Nationwide — Matthew Simmonds, a lifelong fan of the Philadelphia Eagles since the 1980s, has been gifted with tickets to attend Super Bowl LIX by his children. The heartwarming moment, caught on video and shared on TikTok, quickly went viral.A devoted fan of the Eagles, Matthew followed former quarterback Randall Cunningham for years, and his dream was always to attend a Super Bowl. While he had attended a few games, the Super Bowl always seemed impossible. This year, his children Tatyana and Darius, and his son-in-law Jason Martin made it happen.
In a heartwarming reveal, Matthew opened an envelope from his grandson, thinking it contained his school pictures. He was stunned to find Super Bowl tickets instead. “Honestly, I was blown away. It didn’t seem fathomable for my kids to do this for me,” Matthew told People.
Tatyana shared that attending a Super Bowl had been her father’s lifelong dream. Despite living in California, he formed deep connections within the Eagles community.
“My dad has been following the Eagles since the ’80s. He followed Randall Cunningham, [who] was somebody I guess he could relate to,” Tatyana said.
For Tatyana, there is a deeper meaning behind the gift. She said his father is “a pretty selfless person.” She added, “Being able to give that back to him, it was just a beautiful moment to share because he wasn’t expecting it.”
Matthew had tried to attend previous Super Bowls, but work and financial hurdles got in the way. This year, he planned to watch from home — until his family surprised him.
The video of the surprise has since gone viral, with fans across the NFL, including rival teams, sharing supportive comments. “It has been nothing but positivity from Cowboys fans, Giants fans, Commanders, Chiefs, like everybody has just been so sweet,” Tatyana said.
Grateful for the gift, Matthew reflected, “It means the world to me to think my children and son-in-law made such a personal sacrifice in order to make my dreams come true.”