Super Bowl ticket surprise for UPenn football players who gave gift of life

Jamie Apody Image
Friday, November 8, 2019
Super Bowl ticket surprise for Upenn football players who gave gift of life
Super Bowl ticket surprise for Upenn football players who gave gift of life. Jamie Apody has more on Action News at 6 p.m. on November 7, 2019.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Sometimes you can tell a superhero from the cape they wear. Other times, they just look like Penn football players.

Sam Philippi and Anthony Lotti are two of the five Quaker football players in the past 12 years who have given the gift of life to total strangers, donating bone marrow after being matched in their yearly drive in conjunction with the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation.

What Sam and Anthony didn't know is that their coach has had a special surprise up his sleeve for a while, and this past Monday, they were summoned to a room where they thought they were doing a Skype interview about bone marrow donation.

Instead, they were stunned to see NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on the screen, giving them tickets to this year's Super Bowl in Miami.

Both their jaws dropped. The guys say it's a moment they will truly never forget.

The gift of life, leading to the gift, of a lifetime.

To learn more about the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation, CLICK HERE.