Fans of Philadelphia’s sports teams are likely to have seen mega-fan Rob Dunphy without his shirt recently on TV or online. If you were on Mill Street in Bristol Borough on Wednesday, you may have also seen him there.
Dunphy, a 26-year-old dad of two, shot to viral fame after TV camera’s caught his Philly tattoos that are all over his chest during the national telecast of the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay game late last month.
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Dunphy said he has been offered numerous opportunities due to his viral fame but is taking up the cause of raising money for nonprofit Storm the Heavens, which raises funds to research Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). The rare form of cancer is known for being particularly vicious.
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Steve Mooney, president of the Bristol Borough Business Association and operator of a Farmers Insurance Agency on Mill Street, welcomed Dunphy and Storm the Heavens founder Mina Carroll, who lost her daughter Philomena to DIPG in 2017.
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Mooney’s agency donated $1,000 to Storm the Gates with Dunphy showing off his now-famous belly and chest.
“I hope small business owners see this and we get more to donate,” Mooney said. “This is a good start.”
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Carroll thanked Mooney for his donation and thanked Dunphy for coming out. Ironically, Carroll and her husband briefly met Dunphy at a wedding last year.
“When we saw the photo, we didn’t know it was him because he had a shirt on when we last saw him,” she said.
Dunphy said he wanted to use his viral fame for good and raise money for Storm the Heavens.
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Before donating his time and fame to the nonprofit, Dunphy said he didn’t think much about childhood cancer, but meeting with Carroll and hearing her story made him pay attention.
“I wanted to help and felt a responsibility,” he said.
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The father of two said the viral fame has changed his life – causing him to be recognized nearly everywhere he goes – and also made him consider ways to give back.
