Leo Carlin

CARLIN
Leo Carlin, long-time Philadelphia ticket manager and hall of famer, has died at 86.

Leo Carlin, 86, formerly of Newtown Square, PA, long-time Philadelphia Eagles Ticket Manager and member of the Eagles Hall of Fame, husband, father, grandfather, and inspiration to all who knew him, died January 17 from age-associated decline.

Known for his kindness and ability to connect with people from all walks of life, Mr. Carlin managed the Philadelphia Eagles ticket office for 55 years. He was a pioneer in the ticket business, as he was one of the first to introduce computer data processing for ticketing in the NFL. He played a crucial role in transitioning the team’s ticket operations across three stadiums, from Franklin Field to Veterans Stadium to Lincoln Financial Field. In 2007, he was nominated for the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Mr. Carlin’s legendary work as a ticket manager led to multiple offers from other NFL teams. He consistently turned down these offers on the grounds that he was a “Philly guy.” Indeed, he loved Philadelphia, and he treasured his relationship with Eagles fans and season ticket holders. When asked in his Hall of Fame interview how he would explain his relationship with the fans, he replied that he would want the fans to know that he cared: “I cared about every one of the [nearly 70,000] fans in the stadium. They didn’t always know that … but I absolutely cared about every single seat and every single request.” But the thousands of comments on social media since the announcement of Mr. Carlin’s passing indicate that many of them do know that he cared. As one fan put it, “we always found him on the lower concourse, and he always greeted us by name. I have no idea how he remembered us, but he was like that with everyone.” Another recollects the time when Mr. Carlin “took the time personally to walk us into the new stadium to show us where our new seats would be.” The thousands of laudatory comments stand as testimony to the claims of Eagles Chairman and CEO, Jeffrey Lurie, who writes that Mr. Carlin “kept the ‘personal’ in the ticketing world … and was able to keep the Eagles and our customers and our community as one, and that’s pretty special.”

Despite his hectic work life, Mr. Carlin was always home for family dinners. He was a dedicated family man who coached his kids’ youth sports teams and attended every event – no matter how far away – in which one of his children was involved. He embraced every opportunity for a new adventure. He rode a horse without a saddle, took a ride in an open-cockpit airplane, and zip-lined from the top of Lincoln Financial Field. He was an amazing storyteller who captivated the room with his charming side-smile. He had no enemies, and all who knew him loved him. All who knew him also know that the world was a better place with him in it.

The youngest of six children, Mr. Carlin was born on September 16, 1937. He graduated from St. Joseph’s Prep High School in 1955 and St. Joseph’s College in 1959. He was a Marine Corps Veteran, and on December 26, 1959, Mr. Carlin married the love of his life, Catherine “Kay” Carlin. He is survived by his wife, seven children and their spouses – Lizanne (Carlin) and Robert Konjarvich, Leo and Suzanne (Goggin) Carlin, Clayton and Kathleen (Donovan) Carlin, Corinne (Carlin) and Clifford Strauss, Christopher and Alyson (Akin) Carlin, Laurence and Stephanie (Haller) Carlin, Carrie (Carlin) and Michael Sarmento – and 22 grandchildren who know him as their beloved “Daddy-O.”

Visitation with the family is on Thursday, January 25, from 5-8pm at D’Anjollel Memorial Home of Broomall (2811 West Chester Pike, Broomall, PA). A second viewing -ALL IN CHURCH- is on Friday, January 26, from 9-10:30am followed by a funeral mass at St. John Neumann Church (380 Highland Lane, Bryn Mawr, PA. 19010).

In lieu of flowers, donations in the name of Mr. Leo Carlin may be made to the Eagles Autism Foundation: https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/eaglesautismfoundation/

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