The Philadelphia Eagles are not only one of the oldest franchises in the National Football League, but they’re certainly one of the most storied football clubs as well. Over their near-100 year history, the Eagles have won four league championships, most recently picking up their first Super Bowl win at Super Bowl LII in 2018. Here are 5 facts about the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.
5 High-Flying Philadelphia Eagles Facts
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- The Eagles were shut out in their first two regular season games ever. (source) The very first season for the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League was the 1933 season. Things didn’t start out great for the franchise, as the very first regular season game of the inaugural season saw the Eagles fall to the New York Giants by a score of 56-0. In the following week, the Philadelphia Eagles were defeated by the Portsmouth Spartans 25-0. The Eagles would finish the 1933 NFL season 3-5-1, failing to qualify for the playoffs.
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- For one season only, the Philadelphia Eagles merged with the Pittsburgh Steelers. (source) Due to a shortage of players, because of many younger prospects off fighting in World War II, the Philadelphia Eagles had to temporarily merge with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 1943 NFL season. For that season, they were called the Phil-Pitt Steagles and finished the season with a 5-4-1 record, which placed them third in the NFL East division. Follow the 1943 season, the merger of the two franchises came to an end.
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- Andy Reid is the winningest coach in the history of the Eagles. (source) Of the 24 different Head Coaches in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles, four of them have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the fifth will likely eventually be former Eagles coach and current Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid. Reid won 224 games as Philadelphia’s Head Coach, compiling a 130-93-1 record, along with a 10-9 record in the playoffs.
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- Throughout their time in the NFL, the Eagles have played their home games in six different stadiums. (source) The Eagles have played their home games at the Baker Bowl (1933-1935), Philadelphia Municipal Stadium (1936-1939, 1941), Shibe Park (1940-1953), Connie Mack Stadium (1940, 1942-1957), Veterans Stadium (1971-2002), and Lincoln Financial Field (2003 – present).
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- The Eagles played in the NFL’s first televised game. (source) The National Football League’s first ever televised game happened on October 22, 1939, and it saw the Brooklyn Dodgers defeat the Philadelphia Eagles by a final score of 23-14. An eight-man crew for NBC filmed the game, which was shown on NBC’s New York City affiliates. Approximately 500 New York residents tuned in for the game, and the broadcast was without commercials and aired for two hours and 33 minutes.
For the football fans and Eagles fans out there, do you have any fun facts to share about one of the NFL’s oldest franchises?
Featured image photo credit: Mr.schultz, 2013. Originally found on Wikimedia. Image was resized and cropped. Creative Commons 3.0.
