Philadelphia Greats, Pt. 1: The 10 Greatest To Ever Wear Eagles Green

This is part one of a four-part series that will look at the ten best Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers of all-time, and eventually the overall ten best Philadelphia athletes of all-time, through my eyes.

In 1931, the Frankford Yellow Jackets, then a member of the National Football League, went bankrupt. It took two seasons for the NFL to find a suitor to buy the team, but in 1933, Bert Bell, a future NFL commissioner, and Lud Wray were awarded the dormant franchise for the price of $2,500.

While searching for a city, the two decided to move the team to Philadelphia. But a team nickname proved to be troublesome.

Finally, Bell and Wray agreed to name the franchise the "Eagles", in honor of the insignia for President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, the National Recovery Act in 1933.

Thus, the Philadelphia Eagles were born.

Seventy-six seasons, 21 playoff appearances, three conference championships, 11 division titles, six home stadiums, three NFL championships, two Super Bowl appearances, and zero Super Bowl championships, the Philadelphia Eagles are surrounded by more controversy than ever.

Winning has not been the forte of the Philadelphia Eagles over the years. The past decade has been the winning-est decade the team has ever seen. With that said, still no Super Bowl championship resides in the trophy case.

Time is running out for the current Eagles team to achieve the ultimate dream, and Eagles management is not helping much to keep the team together.

The city is up-in-arms over the departure of Brian Dawkins, the non-signing of any big name wide-receiver thus far in free-agency, and the lack of any other huge acquisition this offseason.

The fans have had enough, and they are really taking it to the organization this time, protesting in front of their houses, taking their names off of season ticket lists, buying No. 20 Denver Broncos jerseys, etc.

I myself have been involved in such "protesting", just in a calmer manner: on the Internet.

But, a few days ago, I decided to stop. I decided to give up on the kicking and screaming Eagles fans have been demonstrating for the past week or so, even if it is necessary.

I decided to break off and think of the good 'ole times. I did some research, watched a few things, and eventually, compiled my list of the ten best Philadelphia Eagles of all-time.

Being a high school student, I was not around to see Tommy McDonald, Steve Van Buren, Chuck Bednarik, and the rest of the Eagles' legends play. And to my knowledge, I do not have time travel-powers, so I do not expect to see them play anytime soon.

Those still living could probably put together a legends touch-football game, but that certainly would not be pretty.

So I am stuck with research, pictures, videos, and the pure Eagles fandom I have been blessed with to name the ten best Birds of all time. Here's to hoping that fandom is enough to successfully get me through these rankings.

10) Bob Brown-T

Robert Stanford Brown was the best tackle in professional football when he played from 1964-1973. No lineman came close to his toughness and, more importantly, his ability to pass and run block.

Although Bob Brown only spent five seasons, his first five in the league, with the Eagles, he proved worthy enough to be on this list because of those years.

The second overall pick in the 1964 draft was a three-time Pro Bowler as well as a three-time first-team All-Pro selection as an Eagle. For his entire career, Brown was a six-time Pro Bowler and a five-time first-team All-Pro selection.

He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004. There are not any statistics on Bob Brown, but with as much research I have done, he deserves to be in the top ten.

Brown is just like Reggie White, by the fact that they both played for multiple teams, yet spent the majority of their careers in Philadelphia. They both also were dominating players everywhere they went.

As good as Bob Brown was, there is no reason to leave him off this list.

9) Tommy McDonald-WR

Thomas Franklin McDonald was a 5'9", 178-pound wide receiver in the NFL for 12 seasons, seven of which were spent with the Philadelphia Eagles. The little-guy was anything but at heart.

The third round pick in the 1957 draft caught a 35-yard touchdown in the Eagles' 1960 NFL championship game win over the Packers, giving the Eagles the momentum they needed to win. That was what Tommy was all about.

The receiver compiled a total of 495 receptions, 8410 receiving yards, 84 touchdowns, a 17.0 yards per reception rate, and a 1-in-5.9 touchdown-to-reception rate over his 12 year career. He also caught a reception in 93 consecutive games during his career.

In one game, McDonald caught seven passes for 237 yards, still a single-game best in receiving yards for the Philadelphia Eagles.

McDonald was a 6-time Pro-Bowl selection, five of which came during his seven year career in Philadelphia. He did move on to play for four other teams after his Eagles career ended, yet Tommy is an Eagle at heart, always will be.

He may be the smallest player currently in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, after he was inducted in 1998, yet he has one of the largest hearts there is to be found in Canton, Ohio.

8) Donovan McNabb-QB

Donovan Jamal McNabb grew up on the North Side of Chicago. The bad side. Very bad. Yet the 6'2", 240 pound quarterback has shaped to be the best quarterback in the history of the Eagles.

McNabb is a 10-year veteran, spending all of his career thus far with the team that drafted him second overall in the 1999 draft, the Philadelphia Eagles.

During his 10 seasons, McNabb has brought the Eagles to the playoffs six times (only including seasons in which he played in the playoffs), going 9-6 in 15 career postseason games. He has never managed to bring home a Super Bowl championship, yet did win one NFC championship in 2004.

The five-time Pro Bowler is the Eagles' all-time leading passer with 29,320 passing yards. He has also thrown for 194 touchdowns, a 58.9 completion percentage, and a 85.9 QB rating. McNabb, like Randall Cunningham, is (or was...) known as a serious threat on the ground.

He has ran for 3,109 yards with 26 touchdowns. In his last five seasons, he has only ran 50 times once, while he ran more than 60 times in four of his first five seasons.

McNabb has been heavily scrutinized by the media in Philadelphia, and although the fans, who wanted college star running-back Ricky Williams over him, did not welcome him onto the team.

Yet, Eagles faithful have grown to like the quarterback (most of the time). There are times when some fans want him to be traded, and for the Eagles to move on, but most Eagles fans realize the Eagles would not be where they are today if it were not for Donovan McNabb.

7) Pete Pihos-DE

Definitely one of the most underrated Eagles of all-time, Peter Louis Pihos played nine seasons in the NFL, all with Philadelphia. Pete Pihos started out in the NFL as a two-way end, but ended up concentrating at playing only on offense after a few seasons.

Pihos was in the fifth round in the 1945 draft, yet did not play until 1947 due to military service.

As an end for the Eagles in nine seasons, Pete caught 373 passes for 5619 yards and 61 touchdowns, quite a lot for what we call a tight end in today's football world. He was elected to six Pro-Bowls, and was a six-time first-team All-Pro selecting.

He was obviously one of the best in the game during his tenure.

In 1970, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The 6'1", 210 lb. end would be considered small if he had played that same position today. But even so, Pete would have just moved on over to wide receiver, where he still would have excelled. His great hands and quick moves, along with his toughness, makes him an Eagles all-time great.

6) Harold Carmichael-WR

Lee Harold Carmichael was a seventh-round pick in the 1971 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. I would say this seventh-round pick worked out well. Very well.

Harold Carmichael played 13 seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles as a wide receiver. His fourteen-year career ended in Dallas, as he played one season with the Cowboys. Carmichael was a four-time Pro Bowler, in 1973, and 1978-1980.

He was a large reason for the success Ron Jaworski had over his career, catching 590 passes for 8,958 yards and 79 touchdowns. He is the leading receiver in Eagles history in passing yards, touchdowns, receptions, and games.

For a seventh-round pick to turn into the best receiver the team has ever seen is saying something. He helped the Eagles reach Super Bowl XV against the Oakland Raiders, even though the Eagles lost 27-10.

There is no doubt that Harold Carmichael is one of the best to ever put on the Eagles uniform.

5) Wilbert Montgomery-RB

Wilbert Montgomery was just a two-time Pro-Bowl selection, yet the sixth round draft pick in the 1977 draft proved to be a pivotal part in Eagles history.

Montgomery was not the biggest of backs, standing at 5'10" tall, and weighing in around 196 lbs., yet he made up for it with his wide variety of skills. Montgomery ran for more than 1,000 yards three times in his nine-year career.

Eight of those years were spent with the Eagles, the last was with the Detroit Lions. He ran for a total of 6,789 yards and 45 touchdowns on 1540 attempts. He averaged 4.4 yards per carry and 63.4 yards per game.

Running was not the only tool for this back, as he caught 273 passes for 2,502 yards and 12 touchdowns as well.

He ranks as the teams all-time leading rusher in yards, although Brian Westbrook is on pace to eclipse his record. Even so, Wilbert Montgomery deserves to be in this list of the 10 best Eagles of all-time.

4) Reggie White-DE/DT

Reginald Howard White did not play his entire career with the Philadelphia Eagles, nor did he go into the Hall of Fame as an Eagle. No, Reggie White is a Packer at heart, mostly because of his Super Bowl victory in Green Bay.

Yet, his eight years in Philadelphia were some of the greatest years any defensive player in the NFL has ever exhibited.

The fourth overall pick in the 1984 draft made 13.0 sacks in his rookie season. He then recorded 18.0 sacks and 21.0 sacks in his second and third seasons respectively.

Over his next four seasons, his last four with the Eagles, he recorded at least 11.0 sacks every year, and 54.0 total sacks. His career as an Eagle ended as he joined the Packers organization the following season.

Reggie was not the same defensive player for most of his time as a Packer, yet was still one of the most dominating players in the game. He finished his career with 198.0 sacks, 33 forced fumbles, and 1048 tackles.

White was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. He was a 13-time Pro-Bowl selection, and an eight-time first-team All-Pro. Reggie White did not go into the Hall of Fame as a member of the Eagles, yet, as good as he was, there is no way to keep him off the list of the team he played more than half of his career with.

3) Brian Dawkins-DB

Brian Patrick Dawkins. Brian Dawkins. B-Dawk. Weapon-X. Call him what you want, Brian Dawkins is, by far, the greatest defensive back in Eagles history, and ranks among the best at his position all-time.

The second round pick in the 1996 draft out of Clemson made his impact felt the second he put on midnight green on Sundays. The energetic, emotional, leader of the Eagles defense for the past decade made the Pro-Bowl seven times as an Eagle, also making first-team All-Pro four times.

I would like to say B-Dawk is going to finish his career as an Eagle, but I cannot. The fact of the matter is, Brian Dawkins is a member of the Denver Broncos, something he never wanted.

So far in his NFL career, the free-safety recorded 34 interceptions (tied for first all-time in Eagles history with Bill Bradley), 723 tackles, 3 touchdowns, 21 sacks, 32 forced fumbles, and 97 passes defended—all unprecented numbers for a safety.

Too bad he will not be able to own the interception record for himself now that he is not a member of the Eagles.

As Dawkins leaves for Denver, many fans of the Eagles may not be one for much longer. This only shows the love for Brian Dawkins in the city of Philadelphia, showing how much he represented the Eagles, their defense, their spirit, and the city.

2) Chuck Bednarik-LB/C

Charles Phillip Bednarik played 14 seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1949-1962. Chuck, he was called, was given the nickname "Concrete Charlie" in favor of the bone-rattling hits he delivered on his opponents.

Bednarik was an eight-time Pro Bowler, five-time first-team All-Pro as a member of the Eagles, of whom he was drafted to with the first overall pick in the 1949 NFL entry-draft. The Eagles were the only team he ever played for.

Chuck spent most of his career as a linebacker, yet played center at the start and end of his illustrious career. During those seasons as a center/linebacker, Bednarik recorded 20 interceptions and 21 fumbles recovered.

Other statistics such as sacks, fumbles forced, tackles, safeties, tackles for loss, and passes defended were not introduced into the league until later on. But we know that if sacks, fumbles forced, tackles, and tackles for loss were, Chuck Bednarik would be far up on those lists.

Chuck Bednarik was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.

1) Steve Van Buren-RB (pictured above)

Stephen W. Van Buren is the second-leading rusher in Philadelphia Eagles history. Van Buren stands at exactly six-feet tall, weighing in at 200 lbs. He spent all eight seasons of his NFL career wearing Eagles green, and is considered by his coach, Earle "Greasy" Neale, as the greatest running-back of all time.

Pretty high standards, wouldn't you say?

The fifth overall pick in the 1994 draft ran for over 1,000 yards twice during his eight seasons, which was a fantastic achievement back during his playing days in the 1940's. At the end of his career, Van Buren had ran for 5860 yards and 69 touchdowns on 1320 rushing attempts.

Steve Van Buren is five-time, first-team All-Pro. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965. At the time, he was widely considered as one of the best who had ever played the position.

Now, Van Buren is not thought of at the same standards, but among Eagles fans, his two championships, along with his record-breaking numbers during his playing days, is what makes him the all-time greatest Eagle who ever lived.

All statistics from pro-football-reference.com