95 Fun Facts About Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles were founded in 1933 by taking on the debts of which failed NFL team?

The Frankford Yellow Jackets were suspended in 1931 after their stadium burned and the Depression left them insolvent.

Bert Bell and Lud Wray took the team's name from the Blue Eagle logo of which New Deal agency?

The National Recovery Administration's code system was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1935, just two years after Bell and Wray named the team.

Where did players on the 1943 'Steagles', the merged Eagles-Steelers team, work when not playing football?

Defense plants kept the players on war work, and the merged team gave the Philadelphia franchise its first winning season.

Which team did the Eagles beat 7-0 in a snowstorm for the 1948 NFL title?

The Eagles beat the Chicago Cardinals 7-0 at Shibe Park; the snow was so heavy that players from both teams helped the grounds crew drag the tarp off before kickoff.

What weather did the Eagles play through in their 14-0 1949 title win in Los Angeles?

Driving rain turned the Coliseum turf to mud, and Steve Van Buren slogged through it for 196 yards on 31 carries.

The Eagles' 1960 NFL Championship win was the only playoff defeat in the career of which coach?

Vince Lombardi lost 17-13 in Philadelphia on 26 December 1960, later blaming himself for passing up field goals, and he won all nine of his later playoff games.

Which running back did Chuck Bednarik pin down on the final play of the 1960 NFL title game?

Jim Taylor was pinned by Bednarik, 35 and again playing both ways because of injuries, who stayed on top of him until time ran out.

Chuck Bednarik, "Concrete Charlie", was drafted first overall by the Eagles in 1949 out of which university?

Bednarik starred at Penn after flying 30 missions as a B-24 waist gunner in the war; the Eagles took him with the 1949 bonus pick, first overall.

Hall of Fame halfback Steve Van Buren, whose No. 15 is retired by the Eagles, was born in which country?

Van Buren was born in La Ceiba, Honduras, orphaned young and sent to family in New Orleans, and he starred at LSU before the Eagles drafted him in 1944.

Where was the 1968 Eagles game at which fans booed and pelted a fill-in Santa Claus with snowballs?

At Franklin Field on 15 December 1968 the booked Santa never showed up, so fan Frank Olivo in his own costume was pressed into service and took the abuse aimed at a 2-11 team.

Dick Vermeil was hired to coach the Eagles in 1976 straight from which college program?

Vermeil's UCLA Bruins had just upset Ohio State in the 1976 Rose Bowl, and within five seasons he took the Eagles to Super Bowl XV.

Which Eagles defender returned Joe Pisarcik's fumble in the 1978 Miracle at the Meadowlands?

Herman Edwards scooped up the fumble and ran it in for the winning score, a play that helped make the quarterback kneel the standard way to end games.

Reggie White joined the Eagles after two seasons in the USFL with which team?

After two USFL seasons with the Memphis Showboats, White joined the Eagles a few weeks into 1985 and made 2.5 sacks in his first game.

Which actor played the 30-year-old Eagles rookie in the 2006 film Invincible?

Mark Wahlberg's Papale is a bartender who never played college football, though the film leaves out his time with the World Football League's Philadelphia Bell.

As Bears defensive coordinator, Buddy Ryan was credited with inventing which scheme?

The 46 defense took its name from the jersey number of Bears safety Doug Plank.

The 1989 'Bounty Bowl' brought claims that the Eagles had put a bounty on which Cowboys kicker?

Luis Zendejas had been cut by the Eagles earlier that season, and Buddy Ryan denied any bounty, saying the film showed no intent to hurt him.

The Eagles' 1988 playoff loss known as the Fog Bowl was played at which stadium?

Soldier Field filled with fog in the second quarter; Randall Cunningham still threw for 407 yards, but the Eagles never reached the end zone.

Randall Cunningham was a two-time college All-American at UNLV at which position?

Cunningham was an All-American punter at UNLV and also quarterbacked the 11-2 1984 Rebels, whose bowl win was later forfeited over ineligible players.

Jeffrey Lurie bought the Eagles from which owner?

Norman Braman, who sold the team to Lurie, had fired coach Buddy Ryan after five seasons and handed the job to Rich Kotite.

In 1996 the Eagles swapped their classic kelly shade for what darker primary color?

The Eagles adopted midnight green in 1996 under Jeffrey Lurie; kelly green returned as an official throwback alternate from the 2023 season.

Which Philadelphia official presided over 'Eagles Court', first held at Veterans Stadium on game days?

Seamus McCaffery, a municipal judge, ran Eagles Court, set up after about 60 fights at a 1997 Monday night game against the 49ers.

Eagles fans booed the 1999 pick of Donovan McNabb, wanting which running back instead?

WIP host Angelo Cataldi and then-mayor Ed Rendell sent the 'Dirty 30' fans to cheer for Ricky Williams, and they booed McNabb instead.

What injury was Terrell Owens coming back from in Super Bowl XXXIX?

A fractured fibula and sprained ankle didn't stop Owens, who played against his doctors' advice and caught nine passes for 122 yards.

Brian Dawkins, whose No. 20 is retired, was drafted by the Eagles in 1996 out of which college?

Dawkins, a second-round Clemson pick in 1996, once scored as a safety, catching a 57-yard pass on a fake punt against Houston in 2002.

DeSean Jackson's 2010 game-winner against the Giants came on what kind of return?

Punt return on the final play: DeSean Jackson's touchdown completed a rally of four touchdowns from 21 points down.

Which Eagles quarterback tied the NFL record with seven touchdown passes in a 2013 game?

Nick Foles did it while Michael Vick was still the starter, and four years later, as Carson Wentz's backup, he led the Eagles to the Super Bowl LII title.

Which school produced Carson Wentz, the No. 2 pick of the 2016 draft?

The Eagles planned for North Dakota State's Wentz to sit out 2016 as a rookie, but after trading Sam Bradford they started him in Week 1.

In the Philly Special, the Super Bowl LII trick play, who threw the touchdown pass to the Eagles' quarterback?

Tight end Trey Burton, an all-state quarterback in high school in Florida, took Corey Clement's pitch and lobbed the touchdown to the quarterback on fourth-and-goal.

Super Bowl LII, the Eagles' first Super Bowl win, was played in which city?

Super Bowl LII was played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on 4 February 2018; the teams combined for 1,151 yards, then a record for any NFL game, and Brady's 505 passing yards came in a loss.

Which Eagles defensive end stripped Tom Brady late in Super Bowl LII?

Brandon Graham's strip-sack ended the Patriots' comeback bid, and the Eagles held on for their first Super Bowl title.

Doug Pederson was a longtime backup to which Hall of Fame quarterback?

Brett Favre's longtime backup, Pederson later got a spell as the Eagles' starter in 1999 while they groomed Donovan McNabb.

Jason Kelce gave a famous speech at the 2018 Super Bowl parade dressed as what?

Jason Kelce, dressed as a Mummer, compared Eagles fans to hungry dogs starved of a title for 52 years; he announced his retirement in March 2024.

Eagles lineman Fletcher Cox was drafted 12th overall in 2012 out of which school?

Cox skipped his senior season at Mississippi State to enter the draft, and he retired in 2024 after 12 NFL seasons, all with the Eagles.

Which Eagles tackle, drafted fourth overall in 2013, was once a quarterback?

Lane Johnson also played tight end and defensive end before Oklahoma moved him to tackle when injuries hit its line.

Nick Sirianni played wide receiver and won three Division III national titles at which Ohio college?

Sirianni caught passes for Mount Union, winning Division III titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002; he became Eagles head coach in 2021 from the Colts and won Super Bowl LIX in his fourth season.

Jalen Hurts finished his college career at Oklahoma after three seasons at which school?

Hurts was benched at halftime of Alabama's January 2018 title game for Tua Tagovailoa, then transferred to Oklahoma, and the Eagles took him in the second round in 2020.

Which team traded A. J. Brown to the Eagles on 2022 draft night?

After contract talks stalled, the Tennessee Titans dealt Brown for the 18th and 101st picks, and the Eagles gave him a four-year, $100 million extension.

Saquon Barkley rested for the Eagles' 2024 finale 101 yards short of whose rushing record?

Eric Dickerson's 2,105 yards from 1984 survived because the Eagles had locked up the No. 2 seed, so Nick Sirianni rested Barkley against the Giants.

Which team did the Eagles beat 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX to deny it a three-peat?

The Chiefs gained just 23 yards in the first half against an Eagles defense that never blitzed once.

Which Eagles rookie returned an interception for a touchdown in Super Bowl LIX on his 22nd birthday?

Cooper DeJean's 38-yard return put the Eagles up 17-0, a three-score lead, midway through the second quarter.

Which team proposed banning the Eagles' Tush Push in February 2025?

The Green Bay Packers tried again that May, and the ban fell two votes short, with 22 of the 24 votes needed.

Which Eagles defender was ejected before playing a snap in the 2025 Kickoff Game for spitting on Dak Prescott?

Jalen Carter was disqualified right after the opening kickoff, yet the Eagles still beat Dallas 24-20 without him.

Bobby Mansure helped revive 'Fly, Eagles Fly' in the 1990s with what kind of group?

A parking-lot pep band of Mansure's friends earned a two-game preseason audition, and the song went over so well that the gig became permanent.

Which Eagles defensive tackle died in a car crash just before the 1992 season?

Jerome Brown won praise in 1988 for calmly helping to break up a Ku Klux Klan rally in his hometown of Brooksville, Florida.

Which NFC East rivalry is the only one older than Eagles–Giants?

Commanders–Giants began in 1932 with Washington's forerunners, the Boston Braves, a year before the Eagles joined the NFL in 1933.

Which sport did Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata play in Australia before he had ever tried American football?

Rugby league was his game, in South Sydney's under-20s side, and he admitted he watched just one NFL game a year, the Super Bowl.

What did Eagles players drink to stave off cramps during a sweltering 2000 season-opening rout of the Cowboys in Dallas?

Pickle juice, straight from jars of dill pickles, was a trainer's idea for holding off heat exhaustion, and the win is still known as the Pickle Juice Game.

Which 2012 film stars Robert De Niro as an Eagles-obsessed father who bets heavily on the team's games?

Silver Linings Playbook casts De Niro as a superstitious bookmaker convinced his son's presence brings the team luck; Jennifer Lawrence won an Oscar for it.

Which Heisman-winning quarterback signed with the Eagles in 2015, missed the roster and tried minor league baseball?

Tim Tebow competed for the Eagles' third-string job, then spent 2016 to 2021 playing in the New York Mets' minor league system.

Eagles safety Brian Dawkins took his nickname, Weapon X, from the codename of which comic-book superhero?

Wolverine is known for relentless aggression, which matched how Dawkins played across 16 NFL seasons, most of them in Philadelphia.

The charity album A Philly Special Christmas was recorded in 2022 by Eagles players from which position group?

Offensive line teammates formed a vocal trio called The Philly Specials, and their holiday record cracked the Billboard 200 album chart.

Which Chicago football legend spent 1967 and 1968 playing for the Eagles before joining the Cowboys?

Mike Ditka came over in a 1967 trade for quarterback Jack Concannon, and the Eagles sent him to Dallas two years later for receiver Dave McDaniels.

Which annual college football rivalry game makes the Eagles' Lincoln Financial Field its primary home?

Army–Navy keeps coming back because Philadelphia sits about halfway between the two service academies and the stadium can hold the crowds.

Which quarterback joined the Eagles in 2009 after a federal prison term and was 2010's Comeback Player of the Year?

Michael Vick had his best statistical season in 2010, leading the Eagles to a division title and earning a fourth Pro Bowl selection.

Which Eagles receiver, nicknamed the Slim Reaper, won the 2020 Heisman Trophy before going tenth overall in the draft?

DeVonta Smith was the first wide receiver to win the Heisman since Desmond Howard in 1991, and his college teammates coined the nickname for his slight frame.

Which coach, hired in 1999, led the Eagles to five NFC title games and the most wins in franchise history?

Andy Reid was hired without ever having been a coordinator, yet he took Philadelphia to the playoffs nine times and won six division titles.

Which Eagles running back, nicknamed Shady by his mother, became the franchise's career rushing leader in 2014?

LeSean McCoy got the nickname as a child because his mood could swing from laughing to crying in a second.

Donovan McNabb, the Eagles' career leader in passing yards, played college football at which school?

Syracuse and Nebraska were the only schools to offer him a scholarship as a quarterback, and he chose it partly for its broadcast journalism program.

Saquon Barkley's backwards hurdle over a defender in 2024 came during an Eagles win against which team?

Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones was the man he cleared, in a game where Barkley piled up 199 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns.

Jason Kelce, the Eagles' longtime center, began his college career as a walk-on at which school?

Cincinnati eventually moved him to the offensive line, and his brother Travis joined him on the Bearcats in 2008.

The Eagles hired head coach Chip Kelly in 2013 from which college program known for its fast spread offense?

Oregon reached the 2011 BCS National Championship Game under Kelly, whose spread attack had been an instant success there when he was offensive coordinator.

Nick Sirianni became Eagles head coach in 2021 after three seasons as offensive coordinator of which team?

Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks changed every year he was there: Andrew Luck, then Jacoby Brissett, then Philip Rivers.

Which university's football team moved into Lincoln Financial Field alongside the Eagles when it opened in 2003?

Temple rents the stadium from the Eagles for its home games, at a price reported as $3 million a year in 2020.

Which team upset the Eagles in the January 2003 NFC Championship, the final football game at Veterans Stadium?

Tampa Bay won 27-10 and went on to take the Super Bowl, having been knocked out by the Eagles in each of the two previous postseasons.

Which Heisman winner and former USFL star rushed for 1,070 yards in his first Eagles season in 1992?

Herschel Walker signed in 1992 after three seasons in Minnesota and helped the Eagles reach the divisional round that winter.

Which quarterback, nicknamed the Polish Rifle, took the Eagles to their first Super Bowl after the 1980 season?

Ron Jaworski picked up the nickname in college at Youngstown State, and Philadelphia fans later knew him simply as Jaws.

Which Eagles offensive coordinator left after winning Super Bowl LIX to become head coach of the New Orleans Saints?

Kellen Moore spent a single season calling the offense in Philadelphia, and it finished with the league's second-ranked rushing attack.

Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis won a national title and the Chuck Bednarik Award at which college?

Georgia claimed its first national championship since 1980 that season, and Davis also took home the Outland Trophy.

What was the name of the upper deck at Veterans Stadium that housed the Eagles' loudest, rowdiest fans?

The 700 Level held the highest and cheapest seats in the building, and its taunting and fighting became part of Philadelphia sports lore.

Which veteran defensive coordinator ran the Eagles unit that forced three turnovers and six sacks in Super Bowl LIX?

Vic Fangio, who played safety at Dunmore High School outside Scranton, had first joined the Eagles as a consultant in 2022.

Which Eagles executive, hired in 2000 as an intern working on the salary cap, became general manager in 2010?

Howie Roseman had been turned down for another NFL internship a year earlier, then climbed the front office to the top personnel job within a decade.

Which 6-foot-8 receiver retired as the Eagles' career leader in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns?

Harold Carmichael is believed to be the tallest wide receiver in NFL history, and he also threw the javelin and played basketball in college.

Which Eagles running back rushed for 194 yards in the 1980 NFC Championship Game to reach the team's first Super Bowl?

Wilbert Montgomery set a franchise postseason record that day, and he was the honorary captain when Veterans Stadium hosted its last football game in 2003.

Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, a third-round pick in 2002, starred in college at which smaller-division school?

Villanova is where he became, in 1998, the first college player at any level with 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in one season.

Which kicker spent 12 seasons with the Eagles and set the franchise record for career points during 2007?

David Akers took the scoring record in a 10-6 win over Dallas and passed 1,000 career points on Thanksgiving the following year.

Which Eagles receiver caught Donovan McNabb's 28-yard pass on the famous 4th-and-26 play in a 2004 playoff win?

Freddie Mitchell ran the slant on a call named 74 Double Go, keeping alive a drive that forced overtime, where the Eagles won.

Eagles linebacker Chuck Bednarik's 1960 tackle, known as The Hit, sidelined which New York star for 18 months?

Frank Gifford suffered a severe concussion on the play and retired for the 1961 season before coming back to football.

The fearsome Eagles defense of the Buddy Ryan era, led by Reggie White, was known by which nickname?

Gang Green also featured Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner and Andre Waters, and it defined the team far more than the offense of those years did.

Which linebacker signed a one-year Eagles deal in 2024 after four years with the Saints and became a first-team All-Pro?

Zack Baun finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in that breakout season and was also named a Pro Bowler.

Which broadcaster took over as the Eagles' radio play-by-play voice in 1977 and held the job for more than 45 years?

Merrill Reese had been the team's color commentator before taking over the main call late in 1977, and he became the NFL's longest-serving play-by-play announcer.

Which backup quarterback labelled the 2011 Eagles a Dream Team before the season fell far short of the hype?

Vince Young made the remark as he joined the team, and media outlets ran with the label as injuries and turnovers undid the season.

Which Eagles offensive tackle of the 2000s was later elected to Congress from New Jersey's 3rd district?

Jon Runyan retired after the 2009 season, unseated a Democratic incumbent the next November and served in the House until 2015.

Which Eagles left tackle, acquired from Buffalo in 2009, went undrafted after playing tight end in college?

Jason Peters cost the Eagles first- and fourth-round picks, then spent twelve seasons anchoring their offensive line.

Which Eagles receiver, later the team's radio analyst, scored on a 99-yard overtime touchdown catch in 1985?

Mike Quick's catch beat the Atlanta Falcons and tied the NFL record for the longest pass play, a mark that can only ever be matched.

Inside Job, a 2010 film executive-produced by Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, won the Oscar in which category?

Best Documentary Feature went to the film about the 2008 financial crisis, and Inocente, a short Lurie also executive-produced, won an Oscar two years later.

Which quarterback, nicknamed the Dutchman, was NFL MVP in 1960, his final season, as the Eagles won the title?

Norm Van Brocklin had spent nine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, where in 1951 he produced the first 500-yard passing game in NFL history.

Which future Hall of Fame quarterback did the Eagles trade to Washington in 1964 in a deal for Norm Snead?

Sonny Jurgensen was 29 and Snead only 24, which made the swap part of a youth movement by new coach and general manager Joe Kuharich.

Which Eagles head coach was named NFL Coach of the Year in 1995, his first season in charge?

Ray Rhodes turned a 1-3 start into a 10-6 wild card season, having already earned five Super Bowl rings as an assistant in San Francisco.

Which Hall of Fame Eagles receiver was the last NFL non-kicker to play without a facemask?

Tommy McDonald entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985 for his years as an Oklahoma halfback, then waited until 1998 for his place in Canton.

Eagles co-founder Bert Bell lobbied to loosen which Pennsylvania rules so pro football could be played on Sundays?

Blue laws had to be eased before the NFL would grant Philadelphia a franchise, and Bell was the driving force behind the lobbying.

Tony Franklin, drafted by the Eagles in 1979, was best known for kicking field goals in which unusual way?

Barefoot was his trademark, and as a rookie he hit a 59-yard field goal in Dallas that ranked among the longest in NFL history.

Which coach, a former outfielder who played in the 1919 World Series, led the Eagles to back-to-back NFL titles?

Greasy Neale batted .357 for the Reds in that Series, and three decades later his Eagles won consecutive championship games by shutout.

Which Philadelphia ballpark was the Eagles' home field for all but one season from 1940 through 1957?

Shibe Park, built for baseball's Athletics, could seat more than 39,000 for football, though the Eagles rarely drew over 30,000 there.

The Eagles made the first pick in NFL draft history in 1936, taking which Heisman winner who never played pro?

Jay Berwanger reportedly wanted $1,000 a game, so the Eagles traded his rights to the Chicago Bears, who could not sign him either.

The Eagles played in the NFL's first televised game in 1939, losing 23-14 on the road to which team?

Brooklyn Dodgers was the name of an NFL team as well as a baseball club, and the game was played at the ballpark they shared, Ebbets Field.