Theo Vadot ‘19:
“Underdogs are hungry dogs,” says Hadley DeBruyn ‘20, one of the many Episcopal students who went to Minnesota to see the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. DeBruyn is a season ticket holder and calls herself a “committed Eagles fan” that made the journey to Minnesota. To many, seeing the Eagles play in the Super Bowl is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, especially this past season.
Since flights were more expensive to go straight to Minneapolis, some students flew in through Chicago, such as Carter Strid ‘19 and Grace Smith ‘19. Strid explains, “We flew to Chicago and drove six hours to Minneapolis.” Other students flew straight to Minneapolis. While some students, like Alec Austin ‘19, left the night before the Super Bowl, others, like DeBruyn, left on Super Bowl Sunday. Debruyn explains, “On Sunday morning, we flew out at 9 AM, and on Monday morning we flew back at 1 AM.”
Photo courtesy of Hadley Debruyn ‘20
Austin, Smith, and Debruyn all bought tickets online and they had seats that gave them a good view of the game. Strid explains, “We got tickets from the president of the Eagles because my dad went to college with him.”
All students who attended recall fond memories of the Eagles’ victory. Austin says, “It was an unreal experience and a dream come true to watch the Eagles in the Super Bowl, especially in person.” Strid also called it, “ridiculously amazing and the experience of a lifetime.” Similarly, Smith explains, “My mom has gone to Eagles games her whole life, and I can’t imagine how this felt for her.” However, Smith jokes, “The Justin Timberlake concert was underwhelming.”
While everyone is a big fan of Carson Wentz, it seems as if Nick Foles has joined the fan favorites after his outstanding postseason. Austin and Strid are Alshon Jeffery fans, while DeBruyn named Jalen Mills as her favorite, adding that “His mom was actually sitting in front of me, and at one point she just turned around and said, ‘I’m Jalen Mills’ mom.’ I got a picture with her, too.” Smith shares a different opinion, calling Jake Elliott her favorite Eagles player because, in her words, “Kickers are people too.”
Photo Courtesy of Hadley Debruyn ‘20
There are many superstitious fans out there, and everyone has their own tradition or game ritual. Strid explains that “We all wore the same jerseys that we wore to the games we had been to this past season.” Similarly, DeBruyn mentions, “I wore the same jersey that I wore to the conference final.” Austin, sharing his superstitious traditions, claims “Until the Eagles won, every time I said or heard something about the Eagles and the Super Bowl, I knocked on wood.” With Chickie’s and Pete’s having been brought to the Super Bowl, Smith shares her family tradition: “We always eat crab fries at every game we go to, and it was cool that we could have them at the Super Bowl.” Clearly, all of these superstitions and traditions proved effective, as the Eagles flew by the Patriots with a score of 41-33. Go birds!