[1] According to Pro Football Hall of Fame sportswriter Ray Didinger, the 1968 Eagles team was at the time the franchise's worst year.

[1] However, fans were especially frustrated because while the Eagles started 0–11 they had won two games and were not bad enough to secure the #1 pick in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft and the eventual rights to running back O. J.

Leonard Tose, who bought the Eagles before the 1969 season from Jerry Wolman, directed the team to install AstroTurf as Franklin Field's playing surface.

The night before the game at Franklin Field there was a substantial snowstorm that left most of the stadium, including the seats, covered in snow.

[4] The snow storm prevented the Santa Claus that the Eagles had booked for the halftime Christmas pageant from arriving at the game.

[5][6] Olivo appeared at the underbelly of Franklin Field to the song "Here Comes Santa Claus" alongside a 50-piece band and Eagles cheerleaders dressed as elves.

[8] The Eagles' public relations director at the time, Jim Gallagher, said that Olivo "was the worst-looking Santa I'd ever seen.

[1][5] In 1969, the Eagles offered Olivo a chance to be Santa Claus once again in the team's Christmas pageant, but he declined.

"[2] ESPN said that with the incident "a city cemented its reputation as the harshest place in sports" and it will go down as "a staple of Philadelphia history.

"[5] SB Nation has said that "Philadelphia fans throwing snowballs at Santa Claus is a topic that can come up during any Eagles broadcast, and maybe even other professional Philly sports games, too.

"[12] The plan was for the Easter Bunny, who was given $1,000 and placed in a hot air balloon, to be flown out of Veterans Stadium before the Phillies game.

[9] A book titled A Snowball's Chance: Philly Fires Back Against The National Media, which defended the Eagles fans' behavior in the incident, was published in 2012.