Every time Bob "Woody" Popik hit "Seven Nation Army" in M&T Bank Stadium, he got goosebumps.
Now, the Ravens' DJ for the past 15 seasons and Baltimore's DJ for more than four decades is battling his body.
Popik, 59, has pancreatic cancer, which has spread to his spine and lungs. His doctor gave him six to nine months, but he's determined to keep playing the hits.
"I'm going to go out, face it straight up, and I'm going to beat it," Popik said from his Baltimore hospice care facility Sunday before the Ravens' 23-10 win against the Jets.
On a typical gameday, he'd be at M&T Bank Stadium reviewing his playlists and getting ready for introductions. On road games, he'd be getting Chaps Pit Beef. Either way, he'd be feeling nervous. He still felt the nerves from his bed Sunday.
But you'd never know it from Popik's laugh, which fills a room just like his music. And though he entered hospice care on Nov. 19, he's still laughing. He was sore Sunday morning after laughing so hard the previous night during a visit from neighbors.
"You know, laughing where it hurts so bad but feels so good," Popik said. "I mask all my bad emotions with humor. You choose your attitude."
Popik was the Baltimore Orioles' DJ for 25 "glorious, wonderful" years. He started with the Ravens in 2010 and with Navy football the year following. When he wasn't working in sports, he DJ'd more than 800 weddings in and around Baltimore and over 1,000 other events.
He was a workhorse who looked out for his clients and customers more than his health. And he, of course, constantly fed his love of music.
"I was probably only the best DJ in the state for a small period of time," Popik said. "Hands down, pound for pound, best DJ in the state."
Popik said the job with the Ravens changed over the years, becoming a "beautiful" collaborative effort with Vice President of Broadcasting & Gameday Productions Jay O'Brien and Sr. Vice President of Marketing Brad Downs.
"I have to throw this jab," Popik said. "They absolutely know I'm better at music than they are. They like to put their musical wits to mine, but it's utterly ridiculous. I love them both, but bring it on."
O'Brien begrudgingly concedes, adding that the Ravens have consistently ranked among the league's best in the NFL's Voice of the Fan surveys year after year.
"Woody has an incredible instinct for music. He knows exactly what to play and when to play it. His years as a Baltimore DJ gave him a deep understanding of what moves people: what gets them dancing, what sparks nostalgia, and what taps into every emotion a football game can bring," O'Brien said.
"For 15 seasons, he's brought that magic to Ravens football, and we've all benefited. When he hits play on the perfect track and 70,000 fans erupt, you feel it — it's electric, it's Baltimore, and it's Woody."
Popik's favorite songs to play were his version of Nelly's "Hot in Herre" for Ray Lewis' introduction and, of course, "Seven Nation Army." One of his favorite recent memories was from last year's "Sunday Night Football" win over the Buffalo Bills, when Derrick Henry opened the game with an 87-yard touchdown run. M&T Bank Stadium exploded.
That's what he loved – seeing fans having a good time, dancing in their seats with his music playing. Sometimes it felt like Popik had 71,000 fans at a party – all feeling the same way he was in the booth. Goosebumps.
"Just such a large, huge sense of pride," Popik said. "'Seven Nation Army' brings chills to my arms. They are a physical sign of what I'm feeling emotionally."
