Three generations of Delaware family kiss Lombardi Trophy

While delirious Eagles fans were storming Broad Street and taking leaps of joy off the canopy of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia Sunday night, a hushed reverence overtook the private Philadelphia Eagles players party in Minneapolis.

Four hours after witnessing the underdog Eagles finally vanquish The Lombardi Curse, three generations of one Delaware family found themselves at the exclusive, champagne-stained bash ahead of the players.

Something else beat the instantly iconic team to their Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel celebration: the Vince Lombardi trophy.

The still-gathering crowd quieted as three security guards placed it in the corner of the room before the gathered guests slowly began moving in to get closer.

That's when Philadelphia-born Gianmarco Martuscelli, 43, of Newark, his life-long Eagles fan father Giuseppe, 73, and son Joseph, 9, all got to hold the 7-pound sterling silver trophy, adding their fingerprints to those of MVP quarterback Nick Foles and others who had hoisted it above their heads only hours before.

"It was the most incredible experience," says Martuscelli, owner of Newark's Klondike Kate's and Chesapeake City's Chesapeake Inn, who got his family into the party via connections made in the restaurant industry. "They started popping champagne and my son was looking at me with eyes as big as saucers."

From Minnesota to Delaware, downright giddy Eagles fans are still processing their team's improbable win a day later. With many calling it the greatest Super Bowl in the history of the game --  a 41-33 heavyweight fight with a record combined 1,151 total yards -- it's understandable.

Eagles fans started lining up along a fence outside Atlantic Aviation by the Philadelphia International Airport before 1 p.m., ahead of the team's return flight from Minneapolis.

And some fans are thinking a day like this could become a common occurrence.

"It's like the ending of a dynasty and the beginning of a new one," said North Philadelphia's Javier Sanchez, who turns 30 Tuesday.

He said coming out Monday afternoon was never a question. He earlier was in Center City scoping out the route for the victory parade on Thursday.

"This is our team," Sanchez said. "We bleed green."

In Delaware, some fans were still celebrating far away from their workplaces or classrooms, playing hooky in honor of Philadelphia's first Super Bowl win.

Instead of school, brothers Cristo, 9, and Alex Raptis, 7, were at Modell's Sporting Goods in Christiana to buy freshly pressed Super Bowl LII shirts, hats and pennants with their father, Dimitri, standing in a line that wrapped around the inside of the store.

Raptis, who became an Eagles fan when he arrived in Philadelphia from Greece, said he was fulfilling an agreement between himself and his sons.

“I made them a promise that if they win the Super Bowl, they won’t be in school today ... or on the parade day," Raptis said.

The victory was especially sweet for Raptis, a big fan of Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles, who was disappointed after the Eagles traded him in 2015 to the St. Louis Rams for quarterback Sam Bradford. Foles returned to the Eagles this season.

"For him coming back that way and winning Super Bowl, it was a huge vindication for me," Raptis said, standing next to Cristo, wearing Foles’ No. 9 jersey. 

The Raptises were among the many Eagles fans hitting area stores — some even started their search for Super Bowl Champion memorabilia right after the game ended. 

“It was crazy,” said Sean Sandone, manager at Modell's, who was at the store Sunday night. “I think I heard the Eagles' chant at least 50 times.”

Modell's closed at 7 p.m. Sunday, giving workers time to set up the store if the Eagles won. And when they did, the store opened its doors for a few people already waiting outside.

But about 15 minutes after the game, a larger wave of people began arriving, Sandone said. 

“We started hearing all the cars honking their horns, screaming outside,” he said.

The store closed at 2:30 a.m. and reopened at 5 a.m. Monday for another wave of Eagle fans.

“It’s the first time they ever won a Super Bowl,” he said of the Eagles fans. “So the excitement is there. It’s history.”

Other Eagles fans wanted something more permanent.

Aaron "Black Picasso" Ray began receiving calls around halftime from fans wanting to schedule tattoo appointments at Studio 2L, his Wilmington shop. 

"Then afterwards it went crazy," he said, adding that people wanted to ink up before Thursday's parade. "The phone was just blowing up."

At Dover Downs Hotel & Casino on Monday, Raymond Johnston, of Magnolia, wanted to see if he could parlay the Eagles' luck into some of his own.

The 59-year-old, who originally hails from Philadelphia, said the win had been a long time coming.

“It’s been so depressing through the years watching them get so close,” said Johnson, who saw an Eagles fan running down Governors Avenue waving a big Eagles flag earlier in the day. "I didn’t think this would be the year, but they surprised me and a lot of other people. I was just hoping for a .500 season.”

The celebratory parade through Philadelphia will be held at Thursday at 11 a.m., starting at Broad Street & Pattison Avenue before heading north to the Philadelphia Art Museum, it was announced Monday afternoon.

When Super Bowl LII ended, Wilmington's Gunnar Nemeth, 20, and three buddies immediately ordered an Uber and headed to the City Hall area of Broad Street to celebrate, and they were not let down.

Even though they had to walk part of the way -- the crowds kept their driver from getting too close -- the spectacle was worth it as police officers celebrated with fans.

"We saw electric poles falling over, cars getting flipped, fireworks and bonfires in the street -- it lived up to the hype," says Nemeth, who came back to the area from York College of Pennsylvania for the game, skipping classes Monday as he waited in line at Dick's Sporting Goods in Brandywine Hundred to buy Super Bowl merchandise.

The reaction to the upset win in Delaware was not quite as colorful, but the crowd chanting outside Newark’s Main Street Galleria was more than 250 thick by 10:45 p.m. Sunday, according to city police. 

One of them chucked a beer can, said police spokesman Sgt. Gerald Bryda, but the assembly was otherwise well behaved. Police corralled them off the roadway and an officer took over directing traffic. Within an hour, the crowd had thinned and the party atmosphere eased up, Bryda said. 

There was a disorderly crowd reported on South College Avenue near Ritter Lane, but by the time police arrived around 10:25 p.m. they appeared to be on the move and not causing any problems, Bryda said. There also was a possible gunshots or fireworks call on Matthew Flocco Drive at 10:27 p.m., Bryda said, but police didn’t find anything.

Other Delaware police agencies reported a handful of calls and incidents that fit the celebration timeline and plot, but spokespeople said not all could be confirmed as Eagles celebrations. 

In Dover, police said they quieted down a loud party raging just a few minutes before midnight. And on Willis Road, New Castle Avenue and Bay Road, police responded to three shots fired calls which were logged in as unfounded complaints – probably fireworks, police said. 

Former Vice President Joe Biden attended the game with his family, tweeting, "This team never gave up. No matter the injuries, no matter the odds. They showed incredible heart. What a great win tonight, Eagles."

A video posted on Twitter by wife Jill shows her and the Biden clan jumping in celebration right after the Eagles clinched the win.

For the Martuscellis, the memories that their Super Bowl LII trip has embedded into their family are immeasurable, even if the entire experience probably cost them $20,000,

The Italy-born patriarch of the family had watched 51 Super Bowls come and go with only frustration and disappointment to show for it. Gianmarco had openly wept and even suffered through a bit of depression in 2003 after the team lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game. 

This time, it was pure joy with unbelievable access.

At one point at the players' party, Gianmarco saw his pint-sized son, who was wearing a Carson Wentz jersey, wander up to the 6-foot-5-inch injured Eagles quarterback as he was mingling at the party. When Joseph came back, his dad asked him what he said to his favorite player.

"I told him to get well soon," he told his father.

All the defeats and let-downs, pain and heartbreak had tenderized the Martuscellis for this moment of pure euphoria that only comes when your perpetual underdog team finally delivers.

While in the stands at U.S. Bank Stadium with his wife, Gilda, as green and white confetti flew, Gianmarco found himself crying again as he stood, overwhelmed with the win and remembering a friend and fellow Eagles fan who had died recently.

"I was wearing his watch from the World Series and felt like he was there with me. We were such avid Eagles fans, doing road trips since 1999," he said. "It all just came to a head last night. It was such an overwhelming sensation.

"I mean, the Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champs. It's crazy. We don't win. Something always happens, but not this time."

Jerry Smith and Patricia Talorico contributed to this article. Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).

EAGLES DEALS

Some area restaurants and businesses are offering a variety of Philadelphia Eagles-themed deals and freebies, though you might have to sign up formembership clubs.

In celebration of the Eagles’ win, Friendly’s restaurants on Monday located in the Philadelphia area are offering a free large "Super Celebration Sundae" with the purchase of an adult entrée. To get the Monday-only freebie, you have to be a member of Friendly’s BFF Club.

You can get a free medium-sized coffee today at participating Dunkin’ Donuts locations throughout southern New Jersey, the greater Philadelphia area and Delaware. There's a catch – customers have to sign up for the mobile app rewards program “DD Perks.”  

In addition, Bud Light is making good on a deal with Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson and as a promotion for its recent "Dilly Dilly" ads, has promised free beer at about 25 taverns along the Eagles Super Bowl celebration parade route in Philadelphia.