A new football season is right around the corner, with the defending champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, set to renew their divisional rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys to kick off proceedings. As the first game of the 2025 NFL regular season, it will have an added layer of pageantry and entertainment.
An iconic rivalry for the ages being rekindled will provide value for the fan base. But among the extracurriculars, the National Anthem will be serenaded before the game to get the crowd going in unison. Superstars and musical icons take on the mantle of singing the National Anthem every year. This year, who gets the honor?
National Anthem for Cowboys vs. Eagles
The Cowboys will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in their home stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, on September 4, 2025. Coverage will begin at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.
The home city found the ideal candidates for the National Anthem with a burning passion for the Eagles franchise. After much speculation, Philly moved forward with the vocal harmony band, Boyz II Men.
Hailing from Philadelphia, the group was a quartet with baritone Nathan Morris, tenor Wanyá Morris, tenor Shawn Stockman, and bass singer Michael McCary. However, McCary left the group more than two decades ago, thanks to a multiple sclerosis diagnosis.
Since then, they’ve continued operating as a trio, with their latest album, “Under the Streetlight, ” released in 2017. A four-time Grammy winner, Billboard magazine recognized them as the biggest boy band from 1987 to 2012.
A heavyweight of the music industry, their ties to the city and the franchise made it a straightforward decision for both parties.
The Eagles Connection for Boyz II Men
The biggest connection between the two parties was tenor Wanyá Morris. As the band’s agent, Joe Mulvihill, described it in a conversation with the official Eagles website, the answer would always be yes.
“Well, we have to do it because Wan’ will kill us if we don’t. There’s like an unspoken word that when it comes to the Eagles, the answer is ‘Yes.'” For Morris, that fandom is a genuine passion as a diehard sports fan.
Boyz II Men getting the show started tonight 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/RN4d8MESyg
— Levi’s® Stadium (@LevisStadium) September 10, 2024
He confessed that losses made him despondent, and by his own admission, inactive until Monday night. “I take the approach of Jalen Hurts,” Morris said. “It’s good, it’s beautiful, and I’m happy, very happy, to be sharing the raising of the banner, sitting there watching it, but it’s a new season, man, and we’re on to the next. Let’s get it going.”
The band’s return to Lincoln Financial Field is no surprise, as they have performed the national anthem numerous times previously. But an opening night performance as the Eagles celebrate their Super Bowl victory makes it doubly special.
