For 55 years, Ed Mahan brought Eagles fans up-close to the action as the team's first full-time photographer.

He shot his first Birds game on Dec. 20, 1970, but his legendary run is coming to an end. On Saturday, Mahan will shoot his final game with the Eagles as they face the Browns in the preseason.

It was a decision that came from Mahan about a month ago. Taking a step back, he realized home is where he needs to be right now.

"It just seems like a few things all sort of fell together," Mahan said over the phone. "You have to stop doing this at some point in your life, so I thought it'd be better if it was my decision."

Mahan first got connected with the Eagles by painting the house of former Eagles General Manager Jimmy Murray. Ed's father, Art Mahan, became friends with Murray when the two overlapped at Villanova, and Murray got wind of Ed's passion for photography, which he picked up while serving in Vietnam.

Murray brought Mahan on to shoot the final game at Franklin Field and liked his work. From there, he became a mainstay on the sidelines.

In his more than five decades working for the Eagles, Mahan has seen more than most people in a lifetime, and he has the stories to prove it. He also has the pictures as proof, too.

In 1978, when the Eagles shocked the New York Giants by forcing a late-game fumble in the "Miracle at the Meadowlands," Mahan was one of the only photographers to snap a picture of the play. The rest of the photographers packed up to develop their film, but Mahan stood pat on the sideline, just in case.

The next year, Mahan captured an iconic picture of Murray and Pope John Paul II when he came to Philadelphia. It wasn't expected, but Mahan was ready, and his picture was featured on "Monday Night Football" the next week.

But for as many great moments as Mahan had on the field, it was his personality and zest for life that caught the attention of those around him.

Drew Hallowell, who met Mahan in 1996 and has worked with him for decades since, called Mahan his mentor and said the most influential thing he taught him didn't involve a camera.

"The most important thing from Ed that he tells anybody that's ever worked for him is to have fun while you're working," Hallowell said. "If you're not having fun, then the job can be terrible. No matter what you do, for that matter."

Kiel Leggere, who is the Eagles' photography director, didn't spend as much time working with Mahan as Hallowell, but Mahan's impact on the Eagles organization is clear.

"To be able to be a team photographer for not only the Eagles, but the other teams in Philadelphia since 1970 is truly amazing," Leggere said, referring to Mahan's work with the other three pro Philly sports teams. "I think it speaks volumes of who he is as a person and the value of his work. Just to be able to have somebody that has done it that long is incredible. I admire that about Ed.

"He treats everybody with the uttermost respect. He always would tell me that the most valuable thing is just to have good people on your team. ... Ed has just been an awesome learning lesson for me."

While Mahan had a great impact personally on many throughout the organization, his influence as a photographer can't be ignored.

Leggere said Mahan laid the foundation, and Hallowell knows he wouldn't be where he is today without Mahan.

After 55 years, it's the end of an era for Mahan, but his guidance is far from gone.

"None of the photographers really would be where we are today without Ed," Hallowell said.

— Written by Matt Ryan