Meet the Eagles F ootball teams always like to make their fans feel like they are part of the family In Philadelphia everyone takes this idea very seriously When the team is doing well the fans act like loving parents toward the Eagles When the team struggles the fans don’t hold back their criticism That kind of team spirit is why players love to play for Philadelphia It gives them that little extra boost they need to make a game-changing play It also provides them with the strength to keep going when their opponents are giving up This book tells the story of the Eagles On game day in Philly the streets are awash in green jerseys jackets and caps The fans are loud and proud and they accept nothing but a full effort from the players the coaches and even the peanut vendors That’s fine as far as the Eagles are concerned They wouldn’t have it any other way Touchdown LeSean McCoy celebrates a scoring play for the Eagles 5
Glory Days T he idea of no football in Philadelphia might seem crazy to fans After all the city has been home to professional football for more than 100 years But during the Great Depression a team in Philadelphia called the Yellow Jackets actually went out of business They were part of the National Football League NFL In 1932 when the Yellow Jackets could not afford to pay their players or make repairs to their stadium pro football in Philly disappeared A businessman named Bert Bell decided this situation would not do In 1933 he started a new team and called it the Eagles Bell hired his friend Lud Wray as Philadelphia’s first coach The star of the team was running back Swede Hanson who had gone to college at nearby Temple University 6
The Eagles were outscored 116 9 in their first three games and lost them all When the team’s poor play continued Bell refused to give up He believed the Eagles would win a championship one day The other NFL owners had great respect for Bell They later made him the league’s commissioner in 1946 The Eagles soon developed into one of the NFL’s top teams They had the league’s best defense and an explosive running back named Steve Van Buren Other stars included quarterback Tommy Thompson receiver Pete Pihos and linemen Alex Wojciechowicz Bucko Kilroy and Al Wistert In 1947 Philadelphia played in its first NFL Championship Game and lost to the Chicago Cardinals In 1948 the Eagles won their first championship in a rematch with Chicago A year later they defeated the Los Angeles Rams for their second title in a row The Eagles wore the NFL crown again in 1960 Led by veterans Chuck Bednarik and Norm Van Brocklin Philadelphia surprised the Green Bay Packers in a thrilling championship battle LEFT Lineman Bucko Kilroy was one of the team’s first stars ABOVE Chuck Bednarik was a team leader during the 1950s 7
