Philly eats record-setting cheesesteak

PHILADELPHIA (CNN) -- The world's largest cheesesteak was longer than a football field, but it now exists only in a record book. The evidence itself has been eaten.

A cheesesteak -- strips of thin steak topped with cheese and served on a long Italian roll (onions and peppers are optional) -- is a sandwich nearly as native to Philadelphia as the Declaration of Independence and the Liberty Bell.

The City of Brotherly Love is also a city with a losing pro football team, so on Sunday, before the Philadelphia Eagles finished their dismal 1998 season, the team tried to lure fans by appealing to their stomachs.

In a parking lot before the Eagles-Giants game, the team served a 1,790-pound cheesesteak measuring a few inches longer than a football field -- 365 feet, 7 inches. The monster-sized munchie beat the old record by about 65 feet, earning it a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records, Eagles spokesman Kim Babiak said.

Fans gobbled up the cheesesteak but the Eagles lost 20-10, setting a franchise record of 13 losses in a season.

"We're known for our cheesesteaks. We're certainly not known for our sports teams lately," said Mike Paquin, 31, who showed up at Veterans Stadium for the food, then left before the game.

CNN affiliate KYW-TV and The Associated Press contributed to this report.