Finally, Bucko Kilroy will be inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame.
Kilroy, who spent 13 seasons in the NFL and was widely regarded as the dirtiest player in the league, was one of the best players in franchise history. This NFL Films documentary about him shows his iconic answer to that charge.
Kilroy once described it as smash-mouth, or what I used to call mash-mouth football. They had various rules. First, until 1950, you played two ways. Forearms were also permitted.
The team’s first two NFL championship teams in 1948 and 1949 had him as a two-way lineman. He was also a member of the 1947 NFL championship-losing squad.
Due to player losses during the nation’s World War II effort, Kilroy began his career in 1943 with the Steagles, a mix of players from the Eagles and Steelers. The same year that Kilroy joined the Steagles, he joined the Merchant Marines.
After that, he played with the Eagles from 1944 to 1955, where he was named to the Pro Bowl three times and twice to the second team All Pro. He was also selected for the all-decade team during the 1940s.
During the team’s 1948 championship triumph over the Chicago Cardinals, Kilroy recovered a late third-quarter fumble in blizzard circumstances at Shibe Park, which led to the Eagles’ 7-0 victory and the only score.
By moving from his right guard position and creating a gap for Hall of Fame rushing back Steve Van Buren, he also contributed to that offensive touchdown.
That was the first of the Eagles’ five titles to date.
The Eagles’ 14-0 thumping of the Rams at the Los Angeles Coliseum a year later was the second. In NFL history, those Eagles teams are the only ones to win consecutive championships without giving up a point.
Originally from Philadelphia, Kilroy was named an All-American at Temple. Following his playing career, he joined the New England Patriots as a scout and then became their general manager. In 1985, he served as general manager of the first Patriots squad to make it to the Super Bowl.
When the Eagles face the Chicago Bears at Lincoln Financial Field on November 28, he will be enshrined into the Eagles Hall of Fame as a member of the 2025 class.
Kilroy passed away at the age of 86 in 2007.
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The email address of Bob Brookover is [email protected].
