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The roars of E-A-G-L-E-S chants from an estimated million fans echoed along the Super Bowl parade route from the time it left the sports complex in South Philly just before 11 a.m. until the buses carrying the NFL champs arrived at the art museum steps.

Players made frequent stops along the route that wound its way down Broad St. and around City Hall, getting up close with fans pressed into the metal barricades that lined streets. Some posed for selfies, others tossed beer cans back and forth with the crowd.

The team arrived at the art museum just before 1:30 p.m. as the throngs of fans continued to swell along the length of the Ben Franklin Parkway.

“We want to thank you,” quarterback Jalen Hurts told the crowd. “Thank you for all the support this year, all the passion, every ounce of it.” The Super Bowl MVP also thanked his teammates, especially the offensive line for giving the running and passing game time to get going and score.

“I told myself when I got drafted I wouldn’t come to the Rocky steps until we won a championship, and now we’re here,” he said. “You can’t lose if you don’t quit, and in Philly we don’t quit… The next pursuit begins.”

“This team is special,” said head coach Nick Siriani. “You can’t be great without the greatness of others, and we look at all the guys we have on this stage of how that really stays true to the team.”

Running back Saquan Barkely thanked the fans briefly and was serenaded with chants of “thank you, Giants,” recognizing New York’s blunder in letting Barkley walk away during free agency to a divisional rival.

Eagles owner Jeffery Lurie was left nearly speechless.

“There are no friggin words to describe delivering a world championship to our incredible fan base. There is nothing that can compare,” he said. “Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to celebrate this love affair between this sports team and Eagles fans here and everywhere. We share an amazing bond that is second to none.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro echoed that sentiment and took a poke at the Eagles other divisional rival in Dallas.

“Being an Eagles fan, I know how people love to hate us,” Shapiro said. “They love to root against us. But something I’ve noticed, is that all of the sudden, people were coming together to cheer on our Philadelphia Eagles. Not just here in Philly, but all across America. It would seem, Jeffrey, that the Philadelphia Eagles are now America’s Team. You hear that, Dallas?”

Jordan Mailata took his turn on the mic to showcase his musical talents, which are already well known for his performance on the Eagles’ Christmas albums. He led the crowd in an a cappella rendition of Queen’s “We Are the Champions.”

Eagles’ security chief Dom DiSandro, a fan favorite since a sideline run-in with a San Francisco 49ers linebacker, got a big cheer for his very brief comments: “Yo Philly, I love ya.”

Lurie had one goal for the team as they look to next season.

“Let’s shoot for 3.”

It was an early wake-up call for thousands of Eagles fans who made their way to the Super Bowl parade route before the sun rose this Valentine’s Day.

By 8 a.m., hundreds of fans had converged upon the Philadelphia Museum of Art staking out prime spots for the parade’s grand finale and the players’ speeches. Meanwhile, about 3 miles south, hundreds more lined up outside the gates of Lincoln Financial field where the team’s buses will begin their celebratory trek through South Philly.

That’s where 24-year-old Andrew Wallace waited with family and friends. He flew in from California to be here for today’s festivities. Like others waiting for the parade to start, he’s convinced this won’t be the last time the Eagles bring home the Lombardi Trophy.

“We might be growing up in a dynasty right now, honestly. Everybody’s young,” he said. “[Jalen] Hurts, Saquon [Barkley], the whole offense, everybody’s locked up … We’re looking at greatness right now. The city is at an all-time high.”

Jillian Trunbull was up at 4 a.m. to gather her crew for the trip north from Claymont, Del. She said being an Eagles fan is a lifetime family affair.

“I have loved the Eagles since I was born. Fly Eagles fly. I bleed green,” she said. “My husband is the biggest Eagles fan, my dad is a really big Eagles fan, so they couldn’t be here today, so I’m coming down here for them.”

So Fine G, from Trenton, came to Center City to take part in the party with the team and other fans.

“We’re Eagles fans, so we’re here for a reason and we’re gonna celebrate,” she said. “They did the damn thing and we out here.”

Anthony Faline, from Wilmington, worked all night before meeting up with his family and friends to head to the parade. Having missed the 2018 parade because he was working, he was determined not to miss out this time around.

“I decided I wanted to come up and see what the hubbub was about,” he said. But he admits watching the second win wasn’t quite as sweet as seeing the Birds win Super Bowl 52 seven years ago. “It wasn’t quite like the first time, but it was definitely enjoyable watching them destroy history, basically.”

Wallace agreed that this year’s win was different, but in a better way. “The difference between this year and 2018 is, this city has seen it. There was always a love for the Eagles, right, but now that they’ve seen a Super Bowl, and now we have a second one, everybody knows what this team’s capable of, and we’ll have the same players rolling into next year almost, there’s something to look forward to. That’s why I feel like there’s more going on with this.”

While the focus is on the Birds, many couples in the crowd were aware it’s Valentine’s Day, too. Becky and Cory Hughes came to City Hall to celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary with thousands of fellow fans.

“This is our date day, Valentine’s Day, to see our favorite team’s Super Bowl parade,” Becky said. “We were here for the first parade in 2018, and the Birds are important to our family.”

She said they couldn’t wait to join their fellow fans along the parade route to get a glimpse of the Super Bowl champs.

The crowd at the Art Museum continued to swell through the early morning hours. The giant jumbotrons along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway started showing a replay of Super Bowl 59 around 8:40 a.m., giving the waiting fans something to watch (and cheer along with) while they waited for the parade to begin.

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WHYY News’ Eric Nixon, along with Nick Kariuki and Meir Rinde from WHYY’s Billy Penn contributed to this story.