1972 Eagles

In 1972, Topps expanded their set from 2 to 3 series, although the 3rd series was the "high numbers" and were hard to find. I had most of the cards in the first 2 series in 1972, but didn't get any 3rd series cards until a few years ago (and only have Eagles' punter Tom McNeil from that series, if I recall correctly). 

The Eagles regressed in 1972 to 2-11-1 after winning 6 games in 1971. Owner Leonard Tose finally tired of his team's wallowing in mediocrity and at season's end fired GM Pete Retzlaff and head coach Ed Khayat. In addition to a new GM and coach for 1973, there would be a new QB and better drafting. 

But, here's the best the 1972 team could offer.  The only quality players here were Harold Jackson and Bill Bradley.  Maybe Tom Dempsey too.

Pete Liske was in his 2nd of 2 years with the Eagles, but by mid-season lost the starting job to rookie John Reaves.

Harold Jackson led the NFL in receiving, then was dealt to the Rams for QB Roman Gabriel.

Mark Nordquist was actually the starting right guard, but Topps has him listed as a center.

Henry Allison was one of the stiffs the Eagles wasted a high draft pick on in 1971.  He started at left guard mostly out of necessity, not skill.

Tom Dempsey joined the Eagles midway through the 1971 season.

Steve Zabel was the Birds' #1 pick in 1970.  After a season as the backup tight end, he switched to outside linebacker in 1971.  Topps hadn't caught up yet.

Leroy Keyes was the Eagles' #1 pick in 1969.  After losing the O.J. Simpson sweepstakes, they chose Keyes ahead of Joe Greene and other outstanding players. Keyes was a bust at halfback, then switched to strong safety for his final 2 years in Philly.

Bill Bradley was the Eagles' free safety and punter for most of the early-1970s, and the only real bright spot on defense until Bill Bergey arrived in 1974.

Tom McNeill - Topps is only going to make 9 cards per team, and uses one of them for a punter?

 

Here are some custom cards I found on the internet:

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

Jim Nance led the AFL in rushing in 1966 and 1967.  He was acquired from the Patriots before the 1972 season, but promptly retired.  He un-retired the next season to play for the Jets.

Mel Tom was the team's starting right defensive end from 1967 to 1973.

Ron Porter played outside linebacker from 1969-72.

 

1971 Eagles

The 1971 Eagles finished with a 6-7-1 record. On the surface that seems like a great improvement from the previous season's 3-10-1 last place finish, but it mattered little because in 1972 they returned to last place with a 2-11-1 record. What a roller coaster! 

These are the cards for the 1971 Eagles. You may be wondering why there is no quarterback card. Long-time veteran Norm Snead was traded to the Vikings in the off-season, and appears on a Vikings card (but in an Eagles' jersey). Snead was replaced by CFL quarterback Pete Liske, but not until just before training camp. 

Aside from not including a quarterback, the position allocation seems a little strange here: 3 running backs, 2 wide receivers (including kick returner Billy Walik instead of veteran starter Ben Hawkins), no offensive linemen, and no middle linebacker.

Except for Tom Woodeshick, Harold Jackson, and Tim Rossovich, all of the cards here are the player's rookie card. The 1970 rookies (Lee Bouggess, Walik, Mark Moseley) appear in the team's current jerseys. Others are shown in the late-1960s' Eagles jersey with stripes around the shoulders.

The 10th Eagles' card in this set is for linebacker Adrian Young, but this is not a photo of Young. It is Rick Duncan, who punted for ONE game in 1968. Why would Topps even have a photo of such a short-short-short timer, but they had trouble finding recent photos for baseball players that were in their 2nd or 3rd full year with a new team? *SMDH*

Details on the individual players can be found in this blog post. 

 

Here are some custom cards I found on the internet:

Pete Liske was the Eagles' #1 QB in 1971 and part of 1972.

Rick Arrington was the 2nd-stringer in 1970 and 1971, then relegated to 3rd string in 1972.

Ron Bull was acquired from the Bears before the 1971 season.

Ron Porter was a starting outside linebacker from 1969-72.

Adrian Young is actually pictured on this card.  The photo is distorted because of enlargement.

Bill Bradley played for the Eagles from 1969-76, and was the starting free safety from 1971-76.

 

1970 Eagles

1970 was the first year I followed the NFL (and the Eagles in particular), but as I recall, not until midway through the season. 

Oddly enough, I collected football cards in 1967 and 1968, but not again until 1971. (My sports card collecting started with 1967 baseball and football, then the same 2 sports in 1968, but ended after the 1969 baseball season. Then I started up again with 1971 football, and both sports in 1972, before I stopped again until 1981.)

The Eagles finished with a 3-10-1 record in 1970, dead last in the newly-formed NFC East division. It was one game worse than their 4-9-1 finish in 1969. 

From 1968 to 1971, Topps only printed from 7 to 9 cards per team (which is handy when filling 9-pocket pages). 

Since I didn't collect cards in 1970, I only acquired these cards in the past few years, as I was completing my Eagles' team sets for 1964 to 1975.

1970 was the final year for Norm Snead as the Eagles' quarterback. Generally a disappointment since being acquired for Sonny Jurgensen after the 1963 season, he was kicked out of Philly in the spring of 1971.

Tom Woodeshick was the Eagles' starting fullback from 1967-1969, then rode the bench in favor of rookie Lee Bouggess in 1970.

Ben Hawkins was the Eagles' starting flanker from 1966 to 1973.  He may be best known for his dangling chinstrap.

Harold Jackson was acquired from the Rams in 1969, and was probably the Birds' best player in his 4 seasons with the team.  He led the NFL in receiving in '69 and '72.  Harold returned to the Rams after the 1972 season in exchange for QB Roman Gabriel.

Gary Ballman was the Eagles' starting split end in '67 and '68, then moved to tight end with the arrival of Jackson in 1969.

Tim Rossovich was the Eagles' #1 draft pick in 1968 and was the starting left end for his first 2 1/2 seasons.  Midway through 1970 he was moved to middle linebacker.

Dave Lloyd was the Eagles' long-time middle linebacker, but was finally replaced by Rossovich during the 1970 season.  He spent the remainder of his final season as a kicker (kicking off, but not for field goals or extra points).

Al Nelson played 9 seasons for the Eagles (1965-73) and was a starting cornerback every season except for missing all but 1 game in 1967.

Nate Ramsey was the Eagles' strong safety from 1963-70, then played right cornerback for his final 2 seasons with the Eagles.

RIP - Rick Arrington

Early-1970s backup QB Rick Arrington passed away on September 7, 2021 at age 74.

Arrington played for 3 seasons (all with the Eagles), and was the backup QB in Norm Snead's last year (1970) and Pete Liske's first year (1971). 

 

In 1972 the Eagles drafted John Reaves with their #1 pick, pushing Arrington to 3rd-string. I remember there was some talk of converting him to tight end, but that never happened. 

 

I learned on Wikipedia today that he was the grandfather of actresses Dakota and Elle Fanning.

 

Obituary 

  

RIP - Dennis Franks

Dennis Franks, the Eagles' backup center from 1976 to 1978, passed away on October 16, 2021 at age 68.

Franks played in every game during his 3 seasons with the Birds (starting once), and also played for the Lions in 1979. 

 

He is probably best remembered as a character in the Vince Papale movie "Invincible", where he is portrayed as the veteran who finally takes Papale under his wing. In reality, Franks was also a rookie that year.  

 

Philadelphia Inquirer obituary 

 

RIP - Tuufuli Uperesa

Tuufuli Uperesa, who played briefly for the Eagles in 1971, passed away on June 21, 2021 at age 73. He was born in American Samoa in 1948, and died there as well. 

 

Uperesa, an offensive lineman, was the Eagles' 16th-round pick in 1970. After a season on the taxi squad, he played 2 games as a backup tackle in 1971.  He also played for 4 teams in the CFL from 1973-77. 

 

 

I remember seeing Uperesa listed in the Eagles' 1971 yearbook. It was a small, TV Guide-sized booklet that I bought (or got for free) at the Merit gas station on City Line Avenue in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia just before the 1971 season.

 

Unfortunately, I can't find it now. I last saw it in November 2011 when I scanned a few pages for this Eagles' blog post, but I've moved a few times since then and I don't know where it is. I have the 1972 and 1973 yearbooks, full-sized magazines titled "Eagle One" and "Eagle Two", but the 1971 yearbook is not with them. 

 

University of Montana obituary

 

Harold Carmichael - WR

As we leave the 1960s-era Eagles behind, let's take a look at the key Eagles from the 1970s, starting with Harold Carmichael.

Harold was the Eagles' 7th-round pick in 1971. Yes, SEVENTH! The Birds wasted their first 6 picks on DE Richard Harris, G Henry Allison, K Happy Feller (who drafts a kicker that high?) and 3 other guys who didn't even play, before selecting Carmichael. It's no wonder the team sucked so bad in the early-1970s. 

 

Carmichael played for the Eagles for 13 years, and was a starting wide receiver in all but his first 2 seasons. He started 6 games as a rookie, but it was as a tight end, filling in for the injured Gary Ballman. He also started 2 games in 1972. 

 

Why all the time on the bench? The Birds already had Harold Jackson and Ben Hawkins as wideouts. Jackson led the NFL in receiving yards in his first (1969) and last (1972) seasons with the Eagles. He also led in receptions in '72. 

 

After the 1972 season, Jackson was traded to the Rams for quarterback Roman Gabriel. Did they miss the league's top WR? No! Carmichael took Jackson's place, not only in the Eagles' lineup, but as the NFL's leader in catches and receiving yards! 

 

Carmichael made the Pro Bowl 4 times (1973, 1978-80), and started all but one game from 1973 to 1981. He missed 7 games 1982, but returned for 15 games in '83, his final season in Philly. 

 

He finished his career with 2 games for the Cowboys in 1984. 

 

RIP - Leroy Keyes

Leroy Keyes, the Eagles' 1st-round pick in 1969, passed away on April 15, 2021 at age 74.

Keyes finished 3rd and 2nd in the Heisman voting in his final 2 seasons at Purdue, then for the Eagles he played halfback for 2 seasons, and strong safety for 2 more before being dealt to the Chiefs.  

 

Philadelphia Eagles obituary  

 

ESPN obituary 

 

RIP - Irv Cross

Irv Cross, a cornerback for the Eagles and Rams in the 1960s, passed away on February 28, 2021 at age 81.

Cross was drafted by the Eagles in 1961, and became the starting right cornerback midway through his rookie year after Tom Brookshier suffered a career-ending broken leg. 

 

Irv was a starting corner through the 1965 season, then was traded to the Rams. He played 3 seasons with the Rams, then returned to the Eagles for his final NFL season (1969) in the deal that sent Bob Brown to LA. 

 

After coaching for the Eagles in 1970, Cross became a broadcaster, first locally in Philadelphia, then joining the CBS team in 1971 where he remained for 21 years. 

  

ESPN obituary

 

RIP - Cyril Pinder

We just discussed Cyril Pinder on this blog 4 posts ago, but now I learned he passed away on January 23, 2021 at age 74.

The Eagles may not have been a very good team from 1966-75, but they had no shortage of colorful player names on the roster: King Hill, Izzy Lang, Floyd Peters, Joe Lavender, and Cyril Pinder, among others. 

 

Pinder was drafted by the Eagles in 1968, to replace the departed Timmy Brown. After sharing the load with Lang and Leroy Keyes for 2 seasons, Cyril was the team's leading rusher in 1970. He brought that tidbit to the bargaining table before the following season, and was promptly given a ticket to Chicago. 

 

He played for the Bears and Cowboys from 1971-73, as well as Chicago's WFL team in 1974-75 before retiring.  

 

Chicago Bears obituary

John Meyers - DT

John Meyers was the Eagles' starting right defensive tackle from 1964-67. He played in all 56 games during that time, starting all but three. 

 

He was the Rams' 3rd-round pick in 1962, but played the '62 and '63 seasons for the Cowboys, playing every game those 2 seasons at right D tackle. He started every game as a rookie, and 7 in 1963. 

 

After the 1963 season, he was traded to the Eagles along with kicker Sam Baker and guard Lynn Hoyem for flanker Tommy McDonald. 

 

Meyers was released during training camp in 1968, and replaced in the lineup by 2nd-year man Gary Pettigrew, who had been the starting right end as a rookie. Still, it seems odd that he was released outright, given that he was a 4-year starter, and only age 28. The team chose to go with rookie Mike Dirks and the unproven Frank Molden (who had missed the previous 2 seasons, and started no games as a rookie in 1965) as the backups at defensive tackle.

There were no cards issued by Topps or Philly Gum for John Meyers. This is a custom card created by RetroCards, in the 1962 Fleer style. (It's out of focus because I enlarged a thumbnail.)

 

 

Where's Waldo John?

That wraps up the player reviews for those whose Eagles' career started in the 1960s (or 1950s, for Pete Retzlaff). Next we will look at the players who began their Eagles' career in the 1970s, in order of most games as an Eagle. (Harold Carmichael will lead off the list.) 

 

But first, a re-cap of the players reviewed so far:

There are 52 players here. If I was going to have an Eagles' fantasy team for the 1966-69 period, this one is fairly solid. There are a few stars here and there, and most positions have above-average players. The middle linebacking looks a little thin, but Rossovich could also play there. Honestly, the quarterback, outside linebacker, and guard positions could use an upgrade, but these are the Eagles we have to work with for that time period.

Alvin Haymond - CB

Alvin Haymond played for the Eagles just for one season (1968), as their starting right cornerback. 

 

Haymond was drafted by the Colts in 1964, and was their top kickoff and punt returner for his 4 seasons in Baltimore. In '65 and '66 he led the NFL in punt returns and return yardage. He was only a regular starter for one season (free safety in 1966). 

 

Before the 1968 season he was traded to the Eagles for halfback Timmy Brown. He played 11 of 14 games for the Birds (starting 9 games), and was also their primary return man. 

 

After one season he moved on to the Rams (in one of 4 Eagles/Rams trades that off-season). 

 

He played 3 seasons for the Rams and one each for the Redskins and Oilers, but only started 1 game in those 5 seasons. However, he continued to be a top-notch return artist, leading the NFL in punt return yardage in 1969 and kick return yardage in 1970.

Haymond was already a Los Angeles Ram when this 1969 card was issued.