Brian Dawkins has no idea how he'll react Sunday, when he watches his No. 20 jersey formally retired before the Eagles-Giants game at Lincoln Financial Field.
“I've thought about it, and I just don't know,” he said. “Will I kick into game mode or will I be a mushy tear machine? I don't know. All I know is it's an awesome thing. Last time I checked, this is not a normal thing, for guys to get their numbers retired when they're yet young and alive. It's a tremendous honor.”
Dawkins, a former safety who spent the first 13 of his 16 NFL years in Philadelphia, will become only the eighth Eagle to have his number retired.
“Just the fact that my number's being retired... I still can't believe that,” he said Friday. “This is not something that happens every day. To know that the biggest sport in the U.S. and one of the biggest markets in the National Football League, that my number is now going to be retired there? Come on.”
The Eagles will retire No. 20 during a ceremony in the headhouse area of Lincoln Financial Field prior to their Sunday night tilt against the Giants. Dawkins will also be honored at halftime, when he will address the Sunday Night Football crowd.
