NFL Team by Team Guide: Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles franchise was established in 1933 and joined the NFL that year. The franchise was a replacement for the Frankford Yellow Jackets, which went bankrupt in 1931. The Eagles have had an intense rivalry with the New York Giants. The Eagles-Giants rivalry is the oldest in the NFC East Division and one of the oldest in the NFL.
Philadelphia ranks among the NFL leaders in attendance every year. Since the 1999 season, the Eagles have sold out every single home game. Their fans are well-known throughout the league as some of the most intimidating not only in the NFL, but in all of sports.
Because of the Eagles long history and success, they are popular on national broadcasts like Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football. Regional coverage of games can be viewed on FOX Sports and CBS. Other national telecasts can be seen on ESPN and the NFL Network. Eagles fans can watch most of the complete Philadelphia schedule via live streaming using services like HULU, fuboTV, or Amazon Prime Video.
Home of the Eagles
The early Eagles moved around the city quite a bit playing at the Baker Bowl (1933-35), Philadelphia Municipal Stadium (1936-39, 1941), Connie Mack Stadium (1940, 1942-57), and Franklin Field (1958-70). The Eagles moved into Veterans Stadium in 1971 where they remained until 2002. The team’s current home, Lincoln Financial Field, was built in 2003. The stadium seats 69,176 for Eagles home games.
Championship History
The Eagles have had their fair share of success. The team has made 27 appearances in the NFL playoffs. Fourteen of those came as the result of winning a division championship, the most recent of which came in 2019.
Philadelphia has won four conference championships (1960, 1980, 2004, and 2017) and claims four NFL championships. Three of those – 1948, 1949, and 1960 – came prior to the AFL-NFL merger. The Eagles have one Lombardi Trophy winning Super Bowl LII in 2017.
Best of the Eagles
If one player symbolizes the toughness of the Eagles, it’s Chuck Bednarik. He was the NFL’s last two-way player, a devastating blocker and a punishing tackler on defense. The very first pick in the 1949 draft, Bednarik would go on to play in eight Pro Bowls and would receive 10 first-team All-Pro honors. He led the Eagles to NFL titles in 1949 and 1960 and he is a member of the NFL’s 50th, 75th, and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967, his first year of eligibility.
Reggie White, the “Minister of Defense,” played seven seasons in Philadelphia during which time he was selected to seven Pro Bowls and he earned seven first-team All-Pro honors. In 1987, White led the NFL in sacks with 21 and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. White is a member of the NFL’s 75th and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams.
Harold Carmichael was a college walk-on who ended up a four-time Pro Bowler and a three-time second-team All-Pro while playing wide receiver for the Eagles. At 6-foot-8, Carmichael used his height to his advantage leading the NFL in receptions and receiving yards in 1973.
Author: Dan Anderson