The only Eagles fan literally enshrined in the Hall of Fame, “Eagle Joe” Borden, has passed away at the age of 62.
Eagles coach Andy Reid said in a statement that training camp won’t be the same.
“Training camp will not be the same without Eagle Joe,” said Reid. “He was a fixture at our practices every summer for many, many years. He knew every player on the roster, their 40 time, their college and their statistics, it seemed. He bled green. And even though he was struggling with various illnesses in recent years, he still managed to travel to Lehigh a few times every camp. He always had a kind word of encouragement to each of our players and coaches. He never asked for anything and never expected anything, he just wanted to be around his Eagles family. We will certainly miss Joe and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends in their time of loss.”
If you’re not familiar with Eagle Joe, he’s a long time employee of the Acme market in Exton, PA who, since 1975, has used his vacation time every year to attend Eagles training camp. In the late 80s, Buddy Ryan heard about Joe and began inviting him on the field for a front row view of practice. Since then, its been a tradition for every Eagles coach to give Joe on-field passes to see practices. In 2007, Joe was declared legally blind thanks to a debilitating eye disease and could no longer drive. The Eagles organization decided to send a limo to his house in Exton every morning to pick him up.
In 2001, Joe actually became part of the hall of fame when he was chosen as the Eagles representative in the “Visa Hall of Fans.”