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PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Dee and Dennis Wright from Cherry Hill, New Jersey have been together for 40 years. Their love story formed, in part, from watching Philadelphia Eagles football.
"That's hitting it right on the head," Dee Wright agreed.
She initially told us they met when she was bartending on a gameday. She was wearing a Terry Bradshaw jersey, as she grew up a Steelers fan. She said they were one of the few teams on television at the time.
She claimed that when Dennis Wright saw her decked in Steelers gear, his response was “What's up with the Bradshaw jersey?”
"I was like, 'How many Super Bowls do the Eagles have? Like what the hell?'” she said. “So he's like, 'Well, let me take you to a game.' And then the rest was history."
Dennis Wright didn't recall the story, but he did remember seeing her waitressing at a Cherry Hill restaurant and telling his cousin he was going to date her.
"He would come in the restaurant and we would talk, and it wasn't anything specific like that happened," Dee Wright said in a second interview. "It was just our love of football.”
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He added that she fell in love with the Birds after going to their games.
"A lot of girls don't want to be involved in sports," Dennis Wright said.
“When I met Dee, Dee was into sports. I met a girl here that could deal with me liking to watch football and baseball, and here we end up — by going to games and loving it so much — that we haven't stopped going. And it's kept us together, kept our relationship strong because what do we do? Our pastime is spent watching sports and reality TV."
That got a laugh out of both of them.
"I don't know where that [Bradshaw] jersey is," he said. "Not sure where that one went. Thrift shop? I'm not sure."
"That's a good question," she responded. "Where did it go?"
Gamedays for the Wrights
The Wrights have been Eagles season ticket holders for years, dating back to Veterans Stadium.
They currently sit in Section 201 at Lincoln Financial Field, a section close to midfield behind the Eagles’ bench in the upper deck.
"I curse like a sailor,” Dee Wright admits. “I just know a lot about sports, so when they do stupid stuff, I pretty much let them have it."
But, she's also supportive too.
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"Especially last year," she said about the ongoing Jalen Hurts debate.
"Is he the guy? Is he not the guy? Just the whole thing in general, you have to support your team. There's good times and bad times. I'm a big supporter. I'm not a hater so much."
Dennis Wright said he's been going to Eagles games since he was 13 years old, as his father and uncles had tickets.
"I was hooked for life as a Birds fan. I think my dad was injecting it into me early to be a Birds fan,” he said.
The Wrights love tailgating.
"The best part of the game is to tailgate. I mean, let's be honest,” Dee Wright said.
They will show up hours before a game and tailgate with people they've become friendly with over the years, a group with an RV in the Wells Fargo Center lot close to where Broad Street meets Pattison Avenue.
Their group's setup featuring multiple TVs and "the golden bathroom," as she put it, has led to appearances on television. It has also led to guests like the Eagles Pep Band stopping by, and even CEO Jeffrey Lurie coming through one time before a playoff game.
The tailgating group has made trips to other towns, including Denver, Baltimore and Washington.
"Some of the meals that we've made," she said. "We try to make it a theme."
Inside the Linc, they have a separate group of friends they've sat close to dating back to their years at the Vet.
While the Wrights love tailgating, Dee Wright said they go inside the stadium about an hour before kickoff.
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"I'm a bit of dancer," she said. "I'm not a drinker. I'm generally sober when I get to the game, but I do love to dance, and they have the best music pregame for when they're warming up and stuff."
"She's fun to be with," Dennis Wright said. "During the game, her interaction with what they do in the building, with how they do the game live. We love watching the game live. It's a pain in the [expletive] to go to the games. I'm 60. She's 62. And going to the games, it's getting harder and harder and harder."
But the experience makes it worth it.
"Gameday mornings are a blast," he explained.
"Getting us ready to get over in there and try to get in the parking lot by 8 a.m. and setting up, she just loves all of that. And she's into it a lot too. Like if Swoop [the Eagles’ mascot] comes through the parking lot, or [the Eagles Drum Line] goes through the parking lot, she's just totally into it."
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Especially in that rare opportunity to actually take Lincoln Financial Field.
“One time, we were able to get on the field and we're standing there and we're looking around, we're looking up at our seats, and I looked down and she's laying on the field doing a snow angel. What's not fun about that?" Dennis Wright said.
Was it actually snowing?
"No," he added. "It was a green snow angel."
"He's just as goofy as I am," says Dee Wright.
Passing down the fandom generation to generation
The Wrights have a son and daughter together, as well as a grandson. They have all followed in their fandom footsteps, including the baby grandchild.
"He's already got his [Joel] Embiid jersey," she said. "He's got multiple Eagles outfits bought by his grandparents."
The Wrights have built a wonderful family legacy through Philadelphia sports, and it all started from a South Jersey establishment when Dennis Wright said to his cousin that he was going to date her.
Or, if you want to go by the other story, it began when they sparked up a conversation from a Terry Bradshaw jersey.
Or does it really matter?
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The fact is they love each other, and sports has a lot to do with it.
"A love of sports and love of each other will make your relationship last forever," says Dennis Wright.
"Awww, that's so nice," reacted Dee Wright. "I don't know that I can top that. I have to agree with that."
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