Moorestown family's RV follows Eagles all over

To Patrick Moeller and his family, flying the colors at Eagles away games is a sworn obligation. With or without game tickets, to tailgate on the enemy's asphalt is worth ducking the occasional bottle chucked by a hostile homer.

In four years, Moeller has piloted Eagle One, his 38-foot RV decorated with flashing green lights, team decals, and a rocking sound system, to virtually every game in the Birds' regular seasons.

The Moorestown resident has logged 22,000 miles - and paid $5,000 for gas - this season alone, often making the trips with his wife, Monica, and their four children, ages 6, 12, 14 and 16.

"It's really fun when we first get there and we turn on the lights and play the music," said Moeller, 46. The Rocky theme blares after victories. After a loss, it's Taps.

"A lot of people think we're there as part of the Eagles."

Moeller grew up at the Jersey Shore on Long Beach Island and is a partner in Callan & Moeller Construction, a builder in the Ocean County resort. A fan since birth, he started attending all of the Eagles' home games more than 20 years ago and now has 14 season tickets at Lincoln Financial Field.

"That way the kids can each invite a friend to all the games, and that leaves a few seats for us to invite some of our friends," Moeller said, referring to himself and his wife.

Four years ago, Moeller went to an RV show, ostensibly just to browse. He returned with the behemoth now known as Eagle One.

"It was a bit of a shock," Monica Moeller said, "but we all got into the idea."

Each year since, Patrick Moeller has added more decals, more lights and extra accommodations. In addition to having a kitchen, a bathroom and six beds, the RV is equipped with four TVs, a grill, and a portable fire pit for making s'mores. In all, Moeller has sunk about $120,000 into Eagle One, which has been to all but two regular-season away games since it was purchased.

Rolling onto the parking lots of faraway stadiums in a massive RV emblazoned in Eagles green draws considerable attention. On Sunday, after the Birds dominated the New York Giants at the Meadowlands, angry fans pelted the Moellers' RV with beer and ketchup bottles. In November, Seahawks fans decorated Eagle One with eggs after Philadelphia's victory in Seattle.

"It's insane," said Emily Moeller, 14, who attends Westfield Friends School in Cinnaminson.

She added that plenty of fans gave them the finger, too. "It's just a crazy van, but it's a lot of fun," she said.

The van has caught the attention of some Eagles, too. After the Birds played the Cincinnati Bengals in November, a few players noticed the RV parked near their hotel and came to look around.

Now the panels around the doorway bear the signatures of Stewart Bradley, Jon Runyan, Reggie Brown and Brent Celek.

"They were shocked when they saw this," said Max Moeller, 16, a student at St. Joseph's Preparatory High School in Philadelphia. Max has been to every Eagles home game since he was 3.

On Wednesday night, Patrick Moeller and a buddy left for Phoenix, where the Eagles will square off against the Cardinals on Sunday for the NFC championship. He figured the shared drive would take no longer than his all-time record of 48 hours in the van, logged in October on the trip from Chicago to San Francisco.

Monica Moeller and the children expect to fly to Arizona today.

"We're your typical Philadelphia fans," Monica Moeller said. "We root for [the Eagles] no matter what, and it's great to do it as a family."