Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in Los Angeles and compete in the National Football League's NFC West division. The franchise won three NFL championships, is the only one to win championships representing three different cities; the Rams play their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The franchise began in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams in Ohio; the club was owned by Homer Marshman and featured players such as William "Bud" Cooper, Harry "The Horse" Mattos, Stan Pincura, Mike Sebastian. Damon "Buzz" Wetzel joined as general manager; the franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1946 following the 1945 NFL Championship Game victory, making way for Paul Brown's Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference and becoming the only NFL championship team to play the following season in another city. The club played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before moving into a reconstructed Anaheim Stadium in Orange County, California, in 1980.
The Rams left California and moved to St. Louis, following the 1994 NFL season. Five seasons after relocating, the team won Super Bowl XXXIV in a 23–16 victory over the Tennessee Titans, they appeared in Super Bowl XXXVI, where they lost 20–17 to the New England Patriots. The Rams played in St. Louis until the end of the 2015 NFL season, when they filed notice with the NFL of their intent to relocate back to Los Angeles; the move was agreed at an owners' meeting in January 2016, the Rams returned to the city for the 2016 NFL season. The Rams appeared in Super Bowl LIII where they lost to the New England Patriots 13-3 in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI; the Cleveland Rams were founded in 1936 by Ohio attorney Homer Marshman and player-coach Damon Wetzel, a former Ohio State star who played for the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Pirates. Wetzel, who served as general manager, selected the "Rams", because his favorite college football team was the Fordham Rams from Fordham University; the team was part of the newly formed American Football League and finished the 1936 regular season in second place with a 5–2–2 record, trailing only the 8–3 record of league champion Boston Shamrocks.
The Rams joined the National Football League on February 12, 1937, were assigned to the Western Division. The Rams would be the fourth in a string of short-lived teams based in Cleveland, following the Cleveland Tigers, Cleveland Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians. From the beginning, they were a team marked by frequent moves, playing in three stadiums over several losing seasons. However, the team featured the Most Valuable Player of rookie halfback Parker Hall. In June 1941, the Rams were bought by Dan Reeves and Fred Levy Jr. Reeves, an heir to his family's grocery-chain business, purchased by Safeway, used some of his inheritance to buy his share of the team. Levy's family owned the Levy Brothers department store chain in Kentucky and he came to own the Riverside International Raceway. Levy owned part of the Rams, with Bob Hope another of the owners, until Reeves bought out his partners in 1962; the franchise suspended operations and sat out the 1943 season because of a shortage of players during World War II and resumed playing in 1944.
The team achieved success in 1945, their last season in Ohio. Adam Walsh took over as head coach that season. Quarterback Bob Waterfield, a rookie from UCLA, passed and place-kicked his way to the league's Most Valuable Player award and helped the Rams achieve a 9–1 record and winning their first NFL Championship, a 15–14 home field victory over the Washington Redskins on December 16; the margin of victory was provided by a safety: Redskins great Sammy Baugh's pass bounced off the goal post backward, through his team's own end zone. The next season, NFL rules were changed to prevent this from again resulting in a score. On January 12, 1946, Reeves was denied a request by the other NFL owners to move the Cleveland Rams to Los Angeles and the then-103,000-seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, he threatened to end his relationship with the NFL and get out of the professional football business altogether unless the transfer to Los Angeles was permitted. A settlement was reached and, as a result, Reeves was allowed to move his team to Los Angeles.
The NFL became the first professional coast-to-coast sports entertainment industry. From 1933, when Joe Lillard left the Chicago Cardinals, through 1946, there were no black players in professional American football. After the Rams had received approval to move to Los Angeles, they entered into negotiations to lease the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; the Rams were advised that a precondition to them getting a lease was that they would have to integrate the team with at least one African-American. Subsequently, the Rams signed Kenny Washington on March 21, 1946; the signing of Washington caused "all hell to break loose" among the owners of the NFL franchises. The Rams added a second black player, Woody Strode, on May 7, 1946, giving them two black players going into the 1946 season; the Rams were the first team in the NFL to play in Los Angeles, but they were not the only professional football team to play its home games in the Coliseum between 1946 and 1949. The upstart All-America Football Conference had the Los Angeles Dons compete there as well.
Reeves was taking a gamble that Los Angeles was ready for its own professional football team – and there were two in the City of Angels. Reeves was proven to be correct when the Rams played their f
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football program represents the University of Georgia in the sport of American football. The Bulldogs compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference, they play their home games at historic Sanford Stadium on the university's Athens, campus. Georgia's inaugural season was in 1892. UGA claims two consensus national championships; the Bulldogs have won 15 conference championships, including 13 SEC championships, have appeared in 55 bowl games, tied for second-most all-time. The program has produced two Heisman Trophy winners, four number-one National Football League draft picks, many winners of other national awards; the team is known for its storied history, unique traditions, rabid fan base, known as the "Bulldog Nation". Georgia has won over 800 games in their history. Georgia was a founding member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, one of the first collegiate athletic conferences formed in the United States.
Georgia participated in the SIAA from its establishment in 1895 until 1921. During its tenure in the SIAA, Georgia was conference co-champion in two years, 1896 and 1920. In 1921, the Bulldogs, along with 12 other teams, formed the Southern Conference. During its time in the Southern Conference, the team never won a conference championship. In 1932, the Georgia Bulldogs left the Southern Conference to form and join the SEC, where Georgia has won the second-most SEC football championships, with 13, behind Alabama and tied with Tennessee. Independent Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Southern Conference Southeastern Conference Georgia has won six national championships from NCAA-designated major selectors. Georgia claims both 1980 national championships. Claimed national championship 1920 – First-year head Herman Stegeman led the program to its second undefeated season, outscored opponents 250–17. 1927 – Georgia's famous Dream and Wonder team led by George Woodruff went 9-1. This team was noted for having a win over Yale, in Connecticut.
Georgia was ranked #1 going into its final game against rival Georgia Tech, where they were upset 12-0 in the rain. So, Georgia finished the season ranked #1 in two minor polls. 1942 – Georgia was chosen as champion by at least half of the recognized polls. Georgia was led by All-Americans Frank Sinkwich and end George Poschner, along with a young back named Charley Trippi; the Bulldogs ranked No. 1 in the nation. Georgia earned a Rose Bowl bid after it blanked Georgia Tech 34–0 in Athens to end the regular season. Georgia edged UCLA 9–0 in the Rose Bowl. 1946 – Fueled by the return of Charley Trippi, the 1946 SEC Champion Bulldogs went 10-0, including a 20-10 win over North Carolina in the Sugar Bowl. Notre Dame finished the season ranked #1 in the majority of the polls, but the Williamson poll recognized Georgia as #1. 1968 – The 1968 Bulldogs won Vince Dooley's second SEC Championship as head coach, finished the season undefeated. However the 8-0-2 Bulldogs tied twice, lost to Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl.
The Litkenhous poll recognized them as National Champions. 1980 – The Bulldogs beat Notre Dame 17–10 in the Sugar Bowl to finish 12–0 and claim the National Championship. Notable contributors during the season included Herschel Walker, Buck Belue, Lindsay Scott. Georgia has won a total of ten outright and five shared; the school's 13 Southeastern Conference Championships rank it second all time in SEC history, tied with Tennessee behind only Alabama. † Co-champions Georgia has won nine SEC Eastern Division championships, has made seven appearances in the SEC Championship Game, most in 2017. The Dawgs are 3–4 in those games. Twice, in 1992 and 2007, Georgia was the Eastern Division co-champion, but lost a tiebreaker for the right to appear in the championship game. † Co-champions The Bulldogs have played in 55 bowl games, tied for second all-time. UGA has a bowl record of 31–20–3, their 31 wins rank the Dawgs third all-time in bowl wins. They have played in a record 17 different bowls including appearances in five of the New Years Six Bowl Games and an appearance in the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship.
Head coaches of the Bulldogs dating from 1892. Amos Alonzo Stagg AwardVince Dooley – 2001Paul "Bear" Bryant AwardVince Dooley – 1980Broyles AwardBrian VanGorder – 2003College Football Hall of Fame Glenn "Pop" Warner, inducted in 1951 Joel Hunt, inducted in 1967 Wally Butts, inducted in 1997 Vince Dooley, inducted in 1995 The first mention of "Bulldogs" in association with Georgia athletics occurred on November 28, 1901, at the Georgia-Auburn football game played in Atlanta; the Georgia fans had a badge saying "Eat `em Georgia" and a picture of a bulldog tearing a piece of cloth". Traditionally, the choice of a Bulldog as the UGA mascot was attributed to the alma mater of its founder and first president, Abraham Baldwin, who graduated from Yale University. Prior to that time, G
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League as a member club of the league's American Football Conference East division; the team plays its home games at Gillette Stadium in the town of Foxborough, located 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston, Massachusetts and 20 miles northeast of downtown Providence, Rhode Island. The Patriots are headquartered at Gillette Stadium. An original member of the American Football League, the Patriots joined the NFL in the 1970 merger of the two leagues; the team changed its name from the original Boston Patriots after relocating to Foxborough in 1971. The Patriots played their home games at Foxboro Stadium from 1971 to 2001 moved to Gillette Stadium at the start of the 2002 season; the Patriots' rivalry with the New York Jets is considered one of the most bitter rivalries in the NFL. Since the arrival of head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady in 2000, the Patriots have since become one of the most successful teams in NFL history, winning 16 AFC East titles in 18 seasons since 2001, without a losing season in that period.
The franchise has since set numerous notable records, including most wins in a ten-year period, an undefeated 16-game regular season in 2007, the longest winning streak consisting of regular season and playoff games in NFL history, the most consecutive division titles won by a team in NFL history. The team owns the record for most Super Bowls reached and won by a head coach–quarterback tandem, most Super Bowl appearances overall, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins, tied with the Denver Broncos for the most Super Bowl losses. On November 16, 1959, Boston business executive Billy Sullivan was awarded the eighth and final franchise of the developing American Football League; the following winter, locals were allowed to submit ideas for the Boston football team's official name. The most popular choice – and the one that Sullivan selected – was the "Boston Patriots," with "Patriots" referring to those colonists of the Thirteen Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution and in July 1776 declared the United States of America an independent nation.
Thereafter, artist Phil Bissell of The Boston Globe developed the "Pat Patriot" logo. The Patriots struggled for most of their years in the AFL, they never had a regular home stadium. Nickerson Field, Harvard Stadium, Fenway Park, Alumni Stadium all served as home fields during their time in the American Football League, they played in only one AFL championship game, following the 1963 season, in which they lost to the San Diego Chargers 51–10. They did not appear again in an NFL post-season game for another 13 years; when the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, the Patriots were placed in the American Football Conference East division, where they still play today. The following year, the Patriots moved to a new stadium in Foxborough, which would serve as their home for the next 30 years; as a result of the move, they announced they would change their name from the Boston Patriots to the Bay State Patriots. The name was rejected by the NFL and on March 22, 1971, the team announced they would change its geographic name to New England.
During the 1970s, the Patriots had some success, earning a berth to the playoffs in 1976—as a wild card team—and in 1978—as AFC East champions. They lost in the first round both times. In 1985, they returned to the playoffs, made it all the way to Super Bowl XX, which they lost to the Chicago Bears 46–10. Following their Super Bowl loss, they lost in the first round; the team would not make the playoffs again for eight more years. During the 1990 season, the Patriots went 1–15, they changed ownership three times in the ensuing 14 years, being purchased from the Sullivan family first by Victor Kiam in 1988, who sold the team to James Orthwein in 1992. Though Orthwein's period as owner was short and controversial, he did oversee major changes to the team, first with the hiring of former New York Giants coach Bill Parcells in 1993. Orthwein and his marketing team commissioned the NFL to develop a new visual identity and logo, changed their primary colors from the traditional red and blue to blue and silver for the team uniforms.
Orthwein intended to move the team to his native St. Louis, but instead sold the team in 1994 for $175 million to its current owner, Robert Kraft. Since the Patriots have sold out every home game in both Foxboro Stadium and Gillette Stadium. By 2009, the value of the franchise had increased by over $1 billion, to a Forbes magazine estimated value of $1.361 billion, third highest in the NFL only behind the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins. As of July 2018, the Patriots are the sixth most valuable sports franchise in the world according to Forbes magazine with a value of $3.7 billion. Continuing on as head coach under Kraft's ownership, Parcells would bring the Patriots to two playoff appearances, including Super Bowl XXXI, which they lost to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 35–21. Pete Carroll, Parcells's successor, would take the team to the playoffs twice in 1997 and 1998 before being dismissed as head coach after the 1999 season; the Patriots hired current head coach Bill Belichick, who had served as defensive coordinator under Parcells including during Super Bowl XXXI, in 2000.
Their new home field, Gillette Stadium, opened in 2002 to
Bert Bell
De Benneville "Bert" Bell was the National Football League commissioner from 1945 until his death in 1959. As commissioner, he introduced competitive parity into the NFL to improve the league's commercial viability and promote its popularity, he helped make the NFL the most financially sound sports enterprise and preeminent sports attraction in the United States, he was posthumously inducted into the charter class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bell played football at the University of Pennsylvania, where as quarterback, he led his team to an appearance in the 1917 Rose Bowl. After being drafted into the US Army during World War I, he returned to complete his collegiate career at Penn and went on to become an assistant football coach with the Quakers in the 1920s. During the Great Depression, he was an assistant coach for the Temple Owls and a co-founder and co-owner of the Philadelphia Eagles. With the Eagles, Bell led the way in cooperating with the other NFL owners to establish the National Football League Draft in order to afford the weakest teams the first opportunity to sign the best available players.
He subsequently became sole proprietor of the Eagles. He sold the team and bought a share in the Pittsburgh Steelers. During World War II, Bell astutely argued against the league suspending operations until the war's conclusion. After the war, he was sold his ownership in the Steelers; as commissioner, he implemented a proactive anti-gambling policy, negotiated a merger with the All-America Football Conference, unilaterally crafted the entire league schedule with an emphasis on enhancing the dramatic effect of late-season matches. During the Golden Age of Television, he tailored the game's rules to strengthen its appeal to mass media and enforced a policy of blacking out local broadcasts of home contests to safeguard ticket receipts. Amid criticism from franchise owners and under pressure from Congress, he unilaterally recognized the NFLPA and facilitated in the development of the first pension plan for the players, he survived to oversee the "Greatest Game Ever Played" and to envision what the league would become in the future.
Bell was born de Benneville Bell, on February 25, 1895, in Philadelphia to John C. Bell and Fleurette de Benneville Myers, his father was an attorney. His older brother, John C. Jr. was born in 1892. Bert's parents were wealthy, his mother's lineage predated the American Revolutionary War, his father, a Quaker of the University of Pennsylvania during the early days of American football, accompanied him to his first football game when Bell was six years old. Thereafter, Bell engaged in football games with childhood friends. In 1904, Bell matriculated at the Episcopal Academy, the Delancey School from 1909 to 1911 and the Haverford School until 1914. About this time, his father was installed as athletics director at Penn and helped form the National Collegiate Athletic Association. At Haverford, Bell captained the school's football and baseball teams, "was awarded The Yale Cup'The pupil who has done the most to promote athletics in the school.'" Although he excelled at baseball, his devotion was to football.
His father, named a trustee at Penn in 1911, said of Bell's plans for college, "Bert will go to Penn or he will go to hell." Bell joined Phi Kappa Sigma. In a rare occurrence for a sophomore, he became the starting quarterback for Penn's coach George H. Brooke. On the team, he was as a defender and punt returner. After the team's 3–0 start, Bell temporarily shared possession of his quarterbacking duties until he subsequently reclaimed them in the season, as Penn finished with a record of 3–5–2. Prior to Penn's 1916 season, his mother died, he started the first game for the Quakers under new coach Bob Folwell, but mixed results left him platooned for the rest of the season. Penn finished with a record of 7–2–1. However, the Quakers secured an invitation to the 1917 Rose Bowl against the Oregon Ducks. Although the best offensive gain for Penn during their 20–14 loss to Oregon was a 20-yard run by Bell, he was replaced late in the game at quarterback after throwing an interception. In the 1917 season, Bell led Penn to a 9–2 record.
Afterwards, he registered with a Mobile Hospital Unit of the US Army for World War I and was deployed to France in May 1918. As a result of his unit participating in hazardous duty, it received a congratulatory letter for bravery from General John J. Pershing, Bell was promoted to first sergeant. After the war, Bell returned to the United States in March 1919, he again performed erratically. The Quakers finished 1919 with a 6–2–1 record. Academically, his aversion to attending classes forced him to withdraw from Penn without a degree in early 1920, his collegiate days ended with his having been a borderline All-American, but this period of his life had proven that he "possessed the qualities of a leader." Bell assembled the Stanley Professionals in Chicago in 1920, but he disbanded it prior to playing any games because of negative publicity received by Chicago due the Black Sox Scandal. He joined John Heisman's staff at Penn as an assistant coach in 1920, Bell would remain there for several years.
At Penn, he was well regarded as a football coach, after its 1924 season, he drew offers for, but declined, head-coaching assignments at other universities. At least as early as 1926, his avocation was socializing and frequenting Saratoga Race Course, where he coun
National Football League
The National Football League is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The NFL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, the highest professional level of American football in the world; the NFL's 17-week regular season runs from early September to late December, with each team playing 16 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, six teams from each conference advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl, held in the first Sunday in February, is played between the champions of the NFC and AFC; the NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League in 1966, the first Super Bowl was held at the end of that season. Today, the NFL has the highest average attendance of any professional sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States.
The Super Bowl is among the biggest club sporting events in the world and individual Super Bowl games account for many of the most watched television programs in American history, all occupying the Nielsen's Top 5 tally of the all-time most watched U. S. television broadcasts by 2015. The NFL's executive officer is the commissioner; the players in the league belong to the National Football League Players Association. The team with the most NFL championships is the Green Bay Packers with thirteen; the current NFL champions are the New England Patriots, who defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII for their sixth Super Bowl championship. On August 20, 1920, a meeting was held by representatives of the Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians, Dayton Triangles at the Jordan and Hupmobile auto showroom in Canton, Ohio; this meeting resulted in the formation of the American Professional Football Conference, a group who, according to the Canton Evening Repository, intended to "raise the standard of professional football in every way possible, to eliminate bidding for players between rival clubs and to secure cooperation in the formation of schedules".
Another meeting was held on September 17, 1920 with representatives from teams from four states-Akron, Canton and Dayton from Ohio. The league was renamed to the American Professional Football Association; the league elected Jim Thorpe as its first president, consisted of 14 teams. The Massillon Tigers from Massillon, Ohio was at the September 17 meeting, but did not field a team in 1920. Only two of these teams, the Decatur Staleys and the Chicago Cardinals, remain. Although the league did not maintain official standings for its 1920 inaugural season and teams played schedules that included non-league opponents, the APFA awarded the Akron Pros the championship by virtue of their 8–0–3 record; the first event occurred on September 26, 1920 when the Rock Island Independents defeated the non-league St. Paul Ideals 48–0 at Douglas Park. On October 3, 1920, the first full week of league play occurred; the following season resulted in the Chicago Staleys controversially winning the title over the Buffalo All-Americans.
On June 24, 1922, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League. In 1932, the season ended with the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans tied for first in the league standings. At the time, teams were ranked on a single table and the team with the highest winning percentage at the end of the season was declared the champion; this method had been used since the league's creation in 1920, but no situation had been encountered where two teams were tied for first. The league determined that a playoff game between Chicago and Portsmouth was needed to decide the league's champion; the teams were scheduled to play the playoff game a regular season game that would count towards the regular season standings, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, but a combination of heavy snow and extreme cold forced the game to be moved indoors to Chicago Stadium, which did not have a regulation-size football field. Playing with altered rules to accommodate the smaller playing field, the Bears won the game 9–0 and thus won the championship.
Fan interest in the de facto championship game led the NFL, beginning in 1933, to split into two divisions with a championship game to be played between the division champions. The 1934 season marked the first of 12 seasons in which African Americans were absent from the league; the de facto ban was rescinded in 1946, following public pressure and coinciding with the removal of a similar ban in Major League Baseball. The NFL was always the foremost pro
Chester, South Carolina
Chester is a small rural city in Chester County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 5,607 at the 2010 census, down from 6,476 at the 2000 census, it is the county seat of Chester County. The Catholic Presbyterian Church, Chester City Hall and Opera House, Chester Historic District, Colvin-Fant-Durham Farm Complex, Fishdam Ford, Kumler Hall, Lewis Inn, McCollum Mound are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Chester is located just west of the center of Chester County at 34°42′20″N 81°12′42″W. U. S. Route 321 bypasses the city to the west and the south, leading north 22 miles to York and south 25 miles to Winnsboro. South Carolina Highway 9 passes through the city center and leads east 11 miles to Interstate 77 near Richburg and west 49 miles to Spartanburg. Highways 72 and 121 lead northeast 19 miles to southwest 28 miles to Whitmire. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.3 square miles, all of it land. As of the census of 2000, there were 6,476 people, 2,465 households, 1,639 families residing in the city.
The population density was 2,042.8 people per square mile. There were 2,774 housing units at an average density of 875.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 62.26% African American, 36.37% White, 0.15% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, 0.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.83% of the population. There were 2,465 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.4% were married couples living together, 26.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.5% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.24. In the city, the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.1 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,518, the median income for a family was $32,973. Males had a median income of $27,321 versus $20,802 for females; the per capita income for the city was $13,386. About 16.4% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.3% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over. Chester is the center of an urban cluster with a total population of 11,140. While being transported to Richmond, for his trial for treason, former Vice-President Aaron Burr passed through Chester. Burr "flung himself from his horse and cried for a rescue, but the officer commanding the escort seized him, threw him back like a child into the saddle, marched on." The large stone he stood on has been inscribed and is preserved in the town center, is known locally as the Aaron Burr Rock. Chiefs, a miniseries based on the novel by Stuart Woods, was filmed in Chester over the course of three months in 1983.
It was nominated for three prime-time Emmy awards, featured a star-studded cast including Charlton Heston, Keith Carradine, Paul Sorvino, Billy Dee Williams and Danny Glover. Chester Vision or CSN Chester News & Reporter WRBK, 90.3 FM, a noncommercial station that features classic oldies Debbie Allen, dancer, television director and producer Sheldon Brown, National Football League cornerback Marion Campbell, football player: University of Georgia, National Football League, Atlanta Falcons Devan Downey, basketball player Allison Feaster, basketball player in the WNBA, French citizen since 2004 Carroll Glenn, concert violinist J. Charles Jones, civil rights activist Donnie McClurkin and gospel singer Maurice Morris, National Football League running back Ron Rash, author of short stories, Western Carolina University Phylicia Rashad, actress Britt Robertson, film actress Elizabeth Talford Scott, artist Official website
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles compete in the National Football League as a member club of the league's National Football Conference East division. In the 2017 season the team won Super Bowl LII, their first Super Bowl win in franchise history and their fourth NFL title overall, after winning the Championship Game in 1948, 1949, 1960; the franchise was established in 1933 as a replacement for the bankrupt Frankford Yellow Jackets, when a group led by Bert Bell secured the rights to an NFL franchise in Philadelphia. Bell, Chuck Bednarik, Bob Brown, Brian Dawkins, Reggie White, Steve Van Buren, Tommy McDonald, Greasy Neale, Pete Pihos, Sonny Jurgensen, Norm Van Brocklin have been inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame; the team has an intense rivalry with the New York Giants. This rivalry is the oldest in the NFC East and is among the oldest in the NFL, it was ranked by NFL Network as the number one rivalry of all-time and Sports Illustrated ranks it amongst the Top 10 NFL rivalries of all-time at number four, according to ESPN, it is one of the fiercest and most well-known rivalries in the American football community.
They have a bitter rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys, which has become more high-profile since the 1960s, as well as a historic rivalry with the Washington Redskins. Their rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers is another bitter rivalry known as the battle of Pennsylvania dating back to 1933, that arises from the two teams' statuses as being from opposite ends of the same state; the team ranks among the best in the league in attendance and has sold out every game since the 1999 season. In a Sports Illustrated poll of 321 NFL players, Eagles fans were selected the most intimidating fans in the NFL; the Frankford Athletic Association was organized in May 1899 in the parlor of the Suburban Club. The cost of purchasing a share in the association was $10. However, there were contributing memberships, ranging from $1 to $2.50, made available to the general public. The Association was a community-based non-profit organization of local businesses. In keeping with its charter, which stated that "all profits shall be donated to charity", all of the team's excess income was donated to local charitable institutions.
The original Frankford Athletic Association disbanded prior to the 1909 football season. Several of the original players from the 1899 football team kept the team together, they became known as Loyola Athletic Club. In keeping with Yellow Jackets tradition, they carried the "Frankford" name again in 1912, to become the Frankford Athletic Association. In the early 1920s, the Frankford Athletic Association's Yellow Jackets gained the reputation as being one of the best independent football teams in the nation. In 1922, Frankford absorbed the Union Quakers of Philadelphia; that year Frankford captured the unofficial championship of Philadelphia. During the 1922 and 1923 seasons the Yellow Jackets compiled a 6–2–1 record against teams from the National Football League; this led to the Association being granted an NFL franchise in 1924 thus becoming the Frankford Yellow Jackets. Midway through the 1931 season, the Yellow Jackets went bankrupt and were forced to cease operations. After more than a year of searching for a suitable replacement, the NFL granted an expansion franchise to a syndicate headed by Bert Bell and Lud Wray and awarded them the franchise rights of the failed Yellow Jackets organization.
The Bell-Wray group had to pay an entry fee of $3,500 and assumed a total debt of $11,000, owed to three other NFL franchises. Drawing inspiration from the Blue Eagle insignia of the National Recovery Administration—the centerpiece of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal—Bell and Wray named the new franchise the Philadelphia Eagles. Neither the Eagles nor the NFL regard the two franchises as the same, citing the aforementioned period of dormancy. Furthermore no Yellow Jackets players were on the Eagles' first roster; the Eagles, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the now-defunct Cincinnati Reds, joined the NFL as expansion teams. The Eagles played their first game on October 15, 1933, against the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds in New York City, they lost the game 56-0. The Eagles struggled over the course of their first decade, their best finish was in 1934, when they finished tied for third in the East. For the most part, the Eagles' early rosters were composed of former Penn and Villanova players who put in a few years before going on to other things.
In 1935, Bell proposed an annual college draft to equalize talent across the league. The draft was a revolutionary concept in professional sports. Having teams select players in inverse order of their finish in the standings, a practice still followed today, strove to increase fan interest by guaranteeing that the worst teams would have the opportunity for annual infusions of the best college talent. Between 1927 and 1934, a triopoly of three teams had won all but one title since 1927. In 1937, the Eagles moved to Shibe Park and played their home games at the stadium through 1957, except for the 1941 season, played at Municipal Stadium, where they had played from 1936 to 1939. To accommodate football at Shibe Park during the winter, management set up stands in right field, parallel to 20th Street; some 20 feet high
