Posted on 12/22/2011 9:13:00 AM PST by dirtboy
PHILADELPHIA -- The old suit fell apart around the same time the old man's body did. There have been a hundred stories written about Frank Olivo's Santa costume, and most of them, he said, have been inaccurate. It was not a frumpy suit; it cost $100, which was big money back in the 1960s. It lasted nearly 40 Christmases...
[snip]
Frank Olivo, the man who played Santa at a Philadelphia Eagles game on Dec. 15, 1968, remains a devoted Philly sports fan.
Frank Olivo is a romantic, but most of all, he is a ham. That's why he used to show up for the Philadelphia Eagles' final home game every season dressed in a Santa suit. He loved Christmas, loved his Eagles and loved the attention. And then one snowy day, Dec. 15, 1968, a halftime show was in jeopardy, a fan base was cold and discontented, and Olivo was summoned from the stands to walk the length of the football field and wave to the crowd and entertain them.
What happened in the next few minutes of this seemingly innocuous event became a staple of Philadelphia history. Santa was booed and pelted with snowballs, and a city cemented its reputation as the harshest place in sports. The story never died, and is still brought up 43 years later, every time a legend is jeered or a car with out-of-state license plates is trashed.
"Philadelphia sports fans have the reputation of being the worst in the country," Olivo said, "and it's bull. Because the Philadelphia sports fan, regardless of whether the team is good or bad, they will fill these stadiums, they'll put their money out to go to these games, they'll support the team.
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.go.com ...
Please unleash the Philly ping list.
>>and it’s bull. Because the Philadelphia sports fan, regardless of whether the team is good or bad, they will fill these stadiums<<
with thugs, animals and sore losers who throw tantrums like little babies. Filthy’s reputation is well-deserved and it renews that reputation constantly.
Cool picture.
Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s when I was a young suit at a local bank we used to go to Christmas parties in those houses on boathouse row.
The good ole days.. ya know..
The fans booed Santa and threw snowballs at him because he was scrawny and the Santa suit hung off him like a potato sack.
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