Flying High: The Championship Philadelphia Eagles 1947-1949
Lew Freedman
| Type | Trade paper |
| Vendor | Camino Books, Inc. |
| Pages | 186 pages with 24 photographs |
| Size | 6” x 9” |
| ISBN | 9781680980554 |
| Tags | History, Philadelphia, Sports |
| Preview Book | View Excerpt |
With two Super Bowl wins in the last decade, the Philadelphia Eagles are one of the powerhouse teams in the National Football League.
But as many fans can attest, the city is no stranger to long title droughts. As a result, the great eras shine even brighter when one looks back on the history of the team. In the late 1940s, the Eagles' back-to-back championship wins became a foundational part of both club and league history.
1947-1949 was the grandest successful run in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles: the team sustained excellence over three seasons that included three straight appearances in the league championship game and back-to-back world titles.
Making the achievement more remarkable was that the Eagles, only a few years earlier, had been at an historic low point in their existence. Close to folding and nearly going out of business, they were so short-handed that they temporarily merged with the Pittsburgh Steelers, becoming the Steagles in order to play. Thankfully, a post-World War II resurgence brought fans to a high point of excitement as the team featured a variety of Hall of Famers.
Flying High: The Championship Philadelphia Eagles 1947-1949 recounts their rivalry with the Chicago Cardinals (forerunners of today's Arizona Cardinals) and explores the impact of famous Eagles characters like the Happy Hundred ownership, Coach Earle “Greasy” Neale, Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren, quarterback Tommy Thompson, and the human bulldozer Alex Wojciechowicz.
About the Author
Lew Freedman is a prize-winning journalist and author of more than 100 books, who lives in Indiana with his wife Debra and dog Boston. He has written for the Chicago Tribune, Anchorage Daily News, as well as the Philadelphia Inquirer, where he watched the Eagles up close.
