Bednarik statue scheduled to be unveiled
Chuck Bednarik will be honored with a statue dedication at Franklin Field on Nov. 19.
Almost a half-century since playing a game there, Chuck Bednarik will be honored with a statue dedication at Franklin Field on Nov. 19, according to a statement released by the University.
In four seasons at Penn, Bednarik was a two-time All-American, won the Maxwell Award and finished third in Heisman voting.
The Eagles selected him with the first overall pick in the 1948 draft and he went on to spend his entire 14-year career with the franchise. In 1960, Bednarik led the Eagles to their last NFL Championship, a 17-13 win over Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers at Franklin Field.
The statue will be placed just inside Gate 2 on the north side of the stadium. According to the statement, the planning for the statue began in 2010 when area businessmen approached the University with the idea. Since then, over $100,000 has been raised.
"I think it's great that Chuck's statue will be placed at the site of his college and NFL careers," said Brian Hanlon of Toms River who sculpted the statue, in a statement. "Franklin Field is the most sacred, historic athletic venue in Philadelphia."
Contact staff writer Matt Breen at mbreen@phillynews.com or @matt_breen on Twitter.