PHILADELPHIA — Eagles fans, still basking in the euphoria of the team’s first-ever Super Bowl win, flooded Philadelphia on Thursday to experience the championship parade in what was a day for the ages in the City of Brotherly Love.
The 4.8-mile parade started at 11 a.m. ET, but fans in full Eagles regalia began gathering as the sun came up.
The parade started at Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, then headed up Broad to City Hall before moving its way to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, home of the famous “Rocky” staircase.
There, players and coaches gave short speeches and soaked in the glory of their 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday.
“Is this what heaven’s like?” general manager Howie Roseman said.
“I’ve never seen so many people in one spot, celebrating one thing,” quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles said in amazement.
Center Jason Kelce, wearing a glittering, colorful mummer’s outfit, lauded the NFL team as a group of “underdogs” hungry for a championship and launched into an aggressive tirade against those who doubted them.
“We’re from Philly, f***** Philly, no one likes us, we don’t care,” he said, quoting a local song.
Before the speeches, confetti fell around Eagles players, coaches, staff and their families as they celebrated atop some two dozen open-air buses traveling the parade route amid throngs of cheering fans.
Head coach Doug Pederson and others proudly held high the Super Bowl trophy.
Tim Norton, 29, said he arrived at about 6:45 a.m. Given the crowds, CNN asked him how long it took to get there.
“It took me almost 11,000 days to get this parade, and I enjoyed every second of it. GO EAGLES!!!” he said.
The excitement brought out colorful characters and outfits, including from Eagles defensive end Chris Long.
Offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski posted a picture of his teammate Kelce in what he called the “parade mood.”
Philadelphians riotously celebrated the championship in an impromptu gathering on Sunday night shortly after the game, but this day parade is expected to be less hilariously destructive.
Fans were treated to a beautiful, chilly winter day, with a high of 33 degrees and a light breeze.
The Super Bowl win was a long time coming for Philadelphia fans. The team last won an NFL title in 1960 — before the Super Bowl era.
After that long dry spell, fans along the parade route talked of sharing the celebration with their late loved ones. Some told CNN they’d even taken Eagles regalia to their gravesites to mark the big win.
