Saint Joseph’s Celebrates Partnership With Eagles at Hagan Arena

It was a rare sight to see at Hagan Arena. The Saint Joseph’s University student section, normally filled to the brim with the school’s crimson colors, was still filled to the brim with students.

The primary color, though, was Kelly Green.

At Tuesday night’s game against the Dayton Flyers, the university celebrated its partnership with the Philadelphia Eagles, which became official this past winter.

Throughout the game, the university had several tributes to its new partnership. The Eagles cheerleaders, along with team mascot Swoop, were present in the student section throughout the game. The SJU Pep Band played a rendition of the Eagles Fight Song, and the cheerleaders performed during halftime.

Fans were also treated to Eagles Defensive End Brandon Graham presenting the game ball to the officials. The longest-tenured Eagle was met with thunderous applause upon entry.

“We have a basketball game tonight and Brandon Graham shows up out of nowhere,” said Joe Russell, a freshman at the university. “That’s pretty exciting.”

The Hawks also honored multiple alumni who work with the team, including Frank Gumienny, chief financial officer for the Eagles, who graduated from the university in 1994.

While the game was full of celebration for the university and the team, it was less than stellar on the court. In a slide that echoed the Eagles’ season, the Hawks were at times during the game up by double digits, but fell into a backslide into halftime that led to a downward spiral. The Hawks opened the second half by allowing Dayton to score 15 unanswered points in the second half and went 6-18 from beyond the arc during the second half, losing to Dayton 94-79. The loss meant the team fell to 15-8 on the season. Hawk fans started to leave midway through the second half as the team’s chances of victory quickly evaporate.

“We’ve got to try to keep it a little bit closer going to a lull like that against a really good team,” Head Coach Billy Lange said postgame.

Still, SJU students were excited about the opportunities that would be available to them through the university’s partnership with the Eagles. The Eagles will be offering internships to university students, and will also send front office staff to Hawk Hill to lead seminars for the students.

“It’s a great way for St. Joe’s to get to know more about the Eagles,” said Andre Laverne, a senior at the university from Puerto Rico, “and the Eagles to get to know more about St. Joe’s.”