E-Book Overview
In the City of Brotherly Love, no team tugs at the hearts and weighs on the minds of fans more than the Philadelphia Eagles. But, much more than a local obsession, the Eagles are also one of football's most storied franchises. Amply illustrated with 200 photos of the players, coaches, fans, and the stadiums in which the team has played, The Eagles Encyclopedia recounts the greatest moments in the team's history, and brings to life the men who helped create modern football. Fans will read about:
* Bert Bell's 1933 purchase of the Frankford Yellow Jackets, the city's first NFL franchise
* The Philadelphia-Pittsburgh ''Steagles''during WWII, which produced the team's first winning season
* The 1960 NFL title victory over the Packers and the 1980 Super Bowl game
* The sterling careers of Hall of Famers like Chuck Bednarik and Steve van Buren
* The Duffel Bag Dynasty of 1947-1949, when the Eagles went to three consecutive NFL championships, including back-to-back championships
* The thrilling 21st century, which has so far seen four consecutive NFC championship games and a second Super Bowl bid! But wait, there's more! The Eagles Encyclopedia also includes:
* A year by year history of the team—from 1933 to the present, with stats from each season
* Individual profiles of more than 100 Eagles players—from Swede Hanson to Donovan McNabb
* A statistical chapter that provides all the Eagles records—a complete roster, and every draft pick Written by Pro Football Hall of Fame writer Ray Didinger and local sports historian Robert S. Lyons, The Eagles Encyclopedia is the first comprehensive chronicle of the team's history and an indispensable guide for every Eagles fan. This book is not sanctioned by the NFL or its teams.
E-Book Content
The Eagles Encyclopedia The photo collage on the title page represents all eight decades of Eagles football: quarterback Davey O’Brien (8) starred for the team in the 1930s; halfback Steve Van Buren (lower right) led the team to two world championships in the 1940s; Eagles play at Shibe Park (lower left), their home in the 1950s; linebacker Chuck Bednarik (upper right, number 60) starred for the 1960 world championship team; quarterback Ron Jaworski (7) set passing records in the 1970s; quarterback Randall Cunningham (12) was one of the most exciting players of the 1980s; Donovan McNabb (hoisting the NFC Championship trophy) joined the team in the 1990s and teamed with Freddie Mitchell (84) and Brian Westbrook (36) to win four consecutive Eastern Division titles, beginning in 2001. The photo on the dedication page is Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik in his final season, 1962. A photo gallery of Eagles players through the years appears at the beginning of each chapter. Featured are (left to right) tackle Vic Sears (1941–53), Hall of Fame halfback Steve Van Buren (1944–51), end Jack Ferrante (1941, 1944–50), quarterback Bobby Thomason (1952–57), Hall of Fame quarterback Norm Van Brocklin (1958–60), Hall of Fame flanker Tommy McDonald (1957–63), Hall of Fame tackle Bob Brown (1964–68), defensive end–linebacker Tim Rossovich (1968–71), halfback Wilbert Montgomery (1977–84), kicker Tony Franklin (1979–83), and two current Eagles, defensive tackle Corey Simon and quarterback Donovan McNabb. The EAGLES Encyclopedia RAY DIDINGER and ROBERT S. LYONS TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS Philadelphia Temple University Press 1601 North Broad Street Philadelphia PA 19122 www.temple.edu/tempress Copyright © 2005 by Temple University All rights reserved Published 2005 Printed in the United States of America Design by Lynne Frost The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992 The authors and publisher wish to thank the fol