1980 Philadelphia Eagles: Flying High Again

1980 Philadelphia Eagles: Flying High Again

1980 Philadelphia Eagles: Flying High Again

In 1960 the Philadelphia Eagles were on top of the American Football world as they won the NFL Championship that year. However, what followed that tremendous season was a long stretch of losing, teams that were unable to string anything meaningful together. Enter the 1970’s where the inspirational story of wide receiver Vince Papale unfolded from 1976 to 1978, and then just 2 years after Papale’s departure the Eagles had found much of what made their football history so great.

In 1980 the Philadelphia Eagles went 12-4. They finished tied with the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East division standings but won the division by way of a tiebreaker. The Eagles went 6-2 in divisional play and 9-3 in conference play.

Happily referred to as “Jaws”, quarterback Ron Jaworski was an efficient passer in his playing days. Jaws completed 257 of 451 pass attempts for 3,529 yards and 27 touchdowns, recording a 57% completion percentage and throwing just 12 interceptions. Jaworski would win the Bert Bell Award at the end of the season.

Running back Wilbert Montgomery started in 12 games and had 193 rushing attempts for 778 yards and 8 touchdowns while also having 50 receptions for 407 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fullback Leroy Harris had 104 rushing attempts for 341 yards and 3 touchdowns while also having 15 receptions for 207 yards and 1 touchdown. Running back Louie Giammona had 97 rushing attempts for 361 yards and 4 touchdowns while also having 17 receptions for 178 yards and 1 touchdown. Running back Billy Campfield had 44 rushing attempts for 120 yards and 1 touchdown while also having 26 receptions for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns. Running back Perry Harrington had 32 rushing attempts for 166 yards and 1 touchdown.

Wide receiver Charlie Smith had 47 receptions for 825 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wide receiver Harold Carmichael had 48 receptions for 815 yards and 9 touchdowns. Tight end Keith Krepfle had 30 receptions for 450 yards and 4 touchdowns. Tight end John Spagnola had 18 receptions for 197 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wide receiver Scott Fritzkee had 6 receptions for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns. Wide receiver Rodney Parker had 9 receptions for 148 yards and 1 touchdown.

The Eagles had sufficient success on special teams. Campfield had 26 kick returns for 540 yards. Defensive back John Sciarra had 36 punt returns for 330 yards. Wide receiver Wally Henry had 26 punt returns for 22 yards and 7 kick returns for 154 yards. Harrington had 6 kick returns for 104 yards.

Philadelphia’s defense specialized in taking the ball away from opposing offenses. Free safety Bernard Wilson had 6 interceptions for 79 yards. Left cornerback Roynell Young had 4 interceptions. Right cornerback Herm Edwards and nose tackle Charlie Johnson both had 3 interceptions. Right outside linebacker Jerry Robinson had 2 interceptions and 4 fumble recoveries. Defensive back Richard Blackmore had 2 interceptions.

The Eagles were flying high again in 1980, and as evidence of this they got out to an 11-1 stretch, having a 3-0 start and then going on an impressive 8-game winning streak. This streak started in Week 5 on October 5 with a 24-14 win over their division rival Washington Redskins, and the streak ended in Week 12 on November 23 with a 10-7 win over the Oakland Raiders.

The Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs featured the Philadelphia Eagles taking on the Minnesota Vikings on January 3. The Eagles beat the Vikings 31-16. Early on it would be Minnesota scoring points as wide receiver Sammy White had a 30-yard touchdown reception in the 1st quarter, and then in the 2nd quarter running back Ted Brown punched in a 1-yard touchdown run. However, an emphatic response would be delivered by Philadelphia, starting with a 9-yard touchdown reception by Harold Carmichael. In the 3rd quarter Wilbert Montgomery had an 8-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14-14.

The Eagles then experienced a speed bump of sorts when Ron Jaworski would be sacked in the endzone for a Minnesota 2-point safety courtesy of defensive tackle Doug Martin and linebacker Matt Blair. The Eagles would respond again with a 5-yard touchdown run by Montgomery. In the 4th quarter kicker Tony Franklin hit a 33-yard field goal for Philadelphia and then Perry Harrington punched in a 2-yard touchdown run to secure the victory.

The NFC Championship Game on January 11 reunited two bitter division rivals as the Eagles took on the Dallas Cowboys once again. The end result favored Philadelphia as the Eagles won 20-7. In the 1st quarter Montgomery broke clear of Dallas defenders for a 42-yard touchdown run. The only score for the Cowboys came in the 2nd quarter when running back Tony Dorsett punched in a 2-yard touchdown run. In the 3rd quarter Tony Franklin kicked a 26-yard field goal, Leroy Harris had a 9-yard touchdown run, and then Franklin came back to kick a 20-yard field goal.

Representing the NFC in Super Bowl XV, the Philadelphia Eagles appeared to have a legitimate chance of taking home the Lombardi Trophy. However, it wasn’t meant to be for the Eagles as they would lose to the AFC Champion Oakland Raiders 27-10 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans on January 25. Despite this bittersweet ending the Eagles had an amazing season that turned the franchise around for the short-term future. For a brief period of time Philadelphia football fans got to see what winning football looked like.