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Tag: Norm Van Brocklin

  • An Eagles Hall of Fame Arm that Might Have Been. If Only They Had Kept Him. – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons.

    Last week — the Eagles lost a championship quarterback with the passing of HOF Quarterback Sonny Jurgensen at the age of ninety-one. Jurgensen’s command of the field coupled with an amazing arm made him a force on the field. 

    It’s sometimes difficult to remember that 2018 wasn’t the only season when the Eagles had two quarterbacks on the roster capable of winning a championship. When Nick Foles became the first ever quarterback to win a Super Bowl in Philadelphia — everyone wondered what would happen to Carson Wentz. Fifty-seven years earlier — the Eagles won another championship with Norm Van Brocklin — “The Dutchman” under center.

    On the Eagles sideline — was Sonny Jurgensen.

    Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons.

    Jurgensen was drafted by the Eagles in 1957. When Van Brocklin retired after winning the Championship in 1960 — Jurgensen became the starter. After a season as an NFL passing leader and record setter with 3,723 yards in 1961 — on April 1st, 1964 — the Eagles traded him to the Washington Redskins in return for Norm Snead and defensive back Claude Crabb.

    Sonny Jurgensen would play ten more years for Washington until 1974 including a short stint with Coach Vince Lombardi. Jurgensen is considered by many as being the best pure passer of all-time. His last game was a playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams. Neither Claude Crabb nor Norm Snead could stop the Eagles from falling into the cellar. They would not be relevant again until the mid-1970s when Dick Vermeil took the job as Head Coach.

    For Jurgensen — who gave up giving post-game interviews because he once when he returned all of the beer was gone — will always be remembered from the Eagles team who drafted him and the 1960 Championship Team that he will always be a part of.

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    Michael Thomas Leibrandt

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  • A Second Consecutive Crown — One Won in the Mud. – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    It took the Philadelphia Eagles three days to reach Los Angeles just over seventy-five years ago in the winter of 1949 by train. But Head Coach Greasy Neale didn’t want to fly. The train ride to the Los Angeles and then to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum allowed the Eagles to even stop and practice at Spratt Field at the University of Chicago.

    What the 1948 World Champion Eagles found when they arrived in Los Angeles was the prospect of another Championship Game in inclement weather. A year earlier — they prevailed in blizzard conditions to defeat the Chicago Cardinals. Now — to win back-to-back championships — they would need to contend with both driving rain and ankle-deep mud. 

    The 8–2–2 Rams were dawning red jerseys and helmets at home games (the only time that they did this in their history.) During the last week of the 1949 regular season — the Rams had demolished Washington 53–27. Now they were looking to dethrone the Eagles and Coach Neale.

    The 11–1 Eagles were on the top of their game. Philadelphia was undefeated at home — and in addition to their existing roster — would draft University of Penn star Chick Bednarik. Ironically in the same year — the Rams would draft Norm Van Brocklin — who would eventually lead the Eagles to the 1960 NFL Championship.

    In front of just over 22,000 fans — the Eagles would strike first in the second quarter with a 31-yard connection from Tommy Thompson to Pete Pihos. For the next three quarters — Steve Van Buren scampered for 196 yards on 31 carries — while the Eagles defense held the Los Angeles ground game to just 21 yards. A blocked punt in the third quarter then was scooped up for another score by the Eagles Leo Skladany for a 14–0 advantage and the last score of the game.

    The outcome of the game wasn’t just the only back-to-back championship for the Eagles. It marked the first ever NFL Championship won on the West Coast. It would also net players of both teams only a third of what was expected to be payed out for Player’s Shares — as owner Bert Bell would not allow the delay of the game. It would also be the first NFL game ever broadcast on TV (West Coast only.)

    A win over the Rams today could be another stop along the path to the franchise’s second back-to-back championships — seventy-five years later.

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    Michael Thomas Leibrandt

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  • What Philly’s Never Had – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    What Philly’s Never Had – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Photo Courtesy of Eagles Nation on X.

    In One Hundred Years of Football We’ve Seen It All on the Field. Almost.

    When you’ve had professional football in your city limits for a century — chances are you haven’t missed much. But if Philly football is asking for a gift from Santa in September— here is something to wish for.

    Since 1924, The Philadelphia Eagles and Frankford Yellow Jackets gave Philadelphia some incredible moments. No, we don’t have ten Super Bowl trophies or three dynasty’s. What we do have, are some cherished moments of exhilaration for one of America’s most important original cities.

    We’ve seen devastating defenses like the 1991 Gang Green and the Jim Johnson aggressive scheme of the early 2000s. We’ve seen miracle seasons that seemed to come out of nowhere like 1960 and 2017. We’ve seen dominating performances when it seemed like our teams were almost unbeatable like the 1948–1949 Eagles and the 1926 Frankford Yellow Jackets. And we’ve seen such pulsating physical performances that added the the lore of Veterans Stadium that no away team wanted to visit.

    Photo Courtesy of Eagles Nation on X.

    But what Philadelphia has never seen is a quarterback who wasn’t just good enough to win the Super Bowl, but to take the Eagles back there for years to come. Many thought that the Eagles had that quarterback in Donovan McNabb, Ron Jaworski, or Randall Cunningham. But injuries, changes in coaching, as well as squandered opportunities meant that none of the Philly quarterbacks saw even one championship.

    The one time that Philly football had a signal caller that brought the Eagles multiple shiny reminders in the trophy case was Tommy Thompson. Thompson led the Eagles to championships in 1948 and 1949. They should have had one in 1947. Just like in 2022.

    Aside from Thompson, only Nick Foles, Harry Homan, and Norm Van Brocklin have won championships as NFL Quarterbacks in Philadelphia.

    None have been able to repeat.

    If Kellan Moore and Nick Sirianni can get Jalen Hurts to be the nearly unstoppable force that he was in 2022–2023, then the quarterback who came one possession from Super Bowl glory can capture his first Super Bowl title at age 26 with perhaps a decade left in his career for many more.

    If, and only if.

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    Michael Thomas Leibrandt

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