In a city so sports-crazed they boo their own teams, perhaps no one gets more praise than beloved Philadelphia Eagles commentator Merril Reese. If you’re an Eagles fan, you’ve heard his voice, and if you’re an Eagles fan 48 years or younger, you’ve never heard a game without it. For a play-by-play commentator, making your voice as iconic and synonymous as the team you cover is a feat few will ever achieve. On the verge of his 49th season (he’s 82), Eagles legend Merrill Reese gives me just a glimpse of the passion that’s fueled his uncontested reign as the voice of this storied Philadelphia football team.
You’ve been the voice of the Eagles since 1977—what do you remember about your very first game in the booth?
Well, my very first game was the next to the last game of the ’77 season when Charlie Swift had just died. I had done plenty of play-by-play in the past. I had done all the Temple games when I was there. So, from a standpoint of doing the games, it was a very emotional time to be thrusted into the play-by-play scene. I remember looking down on the players, and they had turned in a salute to the broadcast booth in memory of Charlie. I could feel my heart pounding. That was very, very emotional. But I did the game, and the Eagles beat the New York Giants in that game. That’s what I remember.
Forty-eight years in, do you still get nervous or excited before games? What is Merrill Reese’s game day routine?
I’m nervous still, for every game. The routine depends on whether we’re home or on the road. On a home game, if it’s a one o’clock game, I get up early. I don’t eat when I get to the stadium because I’m really too nervous to start eating during the game or before a game. My wife, Cindy, makes me a great big stack of pancakes that holds me. I leave the house no later than 8:15 a.m., get to the stadium by 9 to 9:15 a.m., go through my stuff in the broadcast booth, and look down at the warmups. I go down to the field at about 11:15 a.m. and I do the piece on the CBS television pregame show. I go back up to the booth and do a piece on the WIP pregame show. Then I get set, make sure to go over some things with Mike Quick, go over some commercials and things with my producer and off we go.
So many iconic calls, ups, downs, wins, losses, what was your most memorable Eagles moment to call? What made it so special?
Well, the most memorable one was the end of Super Bowl 52 when they beat the New England Patriots. The call there, that was the most memorable because of what it meant. That was the first Superbowl this team ever won—so that would be it. Now for a regular season game, that would be Dec. 19, 2010, when they came from a huge deficit in the Meadowlands to beat the Giants, ultimately on a DeSean Jackson punt return with no time left.
Are there any calls you’ve made that fans still bring up to you?
They do, they do, but they’re all ancient history. The first Miracle at the Meadowlands was November 19th, 1978, and that was when Herman Edwards scooped up a fumble when the Giants were just down kneeling. He scooped it up and ran it in for a touchdown. That was the one where I said, “I can’t believe It, I can’t believe it!” It was the miracle of the Meadowlands. That was the very first one. The other one that people often talk about was a time when the Eagles were playing the Dallas Cowboys and the Cowboys ran a play, and the Eagles stopped them on fourth down. The officials—this is late in the game—deep in Eagles territory, said the play took place after the two-minute warning. So, they took the two-minute warning, got to play it again, and the Cowboys ran with the same play to Emmit Smith. Then I said, “They stopped them again, they stopped them again.” There’s a movie called Groundhog Day where everything keeps repeating itself, so I said, “Groundhog Day, they stopped them again!
Going back to Super Bowl 52, “Eagles fans everywhere, this is for you!” was your now famous call on that night. Describe your emotions in that win.
Yeah, it was just a great feeling. I didn’t prepare anything. Some broadcasters will write an ending in case they get to use it. I said, “I’m just going to let my feelings come through,” and that’s what happened. “Eagles fans, this is for you. Let the celebration begin.” It’s just what came out.
Philadelphia’s passion for sports is one that has never truly been replicated in any other city. What has the fanbase and this city meant to you?
Well, I love this fan base. I think Eagles fans are the most passionate football fans in the country. I think they boo at times because they are so passionate, and they care so much, but they love this team. There’s no city that loves its football team more than Philadelphia.
When you’re not calling games, how does Merril Reese spend his off-season?
In the spring and summer, he plays a lot of golf. I’m a decent player, a decent golfer. You could say mid-handicap.
What keeps you going after all these years — is it the love of the game, the fans, something else?
I love the job. I love it. There is nothing in the world I’d rather do than broadcast Eagles football. I love it. I truly love it.
If you could leave fans with one message or memory of you, what would you want it to be?
I don’t have any message because I’m not preparing to retire anytime soon. I love doing what I’m doing. Every game when the national anthem is on and I’m standing for the national anthem, I say two things: there’s no place in the world I’d rather be and there’s nothing in the world I’d rather be doing.
