Not everyone can be a super fan. The role requires a level of passion, stamina, discipline, and drive that many fall short of. Then again, "Fireman Ed" isn't like many people.
The Jets have plenty of stars littered across the lush MetLife Stadium grass. Yet, one could argue that their most steady performer is no player at all but a 65-year-old man who drapes himself in the same Bruce Harper jersey every weekend.
Fireman Ed is one of football's most notable games. He doesn't cake himself in war paint and makeup, nor does he act especially belligerently when facing off against a rival opponent. But when the lights shine brightest, you tend to see Fireman Ed at his best — particularly at MetLife Stadium.
So, is Fireman Ed a real firefighter? And just how did his famous chant get started? The Sporting News has the answers.
Is Fireman Ed a real fireman?
Fireman Ed was, indeed, a real fireman. He served in Engine 69, Ladder 28 in Harlem for 20 years. The 65-year-old retired from the New York Fire Department years ago. The moniker still lives on, bolstered by the fact that Anzalone picked up a handful of honors on account of his service, including the prestigious honorable Lt. Robert R. Dolney medal after battling flames to save a young man's life in 2004.
"I loved every part of being a fireman as much as I loved the Jets," Anzalone said in a Q&A with the NFL's Carly Fasciglione back in 2017. "Back in the early days I just put a big Jets sticker on an old helmet I had and wore it to the games. A young fan came up to me and asked me what my name was, and I just kind of instinctively said Fireman Ed, and the nickname has stuck ever since.
In 2007, Fireman Ed suffered an injury on the job. He was unable to attend any of New York's home games that season as he tended to his wounds.
Fireman Ed's real name
Fireman Ed's real name is Edwin Anzalone. He hails from College Point, N.Y., a working-class Queens neighborhood that houses a population of about 24,000 people.
Anzalone came from a pro-Yankees household and didn't really interact with the Jets all that much. Things changed in 1969, though. That's when a floppy-haired Alabama alum promised to lead New York to victory against the heavily favored Baltimore Colts and their MVP, Earl Morrall. "Broadway" Joe Namath captivated Anzalone as a 10-year-old. And after Namath led New York to its first — and to date, only — Lombardi Trophy, Anzalone was hooked.
"I've bled green and white since that day," Anzalone said.
Fireman Ed Jets chant
Fireman Ed leads the world-renowned "J-E-T-S, Jets! Jets! Jets!" chant during every New York home game, a role he has performed dutifully since 1984.
Anzalone is not the creator of the war cry — that title belongs to Larry Mack and Don Schaeffer. He simply brought it into the nation's consciousness, one earful at a time.
For his efforts, Fireman Ed was included in a "Hall of Fans" exhibit at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Fireman Ed 9/11 history
Anzalone's Harlem unit was called into action on Sept. 11, 2001 to help assist in survival and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center.
“I knew when those buildings were hit, a lot of our guys were going to die that day,” Anzalone told Metro's Kristian Dyer in 2011.
Three hundred and forty-three firefighters died as a result of the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center. Many were people that Anzalone knew.
“Going to so many funerals, that was tough,” Anzalone said. “You watch the kids grow up, growing up without a father. You try to do what you can to help, whatever you can.”
Anzalone represented the NYFD during a coin toss ahead of the Jets' Oct. 1, 2001 duel with the Cardinals. He sported his uniform and a t-shirt paying homage to those who his department lost as a result of the attacks.
Fireman Ed says Jets 'phasing us out'
The relationship between Fireman Ed and the Jets hasn't been quite as smooth as one might expect in recent years.
Anzalone recently expressed concerns that his beloved franchise is "phasing [him] out" by limiting his time on the MetLife Stadium videoboards.
"I don't know exactly what's going on, but they're phasing us out," Anzalone said in a video posted to his Instagram account. "I'd like to know if somebody knows anything, please let me know, because it's evident that it's happening, and it needs to stop because we need home-field advantage."
Anzalone noted that he and two other super fans were left off the scoreboard after New York scored a touchdown in its 23-20 defeat to Buffalo in Week 5. He said the trend may have started a week earlier when he and his counterparts received precious little airtime.
"Last night in particular — although on the Denver game also — last night in particular, we scored a touchdown and normally as a tradition we're always put on the screen," Anzalone said. "[We] do the Jet chant to get the crowd going, which is a staple in JetLife Stadium."
At present, Anzalone says he feels uncertain about the direction his relationship with the Jets is headed in. He also cited his lack of screen time when Gang Green was on defense, as Anzalone typically uses his lively presence to breathe life into New York's fanbase when the Jets are defending their target.
"Something is going on, so please let me know if you know something," Anzalone said.
