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Dedicated Eagles fan shows up 14 hours early

By Ben Hooper
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Sept. 7 (UPI) -- A dedicated Philadelphia Eagles fan said it was superstition that led him to arrive for the team's season opener 14 hours before kickoff.

Gregg Matza showed up at Lincoln Financial Field at 4:15 a.m. Thursday for the 8:20 p.m. game against the Atlanta Falcons.

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Matza said he arrived similarly early for the Eagles' NFC Championship game against the Minnesota Vikings in January.

"I'm superstitious. So I kissed my wife goodbye, she said 'Fly Eagles Fly.' I'm here, I'm not leaving," Matza told WPVI-TV.

The fan said he wouldn't have been able to sleep if he had stayed home.

"How can you sleep? It's like Christmas morning for Eagles fans all over the world. We're Super Bowl champs," he told KYW Newsradio.

Matza's gambit may have paid off -- the Eagles defeated the Falcons 18-12.

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