In light of the team’s recent Super Bowl win, the fans of the Philadelphia Eagles are still in full celebration mode; that energy could be seen and felt all throughout last night’s episode of ABC’s sitcom, The Goldbergs, with featured guest Mike Quick, an NFL Hall of Famer who hails from Richmond County (Hamlet).
Adam F. Goldberg, creator of the show and Philadelphia native, is a die hard Eagles fan and has waited all his life to witness a Super Bowl win by his home team. In last night’s episode, titled “Hail Barry,” he got the opportunity to pay homage to his beloved Eagles in his own unique way.
The Goldbergs is a biographic sitcom set in Goldberg’s hometown of Jenkintown, P.A. Last night’s episode revolved around the narrator’s older brother, Barry, also known as “Big Tasty,” attempting to put his passion for football into practice by trying out for the fictional William Penn Academy High School football team. The only problem is that his skill fails to match his passion and it is Quick, in the role of Assistant Coach Cast, who recognizes Barry’s inability and tells him “to get off the damn field.”
Perhaps the funniest, thus ironic, aspect of the episode is that Barry, who thinks of himself as a football expert, constantly refers to Quick as “assistant” and downplays his insight and has no regard for his criticisms. He often reverts the conversation back to Coach Moeller, the “head” coach, rather than talk to Quick.
As soon as Quick enters the scene in the locker room, standing at 6’2”, his presence is immediately felt on the screen without even knowing who he is. While his lines were few, they were impacting and the ability to keep his composure and a straight face at the absurdity of Barry demonstrates his professionalism and natural talent for acting.
Quick, the youngest of nine siblings, was born in 1959 and grew up in Hamlet, excelling in sports from a young age.
After graduating from Richmond Senior High, he attended Fork Union Military Academy before going on to North Carolina State University on a football scholarship. While at State, Mike continued to excel academically and athletically.
It was in college that he blossomed into the wide receiver that led to him being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round in 1982. He played with the Eagles for nine seasons and became a premier player of the league, setting many records and earning many accolades and awards during his tenure.
He is an icon for the Philadelphia Eagle franchise and is currently a seasoned commentator for Philadelphia Eagles radio broadcasts on 94.1 WYSP and 610 WIP; a perfect pick for a tribute to the Eagles Super Bowl victory.
The episode featured other cameos by associates of the Eagles. This list included Merrill Reese, the Eagles announcer, Howie Roseman, executive vice president of football operations, and the Eagles team president, Don Smolenski.
At the end, there is a touch-football game with the Jenkintown Posse where a trophy is handed out and the cast chants “E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles.”
There is an on-screen dedication that reads, “Fly, Eagles, Fly” to “Eagles fans everywhere” as the song “We Are the Champions” by Queen plays in the background.
To the Eagles’ fans of Richmond County, “Fly, Eagles, Fly,” and a salute to one of Richmond County’s finest athletes, Mike Quick.
