Philadelphia Eagles

Facts and information about the Philadelphia Eagles

While still an active player, former Defensive Lineman Jerome Brown was killed in a car crash.

The Frankford Yellow Jackets, Philadelphia’s original entry in the NFL, went bankrupt and folded in 1931. This opened the way for a new team and the Eagles were born in 1933.

Former running back Wilbert Montgomery set the NAIA collegiate touchdown by scoring 76 touchdowns while playing for Abilene Christian.
Former Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil owns the distinction of being named Coach of the Year at four different levels; high school, junior college, NCAA Division I, and the NFL.
Brothers Ty and Koy Detmer have both started games at quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Eagles offensive lineman/linebacker, and hall-of-famer, Chuck Bednarick was the last player in the NFL to play both offense and defense for his team.
Eagles running back Steve Van Buren was the first NFL player ever to record back-to-back seasons of over 1,000 yards from scrimmage.
In 1979, quarterback Ron Jaworski and backup quarterback Joe Pisarcik (both of Polish heritage) received medals from Pope John Paul II who was visiting Philadelphia.
The Eagles won the 1960 NFL Championship Game with their defeat of the Green Bay Packers. This is the only time the Packers were beaten in a Championship Game while Vince Lombardi was the coach.
The Eagles Bill Bradley was the first player to lead the NFL in interceptions two years in a row.
The last completed pass of Roman Gabriel’s career was made as an Eagle and was thrown to Vince Papale. Papale was the inspiration for the 2006 Disney movie Invincible starring Mark Wahlberg.

In 1943, due to shortages in manpower because of the needs of World War II, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles temporarily merged, forming the Phil-Pitt Steagles.

The Eagles were the first (and so far only) team to win back-to-back NFL Championships by shutouts when they beat the Chicago Cardinals in 1948 by a score of 7-0, followed in 1949 with their 14-0 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

The first time Philadelpha would finish a season with a record above .500 would be 1943 when they played as part of a merger with the Pittsburgh Steelers due to World War II.

Former Eagles owner Bert Bell also once owned the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1940s.

Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher had two separate stints as a Linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles; he played with the team in 1979, and then again in 1983 and 1984.

The NFL Champion 1960 Philadelphia Eagles team was the only team to defeat Vince Lombardi’s Packers in the playoffs.

The Eagles played in four consecutive conference championship games from 2001-2004, advancing to the Super Bowl after winning the 2004 game only to be defeated by the Patriots.

In 1996, the Eagles official green color was changed from Kelly Green to what is known as Midnight Green.

When the Eagles wings first appeared on Philadelphia helmets they were silver on a green helmet. In the early 1970’s they had green wings on a white helmet. Since the mid 1970’s they have had white wings on a green helmet. For one season, 1969, they had two helmet versions they used; green wings on a white helmet and white wings on a green helmet.

In the Philadelphia Eagles first year in the NFL, their jerseys were yellow and blue.

While a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Running Back Herschel Walker competed in and finished seventh in Bobsledding during the 1992 Winter Olympics.

The first Ronald McDonald House ever came as a result of the Eagles and their one-time owner Leonard Tose.

A transsexual former Philadelphia Eagles Tight End is a character in the book and move The World According To Garp, the character is played by John Lithgow in the movie.

The 2006 movie Invincible, starring Mark Wahlberg, is dramatized story of Vince Papale who at the age of 30 went to a Philadelphia Eagles open tryout and made the team.

The Super Bowl winning and former Oakland Raiders Head Coach John Madden was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958 but due to a training camp injury, never played in a game.

Though famous for playing and coaching with the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys, Mike Ditka also played Tight End for a short time with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The first Philadelphia Eagle to enter the Hall-of-Fame was founder and former owner Bert Bell, who was inducted in 1963. The first Eagles player to be inducted was Running Back and Safety Steve Van Buren in 1965.

Head Coach Dick Vermeil’s first victory with the Eagles was secured with a fumble recovery by Vince Papale, a 30-year-old rookie who would later become the basis for the 2006 Mark Wahlberg movie Invincible.

In their history, the Philadelphia Eagles have two former Head Coaches with perfect win-loss records; Bo McMillin went 2-0 in 1958 and Fred Bruney went 1-0 in 1985.

The NFC Championship Game loss to eventual Super Bowl winners the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following the 2002 season was the final game played in Philadelphia’s Veteran’s Stadium.

Star Defensive Lineman Reggie White got his start in professional football with the Memphis Showboats of the USFL.

Wide Receiver and Special Teams player Vince Papale made the Eagles as a walk-on. Papale played no collegiate football, but had tried out for and made the defunct Philadelphia Bell of the World Football League while working as a bartender in Philadelphia. The 2006 Mark Wahlberg movie, Invincible, would be based on Vince Papale.

Former Eagles Wide Receiver Vince Papale, the subject of the 2006 Mark Wahlberg movie Invincible, was the oldest rookie ever in the NFL without college football experience (not counting Kickers).

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