Post by Coach Campbell on Oct 7, 2009 19:38:45 GMT
A History of the Eagles' Defensive Line
1937 Acquired from the Chicago Bears, two-way end Bill Hewitt becomes the first future Hall of Famer to play for the Birds.
1948 Overrun by the Chicago Cardinals in the 1947 title game, the Eagles add huge rookies Walter "Piggy" Barnes and Mario "Yo-Yo" Giannelli to hold the center of the line in the 5-2-4 defense.
1950 Lightweight end John Green becomes the first Eagles pass rusher to represent the team in the Pro Bowl.
1952 All-pro receiver Pete Pihos is shifted to defensive end, where he joins Norm Willey in a 14-sack (some sources say 17) attack on the Giants' Charlie Conerly. Pihos is named all-pro, but he returns to offense in 1953.
1952-55 Temple products Bucko Kilroy and Mike Jarmoluk are standouts in the middle of one of the league's most effective lines.
1960 Jess Richardson, the last lineman to play without a face mask, starts in the NFL championship game days after the death of his baby from pneumonia.
1965-68 An unheralded trade acquisition from Detroit, tackle Floyd Peters earns three Pro Bowl berths.
1976 End Blenda Gay is slain by his wife while he sleeps.
1977 Charlie Johnson and Carl Hairston, two middle-round draft picks, become the centerpieces of Dick Vermeil's 3-4 defense.
1979 Longtime Falcons star Claude Humphrey is acquired in a trade from Atlanta and becomes the team's top pass rusher.
1982 Claiming to be worn out by Vermeil's methods, Johnson forces a trade to Minnesota. He leaves after earning three Pro Bowl berths at nose tackle.
1985 Signed from the dying USFL during the season, Reggie White debuts vs. the New York Giants with 21/2 sacks and a deflected pass that is returned for a TD.
1986 Playing multiple positions in Buddy Ryan's newly installed 4-3 defense, White is named to the first of eight Pro Bowls as an Eagle.
1987 White falls just short of the NFL record for sacks - finishing a strike-shortened season with 21 - and is named the league's defensive player of the year.
1991 With a line of White, Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons, and Mike Pitts, the Eagles finish first in the NFL in overall defense. White, Brown, and Simmons start together in the Pro Bowl.
1992 Brown, 27, is killed in a single-car accident in his hometown in Florida.
1993 White leaves via free agency, followed a year later by Simmons and linebacker Seth Joyner.
1994-96 Free-agent end William Fuller becomes the team's top pass rusher and earns three Pro Bowl berths.
1998 End Hugh Douglas, acquired from the New York Jets for two draft choices, posts 41/2 sacks against the San Diego Chargers.
2000-02 Douglas has 37 sacks in earning three straight Pro Bowl berths.
2006 Tackle Mike Patterson sets a team mark with a 98-yard fumble return.
1937 Acquired from the Chicago Bears, two-way end Bill Hewitt becomes the first future Hall of Famer to play for the Birds.
1948 Overrun by the Chicago Cardinals in the 1947 title game, the Eagles add huge rookies Walter "Piggy" Barnes and Mario "Yo-Yo" Giannelli to hold the center of the line in the 5-2-4 defense.
1950 Lightweight end John Green becomes the first Eagles pass rusher to represent the team in the Pro Bowl.
1952 All-pro receiver Pete Pihos is shifted to defensive end, where he joins Norm Willey in a 14-sack (some sources say 17) attack on the Giants' Charlie Conerly. Pihos is named all-pro, but he returns to offense in 1953.
1952-55 Temple products Bucko Kilroy and Mike Jarmoluk are standouts in the middle of one of the league's most effective lines.
1960 Jess Richardson, the last lineman to play without a face mask, starts in the NFL championship game days after the death of his baby from pneumonia.
1965-68 An unheralded trade acquisition from Detroit, tackle Floyd Peters earns three Pro Bowl berths.
1976 End Blenda Gay is slain by his wife while he sleeps.
1977 Charlie Johnson and Carl Hairston, two middle-round draft picks, become the centerpieces of Dick Vermeil's 3-4 defense.
1979 Longtime Falcons star Claude Humphrey is acquired in a trade from Atlanta and becomes the team's top pass rusher.
1982 Claiming to be worn out by Vermeil's methods, Johnson forces a trade to Minnesota. He leaves after earning three Pro Bowl berths at nose tackle.
1985 Signed from the dying USFL during the season, Reggie White debuts vs. the New York Giants with 21/2 sacks and a deflected pass that is returned for a TD.
1986 Playing multiple positions in Buddy Ryan's newly installed 4-3 defense, White is named to the first of eight Pro Bowls as an Eagle.
1987 White falls just short of the NFL record for sacks - finishing a strike-shortened season with 21 - and is named the league's defensive player of the year.
1991 With a line of White, Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons, and Mike Pitts, the Eagles finish first in the NFL in overall defense. White, Brown, and Simmons start together in the Pro Bowl.
1992 Brown, 27, is killed in a single-car accident in his hometown in Florida.
1993 White leaves via free agency, followed a year later by Simmons and linebacker Seth Joyner.
1994-96 Free-agent end William Fuller becomes the team's top pass rusher and earns three Pro Bowl berths.
1998 End Hugh Douglas, acquired from the New York Jets for two draft choices, posts 41/2 sacks against the San Diego Chargers.
2000-02 Douglas has 37 sacks in earning three straight Pro Bowl berths.
2006 Tackle Mike Patterson sets a team mark with a 98-yard fumble return.
