Saquon Barkley didn’t know what to do with his hands. Sitting atop a Plymouth Prowler, riding down Chestnut Street in Coplay on Saquon Barkley Day, the running back waved but still felt uneasy with the attention. Also, people kept throwing stuff at him to autograph.
A shirt here, a football there, even a New York Giants helmet carefully guarded by a 13-year-old fan wearing an Odell Beckham Jr. jersey. Barkley signed nearly everything, then stood patiently as hundreds of fans (some of whom waited in a 21/2-hour line) sought photos with him.
And when a security officer tried to cut off the receiving line at Coplay’s Saylor Park, Barkley asked, “Why?” and continued posing for pictures.
“He’s kind of our legend,” said Stacey Bender, a Whitehall High and Penn State graduate.
The communities of Coplay and Whitehall Township joined Saturday to celebrate Barkley, the former Whitehall High and Penn State star who is headed to the NFL. An estimated 5,000 people attended the parade and festivities, turning it into a farewell of sorts.
Barkley is living a bicoastal life now, splitting time between New York, Orlando, Los Angeles, State College and Scranton as he prepares for next month’s NFL Draft and also builds his brand.
On Saturday, though, Barkley paused to reconnect with the people who helped form his path.
“It’s never going to be goodbye,” Barkley said. “I’m very appreciative of where I came from and I know I didn’t get here myself. I’m not one of those guys who’s going to leave and never look back.”
The parade featured the Hokendauqua Eagles Athletic Association (where Barkley began playing football), the Whitehall High football team and band, and a series of convertibles carrying Barkley’s family.
Borough officials dedicated a plaque, which will displayed at the park, in Barkley’s honor, and Whitehall High Athletic Director Bob Hartman announced that Barkley’s No. 21 football jersey will be retired.
The jersey will join two others retired at Whitehall that belonged to Super Bowl champs Matt Millen and Dan Koppen. The last Whitehall player to wear No. 21 will be Barkley’s brother, Ali, a sophomore who also plays running back.
Ali said he hopes to do “something even better” with the jersey than his brother. Saquon Barkley ranked the honor with being named an All-American at Penn State.
“Hopefully he does enough that it’s an argument that he might get that jersey retired also, and it will be two Barkleys,” Saquon Barkley said. “That’s special to me.”
Penn State fans commanded the crowd, and Barkley’s No. 26 Nittany Lions jerseys were everywhere. Bender, husband Larry and their 19-month-old daughter, Campbell, were among those wearing them.
Stacey Bender said she wanted to bring her daughter (who can say “Saquon” and “We are”) to the parade to “be a part of what Saquon stands for.” Bender said Barkley’s rise from Whitehall to Penn State helped “re-invigorate” a fan base.
“It’s great that the community honored him, and that he took the time to come out and catch up with old friends,” Bender said. “I think it’s what a small town needs.”
A parallel pack of New York Giants fans shared their wish for the team to draft Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick.
Joshua Soto and Jemzy Marrero, both 7, of Catasauqua, held a sign that read, “Bronx 2 PA 2 Giants,” noting Barkley’s move from New York to Pennsylvania when he was young. Barkley later autographed the sign.
And the Metcalf family of Coplay (father David, sons Nathan and Dakota, and daughter Isabella) wore Beckham’s No. 13 jersey. Nathan even managed to get Barkley to sign his Giants helmet.
“He’s a once-in-a-generation player,” David Metcalf said. “People are comparing him to LeBron James and Michael Jordan in the NBA. For the kids of the Lehigh Valley to see a person like this come up through the ranks and make the big time is just great.”
Organizers printed 500 Saquon Barkley Day T-shirts, which sold out quickly and helped cover security and venue costs, Coplay Councilman Stephen Burker said. Burker called the event a “win-win” for Coplay, which Barkley’s family echoed.
Tonya Johnson, Barkley’s mother, rode in the convertible ahead of her son, marveling at the fans lining Chestnut Street. Saquon had downplayed the day to her, saying maybe 50 people would attend.
Viewing the crowd, Johnson reflected on her decision 17 years ago to move her family from the Bronx to the Lehigh Valley.
“This day shows me that the day I moved out of New York in 2001 was the best decision I ever made,” Johnson said.
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