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1960 Philadelphia Eagles season

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1960 Philadelphia Eagles season
OwnerHappy Hundred
General managerVince McNally
Head coachBuck Shaw
Home fieldFranklin Field
Results
Record10–2
Division place1st NFL Eastern
Playoff finishWon NFL Championship
(vs. Packers) 17–13

The 1960 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 28th season in the National Football League, and finished with the Eagles' win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFL championship game to get their third league title. The victory over the Packers was also the first and only playoff defeat of the Packers' Vince Lombardi's coaching career. The 1960 season was the Eagles' first postseason appearance since their last NFL championship season of 1949. It was their only postseason appearance in the 28 seasons from 1950 to 1977, and their last NFL title until their victory in Super Bowl LII, 57 years later.

Off Season

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On March 13, 1960, there was an expansion draft to stock the Dallas Rangers, who soon changed their name to the "Cowboys."[1] In this draft the Eagles lost tight end Dick Bielski, tackle Jerry DeLucca, and linebacker Bill Striegel to Dallas.

As since 1951, the Eagles held training camp at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

NFL Draft

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The 1960 NFL draft and the 1960 AFL Draft were held separately for college players (the common draft was initiated in 1967).

The NFL Draft was a draft of 20 rounds with 12 teams picking. The Eagles rotated having the 7th, 8th or 9th pick in the draft rounds, with Chicago and Cleveland. The quickly assembled NFL franchise of the Dallas Cowboys did not have a chance to pick, as the draft was held on November 30, 1959, before they were formed on January 28, 1960.
The AFL draft was a list made the teams of territorial players they claimed first. Then a draft was held by drafting players by position instead of any available player. When Minneapolis left the league other AFL teams pursued those picks. Oakland got the rights after they joined the league.
The Philadelphia Eagles lost four players to the AFL including 1st round pick Ron Burton, a running back from Northwestern University. A total of six NFL 1st round picks in this draft signed with the AFL this year.

Player selections

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The table shows the Eagles selections and what picks they had that were traded away and the team that ended up with that pick.[2] It is possible the Eagles' pick ended up with this team via another team that the Eagles made a trade with. Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away.

= Pro Bowler[3] = AFL All-Star[4] = Hall of Famer
Rd PICK PLAYER POS SCHOOL AFL Rd Signed
1 9 Ron Burton[5] Halfback Northwestern Boston Patriots 1 Boston
2 20 Maxie Baughan Linebacker Georgia Tech Minneapolis[6] 1 Eagles
3 31 Curt Merz End Iowa New York Titans 1 Dallas Texans
4 40 Ted Dean
Pick from
Washington Redskins
Running back Wichita State Buffalo Bills 1 Eagles
4 45 Jack Cummings Quarterback North Carolina Boston Patriots 1
5 56 Don Norton[7] End Iowa Dallas Texans 1 Los Angeles Chargers
6 67 Emmett Wilson Tackle Georgia Tech Buffalo Bills 2
7 81 John Wilkins Tackle USC Denver Broncos 2 Eagles
8 92 Monte Lee End Texas
9 103 Pick Taken by
Baltimore Colts
10 117 Pick Taken by
Detroit Lions
11 129 Pick Taken by
Chicago Bears
12 139 Dave Grosz Quarterback Oregon Minneapolis 1
13 153 Dave Graham End Virginia Houston Oilers 2 Eagles
14 164 Ray Petersen Back West Virginia Buffalo 1
15 175 John Wilcox Tackle Oregon Minneapolis 1 Eagles
16 189 Larry Lancaster Tackle Georgia Los Angeles Chargers 2
17 200 Mike Graney End Notre Dame Buffalo Bills 2
18 211 Emory Turner Guard Purdue Dallas 1
19 225 Bob Hain Tackle Iowa Los Angeles Chargers 2
20 236 Ramon Armstrong Guard Texas Christian New York Titans 2 Oakland Raiders

Preseason

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 August 13 at Los Angeles Rams W 20–7 1–0 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 39,480
2 August 21 at San Francisco 49ers L 28–45 1–1 Kezar Stadium 17,677
3 August 27 at Washington Redskins W 24–6 2–1 Foreman Field 20,132
4 September 3 vs. Detroit Lions W 40–10 3–1 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium 32,500
5 September 9 at St. Louis Cardinals L 13–34 3–2 Busch Stadium 23,666
6 September 17 Baltimore Colts W 35–21 4–2 Hershey Stadium 20,125

[8]

Regular season

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During the 1960 season, Chuck Bednarik is perhaps best known for knocking Frank Gifford of the New York Giants out of football for over eighteen months, considered one of the most famous tackles in NFL history.[9] It occurred late in the game at Yankee Stadium on November 20.[10][11]

Bednarik was the last player to play the whole game. He averaged 58 minutes a game, starting at center and linebacker in the second half of season.[12]

Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 25 Cleveland Browns L 24–41 0–1 Franklin Field 56,303
2 September 30 at Dallas Cowboys W 27–25 1–1 Cotton Bowl 18,500
3 October 9 St. Louis Cardinals W 31–27 2–1 Franklin Field 33,701
4 October 16 Detroit Lions W 28–10 3–1 Franklin Field 38,065
5 October 23 at Cleveland Browns W 31–29 4–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 64,850
6 Bye
7 November 6 Pittsburgh Steelers W 34–7 5–1 Franklin Field 58,324
8 November 13 Washington Redskins W 19–13 6–1 Franklin Field 39,361
9 November 20 at New York Giants W 17–10 7–1 Yankee Stadium 63,571
10 November 27 New York Giants W 31–23 8–1 Franklin Field 60,547
11 December 4 at St. Louis Cardinals W 20–6 9–1 Busch Stadium 21,358
12 December 11 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 21–27 9–2 Forbes Field 22,101
13 December 18 at Washington Redskins W 38–28 10–2 Griffith Stadium 20,558
Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text.
  • Friday night (September 30)[13]
  • A bye week was necessary in 1960, as the league expanded to an odd-number (13) of teams (Dallas); one team was idle each week.

Game summaries

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Week 1

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1 234Total
• Browns 14 10710 41
Eagles 3 7014 24
  • Date: September 25
  • Location: Franklin Field, Philadelphia
  • Game attendance: 56,303
  • Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C); Wind 9 mph (14 km/h)

[14]

Week 2

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1 234Total
• Eagles 3 10014 27
Cowboys 3 3613 25
  • Date: September 30
  • Location: Cotton Bowl, Dallas
  • Game attendance: 18,500
  • Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C); Wind 11 mph (18 km/h)

[15]

Week 3

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1 234Total
Cardinals 7 7310 27
• Eagles 7 14010 31
  • Date: October 9
  • Location: Franklin Field, Philadelphia
  • Game attendance: 33,701
  • Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C); Wind 5 mph (8 km/h)

[16]

Week 4

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1 234Total
Lions 0 370 10
• Eagles 7 7014 28
  • Date: October 16
  • Location: Franklin Field, Philadelphia
  • Game attendance: 38,065
  • Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C); Wind 7 mph (11 km/h)

[17]

Week 5

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1 234Total
• Eagles 7 01410 31
Browns 3 1277 29

[18]

Week 7

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1 234Total
Steelers 0 007 7
• Eagles 14 3710 34
  • Date: November 6
  • Location: Franklin Field, Philadelphia
  • Game attendance: 58,324
  • Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C); Wind 12 mph (19 km/h)

[19]

Week 8

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1 234Total
Redskins 3 073 13
• Eagles 0 3610 19
  • Date: November 13
  • Location: Franklin Field, Philadelphia
  • Game attendance: 39,361
  • Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C); Wind 5 mph (8 km/h)

[20]

Week 9: at New York Giants

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Week 9: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Eagles 0 0 71017
Giants 7 3 0010

at Yankee StadiumThe Bronx, New York

  • Date: November 20
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C); Wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 63,571
  • TV: CBS
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 10: vs. New York Giants

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1 234Total
Giants 17 330 23
• Eagles 0 17014 31
  • Date: November 27
  • Location: Franklin Field, Philadelphia
  • Game attendance: 60,547
  • Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C); Wind 7 mph (11 km/h)

[21]

Week 11

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1 234Total
• Eagles 3 737 20
Cardinals 0 060 6

[22]

Week 12

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1 234Total
Eagles 0 0021 21
• Steelers 13 1400 27

[23]

Week 13

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1 234Total
• Eagles 7 10714 38
Redskins 7 777 28
  • Date: December 18
  • Location: Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
  • Game attendance: 20,558
  • Game weather: 29 °F (−2 °C); Wind 3 mph (5 km/h)

[24]

Playoffs

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Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
Championship December 26 Green Bay Packers W 17–13 67,325

NFL Championship

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NFL Championship: Green Bay Packers (8–4) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (10–2)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 3 3 0713
Eagles 0 10 0717

at Franklin FieldPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Date: December 26
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C); Wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 67,325
  • Referee: Ron Gibbs
  • TV: NBC
  • Box Score
Game information

You can get up now, Taylor. This (expletive deleted) game's over.

~Chuck Bednarik, as he lay on top of Jim Taylor after making the tackle on the game's final play.

Standings

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NFL Eastern Conference
W L T PCT CONF PF PA STK
Philadelphia Eagles 10 2 0 .833 8–2 321 246 W1
Cleveland Browns 8 3 1 .727 6–3–1 362 217 W3
New York Giants 6 4 2 .600 5–4–1 271 261 L1
St. Louis Cardinals 6 5 1 .545 4–5–1 288 230 W1
Pittsburgh Steelers 5 6 1 .455 4–5–1 240 275 L1
Washington Redskins 1 9 2 .100 0–8–2 178 309 L8
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Results

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NFL Championship

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Personnel

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1960 Philadelphia Eagles roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams


Rookies in italics

[25]

Postseason

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Soon after the championship game against Green Bay, 61-year-old Buck Shaw retired as head coach of the Eagles.[26] Quarterback and 12-year veteran Norm Van Brocklin retired after the game also and expected to be named head coach, but assistant coach Nick Skorich was promoted;[27] he led the Eagles for the next three years, through the 1963 season.

Van Brocklin, age 34, was named head coach of the expansion Minnesota Vikings in January 1961.[28][29] In the 1961 expansion draft the Eagles lost guard Gerry Huth, defensive back Gene Johnson, and center Bill Lapham to Minnesota.

Awards and honors

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1960 Pro Bowl Players:

  • QB – Norm Van Brocklin
  • TE – Pete Retzlaff
  • OE – Bobby Walston
  • FL – Tommy McDonald
  • DT – Marion Campbell
  • LB – Maxie Baughan
  • LB – Chuck Bednarik
  • CB – Tom Brookshier

League Leaders[30]

  • Norm Van Brocklin finishes 2nd to Johnny Unitas in Passing Attempts, Completions, Yards, and TDs
  • Norm Van Brocklin finishes 2nd to Milt Plum in Yards per Attempt and Passer Rating
  • Ted Dean leads league in KO Returns and 2nd in Punt Returns

Other Awards

  • Chuck Bednarik, All-Pro Selection
  • Norm Van Brocklin, Bert Bell Award[31]
  • AP NFL MVP – Norm Van Brocklin
  • UPI MVP – Norm Van Brocklin

References

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  1. ^ The Dallas Cowboys were initially called the Dallas Rangers but were renamed to avoid confusion with a local minor league baseball club in Dallas."Dallas Will Get Gigantic Test In Grid Season". Free Lance-Star. February 1, 1960. p. S4.
  2. ^ "1960 Draft | Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site". Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  3. ^ Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their careers.
  4. ^ Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star team at any time in their careers.
  5. ^ Ron Burton signed with the Boston Patriots of the AFL
  6. ^ Minneapolis owners were offered an NFL franchise. To replace Minneapolis the AFL put a team in Oakland
  7. ^ Don Norton signed with the Dallas Texans of the AFL
  8. ^ "1960 Philadelphia Eagles (NFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  9. ^ http://prosportsblogging.com/psb/uploads/2010/12/Chuck-Bedrarick-vs-Frank-Gifford-1960.jpg Archived August 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Photo after the hit with Gifford on ground and Bednarik standing over him
  10. ^ "Gifford of Giants hurt as Eagles rally, 17-10". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. November 21, 1960. p. 13, part 2.
  11. ^ "Bad blood erupts as high-flying Eagles bounce New York 17-10". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. UPI. November 21, 1960. p. 2.
  12. ^ "Bednarik may play both ways Sunday". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. November 25, 1960. p. 2, final.
  13. ^ "Freeman sparks Eagles' victory". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. October 1, 1960. p. 8.
  14. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  15. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  16. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  17. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  18. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  19. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  20. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  21. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  22. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  23. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  24. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  25. ^ pro-football-reference.com, Retrieved 2016-Feb-06
  26. ^ "Buck Shaw makes retirement official". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. December 28, 1960. p. 1D.
  27. ^ "Nick Skorich named Eagles head coach". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. January 23, 1961. p. 11, part 2.
  28. ^ "Van Brocklin signs as Vikings' coach". Times-News. Hendersonville, North Carolina. January 19, 1961. p. 10.
  29. ^ "Van Brocklin hired to coach Vikings". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. January 18, 1961. p. 1D.
  30. ^ "NFL 1960 League stats, awards and more on databaseFootball.com". Archived from the original on November 22, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  31. ^ "Maxwell Football Club - Bert Bell Award Past Recipients". Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
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