What was the best play in Eagles' history?
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Bednarik vs. Taylor
BEST PLAY: Weeks after flattening Frank Gifford, "Concrete Charlie" made an even bigger impact.
Bednarik vs. Taylor
BEST PLAY: Weeks after flattening Frank Gifford, "Concrete Charlie" made an even bigger impact.
Yes, we know. And we know that men who played both offense and defense are fading memories as well. Bednarik, who flew 30 missions over Europe as a gunner in a B-24 during World War II, played many games in Franklin Field upon his return. He was a two-time all-American for Penn and finished third in the 1948 Heisman Trophy voting.
With the Eagles, he won a championship as a rookie in 1949 - when the team still played at Shibe Park - and then, finally, another in 1960. He retired two years later.
John G. Zimmerman / Sports Illustrated
This is the image from 1960 that everyone knows: Chuck Bednarik exulting after he knocked out Frank Gifford. But the Eagles didn't win it all until a month later, when Bednarik took down Jim Taylor with seconds to play.
Bednarik has had some spats with the Eagles organization over the years, but he still tries to get to a practice or two when the team trains at Lehigh, not far from his Coopersburg home. Andy Reid asked if he would say a few words to the team during one of those visits.
Contact columnist Bob Ford
"I told them, 'Be mean and be clean,' " Bednarik says. " 'Always play clean, but look at them like you're going to knock the [expletive] out of them.' That's the way you do it."
That's the way Bednarik did it, anyway. He's 82 now, and attends Mass every day at St. Joseph's Parish in Limeport. He gets there early and says a rosary beforehand. On Fridays, he and his wife go to the farmers market in Quakertown and walk most of the morning. That's good exercise and keeps him going.
He is Chuck Bednarik and he played every down. And, at least the way it looks from here, he made the greatest play in the 75-year history of the Philadelphia Eagles.
You can get up now, Jim.
The Next-Best Plays
Oct. 10, 1988:Randall's Great Escape
Before a national Monday Night Football audience, Randall Cunningham somehow survived a direct blow to the knees from Giants linebacker Carl Banks on a rollout, kept himself miraculously upright with a well-placed hand to the ground, and zipped a touchdown pass to tight end Jimmy Giles just before being crushed by Harry Carson. The Eagles won, 24-13, on their way to the only division title they would capture between 1980 and 2001. On the list of Randall's greats, this wins by an eyelash over that ridiculous 95-yard TD pass to Fred Barnett against the Bills in 1990.
Jan. 11, 1981:
Wilbert's Touchdown Run
Set the tone much? Wilbert Montgomery took off on a 42-yard TD gallop on the second Eagles play from scrimmage in the NFC championship game against the hated Cowboys. The Eagles went on to win the game by 20-7 and earn their first Super Bowl berth. Montgomery was the team's all-time rushing leader (6,538 yards), with 58 touchdowns as an Eagle. None was bigger than this one.
Jan.11, 2004:
Fourth-and-26
A week later, a season-ending loss to Carolina in the NFC championship game would mute this somewhat, but at the time, the Donovan McNabb-to-Freddie Mitchell completion against the Green Bay Packers in the division playoff round was pretty spectacular. "Just get it to Freddie. Give us a chance," offensive coordinator Brad Childress said to McNabb before the play, and that's what McNabb did, finding the flamboyant receiver over the middle and just beyond the first-down marker. The drive to tie the game stayed miraculously alive and the Eagles won in overtime, 20-17.
Dec. 19, 1948:
Van Buren Scores
In a full blizzard at Shibe Park, the Eagles won their first NFL championship, 7-0, over the Chicago Cardinals. Steve Van Buren's fourth-quarter, 5-yard TD run behind guard Bucko Kilroy was the only score. Kilroy, who played collegiately at Temple, also set up the score by recovering a Chicago fumble. "Steve Van Buren was our paycheck," Kilroy said, looking back on those teams. "We ran the power-running wing and Van Buren was it."
Contact columnist Bob Ford
at 215-854-5842 or bford@phillynews.com.
