PHILADELPHIA -- This isn't the first time the internet has gravitated towards Ian Park.
Park is an undrafted free agent, a rookie offensive lineman from a little-known Division II program in Pennsylvania called Slippery Rock. After his first day with the Eagles, at rookie minicamp, Park quickly became a viral sensation, and it had nothing to do with football.
The Eagles posted a video (above) of Park in the team's locker room, singing the theme song to "Halo", the extremely popular Xbox video game. Quickly, Park became a household name.
National publications -- including Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports and USA Today -- re-posted the video. The official Halo Twitter account even sent Park a tweet inviting him out to the studio in Seattle where the game is made.
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This isn't the first time the internet caught wind of Park singing Halo.
"It's crazy, it's fun," he said, "and it's something I've been doing since high school."
I would love to visit sometime! It would be a dream come true! #HaloForever https://t.co/2N80BhnPGm
-- Ian Park (@ianpark_) May 11, 2018
Back in 2016, while at Northwestern (before transferring to Slippery Rock), Park similarly recorded a video in the team's locker room that was picked up everywhere then, too.
So when Park walked into the Eagles locker room for the first time for minicamp, some of his new teammates already knew who he was.
"I didn't know anybody here, some people recognized me, like (fourth-round pick) Josh Sweat," Park said. "They just asked me to do that, once they put it out there on Twitter everyone kind of put it together."
Even now, Park is partnering with the person that orginally created the Halo theme -- Marty O'Donnell -- for a nationwide contest called the "Halo Challenge" where fans can submit their own rendition.
"It's true," O'Donnell tweeted. "I've decided to award The Lifetime Achievement Award for Halo Monk singing to Ian because, frankly, who can beat him (besides me of course). So, he has graciously agreed to help me determine the next winner of the #HaloChallenge."
NJ Advance Media spoke to Park after the Eagles' first OTA practice at NovaCare Complex on Tuesday.
So, how did the video with the Eagles come about?
"It was right after the first practice at rookie minicamp. Right in the shower. Alex Smith from the media department came up to me and said 'we'd love it if you could give that a go.'"
When did you first start singing the Halo theme?
"My brothers and I, we all played together, it was something we could all do together."
Can you sing? Are you good?
"Yeah, I can sing. I'm not, like, the best, but I like to sing. It's a hobby."
Have you been recognized at all since the Eagles released the video?
"A couple rookie o-linemen, we went out to Reading Terminal and people were just like 'hey it's that guy!' It's crazy."
What has your experience been like getting an opportunity to be a part of the Eagles organization and try to make the team?
"It's been awesome. Everyone wants to be in this position growing up, people want to be in your shoes. Since getting here the first day, it's been a mental grind, learning your playbook and get out there and applying it to the field. It's been tough, but we have great coaches and they get after us but at the end of the day they want us to succeed."
So, when you tell people you went to Slippery Rock ... how often have they actually heard of it?
(Laughs) I feel like Pennsylvanians know. I'm from Pittsburgh, I went to Northwestern, graduated from Northwestern. I feel like if you're from Pennsylvania you might be a little more familiar but the rest of the world, they're like 'Slippery Rock? What is that?"
Zack Rosenblatt may be reached at zrosenblatt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZackBlatt. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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