Kenny Pickett’s dad raised him to be an Eagles fan and then watched him finish off the Super Bowl win

Little Kenny Pickett wore a snowsuit to Lincoln Financial Field in January 2005 to see the Eagles clinch a berth in the Super Bowl and then was crushed two weeks later when they lost the big game.

He grew up just north of Eagles Country in New Jersey, but Pickett loved the Birds, thanks to his father, who spent four impressionable years of his childhood in South Philadelphia. The Picketts constantly drove from their home in Ocean County, N.J., to see the Eagles as the kid dreamed of one day playing in green.

And there he was on Sunday night, No. 7 for the midnight green with just 25 seconds left in Super Bowl LIX. The backup quarterback to Jalen Hurts, Pickett was pushed into action in the fourth quarter with the Eagles well ahead. It was his job to finish off the 40-22 victory. He took a knee, watched the clock hit zero, and the Eagles won their second Super Bowl.

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The 6-year-old who bundled up to see the Birds 20 years ago had the ball in his hand on Sunday night when they won it all. And the father who raised him to be an Eagles fan was in the stands.

“It’s just surreal,” the older Pickett said. “To be able to come full circle and be part of something special is a special moment for all of us.”

Kenny Pickett’s father moved to South Philly when he was 6, while his father, a 25-year Marine veteran who served in Vietnam, worked at the Navy Yard. He was there just in time to see all four Philadelphia sports teams reach the finals in a calendar year. And that was enough to make someone a diehard.

“We were a couple blocks from the stadium,” Ken Pickett said. “I went to the 1980 NFC championship game when Wilbert Montgomery scored against the Cowboys. I walked to that game from my house.”

The Picketts soon moved to Monmouth County, N.J., where most people cheer for New York teams. But Ken Pickett and his father, Kenneth, held on to their time in South Philly.

“My dad was a huge Eagles fan,” Ken Pickett said. “I’ve been an Eagles fan my whole life. Not just the Eagles, but all the teams. The Phillies, the Flyers, the Sixers. We’re Philadelphia pretty much all the way.”

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Ken Pickett raised his son on Philadelphia sports. Kenny Pickett loved the Phillies, received a Donovan McNabb jersey from Santa Claus, and had season tickets to Temple football. He chased down autographs at the Eagles carnival, admired Terrell Owens, went to three NFC championship games, and toured the locker room.

“I didn’t have season tickets, but we were at the stadium quite a bit,” Ken Pickett said. “I just knew people.”

Kenny Pickett naturally grew out of his fandom in college as his career took off. He was a star at the University of Pittsburgh and then stayed in town with the Steelers after they drafted him in the first round in 2022.

Pickett was a freshman when the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018, celebrated in his dorm room, and then became Pitt’s starting quarterback. That night, he said, probably was the last moment of his fanhood. There was hardly any time to follow the Birds.

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“College football is a full-time job now, as far as year-round,” said Ken Pickett, who was a linebacker at Shippensburg.

He started his first NFL game in October 2022 and played at the Linc later that month. Pickett faded his fandom years earlier, but the transition wasn’t so easy for his father.

“It was very hard for me,” Ken Pickett said. “I was an Eagles fan my whole life, and then I had to suddenly flip the switch to be a Steelers fan.”

Pickett spent two seasons in Pittsburgh before he was traded to Philly in March. The Steelers acquired Russell Wilson, and Pickett received a fresh start with the team he grew up rooting for.

“When he had the chance to come home, it was a no-brainer for us,” Ken Pickett said. “He lives an hour now from my wife and I. You have to remember, he was in Pittsburgh since he was 17 years old, so we haven’t seen him much. We maybe saw him three times a year. We’d see him after games, but that was short. He’s a college kid going out. In the summer, we’d see him for a couple weeks. I’ve seen him more this past year than I did in the last eight years.”

Pickett was pressed into action in December after Hurts was injured and looked good against the Cowboys. Hurts returned for the playoffs and Pickett was on the sidelines, ready if needed. There was no guarantee he would play in the Super Bowl, but it became likely as the Eagles built a large lead. He kept loose and then came onto the Superdome field in the fourth quarter.

“Philly fans are passionate and hardworking,” Ken Pickett said. “One of the things that Kenny does is work extremely hard at his craft. That personifies the city. People who are just hardworking and go for what they want. I think that personifies what he’s about, and I think the city fits him well.”

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Andy Reid was on the other sideline, Brian Dawkins was in the stands, and Jeremiah Trotter’s son was on his team. The kid who grew up loving those early 2000s Eagles — and experienced the heartache that ended each season — sealed the Super Bowl win. And his dad cheered in the crowd for the Eagles like he did since he lived in South Philly.

“Just joy,” Ken Pickett said. “We were happy for him to be able to experience that. It’ll be a part of his journey. His journey is far from finished. But he just loves being in Philly. We can’t be happier for him, the organization, and the people of the city. We just love it.”