Product Description

In the City of Brotherly Love, no team tugs at the hearts and weighs on the minds of fans more than the Philadelphia Eagles. But, much more than a local obsession, the Eagles are also one of football's most storied franchises. Amply illustrated with 200 photos of the players, coaches, fans, and the stadiums in which the team has played, The Eagles Encyclopedia recounts the greatest moments in the team's history, and brings to life the men who helped create modern football. Fans will read about:

* Bert Bell's 1933 purchase of the Frankford Yellow Jackets, the city's first NFL franchise

* The Philadelphia-Pittsburgh "Steagles"during WWII, which produced the team's first winning season

* The 1960 NFL title victory over the Packers and the 1980 Super Bowl game

* The sterling careers of Hall of Famers like Chuck Bednarik and Steve van Buren

* The Duffel Bag Dynasty of 1947-1949, when the Eagles went to three consecutive NFL championships, including back-to-back championships

* The thrilling 21st century, which has so far seen four consecutive NFC championship games and a second Super Bowl bid! But wait, there's more! The Eagles Encyclopedia also includes:

* A year by year history of the team—from 1933 to the present, with stats from each season

* Individual profiles of more than 100 Eagles players—from Swede Hanson to Donovan McNabb

* A statistical chapter that provides all the Eagles records—a complete roster, and every draft pick Written by Pro Football Hall of Fame writer Ray Didinger and local sports historian Robert S. Lyons, The Eagles Encyclopedia is the first comprehensive chronicle of the team's history and an indispensable guide for every Eagles fan. This book is not sanctioned by the NFL or its teams.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #334488 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

Review
"The book is packed with detailed accounts of the greatest moments in the franchise's history." NFL.com

From the Publisher
The first comprehensive history of the Philadelphia Eagles

About the Author
Ray Didinger has won four Emmy Awards as a writer and producer at NFL Films. Before that, he was a reporter covering the National Football League for The Philadelphia Bulletin, and later The Philadelphia Daily News. In 1995 he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the recipient of the Dick McCann Memorial Award for long and distinguished reporting of pro football. He is also a weekly commentator and panelist on Comcast's Post Game Live show during the football season.

For more than thirty years, Robert S. Lyons has covered professional and college sports for the Associated Press, and has contributed to numerous national publications. The former director of the La Salle University News Bureau, editor of the university's alumni magazine, and an instructor of journalism at La Salle, he is now president of RSL Communications. He is the author of Palestra Pandemonium: A History of the Big 5 (Temple).

Customer Reviews

Best money I ever spent!
Ray Didinger has always been my favorite Philadelphia Eagles sports writer. I couldn't wait to read his articles. His stories made the whole game that much better. He knows the team, the history, and takes you into the locker room of every Eagles team and the key players that we all know and remember.

If the Eagles lost, he captured how we felt and expressed our thoughts for us, and when they won his writings made the celebration all the more fun.

Mr. Didinger is the ultimate authority on the Eagles and his style makes every story in this encyclopedia most enjoyable. As a die-hard Eagles fan this was the best money I've ever spent.

I especially love the stories about Chuck Bednarik and Tommy McDonald. Didinger also includes great insight behind the stadiums, Franklin Field, Vet Stadium and now the Linc.

It's all here, all the great postseason games, the strange and unusual things that have come and gone with the Eagles and he brings us right up to the present day Eagles lead by the heroic Donovan McNabb, Brian Dawkins, Brian Westbrook, and T.O. Chock full of statistics too.

And he descibes what it's like to be an Eagle's Fan, how crazy and passionate we are, like only he can. He knows this city, this team, these fans, our dreams, our frustrations and our hopes.

I can't say enough good things. It compliments the "The Complete History of the Eagles" DVD (which came out about a year ago). This book is a lively page-turner and a real treasure for us fans.

Eagles Encyclopedia
Great book. Well conceived and well written. Excellent production. Every NFL franchise should have one.

Excellent
Ray Didinger and Robert S. Lyons have written an outstanding history of the Eagles in encyclopedia form. The book is well organized and written. It packed full of facts and data covering players, seasons and the front office. The book will bring the fan back alot of memories. I highly recommend it.