A 1976 Philadelphia Story | Eagles 1976 Season Recap

in 1783 the Marquis de Lafayette called Philadelphia a worldly city whose exploits will fill the pages of books for generations nearly two hundred years later Lafayette prophecy was fulfilled 1976 are many stories emanate from Philadelphia some were about familiar people and events others were only once in a lifetime during America's 200th birthday Philadelphia was the center of attention as people from all over journeyed to the city for a glimpse at history much of the local citizenry reaped satisfaction from the heralded feats of a championship team but other stories took on a more somber toll casting a pall on the star-spangled celebration perhaps Philadelphia's most interesting tale was a little one the saga of Rocky Balboa Rocky was a ham and eggs boxer from South Philly who had just one goal a chance to compete against the very best so that he could measure himself as a man [Music] Rocky's Story paralleled another group of city a flee the Philadelphia Eagles these men like rocky were not always the most gifted players in the game but in their first season under coach Dick Vermeil they had something to prove but they could do battle against anyone in football and come away with their heads held high up man but never out hustled the Eagles created their own spirit of 76 from this would come a story that they could look upon with encouragement and pride [Music] gentlemen the Philadelphia Eagles brought you here for one reason to provide you with an opportunity to make an NFL football team I hope to heck you're prepared to take advantage of this opportunity the Philadelphia fans are the most loyal fans in the country and they deserve the best we're gonna work you hard teach you and demand a lot of you physically the Eagles will never be taken for granted this season and you have approximately 5 to 6 weeks to prove whether you can play in this league best of luck but luck was not to be with the Eagles as they struggle through a difficult and frustrating preseason [Music] after a disappointing season opener in Dallas the Eagles returned home desperate for victory against the New York Giants Philadelphia's firebrands crafted a memorable performance [Music] so Thoreau was the Eagle domination that the Giants did not even come close to scoring until the final minutes it was Dick Vermeil first professional victory a wind shared equally with his athletes and followers a packed house in a national television audience focused their attention on rainy veteran Stadium a week later the opponents were the rugged Redskins but the eagle showed them little respect [Music] Philadelphia's runners found holes where none existed and then relied on brute force to build a 10 nothing lead but the Eagle celebration was cut short as Washington scored 17 unanswered points with less than two minutes remaining in the game Philadelphia needed a touchdown to tie the remarkable Eagle comeback brought about the first overtime game in Monday Night Football history and although the Redskins did eventually prevail they knew they were lucky to win [Music] down in Dixie the Eagles gave Atlanta a taste of Yankee hospitality [Music] a second half comeback southern-fried the Falcons into submission and gave Philadelphia their second win but that game was merely a barnyard cockfight compared to the ruffled feathers incurred when the Eagles battled the carton [Music] st. Louis took the first match with little trouble but in the return engagement four weeks later the egos were much less cooperative [Music] driving for the winning score late in the game Eagle hopes were dashed when Lady Luck turned her back on [Music] [Applause] [Music] Philadelphia had the distinction of playing both Superbowl participants in 1976 but on each occasion it was the Eagles who scored first [Music] against the eventual world champion Raiders it was an alert special teams play that set up a first period Philadelphia touchdown however Oakland simply had too much firepower to contend with and the Eagle soon joined the list of fifteen other victims who fell to the radar assault [Music] buoyant optimism was very much in order in week 9 when the Eagles met the Giants in the Meadowlands the Philadelphia defense easily played its best game of the season [Music] although playing with reserves in some key positions the defense battled vigorously notching the first team shutout since 1968 for years a troubled spa the defensive line showed signs of coming around in 76 depth was provided by four-year pros Bill Dunstan number 61 in peat laser tits number 73 right and will win number 71 was a leader among the front for causing his foes disruption with annoying regularity [Music] taking some of the heat off wind was left tackle Manny sistrum whose acquisition from the Redskins turned out to be a pretty good deal he led the front four in both tackles and sacks [Music] left linebacker Frank the master number 55 solidified his starting spot with 171 tacos [Music] at the other flank John Bunning had his finest season yet as he dropped opponents nearly 200 times said one runner when Bunning hits you it doesn't feel very good at all [Music] the secondary was manned by cornermen John outlaw and Al Clark along with safeties Randy Logan and team co-captain Bill Bradley with reserves strength from Tommy Campbell and Artemus Parker the unit put on a combination acrobatic and strongman act [Music] however the core of the defense lies with Bill Bergey Pittsburgh's Jack Lambert notwithstanding Burgie is the finest middle linebacker in pro football again an all-pro selection last year Bergy is what one coach called the kind of player every team wants but rarely is lucky enough to have what drives what makes Bergy run so many times they've labeled me as a demon with a killers instinct a madman an animal that ought to be caged this is the writers in the media and they like to say soupy things like that so they can sell whatever they have to sell but I don't like the word mean as much as I like the word intense I guess intensity a favorite word of coach Vermeer's in a characteristic that aptly depicts the style of Bill Bergey [Music] I can't explain it I really don't know how I can even put it into words but there's just something that happens inside me and come about 1 o'clock Sunday really ready to just about explode [Music] defensive tackle called hairston seventh round draft choice fullback Mike Hogan ninth round pick hat back her Blas a tenth round selection all three were bona fide sleepers in last year's draft but were active participants six months later [Music] Kogan especially was the most pleasant surprise despite missing seven games with injury he still led the team in Russia no one knew Mike Hogan a year ago they certainly know him now [Music] for most rookies though it is the special teams where they see the most activity first-year men like Thierry Tolo and Dennis Franks join veterans sailors glimmered Nelson mihalick and Marshall in Suicide Squad servitude [Music] [Applause] [Music] one member of the special teams was Vince Papale a local track and field star who'd never played football in college his youthful naiveté prompted him to send a tryout letter to the Eagles remarkably they accepted and papaw Lee made the team writing an enchanting Philadelphia story of his own [Music] although Kapali did not catch a pass or score a touchdown in 1976 his exuberance weaved well into the fiber of the team and the fans loved it I suppose you could call me a semi native Philadelphian and as much as the fact that I've grown up outside of Philadelphia just about eight miles south of Center City in a small town called Glenn olden and I pretty much identify with the city of Philadelphia summary because I've lived around here all my life Tommy McDonald was my idol and I think I used to drive my parents crazy by throwing a football around the house all the time I pretty much emulated Tommy McDonald when I was in high school I had season tickets for eight years up until 1975 well now I don't need season tickets cause mr. tose lets me in for nothing I'm just thankful I'm in Philadelphia so I can do my thing in front of my people a story like Kapali is especially gratifying and meaningful for Coach Vermeil Vince Papale he made our football team because he had football talent and secondly because he's a highly motivated guy and I really think some of this motivation came from the Eagle football fan they identified with Vince and rightfully so I hope to be a Philadelphia Eagle for three more years but if it doesn't happen if it's not in the cards I won't regret anything that's happened to me up to this point I'm just as happy as I've ever been in my life it might shock some people to hear this but if I were taught by the Eagles tomorrow it wouldn't be the end of the world of course I would miss the guys in the team and of course missed the game but all I wanted was an opportunity just one shot to play against the best to play in the NFL the Eagles gave me that opportunity and for that I'm eternally grateful [Music] the Eagle offensive line was a much improved unit last season Center guy Morris tackle Stan Walters and X Baltimore Colt Edie George transform tackle Jerry Sizemore and guard Wade gee these men led Eagle backs to their highest team rushing total in 12 seasons [Music] [Applause] [Music] in addition to their ball carrying duties rookies Hogan and lust and veterans Tom Sullivan Dave Hampton James McAlister and Bill olds all figured prominently in the passing game [Music] but 1977 will bring a new source of passing power to Philadelphia joining Roman Gabriel at quarterback is Ron Jaworski the polish rifle Jaworski comes to the city of brotherly love with a remarkable record he has never lost any professional game in which he has played [Music] he has style he has ability his outlook on football is refreshing but most important Ron Jaworski is a winner [Music] to get Jaworski the egos traded tight em Charles young but having another tight end like Keith Crepsley maybe exchange all the easier [Music] Jaworski will love the huge target of Harold slim Carmichael in addition to leading the team and catches in touchdowns the h-bomb extended his string of consecutive games with at least one reception to 64 that mark is tops among active players [Music] on the other side the Eagles have a speedy threat in number 85 Charles Smith his per catch average was the best on the team and all four of his touchdown grabs were long-distance calls [Music] in the season's final game the Eagles met the expansion Seattle Seahawks completely healthy for the first time all season Philadelphia turned it on full blast with 100 yard performances from Tom Sullivan and Mike Hogan the Eagles pushed forward and never looked back [Music] Charlie Smith put the Eagles in scoring range early then was permitted the honor of finishing the task himself the Eagle defense warmed mercilessly over the Seahawks forcing frequent dry vending mistake [Music] the lopsided win allowed Philadelphia to finish the season on a positive note the story although not entirely joyful was successfully concluded Philadelphia's most famous hero of 1976 could look back on his achievement with a satisfaction of knowing he had done his best even in defeat like Rocky the Eagles too will have moments to remember but it cannot and will not end here it was our goal in 1976 together every Philadelphia Eagle football player an opportunity to prove to us what he could do many took advantage of that opportunity and played good intense football for 14 games we think we can improve in the 1977 season rocky was satisfied with his one shot at the title we're looking forward to a rematch [Music]

Channel: Philadelphia Eagles

Views: 9,508

Rating: 4.9148936 out of 5

Keywords: eagles, eagles football, football, philadelphia, philadelphia eagles, nfl, nfl football, nfl films, 1975 nfl season, 1975 eagles season, 1975 eagles, 1975 eagles season recap, 1975 nfl season recap, nfl yearbook, eagles yearbook, eagles highlights, nfl highlights, football highlights, nfl throwback, eagles throwback, harold carmichael, dick vermeil, bill bergey, john bunting, nfl season recap, eagles season recap, vince papale

Id: 8W3Uvav8shY

Length: 24min 39sec (1479 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 18 2020