The Day My Blood Changed to Green and Silver

For the first few, cognitive years of my football life I was relegated to “Ground Chuck” and his boring offense with the Seattle Seahawks.

I was three years old and I knew better than to run Curt Warner on both first and second down, and then have Dave Kreig drop back and pass to Steve Largent on third down. I would sit in the 300 level of the Kingdome and watch the games with my grandma and just be bored.

The one afternoon, while watching the Seahawks get annihilated by the 49ers, she told me she was a Vikings fan.

I was confused; I thought you were supposed to support your hometown team.

She then told me she was raised in Minnesota and had been following the Vikings since their conception in 1961. She could tell that I wasn’t a Seahawk fan, don’t get me wrong, I loved going to NFL games live, there was nothing like it. I knew I loved football, but I didn’t love the Seahawks.

I needed a team and started paying attention and watching the games as intently as a seven year old kid could.

On the morning of December 31, 1988 I woke up and went into the living room, my dad already had a playoff game on. I sat on the floor and began to watch Randal Cunningham run around and scramble with the ball. The passes he made to Keith Jackson and Mike Quick were amazing.

Cunningham was like a magician back there, you think you’d have him, but then you didn’t and he was off and running and slinging a pass to an open receiver.

Chicago would get into the backfield and he’d just run away from them. I had never seen a quarterback to that before.

A smile started to come over my face.

I didn’t realize it, but during drives, I’d stand and slowly move closer and closer to the television. I was so wrapped up in the game; I didn’t hear my dad telling me to sit down so he could see the television. He eventually sat me down in a chair about a foot away from the T.V.

It seemed like every time that the Eagles would put something together, Cunningham would throw a costly interception and with every pick he threw I’d suffer the first instances of my sports heartbreak.

With every Luis Zendejas field goal I wanted more.

The defense anchored by Reggie White and Jerome Brown kept the Bears at bay most of the day. Could have also been the fog, but I would really like to think it was the likes of Wes Hopkins, Eric Allen and Clyde Simmons that helped out White and Brown.

As the game wound down and I knew there was no chance for the Eagles to catch up, my first sports related heartbreak was complete.

The Eagles lost 20-12 and their season was over.

Again, I wanted more; I didn’t want to have to wait 9 months to see my next Eagles game.

I began to beg my parents for Eagles related merchandise.

I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be for them to get me what I wanted. Yes, I was acting like a spoiled brat. I was destined for the internet era, before the internet era even started.

But through catalogs and sports stores in the area, I soon had my wall plastered with posters of various Eagles; I had Eagles shirts, jackets, sweat pants, blankets.

That collection has crown over the years, still have my old jackets and shirts and posters, now I just have 35 jerseys added to that collection, some luckier than others.

Just need to get a Macklin and McCoy jersey now.

2009 is going to be an amazing season.