America's Team: How The Philadelphia Eagles Led The US Olympic Men's Rowing Team To Win Their First Gold Medal Since 1960
The year was 1960. The Philadelphia Eagles won their 3rd NFL Championship. Obviously this was before the NFL-AFL merger, so it wasn't technically a Super Bowl Championship. But the Birds gave the city of Philadelphia a belated Christmas gift by winning a championship on December 26, 1960.
Just a few months before, the US men's team of Dan Ayrault, Ted Nash, John Sayre, and Rusty Wailes won gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics for men's coxless four rowing. Things were looking great for US rowing, and things were looking great for the Philadelphia Eagles.
And then….decades of coming up short. Decades of just never being able to get the job done. A bunch of silver and bronze medals for the US men's rowing team. A bunch of NFC Championship game appearances for the Philadelphia Eagles. But for over 50 years, neither of them could get that big win.
Until 2017 when the Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl in franchise history. February 4, 2018 is a top 5 day of pretty much everybody in the Delaware Valley's life. And standing in the crowd a few days later at the Super Bowl parade was Justin Best. Just a kid from Kennett Square who was rowing in his junior year at Drexel. Jason Kelce was up at the podium atop the Art Museum steps delivering an all-time Super Bowl victory speech. And now a few years later, those same words inspired US men's rowing to finally get the job done again as well.
Can I get a "GOOOOOO BIIRRDDDSSSS"
You've got Justin Best leading the way. Nick Mead is also a local guy who I'm sure spent plenty of time growing up rowing on the Schuylkill River. Without the city of Philadelphia and the Eagles, who knows how many more decades the US men's rowing team would go without winning gold. Fortunately for us, we'll never have to find out.
Sidenote: Just remember what happened the last time the US men's rowing team won gold at the summer Olympics. The Birds ended up winning a championship just a few months later. Go. Friggin. Birds.