If you’ve ever worn an Eagles jersey in a city that isn’t Philadelphia, you’ve probably heard it. Some guy at a bar in Chicago or a stadium in Dallas will lean over and say, "Oh, you’re from Philly? The town that booed Santa Claus!" It’s the ultimate sports trump card. People use it to prove that Philly fans are uniquely mean-spirited, or "animals," as one Eagles defensive back put it back in the day.
But honestly? The real story is way weirder than the myth. It involves a 19-year-old kid in a cheap suit, a missed chance at O.J. Simpson, and a lot of very cold, very angry people sitting in slush.
The Frigid Chaos of December 15, 1968
The setting was Franklin Field. It was the final game of a truly miserable season. The 1968 Philadelphia Eagles were a disaster, sitting at 2-11. For context, they had started the year 0-11, which is hard to do even if you’re trying to lose.
Then they did the one thing fans didn't want: they won.
By winning two games late in the season, they basically ruined their chances of getting the No. 1 overall draft pick. That pick would have been USC superstar O.J. Simpson. So, the 54,000 people who showed up that Sunday weren't just cold; they were mourning a future that was slipping away.
Why the "Real" Santa Never Showed
It was about 28 degrees. With the wind whipping at 20 mph, the wind chill was somewhere around 15. A massive snowstorm had dumped over five inches of snow on the city that morning. The team had planned a big "Christmas Pageant" for halftime, but the professional Santa they hired—a guy from Atlantic City—looked out his window, saw the blizzard, and decided to stay in bed.
Basically, he ghosted the Eagles.
Desperate, the team’s entertainment director, Bill "Moon" Mullen, scanned the crowd. He saw 19-year-old Frank Olivo. Frank was just a fan who happened to be wearing a Santa suit because he was heading to a family party after the game. Mullen asked him to fill in.
Frank said yes. He just wanted to be on TV.
When Philly Fans Booed Santa and the Snowballs Started Flying
When the halftime show began, the PA system blasted "Here Comes Santa Claus." Frank Olivo ran out between two rows of cheerleaders dressed as elves. But the optics were... not great.
Frank was a skinny kid. His suit was a bit ratty. His fake beard was reportedly falling off his face. To a stadium full of fans who had spent three hours sitting in slush watching a tie game (7-7 at the half), this "Santa" was the perfect mascot for the team's entire failing operation.
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The boos didn't start because they hated Christmas. They started because the halftime show was as half-baked as the team.
"I'm a Philadelphia fan," Olivo later told reporters. "I knew what was what."
The snowball barrage started as a few isolated tosses. Then it became a deluge. Estimates say Olivo was hit by about 100 snowballs. He was a sitting duck. He actually started wagging his finger at the crowd and yelling, "You're not getting anything for Christmas!"
People weren't trying to hurt the kid; they were venting. Even Ray Didinger, the legendary Hall of Fame sports columnist who was in the stands that day, admitted he almost joined in. It was a collective "screw you" to the owner, the coach, and the weather.
Why the Story Never Dies
If this happened today, it would be a 24-hour Twitter meme and then vanish. But in 1968, it had help from the biggest name in sports media: Howard Cosell.
Cosell picked up the story for his national broadcast. He framed it as the ultimate evidence of Philadelphia’s "vicious" nature. Because there was no video of the actual snowball pelting, the story became a blank canvas. Over the decades, the myth grew. People started claiming the fans threw batteries (which didn't happen until the JD Drew incident years later) or that Santa was hospitalized.
In reality, Frank Olivo went back to his seat, finished watching the game, and went to his family party. He actually loved the notoriety. He spent the next 40 years as a local celebrity, often doing interviews to explain that he wasn't traumatized—he was just a Philly guy who understood the vibe.
The Actionable Truth: Moving Past the Myth
If you're ever in an argument about Philly fans and the Santa incident, here is how to actually handle it with the facts:
- Mention the "Juice" Factor: Remind them the fans were actually mad about losing out on O.J. Simpson, which changes the motivation from "random cruelty" to "strategic frustration."
- The "Imposter" Angle: Point out that it wasn't the "official" Santa. It was a teenager in a corduroy suit. Fans were booing the team's lack of effort, not the spirit of Saint Nick.
- The Olivo Defense: Frank Olivo himself never held a grudge. He often said it was the funniest thing that ever happened to him.
- Contextualize the "Violence": No one was arrested. No one was hurt. In the world of sports incidents, it was essentially a giant, snowy comedy routine.
Stop treating the story as a stain on the city. It’s actually a badge of honor for a fanbase that refuses to accept a subpar product—even at Christmas.
To dig deeper into the actual history of Franklin Field or the 1968 season, check out the archives at the Philadelphia Inquirer or grab a copy of The Great Philadelphia Fan Book by Glen Macnow and Anthony Gargano. They did the legwork to track down the witnesses who were actually there in the snow.