Buzz
The Eagles have soared back into the spotlight, reaching the Super Bowl for the first time in over a decade. The City of Brotherly Love is buzzing with anticipation for Sunday’s big game. While the team has yet to claim a Vince Lombardi Trophy, their unique fight song even made its way into the Star Wars saga. Dive into these intriguing details about this iconic NFL franchise.
1. THE TEAM’S NAME WAS INSPIRED BY A HISTORIC GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE.
Image Source: Public Domain, Wikimedia CommonsBetween 1924 and 1931, the Philadelphia region was home to an NFL team known as the Frankford Yellow Jackets. Following their dissolution, Lud Wray, a seasoned league veteran, and Bert Bell, a prominent businessman, founded a new team. This franchise debuted in 1933, coinciding with Franklin Roosevelt’s establishment of the National Recovery Administration. This New Deal initiative aimed to enforce fair wages, support union growth, and ensure competitive equity. Inspired by the NRA’s blue eagle logo, which featured a gear and lightning bolts, Wray and Bell named their team “The Philadelphia Eagles.”
2. THE NFL DRAFT WAS PROPOSED BY THEIR CO-FOUNDER.
In 1935, Bert Bell, who would later become NFL commissioner, introduced the concept of a draft to revolutionize talent acquisition. Presented at a league meeting, the first NFL Draft took place in 1936. Previously, teams directly negotiated with college players, often leading top talent to join the wealthiest franchises. Bell’s draft system ensured fairness by allowing teams to select players in turns, with the previous season’s weakest team choosing first.
3. THE EAGLES PARTICIPATED IN THE NFL’S FIRST TELEVISED GAME.
On October 22, 1939, the Eagles faced the Brooklyn Football Dodgers (now defunct) and were defeated 23-14. NBC deployed an eight-person team to film the event, which aired on a New York City affiliate. Approximately 500 viewers in New York watched the uninterrupted two-hour and 33-minute broadcast, marking a historic moment in sports media.
4. DURING 1943, THE EAGLES COMBINED THEIR TEAM WITH THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS.
#Betcha didn't know the NFL once had a team called "The Steagles"https://t.co/asL2gYVhvT
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 4, 2016
World War II led to a severe shortage of players, as many football stars enlisted to serve overseas. In Pennsylvania, both the Steelers and Eagles faced such depleted rosters that their futures were in jeopardy. To survive, they merged for the 1943 season, forming a combined 25-man team known as the “Steagles.” This partnership dissolved the following year when the Eagles rebuilt their roster, while the Steelers merged again, this time with the Chicago Cardinals in 1944.
5. STEVE VAN BUREN, A PHILADELPHIA LEGEND, WAS THE FIRST NFL RUNNING BACK TO ACHIEVE MULTIPLE THOUSAND-YARD SEASONS.
Beloved by fans, Eagles running back Steve Van Buren rushed for 1008 yards in 1947 and 1146 in 1949. He remains the only Pro Football Hall of Famer born in Honduras.
6. THE KENNEDY BROTHERS, INCLUDING JOHN F. KENNEDY, CONSIDERED PURCHASING THE FRANCHISE.
Picture a U.S. president co-owning an NFL team. This nearly happened in 1962 when the Eagles were up for sale. The Kennedy family discovered they could buy the team for just $6 million, sparking serious interest.
Former senator
7. DEDICATED EAGLES FANS GAINED FREE ENTRY TO THE 1948 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME—IF THEY BROUGHT SHOVELS.
Before the Super Bowl era, the Eagles secured three NFL championships. Their first came on December 14, 1948, defeating the Cardinals in the NFL Championship Game. Held at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, the game faced a major obstacle: a blizzard dumped 18 inches of snow on the field. Fans were offered free admission if they brought shovels to help clear the snow. Ultimately, groundskeepers, fans, and players from both teams collaborated to prepare the stadium for the historic game.
8. THE EAGLES HOLD THE DISTINCTION OF BEING THE ONLY TEAM TO DEFEAT VINCE LOMBARDI’S PACKERS IN THE PLAYOFFS.
The Vince Lombardi Trophy honors a football legend. As Green Bay’s head coach, Lombardi led the Packers to five championships, including the first two Super Bowls. His teams were nearly unbeatable in the playoffs, with just one playoff loss during his nine-year reign: the 1960 NFL Championship Game, where the Eagles triumphed 17-13 at Franklin Field.
9. THE SANTA CLAUS WHO WAS HIT WITH SNOWBALLS BY EAGLES FANS FOUND THE WHOLE THING AMUSING.
The infamous Santa Claus incident remains a lasting memory for Philadelphia fans. On December 15, 1968, the struggling 2-11 Eagles faced the Minnesota Vikings in their season finale. Despite a blizzard, over 54,000 fans packed Franklin Field. To lift spirits, the team had arranged for a Santa Claus performer, but he didn’t show up. Instead, 19-year-old Frank Olivo, who happened to be wearing a homemade Santa suit, volunteered to step in.
As Olivo took the field, the cold, frustrated crowd booed and pelted him with snowballs. This moment has become a legendary part of Eagles lore, even for fans who weren’t alive at the time. Olivo, however, claimed, “I’m a Philadelphia fan, so I understood. I thought it was hilarious.”
Before his passing in 2015, Olivo even stated, “Philadelphia fans are the greatest in the world. No matter what anyone says, they live and breathe their teams.”
10. A REMARKABLE EAGLES VICTORY MADE THE QUARTERBACK KNEEL A COMMON PRACTICE.
Today, it’s routine for a quarterback to kneel and run down the clock when their team is ahead in the final moments of a game. However, this wasn’t always the norm. Initially seen as unsportsmanlike, the tactic gained acceptance after the 1978 Eagles-Giants matchup, famously dubbed “The Miracle at the Meadowlands.”
With under 30 seconds left, the Giants led 17-12 and had possession. Instead of kneeling, QB Joe Pisarcik attempted a handoff, fumbling the ball. Eagles defensive back Herman Edwards seized the opportunity, recovering the fumble and scoring the winning touchdown. The shocking turn of events left New York fans in disbelief. A week later, the NFL officially embraced the quarterback kneel, cementing it as a standard strategy.
11. ONE OF THE TEAM’S MOST UNUSUAL GAMES FEATURED A DENSE FOG COVERING THE FIELD.
NFL.com, Public Domain, Wikimedia CommonsOn December 31, 1988, the Eagles suffered a playoff defeat against the Bears in Chicago, in a game famously remembered as “The Fog Bowl.” The name was fitting, as a dense fog from Lake Michigan engulfed Soldier Field during the second half and persisted until the game’s conclusion. Visibility was so poor that players could barely see 10 yards ahead. Bears announcer Jim Riebandt, stationed in the press box, relied on updates from an usher on the field equipped with a two-way radio to call the game.
12. SAFETY BRIAN DAWKINS ACHIEVED A SACK, FUMBLE RECOVERY, INTERCEPTION, AND TOUCHDOWN—ALL IN A SINGLE GAME!
This remarkable accomplishment, achieved during a 2002 loss to the Houston Texans, remains unmatched by any other NFL player.
13. SYLVESTER STALLONE MADE A SPECIAL APPEARANCE AT THE FIRST GAME HELD AT LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELD.
Doug Pensinger, Getty ImagesWhat better symbolizes Philadelphia than Rocky Balboa sporting an Eagles jersey? Since their founding in 1933, the Eagles have played in six different venues, with their current home being the $512 million stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, affectionately called “The Linc.” The stadium hosted its first regular-season game on September 8, 2003, with Sylvester Stallone in the stands wearing a Duce Staley jersey. Stallone, a devoted Eagles fan, even recorded a motivational video before the 2017 NFC Championship Game, urging the team to “Keep punching.”
14. TWO STAR WARS MOVIES INCLUDE SUBTLE EAGLES REFERENCES.
Lucasfilm sound designer David Acord, a passionate Eagles supporter, incorporated nods to the team in his work. While creating the language for the alien Teedo in 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Acord had the character utter “Celek” and “Fletcher,” referencing Eagles players Brent Celek and Fletcher Cox. In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, he transformed an Esperanto translation of “Fly, Eagles Fly” into a mystical chant for Jedha City.
15. THE UNIQUE COLOR OF THEIR HOME JERSEYS IS KNOWN AS “MIDNIGHT GREEN.”
Abbie Parr/Getty ImagesIn 1996, the Eagles transitioned from their traditional Kelly green uniforms, worn since the 1930s, to a darker shade known as midnight green. This unique color proved challenging to replicate. Nike struggled to perfect the hue, delaying the delivery of the 2014 home uniforms until mid-season. As a result of this issue, the Eagles wore white or black jerseys for their first six home games. The midnight green uniforms finally debuted in week 10 during a game against Carolina at Lincoln Financial Field.
16. PHILADELPHIA’S LOGO IS THE ONLY ONE IN THE NFL THAT FACES LEFT.
The current logo, introduced in 1996, features a bird’s head facing left—a unique trait among NFL team logos. Earlier designs depicted an eagle in flight clutching a football. The left-facing orientation was chosen to subtly incorporate a capital “E” within the neck feathers, symbolizing the team’s name.
17. STRIKING SIMILARITIES EXIST BETWEEN THE 2004 AND 2018 EAGLES SEASONS.
Al Messerschmidt, Getty ImagesReflecting on the last Eagles team to reach the Super Bowl: The 2004 team finished the regular season 13-3, triumphed over the Vikings and Falcons, but fell to New England in Super Bowl XXXIX. Fans in eastern Pennsylvania might feel a sense of déjà vu, as the 2017 Eagles mirrored this path with a 13-3 record, victories over Atlanta and Minnesota, and a Super Bowl matchup against Tom Brady’s Patriots. Eerie, isn’t it?
18. IN 2017, PHILADELPHIA OFFICIALS GREASED STREETLIGHT POLES TO DETER EAGLES FANS FROM CLIMBING THEM.
After securing a top seed in the 2017 playoffs by defeating Atlanta, the Eagles hosted the NFC Championship Game. Anticipating rowdy celebrations, city workers greased streetlight poles to prevent fans from climbing them. Dubbed “Crisco cops,” their efforts backfired as determined Eagles fans saw it as a challenge. Following the team’s victory, photos surfaced of fans scaling the greased poles in defiance.
19. THE TEAM’S ANTHEM HAS EVOLVED WITH CHANGING LYRICS OVER TIME.
Every Eagles fan today knows the rallying cry, “Fly, Eagles Fly.” However, when Charles Borrelli and Roger Courtland first wrote the song in the late 1950s, it began as “Fight, Eagles Fight.” The anthem faded into obscurity until 1997, when a team pep band revived it. Updated lyrics and a faster tempo were introduced later. Billboard has recognized “Fly, Eagles Fly” as one of the NFL’s top fight songs. Additionally, The Roots, a band from Philadelphia, has performed it on several occasions.
20. TWO CURRENT EAGLES PLAYERS WERE PART OF THE PATRIOTS’ SUPER BOWL LI VICTORY LAST YEAR.
This reunion might feel a bit strange. Eagles defensive lineman Chris Long and running back LeGarrette Blount both won Super Bowl rings last year as members of the New England Patriots. (Blount also secured a title with the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX.) On Sunday, they’ll face their former team. With their experience, can the Eagles finally claim their first Lombardi Trophy? Bradley Cooper is undoubtedly rooting for them…
