PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Whether it be wearing a special jersey, listening to a certain song or watching from a specific seat, we all have our pregame rituals.
For Steve “Bear” Coleman, a 48-year-old Germantown native who works for the city, and Brent Johnstone, 48, of Mount Airy, it's prayer.
“Win, lose or draw, it’s something that I do every game,” Coleman said, referencing an Eagles-themed prayer Johnstone wrote shortly before the Eagles won an elusive Lombardi Trophy in February 2018.
The prayer, which channels the two’s deep passion for the team, pays homage to Eagles legends and celebrates fans from all over.
“It brings emotions,” said Johnstone, author and co-founder of nonprofit FathersRead365. “If you’re an Eagles fan, you know we live off passion. And that’s what it was all about. How do you capture the Philadelphia fan? If they were to sit down and say a prayer, how would the Philadelphia fan say a prayer? That’s why you hear a couple bad words in there because a Philadelphia fan is going to say a prayer a Philadelphia fan’s way, and that’s how we gonna pray.”
🎧 Hear it here
“We can’t play, but we can get hype. And, to me, that’s what I feel when I hear it. It’s like, I’m ready to go, I’m ready to play. I can’t play, but I know what I’m gonna bring Sunday.”
Coleman, who arrives to work every Friday in Eagles attire and whose workspace is decked out with Eagles and Phillies memorabilia and posters, took Johnstone’s words and embraced them.
“I get goosebumps every time [I recite it],” Coleman said.
Over the years, he has slightly revised the prayer to reflect some of the newer players. And recently, it went viral thanks to content creator and Eagles season ticket holder Eric Emanuele, more commonly known as ERock. Now, everyone can listen to it and join in, embracing the oneness.
To hear more about Coleman and Johnstone, check out the latest edition of KYW Newsradio’s Philadelphia Sports Fan of the Week