1948 Philadelphia Eagles season
The Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 16th season in the National Football League. The Eagles repeated as Eastern Division champions and returned to the NFL Championship game, this time defeating the Chicago Cardinals to win their first NFL title.
Off season
The Eagles travel to New York State to hold training camp at Saranac Lake High School Field in Saranac Lake, New York, in northern New York State near Lake Placid and in the Adirondack Park. As of 2014 the building where the Eagles stayed is still a local landmark and is located on Lake Street in Saranac Lake and it is still called the Eagles Nest.NFL Draft
The 1948 NFL draft was held on December 19, 1947, five days after the end of the regular season, and nine days before the championship game was played. The Eagles finished the 1947 season with an 8–4 record. Tied with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers they picked 7th, 8th or 9th normally in the 32 rounds that they had picks.The Washington Redskins had a lottery bonus pick at number one and chose Harry Gilmer, Back out of the University of Alabama. In the first round, the Eagles selected Clyde Scott, a running back from the University of Arkansas.
The Eagles' 26th round pick, Lou Creekmur, did not make the team but ended up becoming a Hall of Fame player for the Detroit Lions.
Many of the draft picks made by NFL teams ended up playing for teams in the rival All-America Football Conference.
Player Selections
The table shows the Eagles selections and what picks they had that were traded away and the team that ended up with that pick. It is possible the Eagles' pick ended up with this team via another team that the Eagles made a trade with.Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away.
Regular season
Schedule
Game Recaps
Week 1
Sunday, September 14, 1948Played at Comiskey Park in Chicago
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Chicago Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
Week 2
Sunday, October 3, 1948Played at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 28 |
Week 3
Sunday, October 10, 1948Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, PA
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| New York Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 14 | 7 | 3 | 21 | 45 |
Week 4
Sunday, October 17, 1948Played at Griffith Stadium in Washington, DC
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 14 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
| Washington Redskins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Week 5
Sunday, October 24, 1948Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, PA
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Chicago Bears | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 |
Week 6
Sunday, October 31, 1948Played at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, PA
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 34 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Week 7
Sunday, November 7, 1948Played at Polo Grounds in New York, NY
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| New York Giants | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
Week 8
Sunday, November 14, 1948Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, PA
For third time in the 1948 season, and the second time playing at Shibe Park, the Eagles win a game by the score of 45–0.
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Boston Yanks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 45 |
Week 9
Sunday, November 21, 1948Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, PA
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Washington Redskins | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 14 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
Week 10
Sunday, November 28, 1948Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, PA
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
Week 11
Sunday, December 5, 1948Played at Fenway Park in Boston, MA
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Boston Yanks | 10 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 37 |
Week 12
Sunday, December 12, 1948Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, PA
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Detroit Lions | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 45 |
Standings
Playoffs
NFL Championship Game
The NFL Championship game was played at Philadelphia's Shibe Park on December 19 during a blizzard. Thinking the game would not be played in the blizzard, Steve Van Buren remained home until Eagles coach Earle "Greasy" Neale called him and told him the game was still on. He had to catch 3 trolleys and walk 12 blocks in order to make the game on time.The paid attendance for the game was 36,309, and it was scoreless until early in the fourth quarter. The Eagles recovered a fumble that set up Van Buren's five-yard touchdown at 1:05 into the fourth quarter. The Cardinals disputed that the ball or Van Buren had crossed the snow-covered goal line.
This was the Cardinals' last appearance in any NFL Championship game in the 20th century. There is said to be a curse on the football Cardinals that followed them from Chicago to St. Louis and on to Arizona.
1948 roster
All time List of Philadelphia Eagles players in franchise history- + After name means 1st team selection
| NO. | Player | AGE | POS | GP | GS | WT | HT | YRS | College |
| Earle "Greasy" Neale | 58 | COACH | West Virginia Wesleyan | ||||||
| Neill Armstrong | 22 | E-DB | 12 | 4 | 189 | 6–2 | 1 | Oklahoma State | |
| Walt Barnes | 30 | G | 11 | 0 | 238 | 6–1 | Rookie | LSU | |
| Russ Craft | 29 | DB-HB | 12 | 2 | 178 | 5–9 | 2 | Alabama | |
| Noble Doss | 28 | HB | 11 | 0 | 186 | 6–0 | 1 | Texas | |
| Otis Douglas | 37 | T | 5 | 0 | 224 | 6–1 | 2 | William & Mary | |
| Jack Ferrante | 32 | E-DE | 12 | 0 | 197 | 6–1 | 7 | none | |
| Mario Giannelli | 28 | MG-G | 12 | 1 | 265 | 6–0 | Rookie | Boston College | |
| John Green | 27 | DE-E | 12 | 9 | 192 | 6–1 | 1 | Tulsa | |
| Fred Hartman | 31 | T | 12 | 0 | 229 | 6–1 | 1 | Rice, and Schreiner College | |
| Dick Humbert | 30 | E-DE | 12 | 0 | 179 | 6–1 | 7 | Richmond | |
| Al Johnson | 26 | QB-P | 5 | 0 | 6–0 | Rookie | Hardin-Simmons | ||
| Bucko Kilroy | 27 | G-MG-T-DT | 12 | 12 | 243 | 6–2 | 5 | Notre Dame and Temple | |
| Ben Kish | 31 | B | 9 | 0 | 207 | 6–0 | 8 | Pittsburgh | |
| Vic Lindskog | 34 | C | 12 | 11 | 203 | 6–1 | 4 | Stanford | |
| Jay MacDowell | 29 | T-DE | 12 | 10 | 217 | 6–2 | 2 | Washington | |
| 39 | Bill Mackrides | 23 | QB | 10 | 1 | 182 | 5–11 | 1 | Nevada-Reno |
| John Magee | 25 | G | 12 | 8 | 220 | 5–10 | Rookie | La-Lafayette, and Rice | |
| Bap Manzini | 28 | C | 3 | 0 | 195 | 5–11 | 4 | St. Vincent | |
| Duke Maronic | 27 | G | 12 | 1 | 209 | 5–9 | 4 | none | |
| Pat McHugh | 29 | DB-HB | 10 | 1 | 166 | 5–11 | 1 | Georgia Tech | |
| 36 | Joe Muha | 27 | FB-LB | 11 | 11 | 205 | 6–1 | 2 | Virginia Military Institute |
| Jack Myers | 24 | FB-QB-LB | 12 | 7 | 200 | 6–2 | Rookie | UCLA | |
| Les Palmer | 25 | HB | 5 | 0 | 190 | 6–0 | Rookie | North Carolina State | |
| Jim Parmer | 22 | FB-HB | 11 | 2 | 193 | 6–0 | Rookie | Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M | |
| 65 | Cliff Patton | 25 | G-LB | 12 | 2 | 243 | 6–2 | 2 | TCU |
| 35 | Pete Pihos | 25 | E-DE | 12 | 11 | 210 | 6–1 | 1 | Indiana |
| Hal Prescott | 28 | E | 11 | 0 | 199 | 6–1 | 2 | Hardin-Simmons | |
| Bosh Pritchard | 29 | HB | 12 | 9 | 164 | 5–11 | 6 | Georgia Tech, and VMI | |
| George Savitsky | 24 | T | 12 | 0 | 244 | 6–2 | Rookie | Pennsylvania | |
| Vic Sears | 30 | T-DT | 12 | 2 | 223 | 6–3 | 7 | Oregon State | |
| Ernie Steele | 31 | HB-DB | 12 | 2 | 187 | 6–0 | 6 | Washington | |
| Gil Steinke | 29 | HB | 2 | 1 | 175 | 6–0 | 3 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | |
| Frank Szymanski | 25 | C | 9 | 0 | 225 | 5–11 | 3 | Notre Dame | |
| 11 | Tommy Thompson | 32 | QB | 12 | 4 | 192 | 6–1 | 8 | Tulsa |
| 15 | Steve Van Buren+ | 28 | HB | 11 | 8 | 200 | 6–0 | 4 | LSU |
| Al Wistert | 28 | T-G-DT | 12 | 12 | 214 | 6–1 | 5 | Michigan | |
| 53 | Alex Wojciechowicz | 33 | C-LB-E | 10 | 1 | 217 | 5–11 | 1 | Fordham |
| Team Totals 37 players | 28.1 | 12 | 200.0 | 6–0.4 | 3.0 |
Postseason
NFL Championship Game Recap
Sunday, December 19, 1948Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, PA Weather: Snow, Blizzard conditions
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Chicago Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Attendance: 36,309, 28,864
Awards and honors
- Tommy Thompson leads league in Passing TDs – 25
- Tommy Thompson leads league in Passer Rating- PHI 98.4
- Steve Van Buren leads league in Rushing Attempts – 201
- Steve Van Buren leads league in Rushing Yards – 945
- Steve Van Buren leads league in Rushing TDs – 10
- Cliff Patton Leads League in Field Goals Made – 8
- QB Tommy Thompson, LH Steve Van Buren, RG Bucko Kilroy, RT Al Wistert, RE Pete Pihos, and P Joe Muha are named to numerous All-Pro teams at season's end
- Alex Wojciechowicz – 1968
- Steve Van Buren – 1965
- Pete Pihos – 1970
- Greasy Neale – 1969 as coach