The 1969 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's thirty-seventh season in the National Football League. The team improved on its previous output of 2–12, winning four games.[1]
| 1969 Philadelphia Eagles season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Leonard Tose |
| Head coach | Jerry Williams |
| Home field | Franklin Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–9–1 |
| Division place | 4th NFL Capitol |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| |
Despite the improvement, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season.
The Eagles wore both green (for road games) and white (for home games) helmets during the 1969 season.[2] The white helmets then became part of the Eagles' permanent uniform for the next four seasons.[3]
Philadelphia became the first NFL team to play home games on artificial turf when Franklin Field installed AstroTurf prior to this season. The Houston Oilers of the AFL was on its second season on AstroTurf; the team moved into the Astrodome the previous year.
The 1969 NFL/AFL draft was the third and final year in which the NFL and American Football League (AFL) held a joint draft of college players. The draft took place on January 28–29, and the Eagles alternated with the Atlanta Falcons in picking second and third over the seventeen rounds.
The draft began with first overall pick of O. J. Simpson, the Heisman Trophy-winning running back from USC, by the AFL's Buffalo Bills.
During the fourteen-game 1968 season, the Eagles had no wins until November 28 (week twelve) when the team defeated the Detroit Lions (4–8–2) in Detroit 12–0, and on December 8 (week thirteen), defeated the New Orleans Saints (4–9–1) in Philadelphia 29–17.
These victories gave the Eagles a better record than Buffalo (1–12–1) by half a game, and equaled the record of the Atlanta Falcons (2–12), which won the coin flip for the rights to the second pick in the draft, offensive tackle George Kunz from Notre Dame. Future hall of famer "Mean" Joe Greene, defensive tackle from North Texas State, was taken fourth by the Pittsburgh Steelers (2–11–1).
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | 3 | Leroy Keyes | RB | Purdue |
| 2 | 28 | Ernest Calloway | LB | Texas Southern |
| 3 | 55 | Pick Traded to Cleveland Browns | ||
| 3 | 69 | Bill Bradley | DB | Texas |
| 4 | 80 | Bob Kuechenberg | G | Notre Dame |
| 5 | 107 | Jim Anderson | G | Missouri |
| 6 | 132 | Richard Barnhorst | TE | Xavier |
| 7 | 159 | Mike Schmeising | RB | St. Olaf |
| 8 | 184 | Bill Hobbs | LB | Texas A&M |
| 9 | 211 | Kent Lawrence | WR | Georgia |
| 9 | 218 | Lynn Buss | LB | Wisconsin |
| 10 | 236 | Sonny Wade | QB | Emory & Henry |
| 10 | 243 | Donnie Shanklin | RB | Kansas |
| 11 | 263 | Jim Marcum | DB | Texas-Arlington |
| 12 | 288 | Gary Adams | DB | Arkansas |
| 13 | 314 | Wade Key | TE | Southwest Texas State |
| 14 | 340 | James Ross | T | Bishop |
| 15 | 367 | Leon Angevine | WR | Penn State |
| 16 | 392 | Tom McClinton | DB | Southern |
| 17 | 419 | Bob Haack | T | Linfield (Ore.) |
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 21 | Cleveland Browns | L 20–27 | 0–1 | Franklin Field | 60,658 | |
| 2 | September 28 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 41–27 | 1–1 | Franklin Field | 60,658 | |
| 3 | October 5 | Dallas Cowboys | L 7–38 | 1–2 | Franklin Field | 60,658 | |
| 4 | October 13 | atBaltimore Colts | L 20–24 | 1–3 | Municipal Stadium | 56,864 | |
| 5 | October 19 | atDallas Cowboys | L 14–49 | 1–4 | Cotton Bowl | 71,509 | |
| 6 | October 26 | New Orleans Saints | W 13–10 | 2–4 | Frankin Field | 60,658 | |
| 7 | November 2 | atNew York Giants | W 23–20 | 3–4 | Yankee Stadium | 62,912 | |
| 8 | November 9 | atWashington Redskins | T 28–28 | 3–4–1 | RFK Stadium | 50,502 | |
| 9 | November 16 | Los Angeles Rams | L 17–23 | 3–5–1 | Franklin Field | 60,658 | |
| 10 | November 23 | atSt. Louis Cardinals | W 34–30 | 4–5–1 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 45,512 | |
| 11 | November 30 | atNew Orleans Saints | L 17–26 | 4–6–1 | Tulane Stadium | 72,805 | |
| 12 | December 7 | Washington Redskins | L 29–34 | 4–7–1 | Franklin Field | 60,658 | |
| 13 | December 14 | Atlanta Falcons | L 3–27 | 4–8–1 | Franklin Field | 60,658 | |
| 14 | December 21 | atSan Francisco 49ers | L 13–14 | 4–9–1 | Kezar Stadium | 25,391 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
| NFL Capitol | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Dallas Cowboys | 11 | 2 | 1 | .846 | 6–0 | 9–1 | 369 | 223 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 7 | 5 | 2 | .583 | 3–2–1 | 6–3–1 | 307 | 319 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 1–5 | 4–6 | 311 | 393 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 1–4–1 | 4–5–1 | 279 | 377 | L4 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.