philadelphia eagles

Currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL), the team has won three NFL titles and has made two Super Bowl appearances.

The Eagles joined the NFL as a 1933 expansion team. They are perhaps best known for the enthusiasm, knowledge and sometimes misbehavior of their large numbers of loyal fans, located primarily in central and eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, northern Delaware, and Cecil County located in the northeastern corner of Maryland.

Eagles training camp

The Eagles begin each season with summer training camp at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles north of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley.

Eagles' training camps are notable for routinely drawing some of the largest and most enthusiastic crowds, often as many as 10,000 fans, of any NFL training camp. The Eagles' twice-daily practices are held from mid-July to mid-August at Lehigh's football practice facilities.

Franchise history

Midway through the 1931 season, Philadelphia's representative in the NFL, 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 former Yellow Jackets owners Bert Bell and Lud Wray, in exchange for an entry fee of $2,500. Drawing inspiration from the insignia of the centerpiece of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, the National Recovery Act, 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 aforementioned period of dormancy; furthermore, almost no Yellow Jackets players were on the Eagles' first roster. Some observers, however, believe the two teams should be treated as one.) The Eagles, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the defunct Cincinnati Reds, joined the NFL as expansion teams.

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 temporarily merged with the Pittsburgh Steelers to form a team known as "the Phil-Pitt 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.

The Eagles won their third NFL championship in 1960 under the leadership of future Pro Football Hall of Famers Norm Van Brocklin and Chuck Bednarik. But they would not qualify for the postseason again until 1978 when head coach Dick Vermeil and quarterback Ron Jaworski led the team to four consecutive playoff appearances, including a Super Bowl XV loss to the Oakland Raiders.

Philadelphia then struggled throughout the mid-1980s. But from 1988 to 1996, they qualified for the playoffs during 6 out of those 9 seasons. Among the team's offensive stars during that period were quarterback Randall Cunningham, tight end Keith Jackson, and running back Keith Byars. But the "Gang Green" defense is what defined the team, led by Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner, Wes Hopkins, and Andre Waters.

In 1999, the Eagles hired head coach Andy Reid and drafted quarterback Donovan McNabb. Since then, the team has played in four consecutive conference championship games between 2001 and 2004. The Eagles advanced to Super Bowl XXXIX, where they were defeated by the New England Patriots.

Logo and uniforms

For several decades, the Eagles' colors were green, silver, and white. Since the 1950s, the club's helmets have featured eagle wings. At first they were silver wings on a green helmet. Then in 1969, the team wore two helmet versions: green helmets with white wings for road games, and white helmets with green wings for home games. From 1970 to 1973, they wore the white helmets with green wings exclusively before switching back to green helmets with silver wings in 1974.

In 1969, the team introduced a stylized logo featuring an eagle carrying a football in its claws. This logo was later redrawn a few years later to be a little more realistic.

Both the logo and uniforms changed in 1996. The jerseys became a darker green and black was added as a trim color. The team retired the eagle carrying a football logo and went with a stylized eagle head. The eagle wings on the helmet were also redesigned with black and silver trim to look similar to the new eagle head logo. The club later debuted black alternate jerseys, which are worn for home games as an alternate to the solid green jerseys. The black home jerseys are usually worn each season for about one or two of the team's eight home games.

Fight song

Eagles fans will sing the team fight song with little to no provocation, and always after an Eagles touchdown.

Fly, Eagles fly, on the road to victory!

Fight, Eagles, fight, score a touchdown one-two-three!

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![1]

The fight song was reputedly the creation of former owner Jerry Wolman's daughter, who, impressed by the "war chant" of the rival Washington Redskins, implored her father to play an Eagles equivalent during their games. With the later sale of the team and move to Veterans Stadium, the fight song was largely forgotten, although a few die-hards could be heard singing the lyrics on special occasions. That it was ultimately brought back to such popular acclaim is testament to the vision of Jeffrey Lurie, whose regime reinstated the practice of playing the song over stadium loudspeakers (with a modern addition of projecting the lyrics on the scoreboard) after Eagle touchdowns. The song is now ubiquitous wherever Eagles fans are found. The song has been heard at Phillies, Flyers, and Sixers games, and even at the Philadelphia Live 8 concert prior to the show. The song is sometimes sung with a slight modification, especially on local radio, in which the lyrics "watch our Eagles fly!" are replaced with "watch those [upcoming opposing team's name] cry!" (e.g. "watch those Cowboys cry!").

Interestingly, the Lurie revival was accompanied by a slight adjustment of the lyrics. Originally, the second line of the song was:

"Fight, Green and White, score a touchdown, one-two-three!"

With Lurie's modernization of team uniforms, however, and the new emphasis on Black and Silver, the mention of the traditional colors was omitted. Few noticed.

Charitable activity

Eagles Fly for Leukemia, Ronald McDonald Houses

In 1971, Kim Hill, the daughter of Philadelphia Eagles tight end Fred Hill was diagnosed with leukemia. As Fred & his family dealt with the devastating blow to the family, his teammates and owner Leonard Tose pledged their emotional support.

As Fred continued to research Kim's leukemia, the support of Leonard Tose and the Philadelphia Eagles continued to inspire him. The Eagles held fundraising dinners, the team made individual contributions, and Fred and Kim continued to bravely battle this disease.

After Kim's successful treatment, Fred realized how powerful the spirit of solidarity that his teammates displayed truly was. Fred became committed to helping other families battle pediatric cancers. From helping them identify resources, to assisting financially, Fred & 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 spirit of the Eagles and Leonard Tose led to the development of the world's first Ronald McDonald house- a place for families to find shelter when their children are sick. Now, over 200 Ronald McDonald house's 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 established themselves as a free-standing non-profit organization, outside of the Philadelphia Eagles Football Club. However, the spirit remains, as the team continues to support and encourage Eagles Fly for Leukemia initiatives.

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 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.

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

Radio broadcasts

Eagles games are broadcast in the greater Philadelphia area on 94.1 Free FM WYSP.

Bill Campbell was the longtime radio voice of the Eagles, and broadcast their 1960 NFL Championship. Merrill Reese has been the radio voice of the Eagles since 1977. He is currently complemented by the color commentary of former Eagle wide receiver Mike Quick, noted for his unique turns of phrase (e.g., "McNABB-ulous!"). Before Quick, Reese's sidekick was Stan Walters, former All-Pro Eagles offensive tackle.

Reese is known for his deep voice, which rises with enthusiasm on positive Eagles' plays. Reese's fairly unique play-by-play radio coverage, combined with his extensive knowledge of the Eagles and the NFL generally, has gained deep respect among the Eagles' loyal fan base. His coverage also is often played as part of national replays of Eagles' highlights.

Many Eagles fans so prefer Reese's radio coverage of the game that they mute their televisions and watch the game while listening to his broadcast.

Reese's play-by-play of the final minute of the Eagles' victory over the Atlanta Falcons in the 2004 NFC Championship Game (to send the Eagles to Super Bowl XXXIX) is among the most frequently replayed radio broadcast segments of the past decade.

Fan enthusiasm and misbehavior

Eagles fans' devotion to their team is reflected by ticket sales: games are invariably sold out, and the waiting list for season tickets numbers 60,000.^[1] In June 2006, tickets for home games were sold out in a matter of minutes after opening phone and internet lines.^[2] Despite finishing with a 6-10 record in the 2005-2006 season, the Eagles ranked second in the NFL in merchandise sales the following year.^[2]

Eagles fans have become notorious in the NFL for their arguably unmatched enthusiasm, knowledge and team loyalty, and sometimes also for their bad behavior. Eagles' fans enthusiastically embrace hard-edged, dedicated play. But they have also turned quickly on teams perceived as lacking a sufficient commitment to winning.

The most infamous example was the "Santa Claus Incident," on December 15, 1968, at Franklin Field, in which angry fans, upset at the conclusion of yet another failed season under head coach Joe Kuharich (including first losing 11 games, then winning 2, which prevented the team from getting first pick in the next draft, O.J. Simpson), booed and threw snowballs at a man dressed as Santa Claus during the halftime show.^[3]

Frank Olivo, a 19-year-old fan dressed as Santa Claus who had been drafted from the stands as an ad hoc replacement for the scheduled Christmas pageant, was the target of the crowd's anger.^[3] As Olivo recounts, fans threw snowballs at him after he reached the end zone, shouting that he made a poor Santa. According to local news reporter Ray Didinger, Olivo was visibly intoxicated.^[3] This led to more snowballs. Subsequently, a legend was born.

Other high-profile examples of fan misbehavior include:

• At a December 10, 1989 game dubbed "Bounty Bowl II" against the Dallas Cowboys, the city failed to clear the stadium following a snowstorm. Fans threw snowballs onto the field, pelting Cowboys players and coaching staff, NFL officials, and one another. Future Mayor of Philadelphia and current Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell got caught up in the fallout from that game when he admitted to a reporter that he had bet another fan $20 that he couldn't reach the field with a snowball. (It can be seen from the videotape that Dallas Cowboys' head coach Jimmy Johnson was, in fact, pelted in the head with a snowball. Unsurprisingly, Jimmy's hair withstood the blast, his trademark hairstyle intact.)^[4] As a result, the team added security and banned beer sales for their last remaining home game of the regular season.^[5]

• During a November 10, 1997 Monday Night Football game against the San Francisco 49ers, the Eagles fans, in a 24-12 loss, infuriated by a series of calls by the officials and poor play by the Eagles, engaged in a number of highly visible, large-scale brawls on national television. In the last quarter, one fan fired a flare gun across the stadium into empty seats in the 700 level. Other ignominious incidents that evening include a woman flashing from the luxury suites and a man operating a chainsaw in the parking lot. Shortly thereafter, the infamous Veterans Stadium courtroom was established.^[6]

• A contingent of Eagles fans traveled to the 1999 NFL Draft in New York for the sole purpose of jeering the Eagles selecting anyone other than Heisman Trophy winning running back Ricky Williams. Local radio hosts had recruited the boorishly behaving crew to protest the selection, which turned out to be future Pro-Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb. McNabb stayed composed during the incident, and the thirty or so fans who booed him were subsequently derided as the "Dirty Thirty," while the radio hosts in question were widely criticized for their roles as instigators. McNabb has since become one of Philadelphia's most beloved sports icons, and Williams has had numerous off-field problems and is currently out of the league.

• During a October 10, 1999 game against the division rival Dallas Cowboys, Cowboys wide receiver (and bete noire of Eagle fans) Michael Irvin was knocked unconscious when his head hit Philadelphia's hard turf-covered cement field after a catch. As Irvin lay prostrate and immobile on the turf, some Eagles fans cheered the injury. Irvin was ultimately diagnosed with a broken neck, and the injury ended his career. In that game, the Eagles rallied from a 10-0 deficit to earn their first victory of the season, 13-10. (Some fans who were there claim that it was not Irvin's injury but Deion Sanders's showboating during the injury timeout that they were booing.)^[7]

Acts of violence by Eagles fans against fans of visiting teams, combined with ongoing difficulties with public drunkenness, prompted Philadelphia municipal judge Seamus McCaffrey and the Philadelphia Police Department to establish a small, in-stadium courtroom at the Vet in 1997. Additionally, plainclothes officers, dressed in the colors of the visiting team, were dispatched to sit in sections known as being dangerous to opposing fans, most such sections being located in the Vet's notorious "700 Level" upperdeck. By 1999, incidents of fan misbehavior had diminished to the point that the courtroom was no longer needed.

Eagles in popular culture

In John Irving's novel, The World According to Garp, the protagonist's sidekick is a transsexual former Eagles tight end. In the film adaptation of the novel, the part was played by John Lithgow.

In the 1998 film The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon, Tony Danza stars as a Philadelphia sanitation worker named Barney Gorman, whose garbage truck wouldn't close its payload properly so he kicks the lever shut. His leg becomes so strong that he can kick field goals beyond 50 yards, and the Eagles sign him as their place kicker.

This fictional tale is similar to the true story of Vince Papale, told in the 2006 film Invincible. Papale, played by Mark Wahlberg, was a bartender who had attended St. Joseph's University and briefly played for the World Football League's Philadelphia Bell. At the age of 30, he was invited to an open tryout for the Eagles and made the team as a wide receiver, where he played from 1976 to 1978. In reflection of the fictional boxer, Papale was nicknamed "Rocky."

Books about the Eagles and their fans include:

• The Great Philadelphia Fan Book, by Glen Macnow and Anthony Gargano, both hosts on Philadelphia's sports-talk radio station WIP (2003).
• The Great Philadelphia Sports Debate, by Macnow and Angelo Cataldi, another WIP host (2004).
• The Eagles Encyclopedia, by Ray Didinger and Robert Lyons (2005).
• A Sunday Pilgrimage: Six Days, Several Prayers and the Super Bowl, by Anthony Gargano (2005).
• If Football's a Religion, Why Don't We Have a Prayer? Philadelphia, Its Faithful, and the Eternal Quest for Sports Salvation, by Jere Longman (2006).

Season-by-season records

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties

* = Current Standing

Players of note

Current players

Pro Football Hall of Famers

• Chuck Bednarik (1967) - 1949-1962
• Bert Bell (1963) - 1933-1940
• Bob Brown (2004) - 1964-1968
• Mike Ditka (1988) - 1967-1968
• Sonny Jurgensen (1983) - 1957-1963
• Ollie Matson (1972) 1964-1966
• Tommy McDonald (1998) - 1957-1963
• Earle "Greasy" Neale (1969) - 1941-1950
• Pete Pihos (1970) - 1947-1955
• Jim Ringo (1981) - 1964-1967
• Norm Van Brocklin (1971) - 1958-1960
• Steve Van Buren (1965) - 1944-1951
• Reggie White (2006) - 1985-1992
• Alex Wojciechowicz (1968) - 1946-1950

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, 1986-92

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.

• 60 Chuck Bednarik, C-LB, 1949-62, inducted 1987
• Bert Bell, founder-owner, 1933-40, inducted 1987
• 17 Harold Carmichael, WR, 1971-83, inducted 1987
• 56 Bill Hewitt, TE-DE, 1936-39 and 1943, inducted 1987
• 9 Sonny Jurgensen, QB, 1957-63, inducted 1987
• 31 Wilbert Montgomery, RB, 1977-84, inducted 1987
• Earle "Greasy" Neale, Head Coach, 1941-50, inducted 1987
• 35 Pete Pihos, TE-DE, 1947-55, inducted 1987
• 33 Ollie Matson, RB, 1964-66, inducted 1987
• 54 Jim Ringo, C, 1964-67, inducted 1987
• 11 Norm Van Brocklin, QB, 1958-60, inducted 1987
• 15 Steve Van Buren, RB-S, 1944-51, inducted 1987
• 53 Alex Wojciechowicz, C-DT, 1946-50, inducted 1987
• 66 Bill Bergey, LB, 1974-80, inducted 1988
• 25 Tommy McDonald, WR, 1957-63, inducted 1988
• 40 Tom Brookshier, CB, 1954-61, inducted 1989
• 44 Pete Retzlaff, TE, 1956-66, inducted 1989
• 22 Timmy Brown, RB, 1960-67, inducted 1990
• 76 Jerry Sisemore, OT, 1973-84, inducted 1991
• 75 Stan Walters, OT, 1975-83, inducted 1991
• 7 Ron Jaworski, QB, 1977-86, inducted 1992
• 28 Bill Bradley, S-P, 1969-76, inducted 1993
• Dick Vermeil, Head Coach, 1976-82, inducted 1994
• Jim Gallagher, team executive, 1949-95, inducted 1995
• 82 Mike Quick, WR, 1982-90, inducted 1995
• 99 Jerome Brown, DE, 1987-91, inducted 1996
• Otho Davis, head trainer, 1973-95, inducted 1999
• 92 Reggie White, DE, 1987-92, inducted 2006

Despite having his number 70 retired, Al Wistert has not been inducted into the Eagles Honor Roll.

Bednarik, Bell, Pihos, Van Buren, McDonald and broadcaster Bill Campbell have also been inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.

Other notable alumni

• 1 Tony Franklin, K
• 5 Roman Gabriel, QB
• 8 Paul McFadden, K
• 9 Jim McMahon, QB
• 12 Randall Cunningham, QB
• 13 Norm Snead, QB
• 20 Andre Waters, SS
• 21 Eric Allen, CB
• 29 Harold Jackson, WR
• 32 Ricky Watters, RB
• 34 Herschel Walker, RB
• 41 Keith Byars, RB
• 43 Roynell Young, S
• 46 Herman Edwards, CB;
• 48 Wes Hopkins, S
• 56 Byron Evans, LB
• 59 Seth Joyner, LB
• 69 Woody Peoples, G
• 76 Bob Brown OT
• 80 Cris Carter, WR
• 80 Irving Fryar, WR
• 83 Vince Papale WR
• 86 Fred Barnett, WR
• 87 Claude Humphrey, DE
• 88 John Spagnola, TE
• 90 Mike Golic, DT
• 95 John Bunting, LB
• 96 Clyde Simmons, DE

Head coaches

Current staff

• CEO - Jeffrey Lurie
• General Manager - Tom Heckert
• President/Chief Operating Officer - Joe Banner
• Head Coach - Andy Reid
• Offensive Coordinator - Marty Mornhinweg
• Defensive Coordinator - Jim Johnson
• Special Teams Coach - John Harbaugh
• Quarterbacks Coach - Pat Shurmur
• Running Backs Coach - Ted Williams
• Wide Receivers Coach - David Culley
• Tight Ends Coach - Tom Melvin
• Offensive Line Coach - Juan Castillo
• Offensive Assistant - Bill Shuey
• Defensive Line Coach - Pete Jenkins
• Linebackers Coach - Steve Spagnuolo
• Defensive Backs Coach - Trent Walters
• Defensive Assistant - Mike Reed
• Strength and Conditioning - Mike Wolf

Notes

External links

• Philadelphia Eagles official web site
• Philadelphia Eagles news and opinion sources
• The EagleMobile website
• Sports E-Cyclopedia.com