Philadelphia Eagles · Franchise era 2 of 7

The 1960 title and the long decline: the Philadelphia Eagles story

Franchise era

1950—1975

The 1960 title and the long decline

Philadelphia Eagles

The story in one sentence

Philadelphia defeated Lombardi's Packers for the 1960 championship, then spent most of the next fifteen years searching for another core.

01

Bednarik's last great team interrupts a dynasty

02

Chuck Bednarik, Norm Van Brocklin and Tommy McDonald gave the era its recognizable core.

03

Its ending created the conditions for vermeil's climb.

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Before 1950

    What came before

    After wartime merger and early struggle, Greasy Neale's Eagles won consecutive championships behind Van Buren and an imposing defense.

  2. After 1975

    What came next

    Dick Vermeil turned a depleted roster into the 1980 NFC champion through relentless development and Montgomery's complete running.

The core

Faces of the chapter

← Previous eraThe first champions1933—1949Next era →Vermeil's climb1976—1985