Will Wynn, 64, Eagles defensive end in the '70s

OLD-TIME EAGLES fans might remember that Green Bay game in a driving rainstorm at the Vet on Dec. 1, 1974, when the Eagles kicked the Packers' butts, 36-14, and one of those scores was made by defensive end Will Wynn on an 87-yard fumble recovery.

It was one of the games in which Will became an unlikely hero. Remember the Dallas game in 1971 when the Eagles trounced the Cowboys, 30-16, and Will Wynn demoralized his opponents by blocking a field-goal try?

William Wynn, who played for the Birds from 1973 to 1976, and finished out his National Football League career with the Washington Redskins until 1977, died Tuesday of heart failure at age 64. He had lived in West Oak Lane for the past 20 years.

"He was one of the fastest defensive linemen I have ever seen, and he played the game hard," said former teammate Harold Carmichael, now the Eagles' director of player programs. "He was just a great guy. He loved living in Philadelphia and being part of the community. The fans loved him and he loved them. It's a big loss."

Will played 54 games for the Eagles. He was a seventh-round selection from Tennessee State who had eight fumble recoveries for 119 return yards and two touchdowns in his Eagles career, which included 27 starts.

"He was a 6-foot-4, 245-pounder who played with a joy of the game, just as he had a joy for life beyond the game of football," the Eagles said in a statement.

Former Eagles defensive end Greg Brown described how close he and Will had become as teammates.

"When I first met him, we hit it off and became very close," Brown said. "We shared a lot of very close, personal matters, and we were great friends. We did so much together - a lot of volunteer things like going out to West Chester and passing out baskets at Thanksgiving - and Will was just that. He was that kind of person."

"He was caring and funny," said Will's wife, the former Tina Petty. "He liked to joke around. He brought people together and entertained them. He loved to barbecue."

They were married in 1995.

Will Wynn, whose name was a joy to sportswriters, was born in Apex, N.C. He starred at Tennessee State University, and was drafted by the Eagles in 1973.

After he left football in 1977, he became a roofer, drawing on his experience in his youth when he worked in construction for his father.

Besides his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Loreal and Tara; three sons, Omar, Michael and Lamont; four brothers, Anthony, Witt, J.P. Brown and Kevin; and a sister, Deborah Santiago.

Services: 11 a.m. Monday at Mount Lebanon Baptist Church, 2914 W. Diamond St. Friends may call at 9 a.m. Burial will be in Chelten Hills Cemetery.