At around 11 AM on Sunday, the Eagles coordinated a surprise for the Voice of the Eagles Merrill Reese just outside of the tunnel entrance in the Southwest corner of the field. Eagles President Don Smolenski helped unveil a framed edition of the gameday poster, which not only featured Reese and the memorable quotes from his historic 50 seasons serving as the narrator for the biggest moments in franchise history, but one that was also designed by his daughter, Ida.
"I truly wanted the quotes to speak for themselves. I wanted the viewer to be able to hear his voice when they look at the poster, feel the excitement of 50 years of iconic calls," said Ida Reese, who started working on the poster in August. "There were definitely times I wanted to tell him. I couldn't wait for him to finally see it today. It was so special getting to work on this project and Christine (Dorn, Graphic Design Director for the Eagles) was a dream. She was absolutely wonderful, so encouraging. So helpful."
Merrill Reese was also joined on the field by his wife of 47 years, Cindy, who plays an integral role in the weekly preparation for the longest play-by-play announcer in the NFL, one who was selected to receive the Pete Rozelle Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024. Cindy Reese quizzes her husband on the teams' rosters every gameday eve and then cooks the same breakfast ahead of every home game -- apple cinnamon pancakes with a hot cup of tea. Part of the gameday breakfast ritual involves Merrill wearing the same Hawaiian shirt that he purchased on his honeymoon with Cindy. The shirt is missing a button, but still holds up strong after all of these years.
Much like the Voice of the Eagles.
Merrill and Cindy Reese's son Nolan traveled from where he lives now in California for Sunday's game, which he does often. He recalls being at the ceremonies to honor his father's 25th anniversary as Voice of the Eagles and then the 40th in 2016 when Merrill was inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame. When he visits his father, Nolan enjoys the view from inside the broadcast booth, being able to watch his father bring Eagles games to life for fans around the world.
"It's always great to see how much the fans and the team appreciate what he's done. It's always exciting to be around him when these things happen. For him, it's just a regular game. For the rest of us, it's awesome," Nolan Reese said. "The first Super Bowl was probably the craziest, getting to stand 10 feet from him when he called his first Super Bowl victory ever. It's been fantastic."
The Eagles weren't done celebrating Merrill Reese's 50 seasons from the broadcast booth.
During a special halftime ceremony, a tribute video recounting the best highlights from the past 50 seasons played on the videoboard and the legends who made those plays happen were on the field. Reese's partner and color analyst for the past 28 seasons – Eagles Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Quick – pre-recorded a message that played to the fans to announce that the SportsRadio 94WIP broadcast booth will now be named the Merrill Reese Broadcast Booth going forward.
"Extremely special. I may have gotten a little more emotional than he did. For me, just to see the outpouring by everybody was really special because so many generations have loved this guy and listened to him and the iconic calls. He's such a part of these memories that we all have of football over the years," said Quick, who spilled the beans to Cindy Reese a few weeks ago because he was so overcome with the anticipation for Sunday's announcement.
"He's a special guy and I feel very fortunate and blessed to have sat in the seat next to him for 28 seasons now and talk football with a guy whose passion is unrivaled. Every time it seems like the first time. He has that excitement level each and every time, which makes it special for all of us."
The fans at Lincoln Financial Field showered Reese with praise as he stood surrounded by his family in the Merrill Reese Broadcast Booth for the special occasion. For Reese, the appreciative relationship with the fans is mutual and has "always been that way. These are the best fans ever."
"I am overwhelmed," Reese said to the crowd during the halftime ceremony. "There's no place I'd rather be in the world. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart."
The realization that the broadcast booth was named after him still had not sunk in shortly after the game ended.
"It was a wonderful tribute and I am deeply, deeply grateful to everybody who had a part in it," Reese said. "It was an amazing day, but you know where my heart is with this football team. Every bit of it means so much to me. I am overwhelmed with joy."
