The Super Bowl season has been full of surprises, and one family made sure their father wasn’t left out. Tatyana and Darius Simmonds realized their father Matthew Simmonds’ dream of attending the Super Bowl to root for his beloved Philadelphia Eagles.
They surprised Matthew Simmonds —a diehard Eagles fan since the 1980s — with the help of Tatyana Simmonds’ son’s father, Jason Martin.
In an emotional surprise captured on camera and released to TikTok, the family presented Matthew Simmonds with Super Bowl tickets as part of an organized, detailed plan.
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Matthew Simmonds told People “At first, I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t have my glasses on. My grandson handed me the envelope and when I opened it, I thought maybe they were his school pictures.”
He added, “It wasn’t until I actually pulled out the papers and saw the Super Bowl 59 picture and the next page a receipt of the ticket. Honestly, I was blown away. It didn’t seem fathomable for my kids to do this for me.”
Tatyana Simmonds, his daughter, described him as “a pretty selfless person” who “gave his everything” while raising her. Giving that back to him “was just a beautiful moment to share because he wasn’t expecting it,” she said.
She explained that attending the Super Bowl has been a “lifelong dream for my dad to not only see the Eagles in the Super Bowl but have them win. Back in 2018, we witnessed for the first time them win the Super Bowl, and it was just a really big time for our entire family.”
The California family has been Eagles supporters since Matthew Simmonds started following Randall Cunningham in the 1980s.
Matthew Simmonds recounted a time when he missed his chance to attend the big game, saying, “I wanted to go in 2004 but couldn’t because of work. In 2022, I went to the NFC championship game, as a result, I couldn’t afford Super Bowl tickets. This year, I had just planned to watch it with my family.”
Tatyana Simmonds noted that her father discovered a feeling of community among the Eagles organization and audience and that this shared love led to some of his closest friendships.
For Matthew Simmonds, their action goes beyond a simple football match.
He stated, “It means the world to me to think my children and son-in-law made such a personal sacrifice in order to make my dreams come true. When you think about raising your kids, all you imagine is taking care of them and making things happen for them. So to have this happen, it’s overwhelming to think of and I’m so thankful to them for this amazing gift I’ll never forget.”
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