ALLENTOWN — The fifth annual DeVonta Smith Celebrity Softball game had a little bit of everything for Eagles fans on a sun-splashed Saturday afternoon at Coca-Cola Park. From star power on the field, silent auctions of sports memorabilia, excited fans hoping for an autograph at field level, to an eye-catching art stand on the concourse that had sharp looking football cards front and center.
That art pop-up belonged to Jordan Spector, the talented Philadelphia sports artists who continues to make waves on social media with his incredible work that features immaculate attention to detail capturing some of the biggest moments in Philly sports lore.
Spector’s newest collectible he released earlier this week called “THE DAGGER”, paying homage to DeVonta Smith’s memorable touchdown catch in Super Bowl LIX continues that trend. It is a collaboration limited edition trading card collectible highlighting the Eagles’ “Skinny Batman”.
“I’ve had a great relationship with DeVonta for years now. Ever since he came into the league,” Spector said. “I did a painting for him his very first year. We’ve had a great relationship ever since. Putting this project and moment was something I had to capture and why not collaborate with DeVonta for this special project?”
Spector and Smith’s friendship started when the receiver reached out to the artist wanting to purchase a painting Spector had done when Smith was playing at Alabama. Now after several other projects, “THE DAGGER” marks the newest one-of-a-kind collectible featuring the 2020 Heisman winner that Eagles fans need to have in their collection.
“Jordan is a great guy and very talented with what he does,” Smith said on the artist. “It seems like every year around this time he has a piece that’s coming out. It gets better and better every time. He always finds a way to be amazing with it. I’m grateful that he wants to include me in his artwork.”
There are just under 6,000 cards available with a variety of styles of the custom card. From 11 different variations and just 99 autographed by the Eagles’ wide receiver, fans were able to purchase on site and had a chance to pull one of the rarer cards in the set, certainly providing an exhilarating hunt for avid card collectors.
“In terms of the design, behind him is a moment where he let out all that energy and passion. It’s like him breaking through glass and the idea there is him breaking through all the barriers in the season, in that game and winning the championship. That was the idea behind it,” Spector said.
The catch, which had been coined “The Dagger” by play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt during the national broadcast, will go down as one of the biggest plays and catches in Super Bowl history. However, for the Eagles’ wideout, he said it does not take the top spot on his list, although it makes his top three. Smith said his toe-tapping, one-handed grab during the Eagles match against the Jaguars takes the honor on his personal list.
However, for Spector, he knew that Smith’s game-sealing touchdown grab was a moment that needed to be preserved.
“Seeing that moment I knew right away I wanted to immortalize that moment and that catch. Basically, it’s DeVonta at the peak of his career and he always comes up clutch in the big games. That catch I had to immortalize,” Spector said.
On Saturday, Smith had another version of the dagger in his own celebrity softball game. Tied at 14-14 in the bottom of the seventh, Smith ended the game smacking a walk-off, two-run homer for a 16-14 win to put a bow on what was a memorable day for fans who waited in line hours before gates opened to get a glimpse up close of some of their favorite Eagles.
As for Spector, he also is no stranger to the term “dagger”. Injuries served as a dagger to his football playing career after walking on at Temple in 2012, playing for two seasons. However, the talented artist pivoted using his artistic passion to remain connected to the sport and team he grew up loving. The Willow Grove, PA native’s art also has sparked his now fiancée’s fandom for the Eagles. The two celebrated the most recent Super Bowl victory in style with Spector proposing during the parade.
“It’s amazing. Converting my fiancée who totally didn’t know the game of football because she is from Costa Rica to see her now a bigger fan of the Eagles than I am, she can relate to everything I do now. All the players I engage with. She’s a big fan. It’s been a lot of fun,” Spector said.
