Over the years the Philadelphia Eagles have moved from relative obscurity to triumphing in the highly competitive NFC East in a number of playoff appearances. Coaching and ownership changes, in addition to some other unique events, have contributed to a rich history since the birth of the franchise in 1933, when Bert Bell and Lud Wray bought the defunct Frankfort Yellowjackets and renamed them the Philadelphia Eagles.
Coaches
Wray, one of the original owners of the franchise, was also the team's first head coach, only to give way to his co-owner, Bell, three years later. Bell eventually went on to become commissioner of the NFL. In 1972, the organization's front office fired the entire coaching staff and hired new head coach Mike McCormick. He lasted for three years before Dick Vermeil, a college coach from UCLA, replaced him after the 1975 season. Vermeil lasted until 1982 and took the Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance, which they lost 27-10 to the Oakland Raiders in 1980. Citing burnout, Vermeil left the organization, and Marion Campbell, Buddy Ryan, Rich Kotite and Ray Rhodes all moved in and out of the head coaching position until 1998. In 1998, the Eagles hired Andy Reid, who is still the team's head coach as of the 2010 season.
Ownership
The Wray and Bell partnership only lasted until 1935 when Bell bought out Wray's ownership interest in the team. In 1940, Art Rooney bought in. Within the year, Rooney and Bell "swapped" teams with the owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 1949, the Eagles were purchased by the "Happy Hundred," which consisted of 100 separate buyers who bought in to the team for $3,000 apiece. One of those buyers, Leonard Tose, went on to purchase sole control of the franchise in 1968 for a record $16.1 million. At the time it was the most ever paid for a professional sports team. Ownership changed again in 1985 when Norman Braman bought the team for $65 million. Later, Hollywood producer Jeffrey Lurie bought the team in 1994. Lurie is still the Eagles' owner as of 2010.
Players
The Eagles' first record-setter was Davey O'Brien, quarterback of the 1939 team, who set an NFL passing record for the season with 1,324 yards. O'Brien's salary was $12,000 plus a percentage of the gate. Timmy Brown totaled 2,436 yards in a single season in 1963 through rushing, receiving, passing and kickoff and punt returns. Harold Jackson, a wide receiver, led the NFL in catches and yards in 1972. In 1987, Reggie White was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year with 21 sacks in 12 games.
Playoff Seasons
Prior to the inception of the Super Bowl in 1967, the Eagles went to the playoffs four times and won the NFL Championship in three of those appearances. They again went to the playoffs each year from 1978 through 1981, including a Super Bowl loss to the Raiders in 1980. The franchise made the playoffs 15 more times between 1988 and 2010. They lost in the first round in each appearance until 1992, and lost their second Super Bowl to the New England Patriots in 2004.
Other Notable Events
The Philadelphia Eagles played in the first televised NFL game in 1939, losing to the Brooklyn Dodgers 23-14 on October 22. During World War II, when players were scarce, the team temporarily became the Phil-Pitt Steagles when they joined with the Pittsburgh Steelers for a single season in 1943.
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