How many times have you heard C'boy and other fans cry about how the Eagles don't have a right to talk smack about other teams until they have an NFL Championship under their belt. Well ... here's some football hiostory for yas...
American football evolved from two sports -- soccer, and rugby. The sport called soccer in the United States is still known as football throughout much of the world.
The first professional football game in the United States took place in 1895 in the town of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, between a team representing Latrobe (probably an early version of the Eagles) and a team from Jeannette (probably the steelers); both Pennsylvania teams. In the following years many professional teams were formed, including the Duquesnes of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the Olympics of McKeesport, Pennsylvania; the Bulldogs of Canton, Ohio; and the team of Massillon, Ohio. Noted college players who took up the professional game during its early years include Willie Heston (formerly at the University of Michigan), Fritz Pollard (Brown University), and Jim Thorpe (Carlisle Indian School).
Later, in 1943 a team football team developed called the
Steagles; the product of a war-time merger officially named the Phil-Pit Eagles-Steelers (
the Steagles was honoured at a 60th anniversary bash before a Pittsburgh Steelers' exhibition game against the Philadelphia Eagles).
Four years later, the Eagles won their first NFL championship. After they repeated in 1949 -- the only time in franchise history they've won back-to-back titles -- Hinkle said: "The old Steagles -- that's where it all started."
We may not have won a "Lombardy" trophy yet, but we were winning NFL championships long before many teams -- including yours, were a franchise!
Keep it real.