Jordan Spector is living out many artists’ — and sports fans’ — dream. The Willow Grove native is a making a full-time living from his art, and has collaborated with over a dozen professional athletes.
And not random athletes, either. Spector’s worked with some of the best of the best in the Philadelphia sports world, including Brandon Graham, Devonta Smith, and Bryce Harper.
It’s no accident that Spector became a sports artist. He says he was always very passionate about art and sports.
“My dad’s a talented artist as well,” Spector said. “Ever since I could pick up a pencil and draw, as cliche as that sounds, that’s when I started creating.”
As a student at Temple University, he joined the football team as a walk-on and played for two seasons. He played alongside several future NFL players — Dion Dawkins, Tyler Matakevich, and former Eagle Hassan Reddick. An injury eventually forced Spector to step away from the sport.
“When I got hurt, I gravitated back towards artwork,” he says, “but I wanted to be able to channel my passion for the game of football through my art. So I did work for guys that I played with, and never really stopped from there.”
Getting out on ‘the road’
In 2021, Spector created a 15-foot-long painting he called “On the Road to Victory,” which features Eagles legends from every era, such as Chuck Bednarik from the 1950s, Reggie White from the ‘80s and ‘90s, and the recently retired Jason Kelce.
The piece was commissioned by Rob Schimek, the former CEO of insurance giant AIG. It took over three years to complete. Spector said one of the most time-consuming parts was deciding which players would be added to the painting and how they’d be organized.
This summer Spector did a piece displaying Bryce Harper’s iconic “soccer slide” after hitting a home run in the MLB London Classic. Spector hopped on the project as soon as he could, finishing it in about a week.
He also created a painting of Eagles receivers Devonta Smith and A.J. Brown, in collaboration with Clear Vision, which organizes Smith’s annual celebrity softball game.
“I decided to do one of [Smith] and A.J. Brown, considering the new, big contracts they signed, and the fact that they’re going to be in Philly for a long time to come,” Spector said. He presented Smith and Brown with the painting during the softball event.
One of his first pieces with a pro athlete was a project with Eagles Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins. He said it was a dream come true for him, as he had grown up watching Dawkins’ “Weapon X” highlights and was a huge fan.
“When I first met him, he called my art ‘art with energy,’ which has stuck with me as kind of my slogan,” Spector said.
Spector has now done multiple projects with Dawkins, who became the first athlete to appear on his new trading card brand, Immortals. Leveraging his athlete connections, Immortals’ second and third card releases have featured Eagles veteran Brandon Graham and UFC fighter Bo Nickal, respectively.
“It’s been really special to gravitate from traditionally doing canvas work, mural work, and now doing trading cards, and having it be a big hit,” Spector said.
The trading card with Graham took Spector about a month to complete, and features Graham’s iconic sack on Tom Brady during Super Bowl LII in 2018. The Eagle great was ecstatic about the project and said he loved working with Spector.
“I’m so happy that I did it,” Graham said. “Jordan has definitely been so professional with it — a great little moment for me.”
More than trading cards
“Immortals” is not only about trading cards; it’s also about creating unique fan experiences. Fans who bought the limited-supply drop of Graham’s card were given exclusive access to a meet-and-greet at Live! Casino and Hotel in South Philly next to the stadiums, where they could get their card signed by BG and take photos with him.
Attendees could ask Graham questions during a Q&A, and Dom “Big Dom” DiSandro made an appearance. Disandro, the Eagles’ head of security, drew a national spotlight after his infamous ejection from a game last season. He took photos with any fans who approached him.
Spector described the exclusive meet-and-greet with Graham as a huge success, and said he hopes to continue hosting similar events for other “Immortals” card projects.
“I got a lot more opportunities and projects coming this year, some more Philly legends, stay tuned for that,” he said.
