His name is etched right into the city in which he lives. Phil, from Philadelphia. He’s lived there almost 100 years.

Meet Phil Basser, the 99-year-old Philadelphia Eagles superfan who has seen his team win three national titles, but never a Super Bowl (remember, the championship game was renamed the Super Bowl in 1970 and the Eagles’ titles came before that).

Will he be at Sunday’s NFC Championship game? You bet. Will he tell you he’s so old that the first time he saw the Vikings play, they were actual Vikings? Absolutely.

The sports world collectively turned their attention last week to Millie Wall, a 99-year-old Minnesota Vikings superfan who received playoff tickets ahead of her 100th birthday, and subsequently garnered the attention of NFL’s front office who then surprised her with Super Bowl tickets.

But, let it be known, the Eagles have their own near 100-year-old fan.

According to the Eagles, Basser served in World War II and the Korean War, where he survived a serious case of malaria. Before that, he was a true underdog who lost his mother and his sister at a young age, and lived in a Jewish foster home during the week while his father made ends meat.

Once he got out of the service, he married Pearl, his now late wife of 65 years, and started an ad agency. The couple raised four children, and now the family extends to 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

“The successes of all of my children and their spouses make me feel like I’m living in a dreamland,” he told the Eagles. “I can’t explain it. It’s heaven on earth.”

Basser’s 18-year-old grandson, Josh Potter, was the one who made sure his grandfather got some time  in the spotlight, just like Millie Wall. Potter posted on Twitter after the Eagles edged the Atlanta Falcons 15-10 during the divisional round.

 

 

As for why Potter created the Tweet? It’s simply because he believes his grandfather is amazing.

“He’s so special because he’s an inspiration and such a role model,” Potter told the Eagles. “He’s lived such an amazing life, but he’s just so real. He never does anything for attention. He never does anything for any other motive than it’s the right thing. He’s just an incredible example for our entire family. He’s a true underdog story. It’s hard for us to get down about anything when we’ve seen what he’s gone through and how strong he is. He really just sets the standard for how to live life.”

And who can’t celebrate a man like that?

If you’d like to learn more about Basser and Wall, tune in to Fox’s NFC Championship pregame show, which begins at 6:00 p.m. ET. Word on the street is Basser and Wall even talk a little smack to each other.

Is there a better way to start a championship game?