The Eagles Represent Veteran’s Day As Well As Any NFL Team.
The year 1960 was different for the Philadelphia Eagles. It wasn’t that they team won a championship that year. The Eagles had been one offensive drive away from being a dynasty in 1947–1949. But in 1960 — they adopted new team personality. A fierce personality.
They became the football team that mirrored Philadelphia. A hard nosed, to the grindstone mentality that not only made them tough to beat — but a team that no one wanted to play. Long before the Buddy Ryan Era of back-breaking defense at Veteran’s Stadium that NFL teams feared the trip to Philadelphia, the Eagles showed the toughness of champions. No one player embodied that persona like Concrete Chuck Bednarik.
Like many Eagles players of the late 1950s, many Eagles players were World War II combat Veterans. Guard Jack Sanders (formerly a Pittsburgh Steeler) joined the Eagles in 1945 after losing a wrist and his left hand while fighting on Iwo Jima. Eagles Guard Bucko Kilroy served in the Merchant Marines during World War II.
The Eagles saw tragedy from the war, too. Kicker and halfback Michael M. “Nick” Basca was, a tank commander for the Third Army under George Patton, was killed in action. Harry Benson was killed in the Pacific Theater.
But Chuck Bednarik — an Eagle from 1949–1962 — wasn’t concrete because of his steely defensive presence. Or the fact that he was the last of the “60 minute men.” Or because he was an off-season Concrete Salesman when multi-million NFL contracts were not handed out to every player and the off-season was a time to work.
In World War II, Concrete Charlie was a Waist Gunner in the Army Air Corps on a B-24 Bomber for 29 missions — a position whose survival rate was only 30–40% during the war. After the cessation of hostilities, Bednarik transitioned the steely resolve of combat into one of the NFL gridiron.
On the green grass of Franklin Field — it seemed as if Concrete Charlie was unstoppable. He defended the middle of the field on defense, played center on offense, submarined New York Giant’s Frank Gifford, and sat on the Packer’s Jim Taylor to win the Eagles their third championship ever.
Moments after the Eagles won 17–13 over the Packers, another big moment happened in Philadelphia sport’s history. Eagles fans stormed the field even bringing down a goalpost — forever beginning the lore of the Philly sports fan.
Neither the reputation of our non-welcoming nature nor our admiration for Concrete Chuck Bednarik nor our appreciation of our Philadelphia veterans have faded one bit since 1960.
We wouldn’t have it any other way.
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