WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder made a lifelong fan’s dream come true Friday.
Melba Jacobson has been a WFT fan since 1941. She attends training camps and games, religiously, and always gets big hugs from the players. She even celebrates her birthday, July 31, every year in Dan Snyder's VIP tent at training camp.
However, because of the pandemic, Jacobson hasn't been able to attend any WFT events in two years.
“She was so disappointed," her daughter Sharon Ramboz said.
For the first time since 2019, Jacobson had plans to go to a Washington Football game, when they take on the Dallas Cowboys Sunday. However, the Silver Spring resident decided it would just be too hard to walk up and down the stairs and be around thousands of people.
“I never thought I would see the day my mother would admit that she couldn’t go to a game,” said Ramboz.
When Snyder heard about Jacobson, he quickly reserved a suite for Melba and 24 of her friends for Sunday’s game. Her daughter read a personalized letter from the team to break the amazing news to her mom. Jacobson will also receive a personalized #97 WFT jersey with “Biggest Fan” written on the back and Snyder said he'll have a birthday cake at the game to celebrate both birthdays they were unable to celebrate together at training camp.
WUSA9 first introduced Jacobson in 2014 when we spotted her burgundy and gold birthday sign. It was her first training camp visit, and she's been back every year since.
Jacobson loves watching and sizing up all the players. She always gets a hug from all the players, whom she calls“her boys” and gives the players advice.
“It’s the one place she wants to be on her birthday," Ramboz said. “She has made it perfectly clear she belongs with her boys on her birthday.”
The mother of four, grandmother of 15 and great-grandmother of 13 has listened to or watched every game since legendary quarterback Sammy Baugh played for Washington.
“It didn't matter what we kids had going on, the game took priority in our home," Ramboz said.
