Listen to Merrill Reese's call of the Eagles' Super Bowl win
Merrill Reese has spent 41 years calling each and every Eagles play. On Sunday night, he finally got to call an Eagles Super Bowl victory.
While most fans were online complaining about NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth's inability to recognize an Eagles touchdown, the Birds' longtime radio play-by-play announcer Merrill Reese was calling the game alongside former Eagles wide receiver Mike Quick on SportsRadio 94.1 WIP.
Reese, who just signed a seven-year extension earlier this year, has spent the 41 years calling each and every Eagles play, the longest-tenured play-by-play broadcaster in the NFL. On Sunday night, he finally got to call an Eagles Super Bowl victory.
"The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions!" Reese said. "Eagles fans everywhere, this is for you! Let the celebration begin!"
In a recent conversation with my colleague Paul Domowitch, Reese revealed that he expected the Eagles to do no better than 10-6 this season, possibly sneaking into the playoffs as a wild-card team. He also offered a peek into his preparation for the game, which includes spending every day at the Novacare Complex, two hours a night during the week on game prep, and locking into "Merrill mode" going over his notes before a game.
"He gets locked in," Quick told Domowitch. "He has his routine, and he doesn't like to break routine. From the time he wakes up in the morning [on game day], the routine starts then. And it really works. The sweet thing for me is, I know I'm working with a living legend when I walk in there. I know that I'm in a really good place."