Origins of Fandom
I grew up in Lancaster county, PA, which is ~80 miles from both Baltimore and Philadelphia. Since Baltimore had no team at the time I started following football (the Colts had left in 1983, and the Ravens didn't come until 1996), Philadelphia was the de facto choice.
Recent History
I started following the Eagles when Buddy Ryan was the coach. Buddy brought in a famed defense- one that included players like Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner, Eric Allen, and Wes Hopkins- and he also developed my favorite Eagle: Randall Cunningham (photo below).
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| Randall Cunningham |
Randall was a very athletic QB, and he was just as comfortable running as he was in the pocket. In fact, Randall still holds the record for QB rushing yards. He had other skills, too; one time, in an emergency, he punted for the Eagles, and with some lucky bounces, his kick went 91 yards (the fourth-longest in NFL history).
Back to the Eagles: under Ryan, they would be good, but never great. They had a great QB and great defense, but their offense lacked versatility. If they made the playoffs at all, they wouldn't advance past the first round. Ryan was fired after the 1990 season, and a brief coaching carousel started, with Rich Kotite, then Ray Rhodes, each given four years at the helm, with little success. Then, in 1999, owner Jeffrey Lurie hired Andy Reid.
Andy Reid turned things around in a hurry for Philly. The Eagles improved every year for his first five years (records here). The offense was led by Reid's first draft pick- Donovan McNabb. McNabb was a QB in a mold similar to Cunningham- an athletic running QB. On the defensive side, safety Brian Dawkins was a formidable player for years, and my recent favorite (photos below). Brian brought a toughness to the defense known for its frequent blitzing and big plays.
Under Reid, the Eagles would go to four straight NFC Championship games- from 2001-2004- though they won only the last one. That last year they went to the Super Bowl, unfortunately losing out to the New England Patriots. After that, they had a run of overall mediocrity- though they did make it back to the NFC Championship in 2008. Their stars aging, the team that was so strong for so long finally started breaking down, and Donovan McNabb, Brian Dawkins, and others were traded or not re-signed. Andy Reid was fired in 2012- a sad end to a remarkable run.
Final Thoughts
Of all the teams I follow, I probably follow the Eagles most passionately. I have a very hard time watching the games, as I tend to get emotionally involved. In fact, I get so "into it" that I generally don't watch the games- I follow them on the Internet or wait until the game is over, to view the stats. It's foolish, I know; one of my many weaknesses.
I miss the "kelly green" Eagles jerseys and helmets which they wore from 1985-1996 (jerseys here). Their old logo, shown on those jerseys, is below. The new look is fine, but old school is best.
Fly, Eagles Fly, on the road to victory! E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!
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