Dan Covolesky (Credit: Philadelphia Eagles)
Marine, police officer, mentor, and Travis Manion Foundation volunteer to be recognized during Eagles–49ers Wild Card matchup
The spotlight at Lincoln Financial Field will turn briefly from football to service after the snap Sunday.
During the Philadelphia Eagles’ Wild Card matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, the team will recognize Dan Covolesky as its Dietz & Watson Hometown Hero, honoring a life defined not by one chapter of service, but by a steady through-line of commitment to others.
(Credit: Philadelphia Eagles)Covolesky served in the United States Marine Corps with the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, where his roles ranged from rifleman and vehicle operator to primary marksmanship instructor.
After leaving active duty, he continued serving closer to home as a police officer in Lower Salford Township, building a reputation for professionalism and integrity until his retirement.
The uniforms changed, but the mission did not.
That same sense of purpose has followed Covolesky into civilian life. He now volunteers with the Travis Manion Foundation, mentoring young people as a Character Does Matter Veteran Mentor and leading Operation Legacy service projects aimed at strengthening local communities.
Dan Covolesky (Credit: Philadelphia Eagles)The work is quiet by design, focused less on recognition and more on passing along values learned through experience.
Those values have guided Covolesky for decades. In 2011, he helped bring the 9/11 Heroes Run to Harleysville, using the event to honor a childhood friend and fellow Marine, Pfc. Ian Dietrich, who was killed in 1990.
Pfc. Ian Dietrich (Credit: Heroportraits.org)The run combined remembrance with action, benefiting first responders and veterans’ organizations while challenging participants to reflect on service and sacrifice.
Years later, Covolesky was still pushing that message forward, serving as director of operations for Operation Enduring Warrior, where veterans, including wounded warriors, tackled grueling endurance races together, often wearing military gas masks to emphasize anonymity and mission over individual acclaim.
That arc, from Marine Corps to municipal policing to mentoring the next generation, is what the Eagles will recognize Sunday. In a stadium built for spectacle, the moment will be intentionally simple: a nod to a local resident whose impact has been measured less in headlines than in lives influenced.
For Covolesky, the honor fits neatly into a familiar pattern. Show up. Do the work. Leave things better than you found them. And then step back, letting the mission speak for itself.
