The History of The Philideldia Eagles; Part 6 (1980-1990)

In 1980, the team, led by coach Dick Vermeil, quarterback Ron Jaworski, running back Wilbert Montgomery, wide receiver Harold Carmichael, and linebacker Bill Bergey, dominated the NFC, facing its chief nemesis, the Dallas Cowboys, in the NFC Championship. The game was played in cold conditions in front of the Birds' faithful fans at Veterans Stadium. Led by an incredible rushing performance from Montgomery, whose long cutback TD run in the first half is surely one of the most memorable plays in Eagles history, and a gutsy performance from fullback Leroy Harris, who scored the Eagles' only other TD that day, the Birds earned a berth in Super Bowl XV with a 20-7 victory.

The Eagles traveled to New Orleans for Super Bowl XV and were heavy favorites to knock off the upstart Oakland Raiders. Things did not go the Eagles' way, beginning with the disastrous decision by Tose to bring comedian Don Rickles into the pregame locker room to lighten the mood. Rod Martin, setting up an Oakland touchdown, intercepted Jaworski’s first pass of the game. Later in the first quarter, a potential game-tying 40-yard touchdown pass to Rodney Parker was nullified by an illegal motion penalty. Veteran journeyman quarterback Jim Plunkett was named the game's MVP. In a bizarre coincidence, Joe Kuharich died on the same day.

The Eagles got off to a great start in the 1981 season, winning their first six games. They eventually ended up 10-6 and earned a wild card berth. However, they were unable to repeat as NFC champs when they got knocked out in the wild card round by the New York Giants, 27-21. After the Eagles finished 3-6 in 1982, Vermeil quit the team, citing "burnout." Defensive coordinator Marion Campbell, aka “the Swamp Fox”, replaced him. Campbell had helped to popularize the "bend-don't-break" defensive strategy in the 1970s. Under Campbell, however, the team struggled, although his stweardship was notable in that it saw the arrival of all-time football greats Reggie White and Randall Cunningham.

Campbell's reign of error ended in 1986, when Buddy Ryan was named head coach. Immediately infusing the team with his tough, hard-as-nails attitude, the Eagles quickly became known for their tough defense and tougher personalities. Under Ryan, the Eagles made the first of three straight playoff appearances in 1988, although the team did not win a postseason game in any of those years. This failure was greatly frustrating to many Eagles fans, as the team was commonly acknowledged as among the most talented in the NFL. On offense, quarterback Cunningham, one of the most exciting players of his generation; tight end Keith Jackson; and running back Keith Byars led the Eagles. The defense is commonly acknowledged as among the greatest in league history, and as the best never to win a championship. In 1991, the Eagles became the first NFL team since 1975 to rank first in the league in both rushing and passing yardage allowed, but were unable to reach the playoffs despite a 10-6 record. Along with White, notable defensive stars included Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner, Eric Allen, Wes Hopkins, and Andre Waters.

Perhaps most reflective of this era was a playoff loss to the Chicago Bears on December 31, 1988, in the infamous "Fog Bowl" at Soldier Field in Chicago. The Eagles were poised that season to make a run toward the Super Bowl, but in a turn of bad luck, a thick fog clouded Soldier Field that day, keeping the Eagles from playing their usual style and leading to a devastating loss, 20-12.

On November 12, 1990, during a Monday Night Football game at the Vet, the Eagles crushed the Washington Redskins by a score of 28-14, with the defense scoring three of the team's four touchdowns. More lopsided than its score would indicate, the game quickly acquired the sobriquet "the Body Bag Game," attesting to the physical damage inflicted by the tougher Eagles squad. The Eagles knocked out the starting Washington quarterback, and then seriously injured his replacement as well. Running back Brian Mitchell, who would later be signed by the Eagles, was forced to play quarterback for the Redskins. Unfortunately, the Redskins returned to Veterans stadium in the first round of the playoffs and defeated the Eagles 20-6, ending their season.