1965 Philadelphia Eagles season


The Philadelphia Eagles compiled a record of 5 wins to 9 losses out of the 14 games played. The team was lead by Joe Kuharich with ownership duties belonging to Jerry Wolman. The Eagles began the season with a win against the St. Louis Cardinals followed by a loss to the New York Giants. After a win against the Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles lost four straight games, dropping them from the playoff hunt. The team ended the season in 5th place within the NFL Eastern Conference.

Off Season

NFL Draft

The 1965 NFL Draft and the 1965 AFL Draft both took place on Saturday, November 28, 1964. This was the day of the Army-Navy game that is normally the last game of the college season before the bowl games.
They were separate from each other and some players were drafted by both leagues. The AFL was going strong in wanting stars signed and would do what they could to please them if they signed with the AFL. Joe Namath would sign if he could play in New York, and he was given a salary of $427,000. As in earlier years some players had signed "AFL contracts" they signed with the league as soon as their last college game was over and when drafted by an AFL team the contract was transferred to them. To help fight this the NFL moved the draft up to near the end of the college season.
A new kind of job was created, "baby sitter". Their job was to hang with the draft prospect, and keep him away from the other leagues representative. The Eagles draft pick, Otis Taylor was held in a motel and had to "escape" from the NFL baby sitter. He later signed with the AFL for money and a "Red Thunderbird Convertible" that the AFL baby sitter was driving. Taylor noticed how a lot of people stared at the car when they drove by, and he wanted one.
The first player selected was Tucker Frederickson, back from Auburn, by the New York Giants. The draft was marked by the failure of the St. Louis Cardinals to sign Joe Namath, who signed with the American Football League's New York Jets, and went on to defeat the NFL's Colts for the World Championship after the 1968 season.

Player Selections

RdPICKPLAYERPOSSCHOOLAFLRdPickSigned
17Pick Traded to Green Bay Packers
220Ray RissmillerTackleGeorgiaBuffalo864Eagles
335Al NelsonRunning backCincinnatiBuffalo978Eagles
448Fred HillWide receiverUSCOakland16123Eagles
563John HendersonEndMichiganBuffalo17136Buffalo
676John HuarteQuarterbackNotre DameNew York212Boston
677Gary GarrisonWide receiverSan Diego State
791Erwin WillTackleDayton
8104Al PirainoTackleWisconsinKansas City1185
9119Floyd HudlowBackArizonaBuffalo1080
10132Rick RedmanCenterWashingtonSan Diego538Eagles
11147Louis JamesRunning backTexas-El Paso
12161John KuznieskiRunning backPurdue
13175John FouseEndArizonaBuffalo17129
14188Tom LongoBackNotre Dame
15203Otis TaylorWide receiverPrairie View A&MKansas City429Kansas City
16216Jim GrayBackToledoNew York1184Jets
17231Dave AustinEndGeorgia Tech
18244Bill MarcordesEndBradley
19259Charley EnglehartTackleJohn Carroll
20272Bobby ShannEndBoston College

Regular season

Schedule

Standings

1965 Roster

NO.PlayerAGEPOSGPGSWTHTYRSCollege
Joe KuharichCOACHNotre Dame
38Sam Baker36K-FB1202176–212Oregon State
55Maxie Baughan*27LB12122276–25Georgia Tech
64Ed Blaine25G14142406–13Missouri
76Bob Brown*+24T14142806–41Nebraska
22Timmy Brown*28RB1301985–116Ball State
3Jack Concannon22QB302056–31Boston College
23Claude Crabb25DB-WR1001926–13Colorado and USC
87Bill Cronin22TE202316–5RookieBoston College
27Irv Cross*26DB1401956–24Northwestern
32Roger Gill25WR-HB1302006–11Texas Tech
49Glenn Glass25DB-WR1202056–13Tennessee
81Ron Goodwin24FL-SE-WR1101805–112Baylor
78Dave Graham26T1402506–32Virginia
34Earl Gros25FB1402206–33LSU
43Ralph Heck24LB1202306–12Colorado
86Fred Hill22TE-SE-WR1202156–2RookieUSC
10King Hill29QB752126–37Rice
79Lane Howell24T-DT1402576–52Grambling
63Lynn Hoyem26G-T1402446–43Long Beach State
83Don Hultz25DE-DT1402416–32Southern Miss
84Jim Kelly23TE102186–21Notre Dame
73Ed Khayat30DT-DE-T1452406–38Tulane
29Izzy Lang23RB1402326–11Tennessee State
52Dave Lloyd29LB-C13132476–36Georgia,Texas Tech
33Ollie Matson35RB-FL1402206–213San Francisco
75John Meyers25DT14142766–63Washington
89Mike Morgan23LB14142426–41LSU
26Al Nelson22DB14141865–11RookieCincinnati
9Jim Nettles23DB1401775–10RookieWisconsin
72Floyd Peters29DT992546–46San Francisco State
35Ray Poage25TE-SE-FL-WR1302086–42Texas
24Nate Ramsey24DB14142006–12Indiana State
51Dave Recher23C1402456–1RookieIowa
44Pete Retzlaff*+34E-HB-TE1402116–1RookieSouth Dakota State
68Bobby Richards27DE-DT14122456–23LSU
54Jim Ringo*34C14142326–112Syracuse
21Joe Scarpati22DB1401855–101North Carolina State Wolfpack
25Bob Shann22DB401896–1RookieBoston College
70Jim Skaggs25G-T14142506–32Washington
16Norm Snead*26QB1192156–44Wake Forest
82George Tarasovic35DE-LB-C1402456–413Boston College,LSU
53Harold Wells27LB1402206–2RookiePurdue
67Erwin Will22DT502756–5RookieDayton
37Tom Woodeshick24RB1302256–02West Virginia

Awards and honors