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1948 Philadelphia Eagles season
NFL team season
NFL team season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| team | Philadelphia Eagles |
| year | 1948 |
| record | 9–2–1 |
| division_place | 1st NFL Eastern |
| coach | Earle "Greasy" Neale |
| owner | Lex Thompson |
| stadium | Shibe Park |
| playoffs | **Won [NFL Championship](1948-nfl-championship-game)** |
| (vs. [Cardinals](1948-chicago-cardinals-season)) 7–0 | |
| shortnavlink | Eagles seasons |
(vs. Cardinals) 7–0
The ** Philadelphia Eagles season** was the franchise's 16th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Eagles repeated as Eastern Division champions and returned to the NFL Championship game, this time defeating the Chicago Cardinals to win their first NFL title.
Off season
The Eagles travel to New York State to hold training camp at Saranac Lake High School Field in Saranac Lake, New York, in northern New York State near Lake Placid and in the Adirondack Park. As of 2014 the building where the Eagles stayed is still a local landmark and is located on Lake Street in Saranac Lake and it is still called the Eagles Nest.
NFL draft
The 1948 NFL draft was held on December 19, 1947, five days after the end of the regular season, and nine days before the championship game was played. The Eagles finished the 1947 season with an 8–4 record. Tied with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers they picked 7th, 8th or 9th normally in the 32 rounds that they had picks.
The Washington Redskins had a lottery bonus pick at number one and chose Harry Gilmer, Back out of the University of Alabama. In the first round, the Eagles selected Clyde Scott, a running back from the University of Arkansas.
The Eagles' 26th round pick, Lou Creekmur, did not make the team but ended up becoming a Hall of Fame player for the Detroit Lions.
Many of the draft picks made by NFL teams ended up playing for teams in the rival All-America Football Conference (AAFC).
Player selections
The table shows the Eagles selections and what picks they had that were traded away and the team that ended up with that pick. It is possible the Eagles' pick ended up with this team via another team that the Eagles made a trade with. Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away.
| = Pro Bowler | Hall of Famer]] |
|---|
| **Rd** | **Pick** | **Player** | **Position** | **School** | **Rd** | **Pick** | **Player** | **Position** | **School** | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Clyde Scott | Back | [Arkansas](1947-arkansas-razorbacks-football-team) | 2 | No PICK | ||||
| 3 | 22 | Paul Campbell | Quarterback | [Texas](1947-texas-longhorns-football-team) | 4 | No PICK | ||||
| 5 | 33 | Jack "Moose" Myers | Back | [UCLA](1947-ucla-bruins-football-team) | 6 | 42 | Howard Duncan | Center | ||
| 7 | 54 | Buddy Tinsley | Tackle | Baylor | 8 | 63 | Marty Wendell | Guard | ||
| 9 | 72 | Scott Beasle | End | Nevada-Reno | 10 | 84 | Ray Richeson | Guard | ||
| 11 | 93 | Gil Johnson | Quarterback | [Southern Methodist](1947-smu-mustangs-football-team) | 12 | 102 | Bill Wyman | Tackle | ||
| 13 | 114 | Jim Walthall | Back | West Virginia | 14 | 123 | Dick Kempthorn | Back | ||
| 15 | 132 | Dick Rifenburg | End | Michigan | 16 | 144 | Don Stanton | Tackle | ||
| 17 | 153 | Ralph Kohl | Tackle | Michigan | 18 | 162 | Aubrey Fowler | Back | ||
| 19 | 174 | Rudy Krall | Back | New Mexico | 20 | 183 | Ed Claunch | Center | ||
| 21 | 192 | Negley Norton | Tackle | Penn State | 22 | 204 | Lockwood Frizzell | Center | ||
| 23 | 213 | Jack Swaner | Back | California | 24 | 222 | Art Littleton | End | ||
| 25 | 234 | Jim Parmer | Back | Oklahoma State | 26 | 243 | Lou Creekmur | Tackle | ||
| 27 | 252 | Bill Stanton | End | North Carolina State | 28 | 264 | Bennie Ellender | Back | ||
| 29 | 273 | Rex Grossman | Back | Indiana | 30 | 282 | A. B. Kitchens | Tackle | ||
| 31 | 292 | Art Statuto | Center | Notre Dame | 32 | 298 | Tom Novak | Center |
Regular season
Schedule
| Philadelphia Eagles | year=1948 | border=2}}" | Week | Philadelphia Eagles | year=1948 | border=2}}" | Date | Philadelphia Eagles | year=1948 | border=2}}" | Opponent | Philadelphia Eagles | year=1948 | border=2}}" | Result | Philadelphia Eagles | year=1948 | border=2}}" | Record | Philadelphia Eagles | year=1948 | border=2}}" | Venue | Philadelphia Eagles | year=1948 | border=2}}" | Attendance | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 24 | at [Chicago Cardinals](1948-chicago-cardinals-season) | **L** 14–21 | 0–1 | Comiskey Park | 24,159 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 3 | at [Los Angeles Rams](1948-los-angeles-rams-season) | **T** 28–28 | 0–1–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 24,597 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 10 | **[New York Giants](1948-new-york-giants-season)** | **W** 45–0 | 1–1–1 | Shibe Park | 22,804 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 17 | at **[Washington Redskins](1948-washington-redskins-season)** | **W** 45–0 | 2–1–1 | Griffith Stadium | 35,580 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 24 | [Chicago Bears](1948-chicago-bears-season) | **W** 12–7 | 3–1–1 | Shibe Park | 36,227 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 31 | at **[Pittsburgh Steelers](1948-pittsburgh-steelers-season)** | **W** 34–7 | 4–1–1 | Forbes Field | 32,859 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 7 | at **[New York Giants](1948-new-york-giants-season)** | **W** 35–14 | 5–1–1 | Polo Grounds | 24,983 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 14 | **[Boston Yanks](1948-boston-yanks-season)** | **W** 45–0 | 6–1–1 | Shibe Park | 22,958 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 21 | **[Washington Redskins](1948-washington-redskins-season)** | **W** 42–21 | 7–1–1 | Shibe Park | 36,254 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 28 | **[Pittsburgh Steelers](1948-pittsburgh-steelers-season)** | **W** 17–0 | 8–1–1 | Shibe Park | 22,001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 5 | at **[Boston Yanks](1948-boston-yanks-season)** | **L** 14–37 | 8–2–1 | Fenway Park | 9,652 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 12 | [Detroit Lions](1948-detroit-lions-season) | **W** 45–21 | 9–2–1 | Shibe Park | 15,322 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| **Note:** Intra-division opponents are in **bold** text. |
Game recaps
Week 1
Sunday, September 14, 1948
Played at Comiskey Park in Chicago
Week 2
Sunday, October 3, 1948
Played at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA
Week 3
Sunday, October 10, 1948
Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Week 4
Sunday, October 17, 1948
Played at Griffith Stadium in Washington, DC
Week 5
Sunday, October 24, 1948
Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Eagles recorded their first-ever win against the Bears, snapping a 10-game losing streak and an 11-game winless streak against them.
| Eagles | Safety, Luckman tackled in end zone by Barnes | 7 | 12 |
|---|
Week 6
Sunday, October 31, 1948
Played at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, PA
Week 7
Sunday, November 7, 1948
Played at Polo Grounds in New York, NY
Week 8
Sunday, November 14, 1948
Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
For third time in the 1948 season, and the second time playing at Shibe Park, the Eagles win a game by the score of 45–0.
| Eagles | Jim Parmer 5-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 45 |
|---|
Week 9
Sunday, November 21, 1948
Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| Eagles | Jack Ferrante 15-yard pass from Bill Mackrides (Cliff Patton kick) | 21 | 42 |
|---|
Week 10
Sunday, November 28, 1948
Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Week 11
Sunday, December 5, 1948
Played at Fenway Park in Boston, MA
Week 12
Sunday, December 12, 1948
Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| Eagles | Jack Ferrante 23-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 21 | 45 |
|---|
Standings
Playoffs
| Philadelphia Eagles | year=1948 | border=2}}" | Round | Philadelphia Eagles | year=1948 | border=2}}" | Date | Philadelphia Eagles | year=1948 | border=2}}" | Opponent | Philadelphia Eagles | year=1948 | border=2}}" | Result | Philadelphia Eagles | year=1948 | border=2}}" | Record | Philadelphia Eagles | year=1948 | border=2}}" | Venue | Philadelphia Eagles | year=1948 | border=2}}" | Attendance | [NFL Championship](1948-nfl-championship-game) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 19 | [Chicago Cardinals](1948-chicago-cardinals-season) | **W** 7–0 | 1–0 | Shibe Park | 28,864 |
NFL Championship Game
The NFL Championship game was played at Philadelphia's Shibe Park on December 19 during a blizzard. Thinking the game would not be played in the blizzard, Steve Van Buren remained home until Eagles coach Earle "Greasy" Neale called him and told him the game was still on. He had to catch 3 trolleys and walk 12 blocks in order to make the game on time.
The paid attendance for the game was 36,309 (28,864 actual), and it was scoreless until early in the fourth quarter. The Eagles recovered a fumble that set up Van Buren's five-yard touchdown at 1:05 into the fourth quarter. The Cardinals disputed that the ball or Van Buren had crossed the snow-covered goal line.
This was the Cardinals' last appearance in any NFL Championship game in the 20th century. There is said to be a curse on the football Cardinals that followed them from Chicago to St. Louis and on to Arizona.
Roster
All time List of Philadelphia Eagles players in franchise history
| All-Star Selection]] | Hall of Famer]] |
|---|
-
- After name means 1st team selection
| NO. | Player | AGE | POS | GP | GS | WT | HT | YRS | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earle "Greasy" Neale | 58 | **COACH** | West Virginia Wesleyan | ||||||
| Neill Armstrong | 22 | E-DB | 12 | 4 | 189 | 6–2 | 1 | Oklahoma State | |
| Walt Barnes | 30 | G | 11 | 0 | 238 | 6–1 | Rookie | LSU | |
| Russ Craft | 29 | DB-HB | 12 | 2 | 178 | 5–9 | 2 | Alabama | |
| Noble Doss | 28 | HB | 11 | 0 | 186 | 6–0 | 1 | Texas | |
| Otis Douglas | 37 | T | 5 | 0 | 224 | 6–1 | 2 | William & Mary | |
| Jack Ferrante | 32 | E-DE | 12 | 0 | 197 | 6–1 | 7 | *none* | |
| Mario Giannelli | 28 | MG-G | 12 | 1 | 265 | 6–0 | Rookie | Boston College | |
| John Green | 27 | DE-E | 12 | 9 | 192 | 6–1 | 1 | Tulsa | |
| Fred Hartman | 31 | T | 12 | 0 | 229 | 6–1 | 1 | Rice, and | |
| Schreiner College | |||||||||
| Dick Humbert | 30 | E-DE | 12 | 0 | 179 | 6–1 | 7 | Richmond | |
| Al Johnson | 26 | QB-P | 5 | 0 | 6–0 | Rookie | Hardin-Simmons | ||
| Bucko Kilroy | 27 | G-MG-T-DT | 12 | 12 | 243 | 6–2 | 5 | Notre Dame and | |
| Temple | |||||||||
| Ben Kish | 31 | B | 9 | 0 | 207 | 6–0 | 8 | Pittsburgh | |
| Vic Lindskog | 34 | C | 12 | 11 | 203 | 6–1 | 4 | Stanford | |
| Jay MacDowell | 29 | T-DE | 12 | 10 | 217 | 6–2 | 2 | Washington | |
| 39 | Bill Mackrides | 23 | QB | 10 | 1 | 182 | 5–11 | 1 | Nevada-Reno |
| John Magee | 25 | G | 12 | 8 | 220 | 5–10 | Rookie | La-Lafayette, and | |
| Rice | |||||||||
| Bap Manzini | 28 | C | 3 | 0 | 195 | 5–11 | 4 | St. Vincent | |
| Duke Maronic | 27 | G | 12 | 1 | 209 | 5–9 | 4 | *none* | |
| Pat McHugh | 29 | DB-HB | 10 | 1 | 166 | 5–11 | 1 | Georgia Tech | |
| 36 | Joe Muha | 27 | FB-LB | 11 | 11 | 205 | 6–1 | 2 | Virginia Military Institute |
| Jack Myers | 24 | FB-QB-LB | 12 | 7 | 200 | 6–2 | Rookie | UCLA | |
| Les Palmer | 25 | HB | 5 | 0 | 190 | 6–0 | Rookie | North Carolina State | |
| Jim Parmer | 22 | FB-HB | 11 | 2 | 193 | 6–0 | Rookie | Oklahoma State, and | |
| Texas A&M | |||||||||
| 65 | Cliff Patton | 25 | G-LB | 12 | 2 | 243 | 6–2 | 2 | TCU |
| 35 | Pete Pihos | 25 | E-DE | 12 | 11 | 210 | 6–1 | 1 | Indiana |
| Hal Prescott | 28 | E | 11 | 0 | 199 | 6–1 | 2 | Hardin-Simmons | |
| Bosh Pritchard | 29 | HB | 12 | 9 | 164 | 5–11 | 6 | Georgia Tech, *and* | |
| VMI | |||||||||
| George Savitsky | 24 | T | 12 | 0 | 244 | 6–2 | Rookie | Pennsylvania | |
| Vic Sears | 30 | T-DT | 12 | 2 | 223 | 6–3 | 7 | Oregon State | |
| Ernie Steele | 31 | HB-DB | 12 | 2 | 187 | 6–0 | 6 | Washington | |
| Gil Steinke | 29 | HB | 2 | 1 | 175 | 6–0 | 3 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | |
| Frank Szymanski | 25 | C | 9 | 0 | 225 | 5–11 | 3 | Notre Dame | |
| 11 | Tommy Thompson | 32 | QB | 12 | 4 | 192 | 6–1 | 8 | Tulsa |
| 15 | Steve Van Buren+ | 28 | HB | 11 | 8 | 200 | 6–0 | 4 | LSU |
| Al Wistert | 28 | T-G-DT | 12 | 12 | 214 | 6–1 | 5 | Michigan | |
| 53 | Alex Wojciechowicz | 33 | C-LB-E | 10 | 1 | 217 | 5–11 | 1 | Fordham |
| Team Totals | |||||||||
| 37 players | 28.1 | 12 | 200.0 | 6–0.4 | 3.0 |
Postseason
NFL Championship Game recap
Sunday, December 19, 1948
Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Weather: Snow, Blizzard conditions
| 1st | Eagles | Steve Van Buren 5-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 7 | 13:55 |
|---|
Attendance: 36,309 (paid), 28,864 (actual)
Awards and honors
- Tommy Thompson leads league in Passing TDs – 25
- Tommy Thompson leads league in Passer Rating- PHI 98.4
- Steve Van Buren leads league in Rushing Attempts – 201
- Steve Van Buren leads league in Rushing Yards – 945
- Steve Van Buren leads league in Rushing TDs – 10
- Cliff Patton Leads League in Field Goals Made – 8
- QB Tommy Thompson, LH Steve Van Buren, RG Bucko Kilroy, RT Al Wistert, RE Pete Pihos, and P Joe Muha are named to numerous All-Pro teams at season's end
Pro Football Hall of Fame members
- Alex Wojciechowicz – 1968
- Steve Van Buren – 1965
- Pete Pihos – 1970
- Greasy Neale – 1969 as coach
References
References
- Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.
- "Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia Eagles".
- Players are identified as a 1940 All-Star.
- "NFL 1948 League stats, awards and more on databaseFootball.com".
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1948/allpro.htm Pro Football Reference 1948 All-Pro teams page
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
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