More Eagles players in the Hall of Fame than we think…

There is a wide variation of opinion on the number of former Eagles players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Before this year’s class of inductees goes into the Hall in a few weeks, there is a total of 318 members enshrined so far. The HOF officially lists nine (9) former Eagles among them…with Brian Dawkins and (eek!) Terrell Owens added to the list, that would make at least 11, assuming you want to include Owens as an ex-Eagle.

Maybe only 9 guys went into the Hall previously AS EAGLES, but my head tells me we have a lot more players in the Hall who spent at least parts of their careers here.

So I spent an afternoon going over the entire HOF roster. Here’s what I found:

Chuck Bednarik (1949-1962) played his whole career for the Eagles (C/LB). He was inducted in 1967—no-brainer.

Bert Bell was the Eagles’ founder and team owner from 1933-1940 and he also coached the team from 1936-1940. He was also the NFL Commissioner from 1946-1959. So no question he’s a legacy Eagle.

Bob Brown (OT) played for the Eagles from 1964-1968, and he also played for the Rams and Raiders after that. But he went into the Hall in 2004 as an Eagle.

Now here’s an ex-Eagle who went in as a Viking, but he started his career with the Eagles from 1987-1989. Of course I’m talking about Cris Carter (WR), who was inducted in 2013.

The plot thickens with this guy: Guy Chamberlin was a two-way performer who started in 1919 with the Canton Bulldogs. But he played and coached for the Frankford Yellow Jackets (the franchise which ultimately became the Eagles) in 1925 and 1926. Technically he is a former Eagle! He was inducted in 1965.

Richard Dent the big DE went into the Hall in 2011 as a Chicago Bear. But many forget he finished his career with the Eagles in 1997.

Same goes for Mike Ditka—into the Hall in 1988 as a TE for Da Bears, but he played for the Eagles in 1967 and 1968—also later for the Cowboys 1969-1972.

Wild Bill Hewitt was a two-way performer for the Bears from 1932-1936, but he made his biggest name as a DE with the Eagles from 1937-1939, then came back for his final season in Philly in 1943.

Claude Humphrey was inducted in 2014 as a Falcon, but the DE finished his career with the Eagles from 1979-1981.

Sonny Jurgensen went into the Hall in 1983 as a Redskins quarterback, but in fact he was drafted by the Eagles and played for Philly from 1957-1963.

James Lofton (WR) went in as a Packer in 2003, but how many of us remember he spent some time with the Eagles in 1993? I didn’t—I had to look it up!

Maybe obscure, but here’s another two-way player who did time with the Frankford Yellow Jackets in 1925—William Lyman. He was a tackle who made his bones later with the Chicago Bears (1926-1934).

Ollie Matson (RB) had an amazingly productive career with the Cardinals, the Rams and the Lions—but he closed out his career with the Eagles from 1964-1966.

Tommy McDonald (WR) of course went into the Hall as an Eagle in 1998. He was great here from 1957-1963. But did you know he then played for the Cowboys (1964), the Rams (1965-66), the Falcons (1967) and the Browns (1968) after that?

Here’s another brainteaser: Art Monk (WR) finally got into the Hall in 2008 as a Redskins great (1980-1993). But who remembers he played for the Eagles in 1995?

Earle “Greasy” Neale was inducted into the Hall as a coach in 1969. He spent his entire pro career with the Eagles from 1941-1950. He’s a legacy Eagle.

Pete Pihos is another Eagles legacy inductee. Pihos was primarily a TE but also played a lot at DE. His years with the Eagles were 1947-1955. The Eagles were the only NFL team he ever played for.

Jim Ringo (C) spent the bulk of his career with the Packers (1953-1963), but he spent 4 productive seasons with the Eagles (1964-1967).

Norm Van Brocklin quarterbacked the 1960 Eagles to an NFL Championship, but spent the bulk of his playing career with the Rams (1949-1957).

Steve Van Buren (RB) was inducted into the Hall in 1965 as an Eagle. He played his entire pro career here from 1944-1951.

Then there’s Reggie White (DE, Minister of Defense) who, after playing two years for Memphis in the old USFL, started his great NFL career with the Eagles from 1985-1992. Green Bay paid the man in 1993 and he led the Packers on a great run through 1998. I’m not sure if Reggie wanted to go into the Hall as an Eagle or a Packer? He was inducted posthumously in 2006. By the way, and this could help you win a trivia bet, Reggie White finished his career in 2000 with the Carolina Panthers.

We think of Alex Wojciechowicz as a two-way C/LB for the Eagles (1946-1950), but in fact he played much longer for the Lions (1938-1946). Because the Eagles won NFL titles with Alex in 1948 and 1949, I’m betting he went into the Hall as an Eagle.

So add Brian Dawkins (definitely going into the Hall as an Eagle) and Terrell Owens (spent two wild years with the Eagles), that brings my unofficial grand total of Eagles in the Hall of Fame to 24 players and/or coaches/owners with some kind of career link to Philadelphia.