The Appreciation: Jeff Lurie

Earlier this year, Eagles president Joe Banner lamented that folks in Philly don’t seem to have much love for Birds owner Jeff Lurie. “I can’t imagine many owners that would have come from someplace else and had the kind of loyalty that he demonstrated to these football fans and this city,” Banner told the Inky. “I don’t think anybody recognizes that.”

Maybe that’s because we’re all cold-hearted beasts. Or maybe it’s because we don’t know Lurie. With that in mind, we scoured former Philly TV producer Bill Boggs’s new self-help book, Got What It Takes? — in which Lurie and others explain the secrets to their success — as a way to help the Eagles fan base get a better sense of the man who feathers their nest.

Lurie on his life philosophy: “Don’t assume that you’re going to live for 150 years. You know, treat [life] well now. Treat it with care and preciousness now. It’s not going to repeat itself.” Lurie on his physical magnetism: “I do know that I was always able to buy beer in college ’cuz I had gray hair early. So that made me popular with my peers.” Lurie on what motivates him: “I have a drive, in a sense, to prove my mother right.” Lurie on his approach to personnel: “I wouldn’t hire them if I thought they were just a shark, or an animal of some sort, you know.”