavorable weather. Philadelphia fans throwing snowballs at Santa Claus is a topic that can come up during any Eagles broadcast, and maybe even other professional Philly sports games, too. Cinderella Stories View team list. Soccer Fantasy Soccer View team list.

Philadelphia eagles santa claus incident

The incident occurred on December 15, , in Week 14, at the time the final week of the NFL season, with the struggling Eagles sitting at 2—11 on the season. Tied 7—7 at halftime, the team brought out Santa Claus as part of the halftime Christmas parade; but Eagles fans upset by the poor season pelted him with snowballs. The affair has gone down in NFL and sports lore as a representation of the passion, but also the outrageous behavior of Philadelphia sports fans.

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That meant a chance at selecting USC running back O. It was the last Eagles home game of a dismal season. But the question remains, will ol' St. Look no further:. Sign up for our newsletter Get our newsletter, DP Daybreak , delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Let us know! Please give today. Your City Defined. First it was snow. There were three inches of slush on their wooden seats and they were seeing their chances of drafting Simpson slipping away. Another good samaritan bites the dust. Tied 7—7 at halftime, the team brought out Santa Claus as part of the halftime Christmas parade; but Eagles fans upset by the poor season pelted him with snowballs. Of course, the legend grew over time and now it is stamped on our city forever. Our daily newsletter rounding up all of the top headlines from the DP.

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He said after the snowball assault finally stopped, Santa Frankie was happy. Many who repeat the Philadelphia legend of Santa getting booed take it at face value as just Eagles fans being themselves. But what's the real story? Search for:. Recruiter's Row is a biweekly recruitment newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on all things employment related. By Lauren McCutcheon. Penn, Unbuttoned is Penn's only intentionally satirical newsletter, giving you your weekly dose of comedy from Under the Button every Wednesday. Thursday Night Football results —present. The Philadelphia Citizen is a c 3 nonprofit, nonpartisan organization and all affiliate content will be nonpartisan in nature. The Associated Press. Kuharich was in his fifth season as Eagles coach and the fans wanted him gone in the worst way. When you do an unusual news story, it is common to check other media outlets to see how they handled it if they did. Both Olivo and Monastra attended the game, but unbeknownst to them, Bill Mullen was on the prowl for an answer to his Santa dilemma. Simpson, because the Buffalo Bills had only a single victory that season. The next day at the station, especially in the newsroom, snowballs and Santa Claus were about the only discussion.