Frank Olivo
December 15, 1968
The City of Brotherly love is well known for its loyal and fanatical fans, but even the fanatics have their moments. One of the cities most famous incidents, even gaining national attention, was the pelting of Santa Claus with snowballs at Franklin Field.
However the circumstances leading up to this event are often clouded leaving many to believe, as the Washington Business Journal reported in 2001, “No one throws snowballs at Santa Claus – unless you live in Philadelphia, where they throw snow balls at him.”
The environment on this day in 1968 was in the mid 20’s and it had been snowing since the previous day. A testament of a true Philadelphia fan, 54,535 still braved the weather, even when considering the Eagles lackluster 2-11 season. At least fans would be treated to the promise of a halftime Christmas Pageant. Unknown circumstances led to Santa, the hired gun, to be replaced by fan Frank Olivo.
Dressed in red corduroy and topped off with a fake beard, the 5’6 and 170lbs Olivo was approached by the entertainment director and brought out a brass rendition of “Here Comes Santa Claus.” The halftime show had gone awry due to the snow and caused Frank to parade on foot. While the true nature of the ensuing pelting may never be know, many attribute it to management taking a championship team and turning it into the worst team in the league.
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