1 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: Starting that victory to the invasion of Italy. The tide 2 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 1: has turned. The Axis is on the run. 3 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:17,320 Speaker 2: Spring nineteen forty three, World War II is raging. Every 4 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:21,319 Speaker 2: able bodied man, woman, and child is giving their all 5 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:26,080 Speaker 2: in an effort to stop the Axis powers. Resources are 6 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 2: being directed away from non essential industries, which is why 7 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 2: a man named Alexis Thompson is receiving a call from 8 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 2: back home while at an officer training school in North Carolina. 9 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 2: In addition to his anti aircraft artillery officer training, alex 10 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 2: is also the owner of a football team, a pretty 11 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:52,560 Speaker 2: bad football team, the Philadelphia Eagles. 12 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 3: Lex. Yeah, Lex, we have to play a roster for 13 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 3: next season and it ain't good. 14 00:00:58,480 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 4: Ain't good as bad? 15 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:04,679 Speaker 3: How bad? We only got sixteen players, maybe fourteen. They healthy, 16 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 3: some of them have two good eyes. Some of them 17 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:14,200 Speaker 3: it's wartime legs. Anyone have any ideas one, but you 18 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 3: ain't gonna like it. 19 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 2: With players being drafted into military service, teams are being 20 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 2: depleted of manpower. The Cleveland Rams have so few athletes 21 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:31,319 Speaker 2: they have to cancel their entire season. But the Eagles 22 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:35,960 Speaker 2: can stay in the game if Thompson agrees to a 23 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 2: very unconventional idea they. 24 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 3: Want you to turn. 25 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 5: Into the Steegles. 26 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 4: The what. 27 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 6: The Steegles? 28 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 2: A hybrid team made up of the Philadelphia Eagles and 29 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 2: the Pittsburgh Steelers, A Frankenstein creation unparalleled in NFL history. 30 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 2: A benefit for the greatest generation. This Pennsylvania squad, made 31 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 2: up almost entirely of athletes deemed unfit for military service, 32 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 2: is the only way both teams can remain solvent, and 33 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 2: it might be the only way the NFL will be 34 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 2: able to survive the war. Welcome to Very Special Episodes 35 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 2: and iHeart original podcast. I'm your host, Danash Schwartz, and 36 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 2: this is Meet the Steegles. 37 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 7: Welcome back to very Special Episodes. My name is Jason English. 38 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 7: I'm recording this from a hotel room in San Francisco 39 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:58,640 Speaker 7: because we're out here for the Super Bowl. iHeart has 40 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 7: a long running partnership with the NFL and the NFL 41 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 7: podcast Network, and if you've been with us from the 42 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 7: very beginning, you might remember Dana Zaren and I recorded 43 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:12,399 Speaker 7: an episode from the Super Bowl back in Las Vegas 44 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 7: a couple of years ago. I'm going to be with 45 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 7: Zaren at the iHeart set today Friday. If you happen 46 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 7: to be in the Moscone Center, Stop buy and say hello. 47 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 7: So we had to commit to a Super Bowl episode 48 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 7: topic back in December. At the time, we wanted to 49 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 7: highlight a team that maybe had a good chance to 50 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 7: be here. We even hedged by picking two teams, the 51 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 7: Eagles and the Steelers, and couldn't have been more wrong. Now, 52 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 7: as a New York Giants fan, if this initiated a 53 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 7: reverse jinks, so be it. But it is a great story. 54 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 7: Regardless of whether these teams are still alive, they've won enough. 55 00:03:56,520 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 7: Dana over to you. 56 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 2: Each year, the Super Bowl is the most watched broadcast 57 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 2: on television. NFL franchises are worth billions, some players tens 58 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 2: of millions. Our educational institutions run on football. It seems 59 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:23,760 Speaker 2: the game has always been a gigantic spectacle that commands 60 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:26,200 Speaker 2: the attention of the entire country. 61 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 3: It wasn't. 62 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:35,479 Speaker 2: For decades, football was an afterthought while baseball dominated as 63 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:41,920 Speaker 2: America's national pastime. The grid iron was perceived as slightly lowbrow. 64 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 2: During World War II, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt publicly called 65 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:52,160 Speaker 2: for baseball to continue as a morale booster and distraction, 66 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,960 Speaker 2: but football. He didn't have anything to say about that 67 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:02,280 Speaker 2: players often competed as a part time vocation, working full 68 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:06,159 Speaker 2: time jobs to support their families while making as little 69 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 2: as seventy five dollars a game. Matchups were often scheduled 70 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 2: for dormant baseball stadiums instead of dedicated fields, and attendance 71 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 2: could be downright pathetic. 72 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:20,280 Speaker 6: Just a few years prior. 73 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 2: Roughly fifty people five zero showed up to an Eagles 74 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:30,279 Speaker 2: home game. That team's then owner invited all of them 75 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 2: to the press box for hot dogs. 76 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:36,200 Speaker 4: If you were ranking popular sports in the US in 77 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:42,480 Speaker 4: the nineteen forties, you're probably looking at baseball, college football, boxing, 78 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:48,520 Speaker 4: maybe professional football somewhere after all that, So, there wasn't 79 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:53,040 Speaker 4: the kind of popularity and enjoys today by any means. 80 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:55,560 Speaker 4: In fact, it was really kind of hanging on by 81 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:56,799 Speaker 4: a thread a few times. 82 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:04,400 Speaker 2: That's Matthew Alcie. Matthew is a Philadelphia native and journalist. 83 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:07,800 Speaker 2: Back in two thousand and six, he wrote a book, 84 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 2: Last Team Standing, about the historic team up between the 85 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:18,719 Speaker 2: Eagles and Steelers. A merger might sound peculiar, but not 86 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 2: when you consider what was happening at the time. 87 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:25,599 Speaker 4: The US had essentially entered the Second World War, and 88 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:28,040 Speaker 4: of course when a war begins, there has to be 89 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:30,920 Speaker 4: a draft. There already was a draft, but a lot 90 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 4: of the players in the NFL were called up by 91 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:38,320 Speaker 4: the Army or the Navy and were drafted into the 92 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 4: armed forces, and so that really depleted the rosters of 93 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,240 Speaker 4: all the teams at that time, and it really really 94 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:47,720 Speaker 4: put the NFL in a bind. 95 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 2: In nineteen forty two, about one third of active players 96 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 2: were picking up weapons. Throughout the entire duration of the conflict, 97 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 2: a total of six hundred thirty eight NFL players would 98 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:07,000 Speaker 2: wind up serving That put a serious dent in each 99 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:11,240 Speaker 2: team's lineup, and the league only made it worse by 100 00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:17,200 Speaker 2: perpetuating an informal but strict prohibition on black players, who 101 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 2: had been ostracized from the game since nineteen thirty three. 102 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:25,880 Speaker 2: The league would not integrate until nineteen forty six. While 103 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:29,760 Speaker 2: some teams could muddle through, others were in danger of 104 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 2: throwing in the tower. 105 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:34,320 Speaker 4: I mean they literally didn't have enough people to field 106 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:35,280 Speaker 4: a team. 107 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:38,560 Speaker 2: Each team could have a roster of up to twenty 108 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 2: eight players that made up the eleven required on the field. 109 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:49,360 Speaker 2: The Eagles had between twelve and sixteen, the Steelers just six, 110 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:53,960 Speaker 2: but It wasn't just numbers. The Eagles were out of 111 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:58,520 Speaker 2: linemen and the Steelers had no running backs since the 112 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 2: Steelers were in die straits. It was the Steelers that 113 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 2: made the appeal for the two Pennsylvania squads to merge 114 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 2: to the NFL. Sewing two teams together made logical sense. 115 00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:17,440 Speaker 2: With the Cleveland Rams opting out, the association needed an 116 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:20,960 Speaker 2: even number of teams to play out a season. They 117 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:24,640 Speaker 2: had nine. With the merger, they would have eight. 118 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:28,640 Speaker 4: So the question was which teams do we merge now. 119 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:32,040 Speaker 4: At the time, Chicago had two franchises. The Cardinals were 120 00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:33,840 Speaker 4: there and of course the Bears, and so it would 121 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 4: have made the most sense to just merge the two 122 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:39,680 Speaker 4: Chicago franchises into one, but the other owners rejected that 123 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:42,160 Speaker 4: idea because the Bears were so good, all they would 124 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:45,000 Speaker 4: do is skim off the few good players the Cardinals 125 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 4: had and become an even better team. So the alternative 126 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:51,400 Speaker 4: was proposed to merge the two Pennsylvania teams and unite 127 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:53,000 Speaker 4: them as one team. 128 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:58,800 Speaker 2: Keep in mind, both Pennsylvania teams were bad, very bad. 129 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:02,800 Speaker 2: Debuting in the NFL the same year nineteen thirty three, 130 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:07,959 Speaker 2: only the Steelers had managed one winning season, the Eagles 131 00:09:08,040 --> 00:09:11,880 Speaker 2: only won two games in nineteen forty two. When the 132 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:16,319 Speaker 2: merger was first floated, one player observed that all that 133 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:20,880 Speaker 2: meant was that there would be twice as many lousy players. 134 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:25,559 Speaker 2: But Eagles owner Alexis Thompson believed he had a little 135 00:09:25,559 --> 00:09:28,960 Speaker 2: bit of leverage in the discussion. After all, he had 136 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:33,319 Speaker 2: more players and wasn't as desperate as the Steelers who. 137 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:34,280 Speaker 6: Were on life support. 138 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:39,920 Speaker 2: So Thompson agreed, but on a few conditions. One the 139 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:44,440 Speaker 2: team would use the Eagles green and white uniform color scheme, 140 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:49,320 Speaker 2: and two most home games would be played at Philadelphia's 141 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:54,120 Speaker 2: Shibe Park. Expenses would be split down the middle, so 142 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:59,600 Speaker 2: would profits, but given the team's fortunes, that probably wasn't 143 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:02,760 Speaker 2: going to be much of an issue. The Steelers, not 144 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:06,920 Speaker 2: having any other options, had little choice but to agree, 145 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 2: so by summer nineteen forty three, the Steegles were official, 146 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:17,600 Speaker 2: only they weren't called the Steagles. The original plan was 147 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:21,960 Speaker 2: to call them the Eagles, with no city affiliation. It 148 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:27,880 Speaker 2: was yet another concession to the eagles favored position. While 149 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:32,360 Speaker 2: radio announcers in Philadelphia stuck to that name, fans and 150 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:34,800 Speaker 2: sports writers had other ideas. 151 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:38,040 Speaker 6: The Steglers and the Steagles. 152 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 3: It's interesting. 153 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:43,360 Speaker 4: I don't think either the Eagles or the Steelers appreciated 154 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:46,920 Speaker 4: this nickname, nor did the NFL. In fact, the NFL 155 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,200 Speaker 4: never even trademarked Steagles. 156 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:51,960 Speaker 6: It did have a good ring to it. 157 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:55,920 Speaker 2: If the Patriots and Bears merged, you'd have the Pears, 158 00:10:56,360 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 2: the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts Thedults. Steagulls by comparison 159 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:05,120 Speaker 2: is just fine. But there's a little bit of a 160 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:10,240 Speaker 2: contradiction here. When you think of pro athletes, you probably 161 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:13,520 Speaker 2: think of people who could all easily enlist. 162 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:16,360 Speaker 6: So why did the Steagulls or. 163 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:24,160 Speaker 2: Any other team have any available players at all? 164 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:27,720 Speaker 1: Across the nation, medical boards work around the clock examining 165 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:33,480 Speaker 1: America's manpire, eyes checked, ears, tested, hearts listened to, knees bent, 166 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 1: and back's stray. Only the fit are cleared for service, 167 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:42,000 Speaker 1: the rest classified and sent home. In wartime, everybody is measured, 168 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:44,880 Speaker 1: not all are deemed ready for the front. 169 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:48,800 Speaker 3: Well. 170 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:52,600 Speaker 2: One Seagulls player was simply waiting for the draft board 171 00:11:52,640 --> 00:11:56,760 Speaker 2: to call him up. Another was actually in the Army, 172 00:11:57,120 --> 00:12:01,520 Speaker 2: but stationed stateside and allowed to play football on weekends 173 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:05,520 Speaker 2: provided it didn't interfere with his army duties. A third 174 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:10,160 Speaker 2: had served in the Merchant Marine. But three players don't 175 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:13,800 Speaker 2: make a football team. Some of the group were fathers 176 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:17,760 Speaker 2: who had gotten deferments, though in nineteen forty three that 177 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:22,280 Speaker 2: particular deferment was on its way out. That meant, according 178 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:26,840 Speaker 2: to Algio's book, the bulk of the regular players, nearly 179 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:31,840 Speaker 2: two thirds were classified as four F or unfit for 180 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:36,439 Speaker 2: the draft. Though not necessarily unfit for football. 181 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:43,080 Speaker 4: You see bad eyesight, bad knees, ulcers, hearing problems, head injuries, 182 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 4: a lot of head injuries. Osteomyelitis, bone disease, hernias were 183 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:51,079 Speaker 4: common too, So all of these guys were rejected for 184 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:53,520 Speaker 4: military service for one reason or another. 185 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:58,720 Speaker 2: The Steegles had a unique injury report. A receiver was 186 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:02,200 Speaker 2: blind in one eye partially blind in the other. A 187 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:07,400 Speaker 2: halfback was struggling with stomach ulcers. One player was partially deaf. 188 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:11,520 Speaker 2: But even with these players, the Steegles still needed to 189 00:13:11,679 --> 00:13:15,679 Speaker 2: round out their team. That meant recruiting other players or 190 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:20,600 Speaker 2: allowing others to walk on. Merchant Marine Frank Kilroy invited 191 00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:25,720 Speaker 2: himself to Stegles training camp and was immediately accepted. Washington 192 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:30,240 Speaker 2: Redskins backup quarterback Roy Zimmerman was brought on. And then 193 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:33,840 Speaker 2: there was Bill Hewitt, a decorated All Pro who was 194 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:37,240 Speaker 2: enticed out of retirement at the ripe old age of 195 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:40,960 Speaker 2: thirty three. Like many players, Hewitt was at a bit 196 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:45,120 Speaker 2: of a disadvantage. He suffered from a perforated ear drum, 197 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:50,679 Speaker 2: which affected his hearing. Hewitt had played until nineteen thirty nine. 198 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:55,479 Speaker 2: In the intervening years, the NFL made wearing helmet mandatory. 199 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:59,920 Speaker 2: Hewitt hated helmets, but in his comeback he was forced 200 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:01,160 Speaker 2: to don one. 201 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:04,320 Speaker 4: They had so few players they couldn't afford to lose 202 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 4: anybody to a concussion or some kind of head injury. 203 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:10,319 Speaker 4: So Bill Hewitt actually came out of retirement. I think 204 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:13,360 Speaker 4: he was paid five hundred dollars, which was a magnificent 205 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:16,240 Speaker 4: sum for an NFL player at that time. And he 206 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:18,839 Speaker 4: had to wear a helmet, and he detested it, and 207 00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:20,640 Speaker 4: he would throw that thing off as soon as he 208 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 4: came to the sidelines. 209 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 2: These weren't the heavy duty shells of today. Plastic was 210 00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:30,200 Speaker 2: needed for the war and there wasn't enough to go 211 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 2: around for football helmets. These were more like padded leather 212 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:36,560 Speaker 2: with no face masks. 213 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:38,600 Speaker 6: Well, you'd expect. 214 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:42,400 Speaker 2: That would leave the field littered with moaning or comatose players. 215 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:44,040 Speaker 6: It didn't turn out that way. 216 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:48,840 Speaker 2: According to Matthew, the lack of protection may have influenced 217 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:50,520 Speaker 2: how the game was played. 218 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:54,480 Speaker 4: But they were ridiculously inefficient for the sport. 219 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:54,800 Speaker 3: Now. 220 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,760 Speaker 4: Having said that, I would say at the time the 221 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:01,920 Speaker 4: sport was not as I don't know if I want 222 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:04,360 Speaker 4: to say that, it was a dangerous sport to play. 223 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 4: It's always been a dangerous sport to play. But I 224 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:09,880 Speaker 4: think the players appreciated that their heads were not as 225 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:12,240 Speaker 4: protected as they are now, and they played like that. 226 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:16,480 Speaker 4: I think sometimes today players you know, their heads are 227 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:19,200 Speaker 4: like missiles. Sometimes I don't think you saw that in 228 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:22,320 Speaker 4: the NFL. In fact, there was really an awareness of 229 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:25,520 Speaker 4: limiting the physicality of the game. 230 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:33,000 Speaker 2: On July twenty first, nineteen forty three, the Steegles were ready, 231 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 2: or as ready as they'd ever be, for training camp 232 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 2: at the University of Pennsylvania's River Field. Less a band 233 00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:46,000 Speaker 2: of brothers than a band of step brothers. Players ranged 234 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:49,640 Speaker 2: from six foot four to five foot ten, from new 235 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:54,200 Speaker 2: recruits to the worn and weathered. When players started their 236 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:58,800 Speaker 2: first practice at UPenn, there were no locker rooms. Changing 237 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:03,440 Speaker 2: into uniforms meant ducking under bleachers. When they later moved 238 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:08,520 Speaker 2: to Saint Joseph College Field, things hardly improved. The field 239 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:13,320 Speaker 2: was strewn with broken glass and other trash. Hewitt was 240 00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:17,880 Speaker 2: seen on the field smoking a cigarette and al Lysert 241 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:22,360 Speaker 2: showed up not knowing the teams had merged. As training 242 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:26,400 Speaker 2: continued that summer and fall, the two teams, which had 243 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:30,400 Speaker 2: no cohesion and no rapport, were suspicious of one another. 244 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:33,880 Speaker 4: There's all these new faces there that they don't know, 245 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:36,960 Speaker 4: or there's all this new competition for their jobs that 246 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:41,160 Speaker 4: they thought they had already proven themselves capable of holding. 247 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:45,040 Speaker 4: And so at the beginning especially, I got the idea 248 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:47,960 Speaker 4: that there, and the players told me there was definitely 249 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:49,920 Speaker 4: some animosity, especially at the beginning. 250 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:54,200 Speaker 2: It would be up to their respective coaches to promote 251 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:58,360 Speaker 2: a sense of unity. Earl Greasie Neil was the coach 252 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:02,000 Speaker 2: of the Eagles and Ult Keesling was the head coach 253 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:05,640 Speaker 2: of the Steelers. Part of the merger agreement was for 254 00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:08,000 Speaker 2: the two to act as co coaches. 255 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:11,680 Speaker 6: Sounds like a good idea, uh. 256 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:14,919 Speaker 4: Greasy Neil and Walt Keesling couldn't stand each other, and 257 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:18,440 Speaker 4: they had completely different philosophies when it came to football. 258 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:23,840 Speaker 2: Greasy was a tall, lean, excitable man who was actually 259 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 2: well dressed and well groomed, making his childhood nickname sort 260 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:32,080 Speaker 2: of ironic. Keesling was heavy set and obstinate. 261 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:33,439 Speaker 6: It was an. 262 00:17:33,320 --> 00:17:39,719 Speaker 2: Oil and water situation. Greasy Neil was an acquired taste. Once, 263 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:43,280 Speaker 2: when a player hobbled off the field suspecting he had 264 00:17:43,359 --> 00:17:47,640 Speaker 2: just broken his leg, Greasy hollered back, well, get back 265 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:51,440 Speaker 2: in there until you're sure. When a steegele halfback named 266 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:55,240 Speaker 2: John Butler messed up a play during a scrimmage, Neil 267 00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:59,040 Speaker 2: was overheard to say, they shot men like Lincoln and 268 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:03,600 Speaker 2: let you live. Keesling was hardly any better. He was 269 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:09,400 Speaker 2: curiously anti hydration, kicking over water buckets because he believed 270 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:15,440 Speaker 2: replenishing fluids was for WIMPs. He considered passing a non 271 00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:20,160 Speaker 2: manly endeavor, preferring players grab the ball and plow through 272 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:24,480 Speaker 2: the opposition. The two coaches were often seen yelling at 273 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:28,119 Speaker 2: each other on the sidelines, debating the finer points of 274 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:32,440 Speaker 2: the tea formation, or disagreeing on which plays their team 275 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:37,080 Speaker 2: needed to perfect in order to succeed. Once, when Keesling 276 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:41,120 Speaker 2: had enough of Neil. He pulled all of Pittsburgh's players 277 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:46,560 Speaker 2: off the field. This was not a great start, and 278 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:50,879 Speaker 2: it wasn't about to get much better. Remember this was wartime. 279 00:18:51,359 --> 00:18:55,520 Speaker 2: Virtually all the players were required to have day jobs. 280 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:59,960 Speaker 2: Many worked six days a week at factories, oil refineries, 281 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:04,080 Speaker 2: or shipyards. Lineman ted Doyle worked at a plant that 282 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:07,600 Speaker 2: he later learned was playing a key role in the war. 283 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,600 Speaker 4: Ted Doyle was working for Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, and at 284 00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:16,480 Speaker 4: the time they were actually manufacturing components for the nuclear bombs. 285 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:19,399 Speaker 4: Of course, he had no idea what they were doing. 286 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:21,720 Speaker 4: He was just on an assembly line sticking one thing 287 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:24,879 Speaker 4: into another. But years later he found out what the 288 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:26,720 Speaker 4: purpose of all these devices he had. 289 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:30,320 Speaker 3: Been making in nineteen forty three was. So it was 290 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:31,879 Speaker 3: an interesting time for sure. 291 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:36,560 Speaker 2: Doyle and the others spent long days toiling for a 292 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 2: paycheck and then trekking to practice at night. They were exhausted, 293 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:44,240 Speaker 2: spent before they even stepped onto the field. 294 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:46,960 Speaker 6: At times, it seemed. 295 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:50,240 Speaker 2: Like their shifts doubled as an excuse in case the 296 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:54,359 Speaker 2: team stunk. In an open letter to fans, the steegles 297 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:58,720 Speaker 2: pr director wrote that the players quote pride themselves on 298 00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:02,160 Speaker 2: their war jobs. Much as they love the grand old 299 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:05,520 Speaker 2: gridiron game, it must take second place. 300 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:06,280 Speaker 6: In their affections. 301 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:08,560 Speaker 2: The war effort comes first. 302 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:10,520 Speaker 6: End quote. 303 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:15,600 Speaker 2: After several weeks of drills, plays and awkward interactions, the 304 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:20,440 Speaker 2: Steagles were ready or not for their season opener at 305 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:24,760 Speaker 2: home on October second, and by home we mean the 306 00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:29,399 Speaker 2: Shibe Park baseball stadium they were allowed to use. But 307 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:33,159 Speaker 2: how could this team possibly do battle with the best 308 00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:36,320 Speaker 2: the NFL had to offer? And how were they going 309 00:20:36,359 --> 00:20:39,760 Speaker 2: to handle the criticism of playing a game when some 310 00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:44,280 Speaker 2: critics believed they should be fighting a literal rather than 311 00:20:44,359 --> 00:20:50,400 Speaker 2: metaphorical war. One thing was for certain, not every Steel 312 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:52,439 Speaker 2: was going to make it to the end of the 313 00:20:52,520 --> 00:21:04,280 Speaker 2: season when this our halftime show. In researching the story 314 00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:07,479 Speaker 2: of the Steagles, we couldn't help but make note of 315 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:12,320 Speaker 2: the fact that Philadelphia has had more odd football related 316 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:16,640 Speaker 2: stories connected to it than any other franchise. A lot 317 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:21,679 Speaker 2: of them revolve around Philadelphia's fans. This wartime squad was 318 00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:25,280 Speaker 2: just one of many strange tales to emerge from the 319 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:29,840 Speaker 2: City of Brotherly Love. For years, the Eagles held an 320 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:34,480 Speaker 2: annual tradition at the halftime mark of every final home 321 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:37,920 Speaker 2: game of the season, the team would produce a festive 322 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:42,960 Speaker 2: holiday presentation, complete with a personal appearance by Santa Claus. 323 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:47,679 Speaker 2: But on December fifteenth, nineteen sixty eight, Santa was a 324 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:52,480 Speaker 2: no show. The Eagles entertainment manager got lucky he spotted 325 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:56,600 Speaker 2: a man sitting in the crowd dressed as Santa. This 326 00:21:56,920 --> 00:22:01,120 Speaker 2: was Frank Olivo, a twenty year old Eagle fanatic who 327 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:03,600 Speaker 2: had gotten into the habit of wearing the suit for 328 00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:07,919 Speaker 2: these end of season games. Frank agreed to lead the 329 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:12,040 Speaker 2: parade of cheerleader slash elves and a brass band, waving 330 00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:15,440 Speaker 2: to the crowd and dispensing at candy canes and good cheer. 331 00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:18,320 Speaker 2: He had to go at it alone, as a sleigh 332 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:22,440 Speaker 2: drawn by some fiberglass reindeer had gotten stuck in the mind. 333 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:28,600 Speaker 2: But the Eagles fans weren't in the spirit. Their team 334 00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:33,400 Speaker 2: had played a miserable season with a two and eleven record. 335 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:38,119 Speaker 2: Just before Frank took the field, the Eagles opponents, the 336 00:22:38,119 --> 00:22:43,439 Speaker 2: Minnesota Vikings, had just scored a fifty seven yard touchdown 337 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:44,440 Speaker 2: to tie the game. 338 00:22:45,119 --> 00:22:45,680 Speaker 6: To make it. 339 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:50,200 Speaker 2: Worse, the weather was awful, with seats covered in three 340 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:55,600 Speaker 2: inches of wet, frigid snow and slush. How dare Santa 341 00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:59,560 Speaker 2: act jolly like everything was okay? In a day that 342 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:03,560 Speaker 2: would live in Eagle's infamy. Some of the fifty four 343 00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:08,359 Speaker 2: thousand fans in attendance began to boo. Then they began 344 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:12,600 Speaker 2: to scoop up that snow, form it into projectiles and 345 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:17,919 Speaker 2: launch them at Santa. Suddenly Santa was being pelted with 346 00:23:18,119 --> 00:23:26,760 Speaker 2: snowballs from every corner of the stadium. Some eye witnesses 347 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:32,000 Speaker 2: to this Santa assault claimed Frank's suit was dingy, that 348 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:37,080 Speaker 2: he looked disheveled, that his beard was patchy. Others thought 349 00:23:37,160 --> 00:23:42,160 Speaker 2: he might have been drinking, which Alivo denied. Why Eagles 350 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:47,639 Speaker 2: fans would find alcohol consumption objectionable is unknown. At one point, 351 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:51,520 Speaker 2: Santo was able to identify one of his assailants, looking 352 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:55,240 Speaker 2: him directly in the eye. Santa shouted, you're not getting 353 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:59,879 Speaker 2: anything for Christmas. It did not help the situation. Santo 354 00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:03,960 Speaker 2: was soon escorted off the field before a snowball stuffed 355 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:07,600 Speaker 2: with rocks or worse could find its way to him. 356 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:10,960 Speaker 2: The Eagles would go on to lose to the Vikings 357 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:15,240 Speaker 2: twenty four to seventeen, putting them at two and twelve 358 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:19,200 Speaker 2: for the season, and while this senseless mob violence could 359 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:22,480 Speaker 2: have been brushed under the rug, the scene was apparently 360 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:27,280 Speaker 2: picked up by famous sports commentator Howard Cassell, who aired 361 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:30,879 Speaker 2: it on the news show ABC Weekend Report for a 362 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:35,720 Speaker 2: national audience. Frank Olivo never seemed to harbor much of 363 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:40,320 Speaker 2: a grudge about it, though Eagles management didn't seem that contrite. 364 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:42,679 Speaker 6: By way of apology, they. 365 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:45,639 Speaker 2: Sent him a pair of Eagles cufflings and asked if 366 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:48,000 Speaker 2: you wouldn't mind doing it again next year. 367 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:53,400 Speaker 6: Frank wisely declined. Just eleven years. 368 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:56,520 Speaker 2: Later, the Eagles would find themselves with a visitor of 369 00:24:56,560 --> 00:25:01,520 Speaker 2: a different kind. Tom Garvey was a Vietnam vet who 370 00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:06,320 Speaker 2: accepted an invitation to work at Veterans Stadium, home of 371 00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:11,000 Speaker 2: the Eagles in Philadelphia. His two uncles had the concessions 372 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:15,080 Speaker 2: stand contract, which could be quite lucrative when you consider 373 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:19,640 Speaker 2: how many hundreds of thousands of hungry people stream through 374 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:21,199 Speaker 2: each football. 375 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:21,879 Speaker 6: And baseball season. 376 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:26,600 Speaker 2: They also had the parking contract, and Tom was put 377 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:31,440 Speaker 2: in charge of corraling parking for those many fans. One day, 378 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:37,040 Speaker 2: Tom discovered the stadium had an unused concession area just 379 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:40,920 Speaker 2: above the visiting team's bullpen that seemed to be off 380 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:42,159 Speaker 2: everyone's radar. 381 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:45,000 Speaker 6: One newly drafted. 382 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:47,679 Speaker 2: Player wound up storing some of his furniture in the area, 383 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:50,960 Speaker 2: not wanting to move it into an apartment until he 384 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:53,639 Speaker 2: knew for certain he'd be staying with the team. 385 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:55,200 Speaker 6: Turns out he didn't. 386 00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:58,800 Speaker 2: He told Tom to keep the furniture or toss it, 387 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:04,399 Speaker 2: whatever he preferred. Then the Pope visited Philadelphia, and, in 388 00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:11,200 Speaker 2: Garvey's telling, this posed a logistical nightmare for veterans stadium parking. 389 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:16,240 Speaker 2: This led to the last minute recruitment of various bar buddies, 390 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:19,960 Speaker 2: and since he was concerned about his bar buddies showing 391 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:23,400 Speaker 2: up on time the next morning, he used the leftover 392 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:27,879 Speaker 2: furniture to fashion a sleepover in the offices. One of 393 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:30,919 Speaker 2: his friends noted that if they had cleaned up and 394 00:26:31,119 --> 00:26:34,480 Speaker 2: rearranged the furniture, it would be a pretty awesome apartment, 395 00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:41,240 Speaker 2: which Garvey created inside the football stadium. At roughly sixty 396 00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:44,720 Speaker 2: feet long by thirty feet wide, it was bigger than 397 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:48,480 Speaker 2: some of the places in Philly, and it was practically 398 00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:53,800 Speaker 2: impossible to stumble into By accident. Tom stacked a bunch 399 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:57,800 Speaker 2: of empty cardboard boxes near the entrance, so anyone who 400 00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:02,000 Speaker 2: opened the door would simply assume for storage and move on. 401 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:06,479 Speaker 2: Because he was a valued employee, no one ever really 402 00:27:06,560 --> 00:27:08,760 Speaker 2: questioned why it seemed like he was. 403 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:10,880 Speaker 6: There at all hours of the day. 404 00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:15,520 Speaker 2: The commute to work was easy. Tom simply rolled out 405 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:18,840 Speaker 2: of bed. If he needed the bathroom, he could use 406 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:22,240 Speaker 2: the one in his office, a shower that was in 407 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:25,919 Speaker 2: the locker room. At night, when the stadium was empty, 408 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:29,920 Speaker 2: he roller skated around in a circle or just took 409 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:33,639 Speaker 2: in the view of the city skyline. Solitary time, he 410 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:37,520 Speaker 2: said later, had helped alleviate some of the post traumatic 411 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:41,440 Speaker 2: stress left over from the war. Sometimes he could hear 412 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:46,080 Speaker 2: the stomp of the crowd's feet as they anticipated a kickoff. 413 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:52,640 Speaker 2: Tom lived inside the stadium, rent free and totally undetected 414 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:58,119 Speaker 2: from nineteen seventy nine to nineteen eighty one the Eagle's 415 00:27:58,320 --> 00:28:02,879 Speaker 2: version of The Phantom of the Opera. When his uncles 416 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:08,639 Speaker 2: lost the Veterans Stadium contract, Garvey lost his job, His 417 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:13,640 Speaker 2: apartment didn't come to light until twenty twenty, when Tom 418 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:18,440 Speaker 2: began reminiscing about it on Facebook. His entries were later 419 00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:23,639 Speaker 2: collected and expanded into a self published book titled The 420 00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:27,960 Speaker 2: Secret apartment. And while you might think this sounds like 421 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:32,159 Speaker 2: a highly dubious tale, it turns out there were people, 422 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:37,679 Speaker 2: including former Eagles players, who corroborated Tom's story of the 423 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:43,800 Speaker 2: unauthorized living quarters. He invited people into his pad several times, 424 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:51,600 Speaker 2: trusting they wouldn't snitch. No one ever did. Our remaining 425 00:28:51,760 --> 00:28:56,000 Speaker 2: Eagle's misadventure begins in nineteen ninety seven, when the team 426 00:28:56,240 --> 00:28:59,719 Speaker 2: was enduring a tough home loss to the San Francisco 427 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:04,800 Speaker 2: forty nine Ers. Suddenly, an irate fan from New Jersey 428 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:08,320 Speaker 2: drew a flare gun he had carried into the stadium. 429 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:12,800 Speaker 2: He shot it into the seats on the opposite side. 430 00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:16,040 Speaker 2: While no one was injured, it was the last straw 431 00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:21,800 Speaker 2: for Eagles management. There were so many fights, altercations, and 432 00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:26,360 Speaker 2: other disruptions that the team decided to see that justice 433 00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:31,560 Speaker 2: was served quickly. The team and city officials agreed to 434 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:38,040 Speaker 2: take the exceptional step of installing a courtroom inside Veterans Stadium. 435 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:44,160 Speaker 2: They approached Judge Seamus McCaffrey, a no nonsense jurist, veteran 436 00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:49,480 Speaker 2: and former homicide detective who once wrestled an aggressive defendant 437 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:53,600 Speaker 2: to the ground by the neck. He also helped pioneer 438 00:29:53,720 --> 00:29:58,400 Speaker 2: the so called nuisance court problem, where crimes related to 439 00:29:58,520 --> 00:30:03,480 Speaker 2: quality of life could be heard quickly think noise, ordinance issues, 440 00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:08,680 Speaker 2: or public drunkenness. Perhaps the city felt McCaffrey's past history 441 00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:14,360 Speaker 2: with the heavily inebriated would be relevant. Just one week 442 00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:19,600 Speaker 2: after the Flare Gun incident, Judge McCaffrey began presiding over 443 00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:26,360 Speaker 2: Eagle's Court. That first session saw a parade of brawlers, drunks, 444 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:32,360 Speaker 2: and other malcontents get arraigned swiftly, sometimes while not completely 445 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:37,440 Speaker 2: over the effects of their over indulging. Some criticized the 446 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:41,920 Speaker 2: practicality of asking a drunk to enter a plea at all, 447 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:46,320 Speaker 2: but Judge McCaffrey insisted they had been given time to 448 00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:51,720 Speaker 2: sober up. The cases ran the spectrum from fistfights to 449 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:56,320 Speaker 2: being a public menace. A fan once snuck onto the 450 00:30:56,360 --> 00:31:01,480 Speaker 2: field and sat down next to quarterback Donovan McNabb, as 451 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:05,760 Speaker 2: though he belonged there, he didn't. One man brought before 452 00:31:05,800 --> 00:31:10,240 Speaker 2: the court was accused of launching an empty bottle at arrival, 453 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:15,000 Speaker 2: accompanied by his young son. He insisted the kid had 454 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:18,719 Speaker 2: done it. Another was so eager to take a souvenir 455 00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:22,720 Speaker 2: from the stadium that he ripped a toilet seat from 456 00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:26,520 Speaker 2: a bathroom he ran around the concourse with it draped 457 00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:30,720 Speaker 2: over his head. Law enforcement even went so far as 458 00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:35,800 Speaker 2: to have undercover cops dress as the opposing team's fans, 459 00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:40,920 Speaker 2: hoping to entice the over zealous Eagle supporters into doing 460 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:45,320 Speaker 2: something that could get them arrested. If they were found guilty, 461 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:50,080 Speaker 2: the consequences could be drastic. In addition to a fine 462 00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:53,760 Speaker 2: of up to three hundred and fifty dollars, the offender's 463 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:58,040 Speaker 2: season tickets could be revoked, a drastic step that led 464 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:04,000 Speaker 2: at least one defendant who begin crying in court. Eagles 465 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 2: Justice lasted just one season on site before moving to 466 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:14,200 Speaker 2: a nearby police station in nineteen ninety eight, though Judge 467 00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:18,760 Speaker 2: McCaffrey presided over at least one session. In two thousand 468 00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:22,600 Speaker 2: and three, When the Eagles moved to their new Lincoln Stadium, 469 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:26,640 Speaker 2: high tech camera surveillance made the idea of a court 470 00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:28,800 Speaker 2: system largely a thing. 471 00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:29,280 Speaker 7: Of the past. 472 00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:33,960 Speaker 2: McCaffrey also cited a lack of police being willing to 473 00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:39,880 Speaker 2: arrest rather than just eject troublemakers. The arena does, however, 474 00:32:40,080 --> 00:32:44,440 Speaker 2: still have its own jail cells, just in case someone 475 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:48,160 Speaker 2: gets careless with the flare gun or decides they've had 476 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:58,640 Speaker 2: enough of Santa. On October second, nineteen forty three, the 477 00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:04,160 Speaker 2: Steagles made their regular season debut. While there was definitely 478 00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:08,040 Speaker 2: curiosity over this new team, it didn't result in a 479 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:12,360 Speaker 2: lot of people in the stands. Just over eleven thousand 480 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:16,280 Speaker 2: attendees filed into Shibe Park in Philadelphia. 481 00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:18,960 Speaker 6: Despite being a home game. 482 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:23,120 Speaker 2: The Steelers players had to travel three hundred miles by 483 00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:29,120 Speaker 2: train from Pittsburgh. Their opponents the Brooklyn Dodgers, who shared 484 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:33,320 Speaker 2: the same name as their athletic peers in baseball. For 485 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:36,440 Speaker 2: the Steegles, this would be a test of how well 486 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:41,880 Speaker 2: they had managed to fuse together in preseason practice. What 487 00:33:42,080 --> 00:33:47,600 Speaker 2: happened was nothing short of astonishing. The Steegles defense held 488 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:51,960 Speaker 2: the Dodgers at bay, preventing them from scoring even a 489 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:53,240 Speaker 2: single touchdown. 490 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:55,840 Speaker 6: Steagles quarterback Roy. 491 00:33:55,680 --> 00:34:00,520 Speaker 2: Zimmerman doubled as kicker, nailing a field goal and two 492 00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:06,240 Speaker 2: extra points, with halfbacks John Butler and Ernie Steele contributing 493 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:11,200 Speaker 2: a touchdown each. This motley crew of players won their 494 00:34:11,280 --> 00:34:13,880 Speaker 2: debut seventeen to nothing. 495 00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:15,640 Speaker 6: You could call it. 496 00:34:15,640 --> 00:34:21,279 Speaker 2: Defying expectations, though there really weren't any expectations at all. 497 00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:26,080 Speaker 2: Their second game against the New York Giants was a 498 00:34:26,200 --> 00:34:30,200 Speaker 2: much tougher hill to climb. The Giants quickly went up 499 00:34:30,320 --> 00:34:33,960 Speaker 2: fourteen to nothing in the first quarter, with the Steegles 500 00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:38,120 Speaker 2: unable to mount any effective offense. In fact, they set 501 00:34:38,160 --> 00:34:42,640 Speaker 2: a league record for fumbles with ten. But it's possible 502 00:34:42,719 --> 00:34:47,080 Speaker 2: that wasn't all their fault. Here's Matthew Algio again. 503 00:34:47,560 --> 00:34:49,920 Speaker 4: And so I think a lot of the effect of 504 00:34:50,200 --> 00:34:53,440 Speaker 4: wartime shortages were felt in that, but they were also 505 00:34:53,520 --> 00:34:56,400 Speaker 4: felt in equipment. I mean, the players talked about how 506 00:34:56,440 --> 00:35:01,160 Speaker 4: all the equipment was worn out over e used. Even 507 00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:04,279 Speaker 4: the balls themselves would become so smooth and slippery they 508 00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:06,880 Speaker 4: were hard to hold. That was one of the excuses 509 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:08,239 Speaker 4: they gave for all the fumbles. 510 00:35:09,280 --> 00:35:14,200 Speaker 2: Jack Hinkle had a stellar appearance, rushing for thirty seven 511 00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:18,120 Speaker 2: yards on one play. In fact, that sprint should have 512 00:35:18,160 --> 00:35:23,640 Speaker 2: given him the rushing lead for the entire league that season. Unfortunately, 513 00:35:23,719 --> 00:35:28,640 Speaker 2: for Hinkel, his record setting gain was never properly recorded 514 00:35:28,719 --> 00:35:33,279 Speaker 2: by the statistician, thanks in part to Hinkle. However, the 515 00:35:33,360 --> 00:35:37,560 Speaker 2: Steegles came roaring back in the second half to win 516 00:35:38,080 --> 00:35:43,759 Speaker 2: twenty eight to fourteen, what had started as curiosity was 517 00:35:43,840 --> 00:35:48,239 Speaker 2: quickly turning into real fan supports for the team. The 518 00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:52,719 Speaker 2: Steegles had come at an interesting time in football, when 519 00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:57,240 Speaker 2: games were often the only form of entertainment on a Sunday. 520 00:35:57,760 --> 00:36:02,880 Speaker 4: So football was uniquely positioned to become a popular pastime 521 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:06,440 Speaker 4: during the war. Most of the stadiums were located on 522 00:36:06,640 --> 00:36:09,040 Speaker 4: trolley line so people could get to them easily without 523 00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:13,080 Speaker 4: expending any gas rations, and the games were on Sunday, 524 00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:15,120 Speaker 4: so anybody could attend them. 525 00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:16,640 Speaker 3: That was most people's day off. 526 00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:21,960 Speaker 4: And so the combination of the steagles early success, combined 527 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:24,680 Speaker 4: with the accessibility of the product. 528 00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:27,120 Speaker 3: Really I think it brought out a lot of fans. 529 00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:33,320 Speaker 2: Part of the reason behind the Steagles performance was camaraderie. 530 00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:37,600 Speaker 2: Greasy Neil insisted the bulk of the team live in 531 00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:42,880 Speaker 2: a dorm like setting the Hotel Philadelphian. After practice, the 532 00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:46,759 Speaker 2: men would sleep two to three per room, having little 533 00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:50,080 Speaker 2: choice but to interact and find they had more in 534 00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:54,000 Speaker 2: common than they thought. Leaving bottles of beer to chill 535 00:36:54,080 --> 00:36:57,720 Speaker 2: on the windowsill, they spoke of their families, their jobs, 536 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:00,960 Speaker 2: and the game they all loved to play enough to 537 00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:03,080 Speaker 2: play for a relative pittance. 538 00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:06,280 Speaker 6: Come Thanksgiving, they dined together. 539 00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:10,200 Speaker 4: Greezy Neil was really an interesting character, really a kind 540 00:37:10,239 --> 00:37:12,920 Speaker 4: of groundbreaking in some of his techniques in football. He 541 00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:16,120 Speaker 4: really believed in developing camaraderie between the team, which is 542 00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:18,360 Speaker 4: one of the reasons he insisted they all lived together, 543 00:37:18,719 --> 00:37:20,040 Speaker 4: that they all traveled together. 544 00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:24,719 Speaker 2: Neil and Keasling had also found some common ground, though 545 00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:30,000 Speaker 2: fans weren't necessarily fond of the excitable Neil. Once the 546 00:37:30,040 --> 00:37:32,719 Speaker 2: coach got so worked up over a play that he 547 00:37:32,840 --> 00:37:37,120 Speaker 2: collapsed on the sidelines. As he was hauled away by medics, 548 00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:39,240 Speaker 2: the Philadelphia crowd cheered. 549 00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:44,040 Speaker 6: Santa never had a chance. There was no question the. 550 00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:48,279 Speaker 2: Steegles and the NFL as a whole, was contributing to 551 00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:53,520 Speaker 2: wartime morale. During their first exhibition game, the team had 552 00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:58,520 Speaker 2: peddled war bombs to attendees. Many people believed sports were 553 00:37:58,520 --> 00:38:03,160 Speaker 2: a welcome and needed distraction to the tragedy and stress 554 00:38:03,280 --> 00:38:07,440 Speaker 2: of the conflict, but the game wasn't without its critics. 555 00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:11,160 Speaker 3: I asked the players about that. 556 00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:14,560 Speaker 4: I think there were eight Steegles that I interviewed who 557 00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:17,439 Speaker 4: were still alive at the time, and all of them 558 00:38:17,480 --> 00:38:22,400 Speaker 4: said that they did get some abuse from fans for playing. 559 00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:25,840 Speaker 4: Why aren't you in the military. Why aren't you in 560 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:28,520 Speaker 4: the army? Why aren't you serving? Why aren't you overseas? 561 00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:29,480 Speaker 4: Why aren't you fighting? 562 00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:35,480 Speaker 2: Some fans understood others had sons dodging gunfire and were 563 00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:39,680 Speaker 2: angry when they saw pro athletes strolling along the streets 564 00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:44,520 Speaker 2: or throwing a ball. Legendary boxer and naval commander Gene 565 00:38:44,600 --> 00:38:49,000 Speaker 2: Tunney added fuel to the fire when he insisted that quote, 566 00:38:49,239 --> 00:38:52,239 Speaker 2: if a man is physically fit to play football, then 567 00:38:52,239 --> 00:38:55,280 Speaker 2: he is physically fit for the biggest game of all. 568 00:38:55,960 --> 00:39:00,359 Speaker 2: Tunny believed if football couldn't field enough men, then play 569 00:39:00,400 --> 00:39:02,080 Speaker 2: should be suspended. 570 00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:03,280 Speaker 6: For the duration of the war. 571 00:39:04,239 --> 00:39:08,960 Speaker 2: It was an understandable sentiment, but one that lacked comprehension 572 00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:14,920 Speaker 2: of physical requirements for military enrollment. Take Bill Hewitt, the 573 00:39:14,960 --> 00:39:21,040 Speaker 2: Steagle's newly unretired star. His perforated ear drum meant he 574 00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:25,120 Speaker 2: would be more susceptible to the kind of chemical weapons 575 00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:29,920 Speaker 2: used in wartime. Exposure could result in his permanent hearing 576 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:35,360 Speaker 2: loss or worse. Or consider other players who had partial blindness. 577 00:39:35,880 --> 00:39:40,400 Speaker 2: Their compromised senses could put themselves and their fellow soldiers 578 00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:44,600 Speaker 2: in danger. While the risk of worsening physical injury was 579 00:39:44,719 --> 00:39:49,160 Speaker 2: present in football, it likely wasn't going to be life threatening, 580 00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:55,040 Speaker 2: but the criticism continued. Players received hate mail and threats 581 00:39:55,080 --> 00:40:01,240 Speaker 2: from what some might call the aggressively patriotic. By mid season, 582 00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:06,160 Speaker 2: Bill Hewitt had had enough. He abruptly quit the Steagles. 583 00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:10,640 Speaker 2: While he was definitely over the hill by football standards 584 00:40:10,680 --> 00:40:14,720 Speaker 2: of the era, it's possible the harassment more on him. 585 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:18,239 Speaker 4: It is ambiguous. I'm not sure how Hewitt felt personally 586 00:40:18,239 --> 00:40:20,640 Speaker 4: about it. He had a perforated ear drum, so there 587 00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:24,560 Speaker 4: was no doubt he was ineligible for service. I think 588 00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:28,360 Speaker 4: Hewitt's problem was he was out of shape and he 589 00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:31,800 Speaker 4: was a shadow of his former self, and I think 590 00:40:31,880 --> 00:40:35,719 Speaker 4: he was unable to continue that way. I think as 591 00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:38,000 Speaker 4: soon as he realized that he couldn't play up to 592 00:40:38,040 --> 00:40:39,920 Speaker 4: the standard that he had played at before. 593 00:40:41,800 --> 00:40:46,919 Speaker 2: By this point, the Steagules were struggling. After arousing two 594 00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:52,080 Speaker 2: and zero start, they dropped two games, including a rematch 595 00:40:52,160 --> 00:40:54,840 Speaker 2: with the Giants in New York and a loss to 596 00:40:54,960 --> 00:40:56,240 Speaker 2: the Chicago Bears. 597 00:40:57,200 --> 00:41:00,320 Speaker 4: The Bears had another advantage. They were an older team, 598 00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:02,520 Speaker 4: and so that meant there were a lot of fathers 599 00:41:02,560 --> 00:41:05,359 Speaker 4: on the team. And in nineteen forty three, fathers were 600 00:41:05,360 --> 00:41:08,080 Speaker 4: except from the draft, and so they were pretty much 601 00:41:08,120 --> 00:41:11,359 Speaker 4: a powerhouse in nineteen forty three, and so I don't 602 00:41:11,360 --> 00:41:14,800 Speaker 4: think a lot of people were surprised that the Steagles 603 00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:16,600 Speaker 4: were defeated by the Bears. 604 00:41:17,560 --> 00:41:22,720 Speaker 2: Across both games, the team gave up a staggering ninety points. 605 00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:27,279 Speaker 2: The effort stirred Greasy Neil, who dropped one of his 606 00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:31,719 Speaker 2: patented pep talks, saying, you can't win ball games in 607 00:41:31,719 --> 00:41:35,600 Speaker 2: this league by playing high school football. At one point, 608 00:41:35,719 --> 00:41:40,080 Speaker 2: Greasy even intimated some players could be canned, but it 609 00:41:40,120 --> 00:41:43,440 Speaker 2: was a pretty hollow threat. They didn't have a single 610 00:41:43,520 --> 00:41:47,840 Speaker 2: player to spare. The steagles losing streak was broken in 611 00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:51,480 Speaker 2: their first home game in Pittsburgh, where they trounced the 612 00:41:51,520 --> 00:41:56,680 Speaker 2: Cardinals thirty four to thirteen. Then came the oddest contest 613 00:41:56,719 --> 00:42:01,480 Speaker 2: of their season, a meeting with the undefeated Washington Redskins 614 00:42:01,560 --> 00:42:07,400 Speaker 2: in Philadelphia. By now the Steegles flock was growing. There 615 00:42:07,400 --> 00:42:12,120 Speaker 2: were now almost twenty nine thousand fans in attendance, nearly 616 00:42:12,239 --> 00:42:16,240 Speaker 2: tripling the number from their first game. The two teams 617 00:42:16,440 --> 00:42:21,920 Speaker 2: traded touchdowns until the closing moments, when Steegel Ray Graves 618 00:42:22,360 --> 00:42:26,400 Speaker 2: leapt into the air to intercept a pass just twelve 619 00:42:26,600 --> 00:42:30,880 Speaker 2: yards from the goal line, perhaps motivated by the losses. 620 00:42:31,280 --> 00:42:34,680 Speaker 2: The play was so rough that they ripped not one 621 00:42:34,880 --> 00:42:39,640 Speaker 2: but two jerseys off the body of Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh. 622 00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:45,040 Speaker 2: The game ended, but there was no winner. It was 623 00:42:45,080 --> 00:42:48,880 Speaker 2: a fourteen to fourteen tie at the time, and in 624 00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:52,400 Speaker 2: terms of rankings, that meant it was as if the 625 00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:55,560 Speaker 2: game had never been played at all. There was no 626 00:42:55,719 --> 00:43:00,000 Speaker 2: regular season overtime, a policy that wouldn't change until ninety 627 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:03,480 Speaker 2: team seventy four, and even if there were, there was 628 00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:06,560 Speaker 2: no logistical way to extend the gameplay. 629 00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:09,000 Speaker 4: You also have to remember there were so many limits 630 00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:12,280 Speaker 4: on resources during the war that the idea of playing 631 00:43:12,400 --> 00:43:17,080 Speaker 4: over time was untenable because it would require more electricity 632 00:43:17,160 --> 00:43:19,799 Speaker 4: or require more resources. It would keep people away from 633 00:43:19,800 --> 00:43:22,200 Speaker 4: home longer. If the game went into the night, there 634 00:43:22,280 --> 00:43:24,239 Speaker 4: might be blackout restrictions. 635 00:43:25,680 --> 00:43:30,120 Speaker 2: The Steegles won two of their next three games, including 636 00:43:30,200 --> 00:43:35,520 Speaker 2: a win in a Redskins rematch, bringing them to unlikely territory. 637 00:43:36,080 --> 00:43:39,319 Speaker 2: For their final game of the regular season, they were 638 00:43:39,360 --> 00:43:42,920 Speaker 2: pitted against the Green Bay Packers. It was a match 639 00:43:43,040 --> 00:43:45,959 Speaker 2: that with a bit of luck could have put them 640 00:43:46,040 --> 00:43:50,440 Speaker 2: in contention for the championship game. It was a place 641 00:43:50,760 --> 00:43:55,680 Speaker 2: unfamiliar to fans in Pennsylvania of either team being on 642 00:43:55,760 --> 00:43:57,839 Speaker 2: the winning side, and. 643 00:43:57,760 --> 00:44:00,960 Speaker 4: So it was really until the last game of the 644 00:44:01,040 --> 00:44:06,160 Speaker 4: season they captured the fans' attention. I mean, every game 645 00:44:06,200 --> 00:44:08,839 Speaker 4: they played was meaningful that year, and that had never 646 00:44:08,880 --> 00:44:10,400 Speaker 4: happened in Philadelphia before. 647 00:44:10,680 --> 00:44:11,440 Speaker 3: With the Eagles. 648 00:44:12,360 --> 00:44:13,760 Speaker 6: It was a tall order. 649 00:44:14,440 --> 00:44:19,320 Speaker 2: Packers had a perfect sixteen to zho record against both 650 00:44:19,360 --> 00:44:24,160 Speaker 2: teams combined, and though the Steagles had ailments before the 651 00:44:24,239 --> 00:44:29,840 Speaker 2: season started, they were collecting more of them. Players had stitches, 652 00:44:30,120 --> 00:44:35,280 Speaker 2: broken fingers, head injuries, but this being the nineteen forties 653 00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:39,360 Speaker 2: and wartime, the plan was the same, get on the 654 00:44:39,400 --> 00:44:44,680 Speaker 2: field until you can't. The crowd at Shibe Park was 655 00:44:44,760 --> 00:44:50,560 Speaker 2: a sellout at just over thirty four thousand, cheering on 656 00:44:50,680 --> 00:44:55,879 Speaker 2: the Seagulls as quarterbacks Roy Zimmerman and Ali Sherman led 657 00:44:55,920 --> 00:44:56,279 Speaker 2: the way. 658 00:44:57,920 --> 00:44:58,560 Speaker 6: But it was the. 659 00:44:58,520 --> 00:45:04,080 Speaker 2: Packers who excelled with tight and Don Houston almost single 660 00:45:04,160 --> 00:45:09,279 Speaker 2: handedly ruining the Steagles night. He scored two touchdowns and 661 00:45:09,480 --> 00:45:13,000 Speaker 2: kicked a field goal as the Packers won thirty eight 662 00:45:13,160 --> 00:45:17,680 Speaker 2: to twenty eight. The Steagles fell short of first place, 663 00:45:18,239 --> 00:45:21,880 Speaker 2: trudging off their home field in defeat with a total 664 00:45:22,239 --> 00:45:25,440 Speaker 2: five four and one record for the season. 665 00:45:26,360 --> 00:45:28,400 Speaker 6: But was it really a defeat. 666 00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:32,280 Speaker 4: I think people were very disappointed when the Steagles lost 667 00:45:32,280 --> 00:45:35,200 Speaker 4: that last game to the Packers, and it denied them 668 00:45:35,200 --> 00:45:37,640 Speaker 4: a chance to go on into a playoff to play 669 00:45:37,640 --> 00:45:39,400 Speaker 4: in the championship game. But I don't think a lot 670 00:45:39,480 --> 00:45:41,279 Speaker 4: of people were surprised, and I think a lot of 671 00:45:41,280 --> 00:45:45,720 Speaker 4: people were happy, pleased, pleasantly surprised that the Steagles finished 672 00:45:45,719 --> 00:45:46,640 Speaker 4: with a winning record. 673 00:45:48,000 --> 00:45:52,080 Speaker 2: From game one to game ten, the team had tripled 674 00:45:52,200 --> 00:45:56,560 Speaker 2: their attendance numbers. Against all odds, they had managed to 675 00:45:56,719 --> 00:46:01,880 Speaker 2: overcome a football version of a shotgun wedding, finishing just 676 00:46:02,120 --> 00:46:08,200 Speaker 2: one game behind the first place Giants and Redskins. Individually, 677 00:46:08,360 --> 00:46:13,760 Speaker 2: the teams had been perennial losers. Together, they had nearly 678 00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:18,960 Speaker 2: gone the distance. More importantly, they had kept two teams 679 00:46:19,080 --> 00:46:24,560 Speaker 2: active during a challenging time for players and franchises. Some 680 00:46:24,600 --> 00:46:28,720 Speaker 2: of the innovations born out of necessity, like having coaches 681 00:46:28,840 --> 00:46:36,280 Speaker 2: take on offensive and defensive responsibilities, became standard. Matthew Algio 682 00:46:36,360 --> 00:46:40,080 Speaker 2: believes the Steegules did more than that, though he says 683 00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:43,240 Speaker 2: there's a case to be made for the Steagules keeping 684 00:46:43,360 --> 00:46:47,680 Speaker 2: the NFL alive during one of its most vulnerable periods. 685 00:46:48,560 --> 00:46:51,560 Speaker 4: Ultimately, it was decided that yes, they would continue playing, 686 00:46:51,600 --> 00:46:53,520 Speaker 4: but they could only do it if they made this 687 00:46:53,800 --> 00:46:58,480 Speaker 4: change by combining two teams, the Steelers of the Eagles, 688 00:46:58,520 --> 00:47:01,480 Speaker 4: and so by combining the Steelers and the Eagles, by 689 00:47:01,480 --> 00:47:05,399 Speaker 4: creating the Steagles, that allowed the NFL to continue as 690 00:47:05,440 --> 00:47:08,799 Speaker 4: an eighteen league in nineteen forty three, and again they 691 00:47:08,800 --> 00:47:11,920 Speaker 4: were an eighteen league in nineteen forty four. If the 692 00:47:11,960 --> 00:47:14,480 Speaker 4: owners had opposed that, If the owners had said, no, 693 00:47:14,600 --> 00:47:17,640 Speaker 4: we won't let two teams combine, who knows. 694 00:47:17,600 --> 00:47:19,319 Speaker 3: But it's entirely plausible. 695 00:47:19,800 --> 00:47:23,560 Speaker 4: It's entirely possible that the NFL would have suspended operations 696 00:47:23,640 --> 00:47:24,839 Speaker 4: in nineteen forty three. 697 00:47:25,120 --> 00:47:26,440 Speaker 3: Would that have killed the league? 698 00:47:26,600 --> 00:47:28,600 Speaker 4: It would have made it a lot harder for the 699 00:47:28,680 --> 00:47:31,640 Speaker 4: league to compete with the All American Football Conference, which 700 00:47:31,760 --> 00:47:34,480 Speaker 4: was an alternative, a competing pro league that was founded, 701 00:47:34,480 --> 00:47:36,759 Speaker 4: I believe in nineteen forty eight, a couple years after 702 00:47:36,800 --> 00:47:37,240 Speaker 4: the war. 703 00:47:38,080 --> 00:47:40,759 Speaker 2: Without the merger, who knows what would have become of 704 00:47:40,800 --> 00:47:44,080 Speaker 2: the league. Maybe we'd all be watching the All America 705 00:47:44,120 --> 00:47:45,399 Speaker 2: Football Conference Bowl. 706 00:47:46,120 --> 00:47:48,759 Speaker 4: But I think it's entirely possible that if those two 707 00:47:48,800 --> 00:47:51,760 Speaker 4: teams had not merged, if the league had suspended operations, 708 00:47:52,120 --> 00:47:55,120 Speaker 4: the NFL as it exists today would look very, very different. 709 00:47:57,000 --> 00:48:00,800 Speaker 2: The Steagles dissolved after the nineteen forty five three season. 710 00:48:01,400 --> 00:48:05,160 Speaker 2: Though there was still a player shortage, it wasn't as 711 00:48:05,280 --> 00:48:09,480 Speaker 2: severe for the Eagles as before. The union seemed to 712 00:48:09,600 --> 00:48:13,319 Speaker 2: fire their engines up within the decade. The team took 713 00:48:13,400 --> 00:48:18,400 Speaker 2: the NFL championship twice, in nineteen forty eight and nineteen 714 00:48:18,520 --> 00:48:24,600 Speaker 2: forty nine. Pittsburgh, however, still needed assistance. In nineteen forty four, 715 00:48:24,760 --> 00:48:28,560 Speaker 2: they paired with the Chicago Cardinals, but they didn't have 716 00:48:28,800 --> 00:48:34,160 Speaker 2: nearly the same result. That hybrid team went allowsy and ten, 717 00:48:34,719 --> 00:48:40,080 Speaker 2: leading some sportswriters to dub them the Carpets, why because 718 00:48:40,120 --> 00:48:43,560 Speaker 2: everyone else in the NFL could walk all over them. 719 00:48:43,920 --> 00:48:47,480 Speaker 2: In two thousand and three, the Steelers honored their steagal 720 00:48:47,680 --> 00:48:51,960 Speaker 2: history by inviting six surviving members of the team to 721 00:48:52,040 --> 00:48:57,000 Speaker 2: a home game. The last Steagle passed in twenty sixteen. 722 00:48:58,280 --> 00:49:01,040 Speaker 2: All of the Steagles who took to the field that 723 00:49:01,160 --> 00:49:02,440 Speaker 2: season deserve. 724 00:49:02,200 --> 00:49:05,960 Speaker 6: Applause for their parts in the war effort. Willing but 725 00:49:06,200 --> 00:49:07,160 Speaker 6: unable to serve. 726 00:49:07,520 --> 00:49:10,960 Speaker 2: They supported the country in the way they could by 727 00:49:11,080 --> 00:49:13,000 Speaker 2: playing the game of football. 728 00:49:17,520 --> 00:49:18,800 Speaker 6: So why do the. 729 00:49:18,640 --> 00:49:22,880 Speaker 2: Eagles have such a rich history. No other team in 730 00:49:22,920 --> 00:49:27,399 Speaker 2: the NFL can boast of beaming cheerleader Elves with snowballs, 731 00:49:27,880 --> 00:49:32,000 Speaker 2: stitch themselves to a neighboring squad, and divert drunks with 732 00:49:32,120 --> 00:49:36,880 Speaker 2: stolen toilet seeds to a fully functional stadium courtroom. What 733 00:49:37,120 --> 00:49:42,160 Speaker 2: makes them arguably the most colorful, chaotic franchise in the league. 734 00:49:42,560 --> 00:49:44,440 Speaker 4: I don't know if there's something in the water or not. 735 00:49:45,000 --> 00:49:48,440 Speaker 4: I think it's a combination of the intensity of the 736 00:49:48,480 --> 00:49:53,000 Speaker 4: fans and just the colorful characters that the Eagles have 737 00:49:53,080 --> 00:49:56,400 Speaker 4: had on the team over the years. I guess maybe 738 00:49:56,480 --> 00:50:00,240 Speaker 4: because of the fan base, you get these great anecdotes. 739 00:50:00,520 --> 00:50:01,880 Speaker 3: But you also have to remember this. 740 00:50:02,480 --> 00:50:08,520 Speaker 4: The Eagles were so bad for the longest time. I mean, 741 00:50:08,680 --> 00:50:12,160 Speaker 4: they were founded in thirty three, couldn't even play games 742 00:50:12,160 --> 00:50:15,240 Speaker 4: on Sunday at the time, didn't have a winning season 743 00:50:15,360 --> 00:50:18,640 Speaker 4: until they merged with the Steelers and became the Steegles. 744 00:50:19,400 --> 00:50:21,719 Speaker 4: You get those teams in the late forties, that's when 745 00:50:21,760 --> 00:50:25,120 Speaker 4: you really begin to see the fan base come alive 746 00:50:25,239 --> 00:50:26,320 Speaker 4: for the Eagles. 747 00:50:26,840 --> 00:50:30,240 Speaker 2: In a way, maybe it was the Steegles that ushered 748 00:50:30,320 --> 00:50:34,480 Speaker 2: in a new era of fanatic For the first time, 749 00:50:34,760 --> 00:50:39,920 Speaker 2: Philadelphia football fans had something to cheer for. An upstart, 750 00:50:40,160 --> 00:50:44,840 Speaker 2: ragtag team that defied the odds, a bunch of players 751 00:50:44,880 --> 00:50:49,480 Speaker 2: that were reflections of fans in the stands, hard working, 752 00:50:49,680 --> 00:50:55,440 Speaker 2: blue collar people who persevered fighting through money problems, health problems, 753 00:50:55,480 --> 00:50:59,719 Speaker 2: and fatigue, who learned to work together out of necessity. 754 00:51:00,480 --> 00:51:05,080 Speaker 2: If football was and is a metaphor for conflict, it's 755 00:51:05,120 --> 00:51:08,960 Speaker 2: also a metaphor for life. If the Steegles could do it, 756 00:51:09,080 --> 00:51:10,560 Speaker 2: maybe you could too. 757 00:51:17,640 --> 00:51:20,960 Speaker 5: Very Special Episodes is made by some very special people. 758 00:51:21,800 --> 00:51:25,319 Speaker 5: This show is hosted by Danish Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and 759 00:51:25,400 --> 00:51:30,560 Speaker 5: Jason English. Our senior producer is Josh Fisher. Today's episode 760 00:51:30,640 --> 00:51:34,440 Speaker 5: was written by Jake Rosson, editing and sound design by 761 00:51:34,520 --> 00:51:40,360 Speaker 5: Jonathan Washington, mixing and mastering by Josh Fisher. Additional editing 762 00:51:40,440 --> 00:51:45,040 Speaker 5: by Mary Doo, Research and fact checking by Jake Rosson 763 00:51:45,200 --> 00:51:50,720 Speaker 5: and Austin Thompson. Original music by Alis McCoy, Show logo 764 00:51:50,800 --> 00:51:56,160 Speaker 5: by Lucy Quintonia. Our executive producer is Jason English. We'll 765 00:51:56,160 --> 00:52:00,600 Speaker 5: be back here on Wednesday with an Olympics episode. For now, 766 00:52:01,040 --> 00:52:04,520 Speaker 5: enjoy the Super Bowl, enjoy the opening ceremonies, and we'll 767 00:52:04,520 --> 00:52:07,640 Speaker 5: see you back here next week. Very Special Episodes is 768 00:52:07,640 --> 00:52:09,680 Speaker 5: a production of iHeart Podcasts.