There was absolutely nothing that could beat it. From the mid 90’s up until the Chip Kelly era, the Eagles called Lehigh University their summer home for training camp. It was the countless days spent watching the Eagles at Lehigh that shaped me into the die-hard Eagles fan that I am today. Despite wishes of my Mother (a Steelers fan), how could I not become an Eagles fan with the Eagles so close to me? As a kid, my dad would take me to watch them every summer at Lehigh.
I was there from the beginning of the McNabb era. I remember the on-field passes I had when TO was an Eagle. I can recall seeing Desean Jackson as a rookie and knowing the kid was going to be special. After all those years, I was then able to drive myself to Eagles camp whenever I wanted. By the time I had my license, Kevin Kolb handled the offense. The Kolb era was over before it started and by the following summer, my friends and I were there nearly every day to watch Mike Vick practice as the starter.
Looking back, I was very fortunate to have this luxury right in my back yard, here in the Lehigh Valley. It’s a shame that this era of youngsters won’t be able to enjoy it like me, like many other young, Eagle fans did growing up. I grew up with Eagles training camp and loved nothing more than getting to camp and hearing the snap of the pads. Whether it was my dad taking me when I was six, or my friends and I in college, I will always look back on those days fondly. I can only hope that one day, the birds will return to Lehigh so I can enjoy those same experiences with my own kids. If I can’t, at least they’ll hear all the stories about McNabb dancing into the huddle, times Andy Reid would yell at the linemen, and how guys like Dawkins and Akers would always come to the side after practice to sign autographs for fans.
