Taylor was Swift to impress Sixers crowd
At 12, she performed the national anthem at a game at the First Union Center.
LONGTIME SIXERS fans can say they knew Taylor Swift before she was well . . . Taylor Swift.
The pop star, who wowed crowds at two sold-out concerts at the Linc over the weekend, performed the national anthem at a Sixers-Bucks game at the First Union Center in April of 2002.
She was only 12 at the time.
"I'd love to be able to say that we recognized her talent back then," former Sixers executive vice president Dave Coskey said yesterday. "But truth be told, Jennifer James - now Davenport - who worked for us, used to baby sit Taylor in Stone Harbor where the Swift family summered.
"At the time, we were getting crushed with requests [from artists] to do the anthem. Jennifer said that Swift did karaoke and was good, so we let her do it."
At the time, Swift had mostly performed in local Stone Harbor establishments such as Henny's and Coffee Talk. The Sixers were using big-name stars such as Teddy Pendergast, Patti LaBelle and Boyz II Men to sing the anthem.
But Swift nailed it.
In the summer of 2007, she told the "Seven Miles Times" that she has fond memories of that performance.
"It was awesome! I was so nervous," she said. "I brought all of my friends and wore a sequined red, white and blue shirt with white pants . . . It was an awesome experience and I'll never forget it."
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