Past Philadelphia champions feel enduring embrace of fans

"I am 57 years old, balding and have few of the physical features I had when I played," he says. "But people immediately recognize me and say: 'Welcome back, Bobby!' And I get that around almost every corner."

Jones says he also gets letters from fans every week. "They just say, 'Thanks for the great memories,' " says Jones. "Clearly, the championship we won was a benchmark in their lives."

But Jones does not receive the same attention for having been an All-America player at North Carolina. "The school has had so many All-America players since I left, and has even won two national championships," he says. "What we did in Philadelphia in 1983 was special because it was something that did not happen every day. In fact, it has not happened since."

For a city starved for championships, winning one takes on a special permanence. Former Villanova star Ed Pinckney has found that to be true in the years that have passed since the Wildcats upset Georgetown in 1985. Pinckney says the victory is always an "ice-breaker" in conversations, and that people are curious to hear what it was like to play for Rollie Massimino. But while Pinckney says that was a "signature game," it is unclear at this point if it will be remembered with the same awe if Villanova prevails at the Final Four in Detroit.

Clement always has wondered what would happen if the Flyers finally won another Cup.

"What would happen to the celebrity of the players that were on that team?" asks Clement. "How would we be looked upon if we were no longer the last players to have won a Cup?"

Watson thinks he knows. "Oh, I think it would deteriorate some," says Watson, who is one of countless Flyers still living in the area. "Once they win another Cup, we will fall along the wayside."

And how will life change for the Phillies?

The consensus is they will carry themselves as champions. And Mike Schmidt says that feeling extends beyond the players. "Nothing breeds confidence more than becoming a champion," says Schmidt. "It makes everyone better, not only the team, the announcers, the equipment man, the grounds crew. Everyone associated with the team feels like a winner."

In years to come they also will find what Clement says he discovered: "Unless they somehow screw it up, they will have universal acceptance, a type of hero worship that will never go away."

They will be remembered as champions.

And as Clement adds: "That is a very powerful word." *