Top Three Philadelphia Sports Moms Of The Past 20 Years

Moms always play a very important role in the lives of their sons. This is true whether their son sells hot dogs, popcorn, soda and beer at the Eagles game or if he is one of the city’s former Superstars.

3. Bonnie Lindros – Bonnie Lindros was the main Philly sports mom of the 90’s her son Eric Lindros was a Philadelphia Flyer. The Lindros’s were known to meddle in Eric’s hockey affairs, most notably clashing heads with then GM and Flyer legend Bob Clarke. Bonnie interfered with her son’s hockey career from the start. Bonnie Lindros was not happy when Eric was drafted into the OHL by a team far from his suburban Toronto home. She told the team he would not play there, and he didn’t.

“That day at the OHL draft was when it started,” Eric told Sports Illustrated in a 1991 interview. “She just told me, ‘Eric, shut up and get in the car.’ That’s when I started to hear about my mother ruining my life and stuff.”

Bonnie Lindros’s most memorable battle was with Flyers GM Bob Clarke. The feud reached its climax during one of Eric Lindros’ many concussions. Legend has it Eric Lindros was in the ambulance; Bonnie called Eric’s cell phone. Bobby Clarke rolled his eyes and said: “Isn’t that nice Mommy called.”

2. Ann Iverson – Ann Iverson was the most fun mom out of the three on this list. Ann Iverson was no different than a passionate mom a fan would see at a high school basketball game. She famously had a huge poster board that read “# 3 That’s My Boy” many fans behind her did not approve of it, but she didn’t care, and why should she? Her son was one of the best basketball players in the NBA. Ann Iverson never publically interfered with Allen’s NBA teams but, in 2002 when Allen got in a domestic dispute with his wife, Ann Iverson defended her son to the media.

In the book Only the Strong Survive: The Odyssey of Allen Iverson it is told how Ann stormed out of the mansion counted five men standing around her with rings on their fingers and talked about how all couples have their ups and downs. “Do those ups and downs include throwing your wife out of the house naked?” asked one female reporter. Ann let loose. “Get out of my face with that crazy stuff” “That’s rumors” Ann continued. “Where you get that from? Did Tawanna [Allen Iverson’s wife]tell you that?”

1. Wilma McNabb – Wilma is number one on this list, because she managed to get in a few Campbell’s Chunky Soup Commercial’s with her son and former Eagles Pro Bowl Quarterback Donovan McNabb. Throughout McNabb’s time in Philadelphia Wilma often made statements that made the fans and media in Philadelphia take a double take, but her most infamous comment came in 2006 when Wilma posted to her blog that the Eagles winning without her son is “bittersweet.”

“The win this week was great, and I could actually say that’s what I wanted for Christmas,” Wilma McNabb wrote. “Yes, now we have solidly beat the Cowboys with my son and without him. But I can hear you asking, mama McNabb, what are you really thinking? Well, here it is, the real deal. It’s kind of bitter sweet for me, as my son, the quarterback, sits out on injured reserved watching the game during his rehab. I polled my family, too, and they feel the same.

It was later said how McNabb was unhappy with the fans and media taking his mother’s comments out of context. All mom’s care about their sons, which is why Mother’s day is celebrated each May to thank them, but in some cases mom needs to keep her opinions to herself.

Wilma McNabb and Bonnie Lindros would have been better served staying quiet. That being said sometimes we need mom to stick up for us, the way Ann Iverson did for Allen during his marriage problems. Regardless, mom is going to what she is think is best for her son, and you can’t fault a mom who cares. Happy Mother’s Day.