To understand how hated the Dallas Cowboys are in the city of Philadelphia, just listen to what Daryl Johnston said about the town. "They flip me the bird in Philly. It's good," Johnston told the Dallas Morning News recently. For one of the more popular NFL players during his playing days, that says a lot.
One strong memory I have of watching the Cowboys play during Johnston's era was when Dallas would play teams like the Arizona Cardinals on the road and the fans would all vocally chant "Moose" whenever Johnston touched the ball. It happened almost everywhere the Cowboys played. Johnston was one of the real good guys in the sport and it seemed fans loved him everywhere he played.
However, playing the Philadelphia Eagles on the road, especially at the old Veterans Stadium, is a completely different kind of experience. This was where the fans booed Santa Claus in 1968. This is the stadium where fans threw snowballs with batteries in them at Troy Aikman in 1989. These are the fans who cheered when Michael Irvin suffered the spinal cord injury that ended his career and continue to jeer him today.
Philadelphia's stadium was so dangerous to visit that the City of Philadelphia assigned a Municipal Court Judge to try lawbreaking fans at the stadium immediately after their infractions. Philadelphia Eagles' fans have never been known for their class.
Luckily, Philadelphia is an anomaly. Johnston, who played for the Cowboys from 1989-1999, became known for his numerous charitable works. He has recently been working on helping NFL veterans get medical assistance, something the NFL has been balking at. According to Johnston, he normally gets accepted everywhere he goes.
"People recognize me as Moose. I think that'll always be a part of who I am. It's fun," Johnston said. "When you talk about America's Team, I think the moniker for the Dallas Cowboys really fits because we have a fan base that extends to every city."
Dallas has fans everywhere, except for Philadelphia that is. Those fans even hate Santa Claus.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys' fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys' related news, good or bad
