An Eagles fan flew nearly 1,000 miles from Florida to Philadelphia to scatter his grandfather’s ashes along the Eagles’ Super Bowl parade route.
As thousands braved 20-degree temperatures to line the streets of Philadelphia ahead of Thursday’s Super Bowl parade, one Eagles fan showed his dedication in a much more permanent way.
According to a Bleacher Report correspondent who posted the video on Twitter, the fan flew up from Tampa just to scatter the ashes of his grandfather, who presumably was a big Eagles fan.
An Eagles fan (left and right) flew nearly 1,000 miles from Florida to Philadelphia to scatter his grandfather’s ashes along the Eagles’ Super Bowl parade route
‘Doesn’t get realer than scattering your grandfather’s ashes at the Eagles Super Bowl parade,’ Bleacher Report’s Maurice Peebles wrote.
In the video, the man is seen wearing an Eagles jersey as he walks in a full circle emptying the bag of his grandfather’s ashes.
And though some believe the man’s actions were a bit strange, it wasn’t actually that unusual.
Another Eagles fan, Dustin Slaughter brought a small urn of his father’s ashes with him for the celebrations.
‘It feels good to have him with me for a day like today,’ Slaughter told Philly.com.
He said his father, Michael Slaughter, who died in 2014 at age 64, would have been ‘ecstatic today’.
And Eagles fan Andrew Immordino went to the Super Bowl on Sunday at the US Bank Stadium with his brother’s ashes in an urn.
In the video, the man is seen wearing an Eagles jersey as he walks in a full circle emptying the bag of his grandfather’s ashes
Organizers are prepared for as many as two million people, but the actual number may be much lower. Fans (pictured) line Benjamin Franklin Parkway before the Super Bowl victory parade for the Philadelphia Eagles football team
Hundreds of thousands of spectators have already lined the frigid 20-degree streets of Philadelphia as the city prepares for its first Super Bowl parade in the wake of the Eagles’ remarkable upset of the five-time champion New England Patriots on Sunday.
The five-mile route starts near Lincoln Financial Field, the team’s stadium, and fittingly ends at the art museum steps that Sylvester Stallone famously climbed in the ‘Rocky’ movies.
Schools, museums, courts, government offices and even the city zoo were shut down in anticipation of the event.
Organizers are prepared for as many as 2 million people, but the actual number may be much lower.
Many fans are taking mass transit, which led New Jersey Transit to suspend ticket sales on its Atlantic City Line into Philadelphia.
All 50,000 special parade day tickets for the SEPTA regional railroad lines sold out.
Fans cheer as they watch a replay of Super Bowl 52 in front of the the Philadelphia Museum of Art before the Super Bowl victory parade for the Eagles on Thursday
The parade caps a glorious week for jubilant Eagles fans celebrating an NFL title that had eluded them for nearly 60 years. Fans line Benjamin Franklin Parkway before a Super Bowl victory parade for the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles fan and fashion designer Nancy Volpe Beringer places a small dressmaker’s form with an outfit she says she made and would like to give Eagles’ Nick Foles daughter, Lily, on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Wednesday
Fortunately for local fans, the city’s two subways are free all day.
The parade caps a glorious week for jubilant Eagles fans celebrating an NFL title that had eluded them for nearly 60 years.
Led by backup quarterback Nick Foles and second-year coach Doug Pederson, the Eagles beat the Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII on Sunday.
Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney asked fans to celebrate with passion and pride after Sunday’s wild postgame celebration was marred by ‘knuckleheads’ who resorted to violence and vandalism.
‘Now remember – act responsibly, don’t ruin this for the fans who have waited decades for what will be a historic day as the Eagles finally parade up Broad Street,’ he said.
‘We are, after all, the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection.’