PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — There’s dedication, and then there’s what 49-year-old Gregg Matza does before every Eagles home game.
He shows up before the crack of dawn.
“Some people think I’m crazy for what I do,” Matza said earlier this week, just a handful of days after experiencing fame. “Some people respect it. Listen, my passion is the Philadelphia Eagles.”
This year, Sept. 14 was Christmas for Matza. He said so himself. His beloved Birds had a primetime home opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
He was at the stadiums at 4:30 a.m., talking with KYW’s Tim Jimenez.
Matza, a Philadelphia Parking Authority employee who lives in Bensalem after growing up in the Northeast, went viral from Jimenez’s post on X, formally known as Twitter. TV cameras started coming up to him wanting his interview and his father saw him on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
But for Matza, it’s not about the attention.
He simply loves the Eagles.
It’s a passion that started for him a little over 30 years ago during the Buddy Ryan era. That style of Eagles football, even though those teams didn’t make deep postseason runs, got him hooked as a teenager when he went to Father Judge High School. He was enamored by the ferociousness of the defense anchored by late legends Reggie White and Jerome Brown. He loved Randall Cunningham’s superior skills.
He’s been a dedicated fan ever since, feeling fortunate to finally experience his team win Super Bowl LII with Nick Foles. He also has a girlfriend, named Maureen, who he calls a “perfect match” because she loves and consumes the Eagles just as much as he does.
The preparation
Matza is fortunate enough to be a season ticket holder. His family has had seats behind one of the end zones, and in 2018, one of the seats in section 128 opened up and he purchased it. It’s an investment that’s more than worth it to him.
“The noise is worth the price of the ticket,” Matza said.
He relishes the roar of the crowd during third and fourth downs. He never misses a game. The experience is like none other to him.
Every game, Matza arrives hours before the tailgating lots even open. For 1 p.m. games, he’ll be down at the Sports Complex somewhere between 1 and 2 a.m. Driving down I-95 and seeing Lincoln Financial Field lit in green is priceless to him.
Matza comes prepared. He’ll have dozens of beers packed for him and his tailgating friends. He’ll bring four pounds of shrimp, tomato pies, and honey whiskey, which is especially enjoyable for him during the cold weather. He’ll never drink while inside The Linc because he wants to get home safely.
But in addition to eating and drinking before entering the stadium, he prays for his team and studies the Eagles matchup leading up to game day. When he’s at the stadium, even before the sun is up, he’ll think about what needs to happen for the Eagles to have success.
The prediction
“I think a lot [about the game coming up,]” Matza said. “It’s like my OCD, kinda.”
Not only did Matza go viral for his dedication, but he nailed his prediction. He thought Philadelphia native and St. Joe’s Prep alumnus D’Andre Swift was going to have a big game because he predicted the Eagles would have trouble passing the ball. He was right about Swift.
In his Philadelphia homecoming after being traded in the offseason by the Detroit Lions, Swift rushed for 175 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles outlasted the Vikings 34-28. Matza predicted a six-point win.
As far as Monday night against the Buccaneers in Tampa, he’s predicting a 13-point Eagles win with Jalen Hurts being due for a big game.
Prediction or not, the bottom line is Matza will likely be happy with a win. He believes in this 2023 team and doesn’t think they’ve hit their peak yet. No matter what, he will support them to the absolute fullest.
“I get to see this team once a year for 17 weeks. And every home game, I’m still going to do what I do until I can’t physically do it no more. Listen, the Eagles give me joy and I give it back. I give them 110% of me.”