Philadelphia

Philadelphia is known as the largest city in Pennsylvania Commonwealth. It is located along the rivers Delware and Schuylkill and lies eighty miles southwest of NY. In the US, it is ranked as the 5th most populous city. It was founded in 1682 by Williams Penn and over the years, it has recorded immense growth. Philadelphia has a rich culture and this is evidenced by the historical sites, pieces of art, cuisine and the parks within the city.

It is due to all these reasons that it is considered an attraction not only to the locals but also to tourists from across the globe. Among the cultures that have been upheld in the city is sports and it dates back to the 1860’s. The city also home to the Philadelphia Eagles which is the National Football league. The team dates back to the 1930’s and though it has undergone numerous challenges, it has grown to become one of the most important teams in Philadelphia. With the countries weather and steady economy, the city stands tall amidst other cities in the state.

Philadelphia Eagles

It is a team of professional American footballers and based in Philadelphia. They are members of the National Football Conference and have a rich history that dates back to the early beginnings of the city’s history. It was established as a replacement of the Frankford Yellow Jackets which was declared bankrupt in 1933. This was after a syndicate which was led by BERT Bell who ended up being the NFL future commissioner. The name Philadelphia Eagles was picked as a reminder of the Blue Eagle. This was a symbol used in a stimulus program which was initiated during Great Depression period.

Early History

The Philadelphia Eagles were inducted into the pro hall of fame by players such as Chuck Bednarik, Steve Van Buren, Pete Pihos, Norm Van Brocklin, ‘Earle Greasy’ Neale, Tommy McDonald, Reggie White, Bob Brow, and Sonny Jurgensen. Bell was also taken in as a contributor. After Yellow Jackets went bankrupt, it took one year for NFL to settle on Eagles as the ideal replacement. By this time, they were a dormant franchise headed by Bell and Lud Wray and the entry fee paid was $2, 500 which is currently equal to $36,064.

In 1940, the Philadelphia Eagles were stationed at Shibe Park. Through the years except in 1941, the Eagles played home games at the park. During their first decade in pro football, they recorded repeated season losses. Sometime in 1943 manpower shortage was noted (blame it on the World War II) and this made it impossible for the roster to get filled and as a result, they were merged with Pittsburg Steelers. This led to the birth of Phil Pitt Eagles popularly known as Steagles.

It is important to note that the merger was not intended to be long serving and as such, by the end of the 1943 season, it was dissolved. It was in 1948 to 1949, they managed to win the NFL Championship games. This success was recorded for 3 consecutive years and it is thanks to these victories they went down in history as the first team to win back to back. They managed to defeat Chicago Cardinals and Los angels Rams.

When the 1957 season came to an end, the Eagles moved from the Mack stadium to Franklin Field since this had a higher sitting capacity of 60,000 compared to the 39,000 of the Mack. In 1969, the Field changed from use of grass to Astro Turf and as such, it is known as the first stadium to ever use artificial turf.

The Eagles 3rd NFL championship win was recorded in 1960 and it was under the leadership of Norm Van Brocklin who was part of the Pro Football Hall and Chuck Bednarik head coach for Buck Shaw. In 1960, they became the only team capable of defeating Vince Lombardi Packers during the playoffs.

During the 1961 season, the Philadelphia Eagles recorded success but in 1962, they fell on some tough times. Later, in 1963 the franchise was bought by Jerry Wolman, and in 1969, it was bought yet again by Leonard Tose for $ 16, 155,000. This was known as the record for professional franchises and the first action taken by Tose was the firing of Joe Kuharich who was coach for the dismal performance. He named Pete Retzlaff the general manager and the position of coach was given to Jerry Williams.

A merger was set in 1970 between AFL and NFL and the Eagles got placed in the East Division of NFC East. They were in the same category as New York Giants who were considered the main rivals. As a matter of fact, the rivalry between these two groups is still considered the best in the 21st century. There were upheavals and victories recorded by the team and these are largely attributed for having contributed to making the team what they are now.

Change was however in the air and in 1985 Tose was forced to sell Eagles to some automobile dealers at $65 million which today amounts to $ 132,703,290. During what is known as the Marion Campbell age, the industry struggled a lot due to lack of participation from the fans. However, when Buddy Ryan came on the scene, the team was rejuvenated and this triggered fans to become more supportive.

Despite this fact, they did not manage to win at any of the playoffs and as a result, Ryan got fired in 1991. This was done after losing to the Redskins in a home playoff and a couple of days later, the offensive coordinator Rich Kotite got promoted to become the head coach. He did manage to lead them to winning a playoff but when his tenure ended, it wasn’t renewed. This was attributed to the disastrous season of 1994. In the period between 1988 and 1996, the Eagles managed to qualify in six playoffs out of the nine they took part in.

However, in the NFC East games they only managed to win once and that is in 1998. During this time, the Eagles offensive players included Keith Jackson, Randall Cunninghum and Herschel Walker. The shift in coaches and ownership of the team are highlighted as two factors largely that have contributed to the continued success of Philadelphia Eagles.

1994-to Present Date

In 1994, Philadelphia Eagles was bought by Jeffrey Lurie at an estimated cost of $185 million. Currently, the team is ranked as the eleventh valuable sports team and its work is placed at $1.12 billion. This is valuation is based on the Forbes report of 2011. In 1999, there were major changes made in the team with Andy Reid getting named as the coach while Donovan McNabb got drafted as the teams quarterback. Ever since he was hired, the team started performing on a rising scale and in 2000 they went back to the playoffs. They also managed to win in NFC East and as a result, they played in the 2001-2004 championship games for 4 consecutive years.

The Eagles lost in the 2001 championship and later in the 2002 St Louis Rams. Many mobile gambling sites had them as clear winners for both games, but yet still lost. From there, they had a succession of lost games but managed to advance to Super Bowl by the 2004 season end. This was enroute to a couple of accomplishments such as the fifth NFC championship.

Michael Vick was signed up as the teams quarterback in 2009 and in 2010, Andy Reid was named as the fifth coach to win one hundred or more games in the NFL history. Sometime in 2009, with an outstanding record of 11-5 they managed to get the 6th seed to participate in the NFC playoffs. In the 2011 wild car games, the Philadelphia Eagles managed to actively participate in the face off with Super Bowl XLV champions. Though they did not win, they managed to play pretty well and as such recorded a 21-16 loss. Not many had predicted this outcome and that Eagles would do so well, even if the odds were against them like most casino games are when you play against the house.

About Philadelphia Eagles Trophies

Considering the rich history of the Eagles, they have also won a couple of trophies and it is largely due to this fact that they have been placed on top of the sports field charts. For instance, they have the Superbowl Trophy case and it is considered one of the best in the team’s history. In 2007, they also managed to win the Lombardi trophies.

The team has managed to come this far due to the work that has been put in by players and the coaches alike and it is for this reason that they are considered a major plus. It is also expected that in the coming years, Philadelphia Eagles will continue to gather more trophies to their side. Fans are always enthralled by these and it is for this reason that the team came up with the trophy cases. They give fans the opportunity to connect with the players and this is something that has proven to work to the benefit of players. Philadelphia Eagles have become a force to reckon with in the sports world and it is due to this fact that they are 11th on sports team value list.

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