On a slow September day in 1986, I was searching through my desk at the Philadelphia Daily News, looking for a column idea. I found a copy of the Dallas Cowboys Weekly and saw an ad that read: "The Dallas Cowboys Trivia Game. It's fun for family, friends and die-hard Cowboys fans. Over 2,400 questions. Order now."

 

I knew I had my column. If the Dallas Cowboys could have a trivia game, why not the Philadelphia Eagles? Besides, it made more sense for the Eagles. They had not won an NFL championship in more than a quarter of a century. They were on their way to their fifth consecutive losing season. When it came to being trivial on a year-in, year-out basis, I'd put the Eagles up against anybody.

 

So I wrote down 40 questions--some serious, some frivolous--and put them in the form of a column. I didn't spend a lot of time on research. Mostly, I just plucked a few tidbits off the top of my head. Here are a few samples:

 

By winning the final game of the 1985 season, Fred Bruney became the second undefeated head coach in Eagles history. The other, at 2-0, is (a) Bert Bell, (b) Wayne Millner, (c) Bo McMillin.

 

What rock group invited kicker Tony Franklin on stage during a 1981 Spectrum concert? (a) the Eagles, (b) Devo, (c) Kool and the Gang.

 

What does wide receiver Scott Fitzkee have tattooed on his lower leg? (a) a Nittany Lion, (b) a grasshopper, (c) a pass pattern.

(The correct answers, just in case you are wondering, are c, a and b.)

 

I also tossed in a bonus question: How many former Eagles can you name with last names that begin with the letter I? Each correct answer was worth two points. At the time, there were only three: James Ignatius, a guard who played in 1935; Ed Illman, a back who was on the original team in 1933 and Willie Irvin, a back who played in 1953.

 

The Daily News ran the column the next day and the strangest thing happened. I began receiving phone calls and letters from people who loved the quiz and wanted me to do a second one. So I did.

 

Again, the questions ranged from arcane to just plain dumb.

 

Who was the Eagles trainer before Otho Davis? (a) Moose Detty, (b) Moose Dupont, (c) Bullwinkle Moose.

 

What size shoe does defensive end Dennis "Big Foot" Harrison wear? (a) 15, (b) 16, (c) 17 EEE.

 

Punter Merritt Kersey is best remembered for his pet (a) boa constrictor, (b) skunk, (c) armadillo.

 

(The answer for each of these questions was a.)

 

Once again, there was an amazing response. People really enjoyed the quiz. It jogged their memories, it made them laugh, and it brightened what proved to be a miserable 5-10-1 season, the team's first under head coach Buddy Ryan.

 

I'll always remember one particular phone call. The man was in his 30s, a lifelong Eagles fan who started going to the games at Franklin Field with his father. He said his father was undergoing cancer treatments and the trivia quizzes helped them pass the time in the hospital.

 

"It's the only time I've seen him smile," the man said. He thanked me.

 

"No, thank you," I said.

 

So I suppose it was inevitable that someone would take this idea and turn it into a book. Clearly, the fans are interested and John Maxymuk is well-equipped to do the honors. In 2006, John published a book entitled Eagles by the Numbers, tracing the history of the team through its jersey numbers from Tony Franklin (1) to Jerome Brown (99) and hitting every Dave Smukler (13) and Augie Lio (62) in between.

 

There was a lot of information in that book that might be considered trivia--for example, did you know that Mario Giannelli, a guard who played on the championship teams of 1948 and '49, was nicknamed "Yo Yo"?--except for the fact that to a true Eagles fan nothing about the team is trivial. Eagles history is something the people of this city live and breathe every day. Most of all, they love revisiting that history and Eagles Facts and Trivia will allow them to enjoy it to the max.

The Philadelphia Eagles are not our town's first professional football team. Professional football in the City of Brotherly Love dates back to the very beginning of the 20th century, although on a very limited scale before the 1920s. The main forerunner to the Eagles was the Frankford Yellow Jackets, who represented the Frankford Athletic Association for roughly 20 years, beginning as an independent club in 1912 before joining the NFL in 1924. However, there were other professional teams that called Philadelphia home prior to the Eagles' arrival in 1933.

 

1. What prominent figure from major league baseball formed one of the first professional football teams in Philadelphia?

2. During the course of their eight years in the NFL, the Frankford Yellow Jackets played on average 16 games per year, more than any other team. Why?

3. One of the biggest stars of the NBA in the 1980s and 1990s was the grandson of one of the biggest stars on the Yellow Jackets. Can you name them?

4. The Yellow Jackets had a star punt returner who was only 5'5" and 145 pounds. He played "quarterback," that is blocking back, in Frankford's Single Wing Offense. Who was he?

5. The one Frankford player who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame was an end who also was their coach for that championship season. Who was he?

6. In 2003, Governor Ed Rendell got involved in an appeal by the nearby city of Pottsville for the NFL to recognize the Pottsville Maroons rather than the Chicago Cardinals as the official champions of the 1925 season. What part did the Yellow Jackets play in the 80-year-old controversy?

7. In 1926, Red Grange formed his own American Football League to compete with the NFL, and Philadelphia had an entry called the Quakers. What was significant about the two Philadelphia football teams that year?

8. Who was the only player to play for the Frankford Yellow Jackets, Pottsville Maroons and Philadelphia Eagles?

9. In 1922, the Frankford Athletic Association built a stadium for the Yellow Jackets. Until Lincoln Financial Field opened in 2003, it was the only Philadelphia stadium devoted solely to a professional football team. What happened to it?

10. Frankford ceased operations after the 1931 season; the Eagles began in 1933. Are the Philadelphia Eagles a continuation of the Frankford Yellow Jackets?