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Grandpa Phil: A True Underdog

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It only took 99 years for Phil Basser to become an overnight sensation.

It started with a tweet sent out last Sunday evening by his grandson, Josh Potter, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Pennsylvania.

After hitting the send button, Potter put his phone down to charge it. He was surprised when he checked it a short time later. It has been retweeted almost 600 times and liked by another 2,000 users.

"I didn't think it was going to blow up, but I think people are going to see he's cute and how could they not retweet it," Potter says. "It went way further than I ever expected it to go, but it's awesome. Although he doesn't love the attention, it's well deserved and it's awesome to share with the rest of the world.

"He's so special because he's an inspiration and such a role model. He's lived such an amazing life, but he's just so real. He never does anything for attention. He never does anything for any other motive than it's the right thing. He's just an incredible example for our entire family. He's a true underdog story. It's hard for us to get down about anything when we've seen what he's gone through and how strong he is. He really just sets the standard for how to live life."

To read about Grandpa Phil's incredible life and journey to Sunday's NFC Championship Game, click here or on the graphic below. He also shares what he wants for his 100th birthday. ![](https://spark.adobe.com/page/XLJGVR9tvspxk/)

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