PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania veteran was surprised just days before the Super Bowl with the news that he won tickets to see it in person.
The giveaway was part of Hollywood Casino’s Super Bowl celebrations. The original winner of the tickets, Linda Hurlston, was unable to attend the big game, leading the casino to give the tickets to a veteran.
The two tickets came with free flights and a hotel stay near the stadium in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The casino wanted the tickets to go to a veteran, according to Tony Frabbiele, vice president and general manager of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course. He wrote in a statement:
"Honoring our local heroes is part of our foundation and who we are at Hollywood Casino. We dedicated our stage to honoring our veterans for our concert series, developed a loyalty program to reward those who served, and have a program specifically designed to help military veterans find employment after they return home... When the opportunity came to honor one of our heroes who is a die-hard Eagles fan, it just felt right."
The winner of the tickets was Matthew Giacobbe, a Philadelphia veteran who served more than three decades in the Air Force. Just days before the big game, he was surprised to get a phone call from the casino.
“She said, ‘Hey, what are you doing this weekend?’ I said, 'I’m gonna’ be watching the Super Bowl like everybody else.' She said, ‘You’re not like everybody else. Pack your bags because you’re going.’”
For his plus-one, Giacobbe decided to bring another die-hard Eagles fan, his neighbor and good friend Joe Moran.
The pair laughed as they recalled finding out about the tickets.
“[Mike] called me last night at 9 o’clock. He says we’re going to the Super Bowl,” Moran said. “I said, 'Well I’m married with three kids. You need to give me a little more detail than that!'”
Giacobbe and Moran usually watch the Super Bowl at their local bar, Dagwood’s Pub, on Linden Ave.
On Thursday the bar was packed with people, every single one of whom was wearing some Eagles gear. The pub is Eagles central, according to Giacobbe. Regulars are all Eagles fans, and everybody knows everybody.
“It is a big family. We got the best friends ever,” said Carol O’Drain, who added she was happy—and a bit jealous—of the ticket winners.
Patrons said the venue would be packed all weekend. Giacobbe and Moran said they were all too happy to cancel their previous plans.
“We were going to go upstairs here. We had a Super Bowl party planned,” said Moran. “But now I’m going to send my wife and kid up here instead. The team’s going to bring it home and I’m gonna’ be there with them.”
Like their Eagles, the pair is ready to fly.
“[The plane is] tomorrow at 1:30,” Giacobbe said. “I won’t even sleep tonight.”