Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Eagles have won three NFL titles and made two Super Bowl appearances, losing both (in 1980 to the Oakland Raiders and in 2004 to the New England Patriots).

The club was established in 1933 as a replacement for the bankrupt Frankford Yellow Jackets after a syndicate led by future NFL commissioner Bert Bell purchased the rights to a Philadelphia franchise from the league. The Eagles were named after the Blue Eagle, a symbol used for the New Deal stimulus programs initiated during the Great Depression. Eagles players who have been inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame include Chuck Bednarik, Bob Brown, Reggie White, Steve Van Buren, Tommy McDonald, Earle "Greasy" Neale, Pete Pihos, Sonny Jurgensen and Norm Van Brocklin. Bell was also inducted as a contributor.

1931–60
Half-way through the 1931 season, the Frankford Yellow Jackets went bankrupt and ceased operations. After more than a year of searching for a suitable replacement, the NFL awarded the dormant franchise to a syndicate headed by Bert Bell and Lud Wray, in exchange for an entry fee of $2,500 and with a guarantee that they assume a total debt of $11,000 that was owed to three other NFL franchises. Drawing inspiration from the Blue Eagle insignia of the National Recovery Act—the centerpiece of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal —Bell and Wray named the new franchise the Philadelphia Eagles. (Neither the Eagles nor the NFL officially regard the two franchises as the same, citing the afore-mentioned period of dormancy. Furthermore, almost no Yellow Jackets players were on the Eagles' first roster.) The Eagles, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the now-defunct Cincinnati Reds, joined the NFL as expansion teams.

In 1940, the Eagles moved to Shibe Park and played their home games at the stadium through 1957, except for the 1941 season, which was played at Municipal Stadium, where they had played from 1936 to 1939. (Shibe Park was re-named Connie Mack Stadium in 1953.)

"To accommodate football at Shibe Park during the winter, management set up stands in right field, parallel to Twentieth Street. Some twenty feet high, these 'east stands' had twenty-two rows of seats. The goalposts stood along the first base line and in left field. The uncovered east stands enlarged capacity of Shibe Park to over thirty-nine thousand, but the Eagles rarely drew more than twenty-five to thirty thousand."

The Eagles struggled over the course of their first decade, enduring repeated losing seasons. In 1943, when manpower shortages stemming from World War II made it impossible to fill the roster, the team merged with the Pittsburgh Steelers forming the "Phil-Pitt Eagles" and were known as the "Steagles." (The merger, never intended as a permanent arrangement, was dissolved at the end of the 1943 season.) By the late 1940s, head coach Earle "Greasy" Neale and running back Steve Van Buren led the team to three consecutive NFL Championship Games, winning two of them in 1948 and 1949. Those two championships mark the Eagles as the only NFL team ever to win back-to-back championships by shutouts, defeating the Chicago Cardinals, 7–0, in 1948—in a blizzard—and the Los Angeles Rams, 14–0, in 1949.

After the 1957 season, the Eagles moved from Connie Mack Stadium to Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania. Franklin Field would seat over 60,000 for the Eagles, whereas Connie Mack had a capacity of 39,000. The stadium switched from grass to AstroTurf in 1969. It was the first NFL stadium to use artificial turf.

In 1960, the Eagles won their third NFL championship, under the leadership of future Pro Football Hall of Famers Norm Van Brocklin and Chuck Bednarik; the head coach was Buck Shaw. The 1960 Eagles, by a score of 17–13, became the only team to defeat Vince Lombardi and his Packers in the playoffs.

1961–84
The Eagles had a good 1961 season and then fell on hard times in 1962. Jerry Wolman bought the franchise in 1963 from the "Happy Hundred," a group of investors who owned the team from 1949–1963, for $5,505,000.

In 1969, Leonard Tose bought the Philadelphia Eagles from Wolman for $16,155,000 (equal to $0 today), then a record for a professional sports franchise. Tose's first official act was to fire Coach Joe Kuharich after a disappointing 24–41–1 record during his five year reign. He followed this by naming former Eagles receiving great Pete Retzlaff as General Manager and Jerry Williams as coach.

With the merger of the NFL and AFL in 1970, the Eagles were placed in the NFC East Division with their archrivals the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins, and the Dallas Cowboys. Their heated rivalry with the Giants is the oldest of the NFC East rivalries, dating all the way back to 1933 and has been considered the best rivalry in the NFL in the 21st century.

In, Dick Vermeil was hired from UCLA to coach the Eagles, who had only one winning season from 1962–1975. Starting in 1978, head coach Dick Vermeil and quarterback Ron Jaworski led the team to four consecutive playoff appearances.

Vermeil's 1980 team won their first NFC East title but lost to Oakland in the Super Bowl in 1981. In January 1983, Tose announced that his daughter, Susan Fletcher, the Eagles' vice president and legal counsel, would eventually succeed him as primary owner of the Eagles.

1985–93
In 1985, Tose was forced to sell the Eagles to Norman Braman and Ed Leibowitz, highly successful automobile dealers from Florida, for a reported $65 million to pay off his more than $25 million in gambling debts at Atlantic City casinos.

Philadelphia football struggled through the Marion Campbell years of the mid-1980s and was marked by a malaise in fan participation. In 1986, the arrival of head coach Buddy Ryan and his fiery attitude rejuvenated team performance and ignited the fan base, but the Eagles failed to win a playoff game during Ryan's tenure. Ryan was fired on January 7, 1991 after an upset home playoff loss to the Redskins. Offensive coordinator Rich Kotite was promoted to head coach three days later. Though Kotite did lead the Eagles to one playoff victory against the New Orleans Saints during the 1992 season, his contract was not renewed after a disastrous 1994 season in which the Eagles went 7–9, losing their last seven games after starting the season 7–2. From 1988 to 1996, the Eagles qualified for the playoffs during 6 out of those 9 seasons, but they won the NFC East only once, in 1988. Among the team's offensive stars during that period were quarterback Randall Cunningham, tight end Keith Jackson, and running back Herschel Walker. But the "Gang Green" defense is what defined the team, led by Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner, Wes Hopkins, Mike Golic, Byron Evans, Eric Allen, and Andre Waters.

Jeffrey Lurie ownership/Andy Reid coaching era
Jeffrey Lurie bought the Eagles on May 6, 1994 from then-owner Norman Braman for an estimated $185 million. The club is now estimated to be the 11th most valuable sports team, worth $1.12 billion, as valuated in 2011 by Forbes. In 1999, the Eagles hired head coach Andy Reid and drafted quarterback Donovan McNabb. From that time on the team continually improved, returning to the playoffs in 2000, then succeeding in winning the NFC East and playing in four consecutive conference championship games between 2001 and 2004. After losing the conference championship in 2001 to the St. Louis Rams, in 2002 to the eventual Super Bowl Champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers and in 2003 to the Carolina Panthers, the Eagles advanced to Super Bowl XXXIX at the end of the 2004 season, where they lost to the New England Patriots, 24–21. In 2006, the team earned its fifth NFC East title under Coach Reid and in 2008, the team won their 500th game. On January 11, 2009 the team defeated the defending Super Bowl Champions and the 2008 NFC East champion New York Giants 23–11 en route to their 5th NFC Championship Game in 8 years and 5th in the 10 years the Eagles have been coached by Andy Reid. In the 2008 NFC Championship Game, the Eagles lost to the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 32–25.

On August 13, 2009 the Eagles signed quarterback Michael Vick. On December 6, 2009, Andy Reid became only the 5th coach in NFL history to win 100 or more games with a single team in a single decade. The other four are Tom Landry, Don Shula, Tony Dungy, and Bill Belichick. With a record of 11–5 in 2009, the Eagles landed the sixth seed for the NFC playoffs. In the wild-card playoffs, the Eagles played against the Dallas Cowboys for the second consecutive week and lost 34–14. On April 4, 2010, the team traded long-time starting quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins in exchange for draft picks. Kevin Kolb was immediately named the starter, but after suffering a concussion in week 1 against the Packers, Vick took over as the starter. Vick led the Eagles to an NFC Eastern Division Championship. With a record of 10–6 the Eagles clinched the 3rd seed and had to play a wild-card playoff game. During the 2011 wild-card game the Eagles faced off against the eventual Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers and lost 21–16. After a 2012 season in which the Eagles struggled to 4-12 record, Owner Lurie decided the Eagles needed to go in another direction concerning the coaching and fired Andy Reid on December 31, 2012. During his tenure as the Eagles head coach, Reid had been the longest tenured head coach in the NFL, posting a regular season record of 130–93-1 (.583) and a playoff record of 10–9 (.526), with nine postseason appearances, six NFC East Division titles, and one NFC Championship and appearance in Super Bowl XXXIX in 2004.

Giants
One of the NFL's oldest, this rivalry began on October 5, 1933 when the Giants defeated the newly-founded Eagles 56–0. The Giants lead the all-time series 81–73–2.

Cowboys
The Eagles won the first game in this rivalry 25–27 on September 30, 1960. Dallas leads the all-time series 58–45. It has been particularly noted for the strong level of hostility between the two teams' fanbases, with incidents such as the 1989 Bounty Bowls.

Logo and uniforms
For several decades, the Eagles' colors were kelly green, silver, and white. Since the 1950s, the club's helmets have featured eagle wings, originally silver on a kelly green helmet. In 1969, the team wore two helmet versions: Kelly green with white wings in road games, and white with kelly green wings at home. From 1970 to '73, they wore the white helmets with Kelly green wings exclusively before switching back to Kelly green helmets with silver wings. By 1974, Joseph A. Scirrotto Jr. designed the silver wings took on a white outline, and this style on a kelly green helmet became standard for over two decades.

From 1948–95, the team logo was an eagle in flight carrying a football in its claws, although from '69–72, the eagle took on a more stylized look. As the design was similar to the Apollo 11 emblem, and its moon-landing craft was dubbed Eagle, players wore the flight's mission patch on their jerseys during 1969.

In 1973, the team's name was added below the eagle, which returned to its pre-'69 look.



However, both the logo and uniforms were radically altered in 1996. The primary kelly green color was changed to a darker shade, officially described as "midnight green." Silver was practically abandoned, as uniform pants moved to either white or midnight green. The traditional helmet wings were changed to a primarily white color, with silver and black accents. The team's logo combination (the eagle and club name lettering) also changed in 1996, with the eagle itself limited to a white (bald eagle) head, drawn in a less realistic, more cartoon-based style, and the lettering changing from calligraphic to block letters.

Since the 1996 alterations, the team has made only minor alterations, mostly relating to jersey/pant combinations worn during specific games. For example, in 1997, against the San Francisco 49ers, the team wore midnight green jerseys and pants for the first of only two occasions in team history. The second occasion was the final regular season game at Veterans Stadium, a win over the division-rival Washington Redskins. And in the first two games of the 2003 season (both home losses to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots), The Eagles wore white jerseys with white pants. Since 2003, the white jerseys along with white pants have been worn during preseason games. However, in every regular season game since the New England loss, when the team has worn the white jersey, they have paired it with green pants. The Eagles, though, did wear the white jerseys with white pants in two regular season games on the road since then. The first was against the Green Bay Packers on September 9, 2007. The second was on September 26, 2010, in a 28–3 win at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The 2003 season also saw the first (though only subtle) change to the 1996-style uniform. On both white and green jerseys, black shadows and silver trim were added to both the green and white numbering. The stripe on the pants changed from black-green-black to black-silver-green on the white pants, and from a solid black stripe to one stripe of black, another of silver, with one small white stripe in between for the midnight green pants. The 2003 season also saw the team debut black alternate jerseys, with a green (instead of black) shadow on white numbers, and silver trim. These black jerseys have been worn for two selected home games each season (usually the first home game after bye week and season finale). In the 2003 and 2004 regular-season home finales, the team wore the green road pants with the black alternate jerseys, but lost each game. Since then, the Eagles have only worn the black jerseys with the white pants. However, due to the special 75th anniversary uniforms serving as the "alternates" for one game in 2007, the Eagles could not wear the alternate black jersey that season per league rules (alternate uniforms are permitted twice per season but only one can be used). However, the black jerseys with white pants re-appeared for the 2008 Thanksgiving night game against the Arizona Cardinals. The black jerseys were most recently used in a November 29, 2009 game against the Washington Redskins. Since 2006, the Eagles have only worn the alternate black jerseys once a season and for the last November home game, but did not use them in 2007, 2010, and 2011. For the 2007 and 2010 seasons, the Eagles used throwback uniforms in place of the black alternates for their anniversary to commemorate past teams. The team also started wearing black shoes exclusively in 2004.



To celebrate the team's 75th anniversary, the 2007 uniforms featured a 75th-season logo patch on the left shoulder. In addition, the team wore "throwback" jerseys in a 2007 game against the Detroit Lions. The yellow and blue jerseys, the same colors found on Philadelphia's city flag, are based on those worn by the Philadelphia Eagles in the team's inaugural season, and were the same colors used by the former Frankford Yellow Jackets franchise prior to their suspension of operations in 1931. The Eagles beat Detroit, 56–21.

The Philadelphia Eagles wear their white jerseys at home for preseason games and daytime games in the first half of the regular season from September to mid-October when the temperature is warmer. In night contests in the first half of the regular season, the Eagles do not need to wear white at home since the temperature is cooler. However, there have been exceptions, such as the home opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003 and the Washington Redskins in 2007 that were played at night. In late October or beginning in November, the Eagles start to wear their colors at home, be it the midnight green jerseys or a third jersey. On one occasion the Eagles wore white at home after October in a meeting against the Dallas Cowboys on November 4, 2007 to make the Cowboys wear their road blue jerseys. Since moving to Lincoln Financial Field in 2003, the Eagles have worn white at home for at least their home opener. The Eagles have worn white for their home opener in every game since moving to Lincoln Financial Field in 2003, with the exceptions for the 2010 home opener (see next paragraph) and the 2011 home opener against the New York Giants. For the 2011 season, the Eagles did not wear white for any of their home games.

For their opening game of the 2010 season against the Green Bay Packers, on September 12, 2010, the Eagles wore uniforms similar to the ones that were worn by the 1960 championship team in honor the 50th anniversary of that team.

Training camp
The Eagles hold their pre-season training camp from the end of July through mid-August each year at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley. Their pre-season practices typically draw thousands of spectators.

Fight song
This fight song is heard during Eagles' home games after touchdowns and before the team is introduced prior to kickoff:

Fly, Eagles Fly, on The Road to Victory!

Fight, Eagles Fight, Score a Touchdown 1–2–3!

Hit 'em low, hit 'em high,

And watch our Eagles Fly!

Fly, Eagles fly, On The Road to Victory!

E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!

Eagles fans
Although the method may vary, studies that attempt to rank the 32 fan bases in the NFL consistently place Eagles fans among the best in the league, noting their "unmatched fervor."

The American City Business Journals, which conducts a regular study to determine the most loyal fans in the NFL, evaluates fans based primarily on attendance-related factors, and ranked Eagles fans third in both 1999 and 2006. The 2006 study called the fans "incredibly loyal," noting that they filled 99.8 percent of the seats in the stadium over the previous decade. Forbes placed the Eagles fans first in its 2008 survey, which was based on the correlation between team performance and fan attendance. ESPN.com placed Eagles fans fourth in the league in its 2008 survey, citing the connection between the team's performance and the mood of the city.

The studies note that—win or lose—Eagles fans can be counted on to pack their stadium. As of August 2008, the team had sold out 71 consecutive games, and 70,000 were on the team's waiting list for season tickets. Despite finishing with a 6–10 record in the 2005–2006 season, the Eagles ranked second in the NFL in merchandise sales, and single-game tickets for the next season were sold out minutes after phone and Internet lines opened.

In the April 2011 issue of GQ Magazine, they named Eagles fans the "Worst Fans in America," tied with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Eagles Fly for Leukemia, Ronald McDonald Houses
In 1971, Kim Hill, the daughter of Eagles tight end Fred Hill, was diagnosed with leukemia. As Hill and his family dealt with this devastating blow, his teammates and owner Leonard Tose pledged their emotional support. As Hill continued to research his daughter's leukemia, the support of Leonard Tose and the Eagles continued to inspire him. The Eagles held fund-raising dinners, the team made individual contributions, and Fred and Kim continued to bravely battle this disease. After Kim Hill's successful treatment, her father became committed to helping other families battle pediatric cancers. From helping them identify resources, to assisting financially, Fred Hill and his teammates continued their fight against childhood cancers. In 1972, Philadelphia Eagles owner Leonard Tose officially recognized Eagles Fly for Leukemia as the official philanthropy of the Philadelphia Eagles Football Club.

The Philadelphia Eagles Helmet Cart sat at Joseph A. Scirrotto Jr.'s (Designer of the 74 Helmet) "Joe's Gulf Gas Station" at Rising Sun Ave & Van Kirk St. 1974 off season year to raise money for "The Eagles Fly for Leukemia", where every weekend Eagles NFL Team Members joined to help raise awareness and funds.

The Eagles and Leonard Tose established the first Ronald McDonald House, a place for families to find shelter when their children are sick. Now, over 200 Ronald McDonald houses shelter thousands of families around the world. The spirit continued, and over the last 30 years Eagles Fly for Leukemia has raised over $10 million towards pediatric cancer research and family support. In 1991, Eagles Fly for Leukemia soared higher and became established as a free-standing non-profit organization, outside of the Eagles Football Club.

Eagles Youth Partnership
In 1995, in an effort to better give back to the community, Eagles Youth Partnership (EYP) was formed as a 501(c)(3) public charity in the emerging field of sports philanthropy.

Eagles Youth Partnership (EYP) serves over 50,000 low income children in the Greater Philadelphia region every year via two mobile units, the Eagles Eye Mobile, which gives eye examinations, and the Eagles Book Mobile, a literacy program. EYP is also known for annual playground builds in underserved neighborhoods, an annual chess tournament, and a variety of other programs and events. Since 2009 EYP has also staged a fan appreciation night entitled Eagles Flight Night. The night marks the Eagles first appearance of the season at Lincoln Financial Field, and is held in the form of a public practice.

The Philadelphia Eagles Football Club is the EYP's largest funder. The Eagles also donate free office space, staff support and other resources in support of the organization. Corporate, foundation and individual donors join to support Eagles Youth Partnership's efforts.

Pro Football Hall of Famers

 * Chuck Bednarik (1967) – 1949–62
 * Bert Bell (1963) – 1933–40
 * Bob Brown (2004) – 1964–68
 * Richard Dent (2011) – 1997
 * Mike Ditka (1988) – 1967–68
 * Bill Hewitt (1971) – 1937–39
 * Sonny Jurgensen (1983) – 1957–63
 * James Lofton (2003) – 1993
 * Ollie Matson (1972) – 1964–66


 * Tommy McDonald (1998) – 1957–63
 * James Arthur "Art" Monk (2008) – 1995
 * Earle "Greasy" Neale (1969) – 1941–50
 * Pete Pihos (1970) – 1947–55
 * Jim Ringo (1981) – 1964–67
 * Norm Van Brocklin (1971) – 1958–60
 * Steve Van Buren (1965) – 1944–51
 * Reggie White (2006) – 1985–92
 * Alex Wojciechowicz (1968) – 1946–50

Retired numbers

 * 15 Steve Van Buren, HB/S, 1944–51
 * 40 Tom Brookshier, DB, 1953–61
 * 44 Pete Retzlaff, RB/WR/TE, 1956–66
 * 60 Chuck Bednarik, C/LB, 1949–62


 * 70 Al Wistert, OT, 1943–51
 * 92 Reggie White, DE, 1985–92
 * 99 Jerome Brown, DT, 1987–91

Despite the numbers not being retired, no one has ever worn David Akers' 2, Donovan McNabb's 5, Randall Cunningham's 12, Brian Dawkins's 20, Brian Westbrook's 36, or Tra Thomas's 72 since those players have left the Eagles. Owner Jeffrey Lurie stated during the Eagles' 2009 training camp that Dawkins's 20 will not be re-issued to another player as long as he is the owner.

Eagles Honor Roll
In 1987, the Eagles Honor Roll was established. Each Eagle player who had by then been elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was among the inaugural induction class.


 * 1987
 * 60 Chuck Bednarik, C-LB, 1949–1962
 * Bert Bell, founder-owner, 1933–1940
 * 17 Harold Carmichael, WR, 1971–1983
 * 56 Bill Hewitt, TE-DE, 1936–1939 and 1943
 * 9 Sonny Jurgensen, QB, 1957–1963
 * 31 Wilbert Montgomery, RB, 1977–1984
 * Earle "Greasy" Neale, Head Coach, 1941–1950
 * 35 Pete Pihos, TE-DE, 1947–1955
 * 33 Ollie Matson, RB, 1964–1966
 * 54 Jim Ringo, C, 1964–1967
 * 11 Norm Van Brocklin, QB, 1958–1960
 * 15 Steve Van Buren, RB-S, 1944–1951
 * 53 Alex Wojciechowicz, C-DT, 1946–1950


 * 1988
 * 66 Bill Bergey, LB, 1974–1980
 * 25 Tommy McDonald, WR, 1957–1963


 * 1989
 * 40 Tom Brookshier, CB, 1954–1961
 * 44 Pete Retzlaff, TE, 1956–1966


 * 1990
 * 22 Timmy Brown, RB, 1960–1967


 * 1991
 * 76 Jerry Sisemore, OT, 1973–1984
 * 75 Stan Walters, OT, 1975–1983


 * 1992
 * 7 Ron Jaworski, QB, 1977–1986


 * 1993
 * 28 Bill Bradley, S-P, 1969–1976


 * 1994
 * Dick Vermeil, head coach, 1976–1982


 * 1995
 * Jim Gallagher, team executive, 1949–1995
 * 82 Mike Quick, WR, 1982–1990


 * 1996
 * 99 Jerome Brown, DT, 1987–1991


 * 1999
 * Otho Davis, head trainer, 1973–1995


 * 2006
 * 92 Reggie White, DE, 1985–1992


 * 2009
 * 70 Al Wistert, OT, 1943–1951
 * 12 Randall Cunningham, QB-P, 1985–1995


 * 2011
 * 21 Eric Allen, CB, 1988–94
 * Jim Johnson, defensive coordinator, 1999–2008

John Wanamaker Athletic Award (Philadelphia Sports Congress)

 * See footnote

Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame

 * Chuck Bednarik
 * Bert Bell
 * Tom Brookshier (2010)
 * Tommy McDonald


 * Pete Pihos
 * Steve Van Buren
 * Reggie White
 * broadcaster Bill Campbell

Eagles Radio Affiliates
From 2008 through 2010, Eagles games were broadcast on both rock-formatted WYSP-FM and sports-talk Sports Radio 610 WIP-AM, as both stations are owned and operated by CBS Radio. In 2011, CBS dropped the music on WYSP, renaming it WIP-FM and making it a full simulcast of WIP-AM.

Merrill Reese, who joined the Eagles in the mid-1970s, is the play-by-play announcer, and former Eagles wide receiver Mike Quick is the color analyst. Former Eagles linebacker Bill Bergey is among several Eagles post-game commentators on WIP.

Most preseason games are televised on WPVI, the local ABC owned and operated station. Television announcers for these preseason games are Don Tollefson, Brian Baldinger and Hugh Douglas.

Notes and references

 * Vick helps Eagles fly on the road to victory