Wednesday, February 28, 2024

RIP - Kent Kramer

Kent Kramer, an Eagles' tight end from 1971-74, passed away on February 21, 2024 at age 79.
Kramer was drafted by the 49ers in 1966. After a season on their bench, he joined the Saints and started 8 games in 1967. 
 
After missing the 1968 season, he played for the Vikings from 1969-70. The Vikings waived him during training camp in 1971, but he was signed by the Eagles the next day. 
 
He started 4 games in 1971, one of five tight ends used by the Eagles that season. Kramer started 8 games in 1972, and was 4th in receptions among the Eagles' receivers (behind Harold Jackson, Ben Hawkins, and Harold Carmichael). 
 
Kramer also played for the Eagles in '73 and '74, but with #1 draft pick Charle Young joining the team in 1973, Kramer had no starts and no receptions in his final 2 years with the Birds.  
 
  

Thursday, January 18, 2024

RIP - Norm Snead

Since the patsies in the Philadelphia Eagles' PR organization were able to cover the death of their former ticket office chief in less than 24 hours, but still have not recognized the passing of 7-year starting quarterback Norm Snead 4 days after his death, I'll do it here. 
 
Norm Snead, the Eagles' starting quarterback from 1964 to 1970, passed away on January 14, 2024 at age 84.
Snead was acquired from the Washington Redskins before the 1964 season for Sonny Jurgensen, and started 81 of 98 games during his 7-year stay in Philadelphia. (He also played in 4 other games.) 
 
He had 20 or more interceptions in 4 of his 7 seasons with the Eagles, leading the NFL in interceptions twice. 
 
After the 1970 season, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for offensive tackle Steve Smith and 3 draft choices. He later played for the Giants (traded for Fran Tarkenton) and 49ers.

New York Times obituary 

 

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

1971 Eagles Yearbook

After many years, I have finally found my 1971 Eagles yearbook. I made mention of this here, and also in my Eagles’ cards post over on my 1971 football card blog. That was in November 2011, and was the last time I could find the book. I used it to show the correct photos of linebacker Adrian Young and punter Rick Duncan. (Topps had put Duncan’s photo on Young’s card in 1971.) 

Anyway, earlier this week I was sorting through 5 boxes of papers that contained mostly old bills, but also some lost treasures. (You know the drill - there’s a stack of papers sitting on a table to be filed, but company’s coming over, so you throw the papers into a box and say “I’ll file these later”. Ten years later, you have 20 boxes of mostly junk. I sifted through 5 boxes this week, and threw out all but one boxful of keepers, including this yearbook.) But I digress...

1971 was my first full season of following the Eagles. During the pre-season, I obtained this yearbook (for a whole dollar, apparently!) from a Merit Gas station on City Line Avenue in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia. It's a small, Reader’s Digest or TV Guide -sized magazine. Beginning in 1972, the Eagles published a larger yearbook, titled “Eagle One” (in 1972), and “Eagle Two” (in 1973). After that, I stopped buying them, so I don’t know how long that format continued. 

The book is 120 pages, all black and white except for the front and back covers, which are illustrated by renowned artist Dick Perez. The front cover features a fold-out extension. The yearbook also includes profiles of the owner, GM, and coaches, as well as the 1970 statistics for all their 1971 opponents, and a box score for every 1970 Eagles game. There is also a section that includes a brief summary of each past Eagles’ season, with the scores of every game. After that is a section listing the Eagles’ all-time records, and finally an all-time Eagles’ roster.

In the middle of the book are the player profiles. Most veterans are shown two to a page, with only Gary Ballman, Pete Liske, Joe Scarpati, and Tom Woodeshick getting their own pages (due to their long career statistics charts). After the veterans, there is a section for rookie profiles. Here they cram as many rookies onto a page as they can. Only 39 of the 56 veterans included in the yearbook actually made the team. 12 of the 43 rookies also made the team, the most successful of which was Harold Carmichael. 

As you will see in the sample pages I’ve posted, my trusty red pen was hard at work back then. For the veterans, those that made the team have their number penciled in. The names of those that didn’t were given the strike-through treatment. Rookies making the team were underlined, and numbered. 

 

Front cover:
Sketches by Dick Perez, featuring some events in Eagle history. (Sorry for the blurry left side.  It wasn't laying flat on my scanner.)

 

 Inside front cover:
A photo of Veterans Stadium (obviously from a Phillies' game, because the Eagles had not yet played there).  Above it are sketches of Tose, Retzlaff, Jerry Williams, Arrington, Woodeshick, Ramsey, Ballman, Bouggess, Porter, Calloway, Tom, Harris, Pettigrew, Bradley, Hawkins, Hart, Jackson, and Rossovich.
 
(All were starters except QB Arrington.  I guess Pete Liske hadn't been acquired yet when this page was laid out.)

 

 Back cover:

Eagles in the Hall of Fame.  Clockwise from top left are Greasy Neale, Pete Pihos, Norm Van Brocklin, Chuck Bednarik, Alex Wojciechowicz, Bert Bell, and Steve Van Buren.

 

The first few pages:

Sample player profiles:

Sunday, August 20, 2023

RIP - Maxie Baughan

Maxie Baughan, a linebacker for the Eagles and Rams from 1960 to 1970, passed away on August 19, 2023 at age 85.
Baughan was the Eagles' #2 pick in the 1960 draft, and was their starting right linebacker for his first 6 seasons in the league, and was named All-Pro in 5 of those 6 years. He also finished 2nd in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1960. 
 
After the 1965 season he was traded to the Rams for 2 bench players, and began playing for 1st-year head coach George Allen. He retired after 5 seasons in LA, having been named All-Pro in all but his injury-shortened last season with the Rams. 
 
In 1971, Allen became the head coach of the Washington Redskins, and to inject some immediate talent onto his roster, he traded for a slew of his ex-Rams (LB Jack Pardee, MLB Myron Pottios, DT Diron Talbert, G John Wilbur, and the rights to the retired Baughan) in exchange for MLB Marlin McKeever and 7 draft choices. Even so, Baughan spent the '72 and '73 seasons as the defensive coordinator for his alma mater Georgia Tech. 
 
In 1974, Allen convinced Baughan to join the Redskins as a player-coach, and he appeared in 2 games before retiring once again after that season. 
 
He was the defensive coordinator for the Colts from 1975-79 and the Lions from 1980-82, before taking the head coaching job at Cornell University. 
 
Baughan returned to the NFL as the linebackers coach for the Vikings (1991-92), Buccaneers (1992-95), and Ravens (1996-98).
 
 
 

Sunday, June 18, 2023

RIP - Bob Brown

Bob Brown, the Eagles' All-Pro tackle in the mid-1960s, passed away on June 16, 2023 at age 81.
Brown was the 2nd overall pick in the 1964 draft, and was the Eagles' starting right tackle from 1964-68. He started every game as an Eagle, except for missing 6 games in 1967 due to injury. He was named First Team All-Pro in '65, '66, and '68.
 
Brown requested a trade after the 1968 season, and was dealt to the Rams. He also made First-Team All-Pro in both seasons with LA. 
 
Traded to the Raiders after 1970, he was Oakland's starting right tackle during his 3 seasons there.
 
Brown was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2004. 
 
 
 

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

RIP - Frank LeMaster

Frank LeMaster, an Eagles' linebacker from 1974-1982, passed away on March 23, 2023 at age 71.
LeMaster was the Birds' 4th-round pick in 1974. He played every game from 1974-1982, starting none as a rookie but starting every game thereafter. He started on the left side for 2 seasons, then when Dick Vermeil went to a 3-4 defense in 1977, LeMaster moved inside, joining Bill Bergey. 
 
After missing all of 1983 due to injury, he was traded to the 49ers in 1984 but did not make the team. 
 
 
 

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

RIP - Gary Pettigrew

Gary Pettigrew, a defensive lineman for the Eagles from 1966-74, passed away on January 21, 2023 at age 78.
Pettigrew was a 2nd-round pick in 1966, and started 10 games at right defensive end in each of his first 2 seasons. 
 
In 1968 the Birds revamped their defensive line, putting 1968 #1 pick Tim Rossovich at LE and 2nd-year man Mel Tom at RE. Pettigrew moved to right DT, where he stayed for the next few years.
 
Starting all 14 games in 1968, he was limited to 6 starts in 1969, missing 7 games due to injury. 
 
In 1970 he again started every game at RDT, but the next 2 seasons found him mostly riding the bench, behind regulars Don Hultz, Ernie Calloway (in '71), and Houston Antwine ('72), only starting 6 of his 13 games in '71 and 2 of his 13 games in '72. 
 
Gary was back in the lineup in 1973, starting 12 of his 14 games, but this time at left tackle. After 4 games (no starts) in 1974, he was traded to the Giants, and retired after the season. 
 
 

Monday, December 26, 2022

RIP - Pete Liske

I just learned today that Pete Liske, the Eagles' starting QB in 1971 and 1972, passed away on February 12, 2022 at age 79.
Liske played college ball at Penn State, then was drafted by the Eagles and Jets in 1963. He signed with the Jets, and played 2 games for them (1 start) in 1964. 
 
After 4 seasons in the CFL, Liske joined the Broncos in 1969 and played 7 games (2 starts) that season, and 11 games (9 starts) in 1970. Before the 1971 season, Denver acquired QBs Don Horn (from the Packers) and Steve Ramsey (from the Saints), so Liske was expendable. 
 
He was traded to the Eagles, where he replaced the departed Norm Snead. Liske played all 28 games in his 2 seasons with the Eagles, starting 10 games in 1971 and 7 in 1972, before he was replaced by #1 draft pick John Reaves. 
 
With the Birds' acquisition of Roman Gabriel after the 1972 season, Liske was again expendable, and returned to the CFL for 3 more seasons until retiring after 1975. 
 
Liske was a back judge in the NFL from 1983-88, and was the athletic director at the University of Washington (1985-92), University of Idaho (1992-96), and University of Toledo (1996-2000). In 2001 he returned to Penn State in a fund-raising role.  
 
  

Monday, October 3, 2022

RIP - Herb Lusk

Herb Lusk, a halfback for the Eagles from 1976-78, passed away on September 19, 2022 at age 69.
 
Lusk (nicknamed "The Praying Tailback") was the first player to kneel in the end zone to pray following a touchdown.
 
He was the Eagles' 10th-round pick in 1976. The Eagles were without their first 3 picks that year due to past trades for Roman Gabriel and Bill Bergey. Still, they had 15 picks in the 17-round draft, but wasted 9 of them on players who never played a game in the NFL.   A 10th player played 7 games the following season, but not for the Eagles.  
 
So, Dick Vermeil's 1st draft boiled down to 5 players: Carl Hairston (7th round), FB Mike Hogan (9th), TE Richard Osborne (9th), Lusk (10th), and LB Terry Tautolo (13th). Only Hairston made long-term contributions. 
 
Lusk played behind veteran HB Tom Sullivan and FB Mike Hogan in '76 and '77. Although Sullivan was traded after the 1977 season, Wilbert Montgomery had been drafted that year, and jumped over Lusk into the starting halfback job in 1978. Lusk was only used as a kick returner in '78 and had no rushes. 
 
No matter, Lusk had planned to only play for 3 years, then enter the ministry. For the past 40 years, he was the pastor at a church in North Philadelphia.
  
 
 

Sunday, September 18, 2022

RIP - Guy Morriss

Guy Morriss, the Eagles' iron-man center from 1973 to 1983, passed away on September 5, 2022 at age 71.
Morriss was the Birds' 2nd-round pick in 1973. Although a guard in college, he was converted to a center as a rookie, and started 9 of 14 games that season. 
 
He played in all 159 games during his tenure with the Eagles, and after his rookie season, he started all but 1 game. 
 
Waived after the 1983 season, he played 4 more years as the Patriots' backup center.
 
 

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

RIP - Various Eagles

Although they played for the Eagles outside the scope of this blog (1966-75), the following former Eagles passed away in the past year:
Player          Position      Died	 Eagles Tenure
Charlie Johnson    NT      08/13/2021    1977-1981
Mike Pitts         DT      11/04/2021    1987-1992
Claude Humphrey    DE      12/03/2021    1979-1981
John Madden        T       12/28/2021    1958
Charles Johnson    WR      07/17/2022    1999-2000

Thursday, July 28, 2022

1973 Eagles

After a 2-11-1 season in 1972, the Eagles fired their GM (Pete Retzlaff) and Head Coach (Ed Khayat). 
 
In 1973 the Eagles had a new coach (Mike McCormick) a new QB (Roman Gabriel) and the best draft they had in a long time: T Jerry Sisemore (3rd overall) and TE Charlie Young (6th overall) in the 1st round,  Guy Morriss (C) in the 2nd round, and Randy Logan (S) in the 3rd round.  They also picked up Joe Lavender (CB) in the 12th round. 
 
Harold Jackson was traded away for Gabriel, but Harold Carmichael stepped up and led the NFL in receiving. Rookie Charlie Young also had 6 TDs, and 2nd-year running back Tom Sullivan gained 968 yards in his first year as a starter.
 
All this created a buzz among Eagles' fans, and led to a 5-8-1 record and a third place finish, behind the Cowboys and Redskins who were both 10-4.
 
In 1973, Topps greatly expanded their set.  Previously, only about 8 to 10 cards per team were printed. 5 of the 19 Eagles issued by Topps were not with the team in 1973.
 
 
Offense:

Pete Liske was the Eagles' starting QB in 1971 and part of 1972, but with the acquisition of Roman Gabriel, he was released.

Norm Bulaich gained 436 yards in his first of two seasons with the Eagles.

Harold Jackson played 4 seasons for the Eagles (leading the NFL in receiving in '69 and '72), but was traded to the Rams for Roman Gabriel.

Ben Hawkins started the first 4 games, then was traded to the Browns for DE Joe Jones.

Mark Nordquist is once again designated as a center by Topps, but he was the starting right guard.

Jim Skaggs was a reserve, after many years as the starting right guard.

Wade Key was the starting left tackle for 2 seasons, but moved to left guard in 1973.

Steve Smith moved from right tackle in '72 to left tackle in '73 to accommodate rookie Jerry Sisemore.

Tom Dempsey was the Birds' kicker from midway through the '71 season through the '74 season. 


Defense:

Mel Tom was the starting right end from 1968-72.  After 4 games in '73 he was traded to the Bears.

Ernie Calloway was a starter in his first 3 seasons ('69, '70, '71) but only played 5 games in 1972. He and Leroy Keyes were shipped off to the Chiefs before the 1973 season.

Don Hultz was the starter at left end for 3 seasons (65-67) and left tackle for 3 more (70-72), but only played 3 games in 1973.

Steve Zabel was the Eagles' #1 pick in the 1970 draft.  After 1 season as a tight end he was moved to linebacker. He played some middle linebacker one season, but was mostly the starting left LB from '71 to '74.

Ron Porter was a starting outside linebacker from 1969-72, but was traded to the Vikings before the 1973 season.

Al Nelson was the starting left cornerback for the Eagles from 1965 to midway through 1973.

Nate Ramsey played for the Eagles from 1963-72.  He was a starting safety from 65-70, and starting right corner in '64, '71, and '72.

Leroy Keyes was the Eagles' #1 pick in 1969.  After 2 years at HB and 2 at SS, he was traded to the Chiefs before the 1973 season.

Bill Bradley joined the Eagles in 1969, and was their starting free safety (and sometimes punter) from 1971-76. He was their best defensive player until the arrival of Bill Bergey in 1974.

John Reaves was the Eagles' #1 pick in 1972.  He started half the games as a rookie, then backed up Roman Gabriel in 1973.

 
Here are some custom cards I found on the internet:

Roman Gabriel was acquired in the off-season for Harold Jackson. He was the starting QB for 3 seasons (73-75), then backed up Mike Boryla ('76) and Ron Jaworski ('77).

Rick Arrington was the Eagles' backup QB from 1970-72, but was not on the team in '73.

Tom Sullivan was a rookie in 1972.  He was the starting halfback from 1973 to 1977, before giving way to Wilbert Montgomery.  He led the NFL with 11 rushing TDs in 1974.

Larry Watkins played for the Eagles from 1970-72, and was their starting fullback for 8 games in 1972.

Harold Carmichael was a rookie in 1971.  After 2 seasons as the 3rd WR and sometimes-starting tight end, he replaced the departed Harold Jackson as a starting wideout, and led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards in 1973. He played in every game from 1973-81, starting all but 1 of them.

Charle Young was a 1st-round pick for the Eagles in 1973, scoring 6 TDs as a rookie.


7/29 EDIT: Added starting lineup list below (to 1967 - 1972 Eagles posts too)

All players are not listed in the labels below.  Blogger has a max of 200 characters for the labels.  :(