PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: THE HATCHET

Growing up, Barry "The Hatchet" Vagnoni would watch the Eagles with his family on their 21" TV every Sunday. Today his family consists of hundreds of friends who watch the game in "The Locker Room" – a 2,000 square foot wing of his home he built and filled with nothing but Eagles gear.

How did you fall in love with your team? What is your first memory around your NFL team?

My late father got me started being an Eagles fan back in 1945. Our Sunday ritual was to go to church in the morning, come home, and eat a big Italian meal. Then we'd settle in and watch our Philadelphia Eagles on TV. That's how it went each and every week.

Man, what great memories I have! Dad starred on Broadway Monday through Saturday, but back then Broadway was shutdown on Sundays, so he would commute every week. Besides being in the show at night, during the day he was an A&R man at a big studio. It was there that he oversaw sessions as well as played piano for some of the most famous musicians ever. It was really great. Sometimes, on a Sunday the phone would ring and I would answer it to hear The King. His favorite team was the Cleveland Browns; he and Dad would always have a friendly bet whenever the Eagles played the Browns.

How, when, and why did you start dressing up, collecting, or becoming more than a regular ordinary fan?

I began dressing up with shoulder pads and face paint along with some crazy outfits back in the late 70s and started collecting in the early 80s. I always have been a little off-center, so I really don't think I've ever been ordinary. Ha! Ha!

What is your favorite NFL moment or team memory?

I would have to say my favorite team memory is that cold day back in 1980 when my Eagles played for the NFC Championship on a gray winter day in Philly and they destroyed those dreaded Cowgirls! I loved it!

What distinguishes you from other fans of your team?

I eat, sleep, and live Philadelphia Eagles football, 24/7- 365 days a year. I do take a slight break for a couple hours on Christmas to spend with the kids and the grandkids. Wherever I go around home everyone knows me as that Eagles guy and they like to talk Eagles football with me. I love people and I always love talking-my-Eagles-up, so I guess that would distinguish me, but all Eagles fans are true fans. Eagles fans live and die with every game: win, lose, or draw; we stand by our team!

How did you develop your costume / get your nickname / develop your Superfan persona?

Here in my Locker Room, where we have between 75 and 125 friends for every game, I have many outfits that I change into from time to time. It's a party here every game and I try to show our family and friends a fun time even when the games aren't going well. My nickname, "The Hatchet", came from my younger brother Dave. We were playing two on two basketball one day (at 5'5", I stink at basketball) and this young guy kept driving to the hoop and dunking the ball on me. After a while I couldn't take it and I told my brother, "Watch this." When the kid came barreling at me, I took his legs out from under him. My brother exclaimed, "Man, you are The Hatchet!"

That's how I got my nickname. - P.S. The kid stopped dunking on me after his glasses broke into pieces! My superfan persona developed because I'm very passionate about something I love and I never do anything half-heartedly. I take my Eagles football very seriously!

What is your favorite keepsake or piece of memorabilia?

I have a large collection of Philadelphia Eagles memorabilia that I've accumulated over the years from many of the greatest players, but there is one item that really is extra special to me. A good friend of ours kept telling me that he knew one of my favorite players and was trying to get him to come to my Locker Room for a game. Weeks went by and I was beginning to think that I was never going to get to meet him. Well, one Sunday, when I was getting ready for the game, my lovely wife Dawn came into the room and stated, "You better get out to the Locker Room right away. You're in for a surprise." Well, I opened the door into the Locker Room and there, standing in the middle of the room was a legendary, Pro Bowl player I have admired for many years. I was beyond excited when I introduced myself to him. He is a fantastic guy. We became good friends. He even became a regular visitor on game days.

One Sunday when he arrived, I announced to our friends that I had a surprise for him. I then unveiled a new locker (I have replicas of the Eagles' lockers in my fan cave) and the nameplate on this locker was dedicated to him. He then took the mic and said, "Hatchet, you're not the only one with a surprise today." He then presented me with an awesome, giant picture of him making one of his most triumphant plays. It captured the moment when all efforts had failed to block him. This picture was the cover on a sports magazine of note. It was presented to the player by that magazine to commemorate his having been chosen the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the game during which the photo was taken. He then told the crowd that he couldn't think of a better place for that picture than right here in "The Hatchet's" Locker Room. Out of all the valuable items I have collected, I cherish this the most, as I know what that portrait means to my friend and he was kind enough to present it to me.

When did you start collecting / building your fan cave?

The early 80s is when I began collecting Eagles memorabilia from when Dawn and I would attend the different charitable events that the Eagles are always involved in. We love being able to help those in need and the events that benefit children are extra special to us both. My first Locker Room was in our recreation room. It was nice, but just wasn't large enough for all the family and friends. In 2005 we sold our business of 34 years and our plans were to build a retirement home in Florida where we have some property.

One night, as I lay in bed, I came up with a brainstorm that I would like to build a giant addition onto our existing home and this room would become the new Locker Room. Of course I had to sell this idea to Dawn. I waited until I was brave enough to run my idea by her and to my surprise she said, "Whatever you want to do I am with you 100%." I'm a very lucky man, as not every wife would go along with such an extreme idea. By extreme, I mean extreme! The Locker Room is a big, 2,000 square foot addition filled with nothing but Philadelphia Eagles items. It boasts 16 flat screen TVs including a jumbo 16 X 9 foot, hi-def unit that puts you right in the action. Eagles chairs, Eagles tables, Eagles bistro tables, a 35 foot bar with Eagles bar stools, Vet Stadium seats, a 20 foot section of artificial grass from the Vet Stadium, and much more! The Philadelphia Eagles TV Network dubbed the Locker Room the most awesome Eagles fan cave in the world. I am extremely proud of it!

What is your game day ritual? How do you prefer to watch the game?

My game day ritual is quite simple. I spend the mornings of game days getting the outside area set up with the 8 foot inflatable Eagles players, get the Eagles folding chairs set up on the deck, hook up the TVs on the deck, and make the popcorn. When all that is done, I get geared up into my shoulder pads and attire for the day's game. When kickoff comes around, "The Hatchet" is all jacked up and ready to get the crowd lathered up! I prefer to watch the games with my lovely wife Dawn, our two kids, and three of our six grandkids. I'm working on getting three of our granddaughters into the Eagles. Of course we also always have about 100 of our good friends for the games as well. I should say 100 of our good friends that are Eagles fans, because you can't get in the Locker Room unless you are an Eagles fan!

How does it feel to be known by your friends and peers as a die-hard fan?

It's an honor for me to be known all around the area as that Eagles fanatic and I'm always happy to talk about my Eagles. As I said earlier, I love people and enjoy meeting and making new friends. I've been very blessed to make so many. Two years ago there was a contest looking for Philly's Coolest Sports Fan and there were over 10,000 entries. The panel of judges from the media picked 10 finalists and then the public voted to choose the winner. I was completely overwhelmed when I won and ended up with 28,000+ votes and my video got over 9,000 views.

What is the best thing about your team?

The thing I love about my Eagles is they are always exciting to watch. As I said earlier, this is my 62nd year as a "wack-job" fan and one thing about the team is they're never, ever boring. I've seen them play against some great teams and I've seen them play some really bad teams, but they always find a way to make it exciting for me.

As one of the signs here at the Locker Room says, "You're not just watching football - you're watching Philadelphia Eagles football!" Win, lose, or tie, I'm a Philadelphia Eagles fan until I die!

Love, Luck, Lollipops, and Linguini, from Barry "The Hatchet" Vagnoni."

P.S. Fly Eagles, fly!

All images by Peter Sutherland.

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