Through heat, rain and snow, Marie Graney has endured it all in the years since October 2008, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Graney is not a mail carrier.
When she is not at St. Ann Parish in Wilmington, where she is the pastoral services coordinator, she can be found in the upper deck at Lincoln Financial Field as an usher for the National Football League’s Philadelphia Eagles.
When Graney, 39, graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University, she was hoping to work full-time in professional sports. A cousin informed her that the Eagles were hiring ushers, so Graney went for it, hoping it would lead to something more permanent. Several full-time jobs later, she is still showing people to their seats in a corner high above one of the end zones.
“I’ve been able to maintain the Eagles’ job. It’s been great,” Graney said recently at St. Ann’s. One of the things she loves the most about the job is getting to know the season-ticketholders in her section. She has seen a side of the fans that the national media doesn’t talk about. “I’ve gotten to know them over the years,” she said. “I’ve literally watched their children grow up, and some of them will bring me candy or subs.
“The people there are almost like family. If I’m not there, they’ll always ask the person in my spot … I think I’ve only missed a game or two, if that, for a funeral or a wedding or something I can’t really miss.” If there is an altercation in her section, the fans move to protect “our Marie.” “They are a passionate fan base, but they love me, and I love them back,” Graney said.
Graney grew up and still lives in north Wilmington. She graduated from Holy Rosary School and St. Elizabeth High School before heading to the Mount. She may have wanted to work in sports, but she was more of a casual Eagles fan before going to work at the Linc. That has changed.
“I had never been to an Eagles game in my whole life. My first game was my first game working. And now I have jerseys and hats and all kinds of gear.” For nearly all of Graney’s tenure with the Birds, the team has been among the elite in the NFL. Since the 2017 season, the Eagles have made three Super Bowl appearances, winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy twice: after the 2017 and 2024 seasons.
She has worked all of the home playoff games in her time with the organization, and the postseason is a different animal. The playoff run in 2017 is particularly memorable, with the Eagles winning the NFC Conference championship at home against the Minnesota Vikings. The Linc was about as wild as any time she can remember.
“I was getting picked up. They were giving me hugs, high-fiving me. ‘We’re going to the Super Bowl, Marie! We’re going!’” she said. Every year, the fans in her section would say it was the Eagles’ year. In 2017, it finally happened.
“It was so awesome,” said Graney, a member of St. Ann Parish and the niece of retired diocesan priest Father Bill Graney. “I can’t accurately put into words what it’s like to be there. “She made her way to the field following that NFC championship game to celebrate in the confetti. Following the win over the New England Patriots in early 2018, the Eagles’ first Super Bowl, Graney received a championship ring. Each year, the staff has an end-of-year party, normally in February, and in 2018 and last winter, the Lombardi Trophy was there. It’s not all fun and games, however. The biggest down side to the job is the weather. When preseason begins, the temperatures can be above 90 degrees. By the time the playoffs roll around, Graney is hidden behind several layers of clothing, a ski cap and a pair of gloves.
“I’ve gotten better at knowing what layers to wear. I look pretty goofy sometimes … but I don’t care, as long as I’m warm,” she said. “When it’s snowing, it’s a really cool experience. You don’t think about the cold as much.”
Another challenge is the schedule. Once the playoffs come around, the team often doesn’t know if it will be at home or on the road from week to week, and starting times are a question as well. Not only are the players affected, so are the ushers, security personnel, concession workers and everyone else needed to put on an NFL game. Graney’s name is on a wall at the Linc, thanking her for 15 years of employment. She said she would like to reach at least 20 years.
When she is not working one of her two jobs, Graney is involved with some Catholic young adult groups, mostly in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. She volunteers with an organization called Mission Youth, working primarily with people in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. The volunteers pray with the people on the streets, and they provide food and clothing.
“Really what they need is prayer,” Graney said. “People don’t talk to them on the streets. People might be afraid of them, but they’re human beings, and they need that one-on-one interaction.”
She also attends daily Mass at St. Ann’s before starting work. She has been there for about two years.
“It’s been a real blessing in my life. I go to daily Mass before coming in to work every day, which is a huge blessing. I’ve gotten to know a lot of the parishioners very well. I’m very happy here.”
