Philadelphia Eagles

Inaugural season: 1933

Home field: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Owner: Jeffrey Lurie

Team colors: Midnight green, silver, black, white

Overview

The Philadelphia Eagles are a National Football League (NFL) franchise that plays in the East division of the National Football Conference (NFC). Succeeding the now-defunct Frankford Yellowjackets, the Eagles took the field for the first time in 1933. Over the course of their decades-long history, the Eagles have won multiple NFL championships, including their first Super Bowl championship with a 41–33 victory over the New England Patriots at Super Bowl LII in 2018. Known for their hardnosed style of play and devoted fan base, the Eagles have been consistently popular and have cultivated prominent NFL rivalries, especially with the New York Giants. The Eagles are also one of the NFL’s most financially successful teams, worth an estimated $5.8 billion in 2023 according to Forbes.

In addition to their on-field activities, the Philadelphia Eagles also maintain a strong commitment to philanthropic endeavors, primarily through the Eagles Charitable Foundation (ECF) and the Eagles Autism Challenge. First launched in 1995 as the Eagles Youth Partnership (EYP), the ECF offers support for young people in need and has served more than 1 million children in the Greater Philadelphia region. Among its many contributions, the ECF has provided free eye exams and glasses for children who could not otherwise afford them. The Eagles Autism Challenge was launched in 2018 to raise funds for autism research and various autism support programs.

History

The history of the Philadelphia Eagles began with the demise of the Frankford Yellowjackets in 1931. Based out of the Philadelphia neighborhood of Frankford, the Yellowjackets had played in the NFL since 1924. Due to financial difficulties, the team was forced to fold after the 1931 season. Two years later, the NFL sold the franchise for $2,500 to a syndicate led by Bert Bell and Lud Wray. Bell and Wray subsequently created a new team they named the Philadelphia Eagles. In their first game at Philadelphia’s Baker Bowl on November 12, 1933, the Eagles played the Chicago Bears to a 3–3 tie.

Bell, who served as the Eagles’ first general manager and later became NFL commissioner, assumed sole ownership of the Eagles in 1936. He moved the team from the Baker Bowl to Municipal Stadium in South Philadelphia and later to Shibe Park.

In the early 1940s, the Eagles became closely entwined with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The relationship between the two clubs began in 1940 when Pittsburgh owner Art Rooney sold his stake in the Steelers to wealthy New York heir Alexis Thompson and, in turn, purchased a half interest in the Eagles alongside Bell. In 1941, Rooney and Bell swapped franchises with Thompson in a deal that left the latter as owner of the Eagles. Finally, with their rosters depleted due to military enlistment during World War II, the Eagles and the Steelers temporarily merged in 1943. During that season, the combined team played as the “Steagles.”

The Eagles achieved relatively little on-field success until the late 1940s. After several winning seasons, the Eagles reached the NFL championship game for the first time in 1947. Despite losing 28–21 to the Chicago Cardinals, the Eagles quickly rebounded, returned to the championship game again the next year, and beat the Cardinals 7–0 to claim their first NFL championship. They subsequently captured a second-straight NFL title when they beat the Los Angeles Rams 14–0 in the 1949 championship game.

In 1949, Thompson sold the Eagles to a group of 100 buyers who became known as the “Happy Hundred.” While they generally played well during the 1950s, the Eagles did not return to the NFL championship game until 1960. Led by the formidable duo of quarterback Norm Van Brocklin and center/linebacker “Concrete Charlie” Chuck Bednarik, the Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers 17–13 to win their third NFL championship. This historic game was played at Franklin Field, which became the Eagles’ home field in 1958.

While the Eagles struggled to find success on the field throughout much of the 1960s and 1970s, the franchise’s front office continued to evolve. In 1963, self-made millionaire Jerry Wolman bought out the remaining stockholders for more than $5 million to become the Eagles’ sole owner. Wolman was later forced to sell the team for $16.1 million in 1969 to Leonard Tose, a wealthy trucking executive who was one of the original “Happy Hundred.” The next year, the Eagles moved to the newly constructed Veterans Stadium.

The Eagles’ on-field fortunes started to turn around after Dick Vermeil was hired as head coach in 1976 and Ron “Jaws” Jaworski took over as quarterback in 1977. On November 19, 1978, the Eagles pulled off one of the most legendary plays in franchise history when cornerback Herman Edwards recovered a fumbled handoff and scored the winning touchdown in the waning second of a game against the New York Giants in what became known as the “Miracle at the Meadowlands.” Vermeil and Jaworski also led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance in 1980. In 1985, Leonard Tose sold the team to automobile dealer Norman Braman for $65 million, who later sold the Eagles to movie production company president Jeffrey Lurie in 1994. Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Eagles played to some success under the leadership of head coach Buddy Ryan and quarterback Randall Cunningham but fell short of any further Super Bowl appearances.

In 2003 the team moved to Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles reached Super Bowl XXXIX under head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb in 2005 but lost to the New England Patriots. The Eagles ultimately got revenge on the Patriots in 2018, when head coach Doug Pederson and backup quarterback Nick Foles steered the team to a 41–33 victory over New England in Super Bowl LII for Philadelphia's first ever Super Bowl championship. In the game’s most memorable moment, Foles himself caught a touchdown pass as part of a play called the “Philly Special.” The Eagles returned to the Super Bowl after a strong 2022 season behind young quarterback Jalen Hurts. However, they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, a game that was notable as the first Super Bowl featuring Black starting quarterbacks for both teams.

Notable Players

Numerous former Philadelphia Eagles players have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. One of the earliest Eagles to join the Hall of Fame was Steve Van Buren, was a halfback for the Eagles for eight seasons between 1944 and 1951 and played a pivotal role in the team’s 1948 and 1949 NFL championship wins. Another key early Eagles Hall of Famer was quarterback Norm Van Brocklin. Although he played most of his NFL career in Los Angeles, Van Brocklin’s three seasons in Philadelphia culminated in the Eagles’ 1960 NFL championship. His teammate Chuck Bednarik, who spent his entire fourteen-season NFL career with the Eagles as a two-way offensive and defensive player, also made the Hall of Fame. Tommy McDonald was a Hall of Fame wide receiver who played eight seasons with the Eagles between 1957 and 1963 and was another instrumental part of the 1960 championship team. While best known as the legendary coach of the 1985 Chicago Bears, Hall of Famer Mike Ditka played as an Eagle for two seasons in 1967 and 1968.

One of the most renowned Eagles of the 1980s and 1990s was Hall of Fame defensive lineman Reggie White. Remarkably adept at sacking opposing quarterbacks, White was known as the “Minister of Defense” when he played in Philadelphia between 1985 and 1992. Another prolific Eagles defensive player and Hall of Famer was Brian Dawkins. An Eagle from 1996 to 2008, Dawkins played in nine Pro Bowls and established himself as one of the best safeties in the game. The often controversial star wide receiver Terrell Owens played two seasons in Philadelphia and helped take the Eagles to Super Bowl XXXIX before being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

There have been many other notable Philadelphia Eagles as well. Tom Brookshier was an all-pro defensive back who played for the Eagles in the 1950s and 1960s and later went on to enjoy a long and distinguished career as a television and radio sports broadcaster. Running back Timmy Brown played for the Eagles between 1960 and 1967 and retired as the franchise’s third all-time leading rusher with a total of 3,703 yards and 29 touchdowns. Harold Carmichael, a wide receiver who played in Philadelphia from 1971 to 1983, recorded 589 receptions and 79 touchdowns as an Eagle. Middle linebacker Bill Bergey, who suited up with the Eagles between 1974 and 1980, recorded almost 1,200 tackles helped the team make it to Super Bowl XV in 1981. Perhaps the best running back in Eagles history, Brian Westbrook played between 2002 and 2009 and recorded more than 9,000 yards from scrimmage. One of Westbrook’s greatest moments came when he scored a touchdown on an 84-yard punt return during a game against the New York Giants in October 2003. The remarkable play was quickly dubbed “Miracle at the Meadowlands II.” Often called the greatest Eagles kicker of all time, David Akers set franchise records for points (1,323) and field goals made (294) during his years with the team from 1999 to 2010. Donovan McNabb led the team at quarterback for much of the same period, becoming the franchise leader in many passing statistics over eleven seasons from 1999 to 2009 and reaching the playoffs eight times. McNabb was inducted into the Eagles' team hall of fame in 2013. Long-tenured stars who contributed to Philadelphia's successes in the 2010s and early 2020s included center Jason Kelce (drafted in 2011) and defensive tackler Fletcher Cox (drafted in 2012).

Bibliography

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Mancini, Mark. “20 Super Facts about the Philadelphia Eagles.” Mental Floss, 31 Jan. 2018, mentalfloss.com/article/527410/20-super-facts-about-philadelphia-eagles. Accessed 29 July 2019.

“Philadelphia Eagles.” Forbes, 2023, www.forbes.com/teams/philadelphia-eagles/?sh=3f917a652783. Accessed 10 Oct. 2023.

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“Philadelphia Eagles Franchise Encyclopedia.” Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/phi/index.htm. Accessed 10 Oct. 2023.

Romero, Melissa. “A History of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Home Stadiums.” Curbed Philadelphia, 31 Jan. 2018, philly.curbed.com/2018/1/31/16937144/philadelphia-eagles-where-they-played-stadiums. Accessed 29 July 2019.