It’s easy to remember the most epic speech in Philadelphia history — no, not Abraham Lincoln’s Address that took place in Independence Hall back in 1861 — but when Jason Kelce took the entire city by storm on the art museum steps in 2018.
That’s right, no speech will ever top Kelce’s that was held at the finish line of the long-awaited Super Bowl parade down Broad Street.
Aside from the actual dialogue, there was one other aspect that perfectly captured the essence of the city — his attire. If you’re a true Philadelphian, you’d know the outfit well — but if you were simply a fan from another part of the country tuning in, some eyebrows were probably raised to some extent.
Kelce wore a classic suit that typically only sees the city streets on New Years Day in the Mummers Parade — a Philadelphia tradition that originated over a century ago in 1901.
But have you ever wondered how the Eagles’ center even got a hold of the suit that has now become an even bigger staple to the city’s history?
Well, let’s dive into it.
Bobby Coyle, a musician and business manager for the Avalon String Band, came to aid Kelce in his search. This was all thanks to Coyle’s wife. Libby, who cuts hair for the Eagles at the Novacare complex, where the team often practices.
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Now, it’s hard to forget the famous look, decked out in all different shades of green as Kelce bicycled through the sea of fans to get to the parade’s end point — but it turns out, the color just happened to be a coincidence.
“I didn’t get this suit because it was Irish or it was green,” Coyle said. “It was the only suit big enough to fit him.”
The suit had been in storage from the String Band’s “Ire-land of Leprechauns” performance that dates back to over ten years ago, but it was still in pristine condition.
According to Coyle, it was love at first site with Kelce and the costume. For someone who wasn’t born in Philadelphia, no one could have manifested the energy of the city and its people better.
To this day, Kelce, his speech and this costume remain one of the most talked about moments in Philadelphia sports history — and it’s going to remain that way for a long time. It should also go down as one of the best Super Bowl speeches across the NFL, due to the endless amount of passion that was poured into it.
The suit still remains with Kelce and has only been worn one other time since February 8, 2018.
If you want to know even more about the famous suit, you can watch the full video above.
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