The tipping point came on Thanksgiving night in , when the Jets were getting romped by the New England Patriots. Anzalone went to a rest room at halftime and two men confronted him.
Sensing a bad situation brewing, Anzalone took off before it escalated. I didn't want to end up on the front page of a newspaper. He would climb on the shoulders of his brother Frank, and later his buddy Bruce Gregor, silence the crowd of 80, and then rock the stadium with the deafening chant that fans all over the NFL came to recognize. It was all because I spelled out four letters. If they had me spelling Buccaneers, I would've been out of business.
His absence as Fireman Ed has been felt. Anzalone, who turns 55 next month, was approached by the Jets about returning, but declined.
The Jets recently announced that they're holding a contest to find eight chant leaders. Season ticket holders are being asked to submit videos of themselves leading the J-E-T-S cheer, and fans will be able to vote for their favorites on the team's site. Anzalone and his brother are entering their 40th year as season ticket holders, and they still attend Jets games.
They sit in a different part of the stadium, though, and Anzalone is no longer decked out in his familiar Fireman Ed garb — his firefighter helmet and, for years, a No. On September 8th, , Fireman Ed announced that he would return to leading the Jets Chant at home games for the season. He used to be hoisted up on the shoulders of his brother Frank, then later onto those of Bruce Gregor after Frank developed knee problems.
On November 22, , during a Thanksgiving night Jets blowout 49—19 loss to the New England Patriots, Ed left the game at halftime and deleted his Twitter account. He "retired" as the self-proclaimed mascot of the NY Jets, stating he will attend games but not in character. Fireman Ed repeatedly shoved the fan before the fan was escorted away from Ed's chanting post. The Giants fan was later removed from the game. Fireman Ed was charged with simple assault for the incident, but the charges were later dropped.
On December 30, , Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson claimed he would imitate Fireman Ed if he scores a touchdown in his next game against the Jets, on January 3, The day after the Bengals' loss in Week 17, Johnson got in contact with Fireman Ed through Twitter and provided him with a VIP package for the Jets first round playoff game at Cincinnati, as a way to make up for the "trash-talking" that occurred before the game. Though he was appreciative of the offer he declined, on the moral ground that he did not think it was right to be flown out to the game by the opposing team.
He did however say that if the Jets made him an offer he would take them up on it, though no offer was made. Edwin M. One of the most well-known National Football League fans, he has risen to prominence by appearing on many local radio shows. American Football Database Explore. Recent blog posts Forum. Explore Wikis Community Central. Register Don't have an account? Fireman Ed. History Talk 0. Ed Anzalone File:Fireman Ed Retrieved National Football League.
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