Eloise Brown, a 102-year-old Philadelphia native, has been a devoted fan of the Philadelphia Eagles since the 1960s, a passion that began while watching games on TV with her children.
Remarkably, Brown has been alive longer than the Eagles, having been born in 1922—11 years before the team was founded. The native of North Philadelphia worked several jobs: first as a housekeeper, then as a social worker, and then in the arts with civil rights activist and politician Delores Tucker.
Over the decades, she has witnessed 17 division titles, one Super Bowl victory, and countless highs and lows. Her big family includes 27 grandchildren, over 50 great-grandchildren, and over 20 great-great-grandchildren.
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Her granddaughter, Sabrina Hall, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Brown has never missed a game. She remarked, “Never. It’s a part of who she is.”
In 2022, Brown celebrated her 100th birthday by attending the Eagles-Commanders game in Landover, Maryland.
Although the game started slowly, she revealed, “I closed my eyes and said a little something. I told the big man upstairs. And that was it.” The Eagles went on to win 24-8 during that game.
Brown also recently celebrated her 102nd birthday with a special trip to her fifth Eagles game, watching her favorite team defeat the Cowboys. She was dressed in a green Eagles jersey, matching earrings, and a hat, and she was warmly welcomed by the team.
Team president Don Smolenski gifted her a custom jersey with her name, “Brown,” and age, “102,” on the back. By the end of the day, it had been signed by several players, including Jordan Mailata, Brett Toth, and Landon Dickerson.
Her day was filled with memorable moments. In the tunnel, players like Brandon Graham and C.J. Gardner-Johnson stopped to greet her, with Graham giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. After the game, Brown was invited onto the field, where she met head coach Nick Sirianni and posed for photos with the game ball. “It almost broke my arm,” she joked. “That thing is heavy.”
Hall noted how much the experience meant to her grandmother, saying the Eagles staff and players treated her “like she was their grandmother,” with everyone calling her “Ms. Brown” or “Mom-mom Brown.”
The centenarian disclosed that the team sometimes frustrates her and often grips her football-shaped stress ball during tense moments.
“Plenty of times, they frustrate me. But I keep that stress ball,” she said. Her granddaughter Sakina Johnson added, “When they lose, she loses, too.”
Brown took last season’s playoff collapse hard, even crying over the outcome. More recently, she expressed concern for quarterback Jalen Hurts after he suffered a concussion, saying, “I just want to hug him. I just want him to heal.”
Reflecting on the team’s first Super Bowl win, she said, “I was happy. I was jumping up and down. And I hope I live to see it again. I’ll be jumping up and down. By myself. Right in here.”
Brown will be watching as the Eagles face their next challenge, ready to cheer them on as she has for over six decades.
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