Clifton's Hot Dog King

Pat “From Moonachie” Philbin is really from Clifton by Jordan Schwartz

Pat Philbin shoves hot dogs in his face like a perfect gentleman.

He meticulously dips frankfurter after frankfurter into the yellow Nathan’s cups filled with water in front of him, soaking the buns to allow for an easier transition from hand to mouth to esophagus to ever expanding stomach.

“I changed it up this year,” said the 1981 Clifton High School grad. “Less drinking and more dunking.”

The formula worked as Philbin consumed a personal best 32 franks in 10 minutes at a Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest qualifier held outside Citi Field in Queens on a rainy June 20.

But it wasn’t enough as the 45-year-old was out-eaten by his nemesis, Eric “Badlands” Booker, who put down 40 hot dogs and buns, or HDBs as they’re known in the world of competitive eating.

After the qualifier was over, Booker’s chest was covered with soggy bits of meat and bread, leaving Philbin to take some solace in the fact that he was at least clean.

“Look how neat I am,” he joked.

But the loss snapped the Clifton native’s streak of four straight appearances at the Fourth of July Coney Island finals, an event broadcast live across the country on ESPN.

“The competition is getting better,” he said. “It used to be 20, or ‘doing the deuce,’ was the big benchmark, but there are more and more people doing way over 20.”

Philbin was urged to become a competitive eater after a November 2004 appearance on The Opie & Anthony Show, a popular talk program on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

The longtime fan won a non-alcoholic eggnog drinking contest by downing 70 double shots of the beverage, doubling his closest competitor.

The following summer, Philbin, who grew up on Macarthur Dr. and Swift Ct., took part in his first Nathan’s contest. On July 4, 2005, he ate 20 hot dogs in 12 minutes, good enough for 12th place.

A year later, Philbin finished 10th by inhaling 23 HDBs. He beat out Erik “The Red” Denmark and Crazy Legs Conti, so the former Mustang decided it was time to get a moniker of his own.
He became “Pat From Moonachie,” after the small Bergen County town in which he’s lived since 1993.

Philbin, a self-employed courier, resides in a 30-by-12-foot trailer by Teterboro Airport.

“It was one of the few places that took animals and I have a dog and three cats,” he explained. “I tell people I have skid marks on the roof from planes landing.”

As Pat became a reoccurring guest on Opie & Anthony, his humble residence turned into a running joke on the show. The hosts even recorded their own version of “Cribs” at his home.
But Philbin’s relationship with the radio program got him in trouble with the International Federation of Competitive Eating.

Yes, that really exists.

During the 2006 Eggnog Drinking Challenge, the former Clifton wrestler vomited into the mouth of a show intern and the subsequent “Baby Bird” video got him barred from the I.F.O.C.E. for “conduct unbecoming of an eater.”

With the help of protests by O&A’s most dedicated fans, affectionately known as ‘pests,’ Philbin was reinstated on Dec. 6, 2006.

He went on to eat 24 hot dogs at the 2007 Nathan’s contest and 20 at the 2008 event, which was shortened to 10 minutes. “They don’t want anyone exploding,” explained the 16th ranked eater in the world.

Philbin, who weighs 310 pounds, developed diabetes when he was 27. He said he watches what he eats other than in contests and has actually dropped 40 pounds from his high of 350.

The Nathan’s time adjustment hasn’t slowed down the competitors, though. Joey Chestnut consumed a world record 68 HDBs to win his third straight mustard-yellow belt this past July 4, beating out six-time champ Takeru Kobayashi, who ate 64.5.

Chestnut took home $10,000 for his effort, but Philbin has only made about a couple thousand dollars in his entire career as a competitive eater. Nevertheless, he says he does it for the little bit of notoriety rather than the money.

Pat From Moonachie has become somewhat of a minor celebrity from The Opie & Anthony Show as well.

“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “When I go around O&A events, I’m like a rock star.”

Philbin has even gotten invited out to Anthony Cumia’s mansion on Long Island to co-host his Web casts. “The first floor is really nice and respectable and then the basement has a studio with a green screen,” he explained. “When I leave, I say ‘I’m going back to the trailer now.’ I could fit it in his living room.”

Philbin has also done delivery work for the show’s other host, Greg “Opie” Hughes.

The Delawanna native has been a courier for 20 years. After graduating CHS, he was a bouncer at Connections before going to work for his step-father’s printing business, Charles D. Ingraham and Sons.

Philbin’s biological father left the family when Pat was just one year old.

“He lives in Wayne,” said the ’81 grad. “I looked him up once and he said, ‘Hello,’ and I just hung up. I wouldn’t make the effort. My attitude is if he doesn’t want to meet me then I don’t want to meet him.”

Philbin said his older brothers served as father figures growing up because they were 10 years older than he was. His half brother, Bill Ingraham, used to coach the Clifton Tigers and was on the Clifton Phillies, while Pat was his bat boy.

Philbin attended Schools 16 and 8 and Christopher Columbus before entering CHS.
In ninth grade, he lettered in football, track and wrestling. At 240 pounds, Philbin won County and District titles.

He got his start in the sport grappling on the front lawn with Dave Szott, who went on to play guard for the New York Jets.

Philbin returns to his hometown once in a while to visit his mechanic or grab a bagel from the shop on Piaget Ave. across from CCMS.

“It’s out of habit because I used to go there after football practice at Clifton Stadium all the time,” he said, adding that he also frequents Rutt’s Hut a couple times a month.

“Don’t tell Nathans, though!”