Nick Piccone
It’s the end of the year, so I thought I’d put together a top 20 list of the top moments in Philly sports this past year. There’s been very little to cheer for in terms of championships, but there were plenty of milestones hit during 2016 that will hopefully bode well for the years ahead for our sports teams. If you disagree with any listing or think I forgot any, email me or hit me up on Twitter and let me know. I’m all for debate and discussion about this topic.
Let’s hit it!
5. Joel Embiid’s first game | October 26, 2016
There was always some trepidation regarding Joel Embiid and if he’d ever be healthy enough to step onto the court as a Sixer. In 2016, “The Process” officially began as Embiid played his first minutes on the court in a competitive basketball game since 2014. And he’s been an absolute beast. Despite his minutes restriction, Embiid is a favorite to make the All-Star Game and be the league’s Rookie of the Year. By far.
Embiid’s first game is more symbolic, but if the first couple months of his first NBA season are any indication, Embiid might become the biggest Philly sports story of 2017.
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4. Doug Pederson hired as the Eagles’ head coach | January 18, 2016
A lot of us weren’t thrilled with the hire of Doug Pederson … and a lot of us still aren’t. Hiring Jim Schwartz as the team’s defensive coordinator seemed to lighten the blow of Pederson’s hire a little bit, but clearly Schwartz hasn’t had a great year calling plays defensively like most thought he would. Dave Fipp at the helm of the Eagles’ special teams has been a mainstay so Pederson doesn’t have to worry about that. Lane Johnson’s suspension caused a lot more turmoil on the field than most of us were hoping for. However, the players didn’t seem to quit on Pederson when he questioned if they played hard in Cincinnati earlier this month. They’re playing for him like we saw player play for Andy Reid [we can just forget his final season in Philadelphia.]
Is Pederson still the right hire? Who knows? A rookie head coach outperforms their rookie expectations at times [see: Gase, Adam], but I don’t think we should have expected Pederson to outperform expectations. He’s had an OK year overall, but still makes boneheaded decisions at times.
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3. Ed Snider passes away | April 11, 2016
This certainly wasn’t a top “feel good” moment of the year by any means. But once Ed Snider passed away, the emotions and tributes began pouring in. And with good reason. Snider was a fixture in Philadelphia since he brought the city the Flyers in 1967.
RELATED | The Flyers Scored Moments after Honoring Ed Snider with This Awesome Tribute
Snider had been battling bladder cancer – which he had defeated once before – before ultimately succumbing to the disease before the Flyers’ first-round playoff opener against the Washington Capitals. Snider tributes were in full swing, including the Flyers giving out light-up bracelets before Game 3 at the Wells Fargo Center. While the series certainly wasn’t how any Flyers fan, including Snider, would’ve wanted it to end, the memory of the founder of the Philadelphia Flyers lives on forever.
RELATED | Watch This Fantastic Ed Snider Tribute from the NHL Awards
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2. Eagles draft Carson Wentz | April 28, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsoFqAb1iYg
The Eagles finally drafted their franchise quarterback in 2016. It took moving up in the draft not once, but twice, in order to put themselves in a position to draft Wentz. There are people who look at the success of the Dallas Cowboys as a reason to second-guess the Eagles’ decision to draft Wentz second overall when they could’ve drafted Ezekiel Elliott and possibly Dak Prescott, but they’d also [hopefully] know that the Cowboys, and many teams, had Wentz in their top crop of draft picks, ahead of Prescott. Hindsight is always 20/20, but Wentz has done enough this season to make most Eagles fans excited for the future. Rookies always have growing pains, especially when they don’t have a great team around them, but Wentz has really limited those this season.
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1. Villanova wins the National Championship | April 4, 2016
“They’re not a Philly school.” Yeah, you’re right. But everybody was on the Villanova bandwagon during their run to the National Championship. Sure, some people felt so strongly about making sure others knew Villanova wasn’t a “Philly school,” but, overall, nobody really cared. That last-second shot by Kris Jenkins will be etched into all of our memories and become one of the greatest highlights in Philly sports lore. Hell, it already is a great highlight. Villanova picked up right where they left off last season, as they’re currently the number one team in the nation.
RELATED | Fan Reactions to Nova’s Buzzer-Beater
Here are some of my honorable mentions, as you’ll see why they didn’t make the top moments of the year: The emergence of Odubel Herrera as an All-Star outfielderand the subsequent re-signing of him, the Flyers bringing up both Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov and having a stellar draft, the Union making the playoffs again after making changes, the Sixers having to cancel a game because of a court issue, the WOO! thing and how much Flyers players hate it, and I’m sure there are some others.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the last few days of counting down the top Philly sports moments of the year. Like I said above, if you disagree with placement or think I’ve omitted something, email me or tweet me. And, yes, you can leave a comment in the comment section.
I hope you’ve had a great 2016 and here’s to 2017! We’re all trusting the process.
Here were the top 20-16 Philly sports moments of 2016.