1939 Philadelphia Eagles season
Encyclopedia
The 1939
Philadelphia Eagles
season was their seventh in the league
. The team failed to improve on their previous output
of 5–6, winning only one game. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.
had 22 rounds and was held on December 9, 1938.
The Eagles drafted in the 4th spot in the 20 rounds they had picks. They chose a total 20 players, of which 9 made the team for the 1939 season.
The Chicago Cardinals choose Charles "Ki" Aldrich
as a Center
that went to Texas Christian
. The TCU Horned Frogs
had 3 players in the top 7 picks in the first round
Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away.
The game matched the champions of the Eastern Division, New York Giants (9–1–1) against the Western Division champion Green Bay Packers (9–2–0). The Packers won 27–0 in a rematch of the 1938 NFL Championship Game
that was won by the Giants.
As was in 1937 roster and 1938 roster , this year team is mostly rookies and players with 1 or 2 years NFL experience.
1939 NFL season
The 1939 NFL season was the 20th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL president Joseph Carr died, and Carl Storck was named to replace him....
Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
season was their seventh in the league
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. The team failed to improve on their previous output
1938 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1938 Philadelphia Eagles season was their sixth in the league. The team improved on their previous output of 2–8–1, winning five games. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.-NFL Draft:...
of 5–6, winning only one game. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.
Off Season
The Eagle moved their training camp to St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.NFL DRAFT
The 1939 NFL Draft1939 NFL Draft
The 1939 National Football League Draft was held on December 9, 1938.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
had 22 rounds and was held on December 9, 1938.
The Eagles drafted in the 4th spot in the 20 rounds they had picks. They chose a total 20 players, of which 9 made the team for the 1939 season.
The Chicago Cardinals choose Charles "Ki" Aldrich
Ki Aldrich
Charles Collins "Ki" Aldrich was an American football player. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1960.-Early life:...
as a Center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
that went to Texas Christian
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
. The TCU Horned Frogs
TCU Horned Frogs football
The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football...
had 3 players in the top 7 picks in the first round
Player Selections
The table shows the Eagles selections and what picks they had that were traded away and the team that ended up with that pick. It is possible the Eagles' pick ended up with this team via another team that the Eagles made a trade with.Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away.
| = Pro Bowl Pro Bowl In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those... er |
= Hall of Fame Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees... r |
| Rd | Pick # | Player | Position | College | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Davey O'Brien Davey O'Brien Robert David O'Brien was an American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Texas Christian University and was drafted in the first round of the 1939 NFL Draft. In 1938, O'Brien won the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, and the... |
Back | Texas Christian | |||
| 2 | 14 | Charlie Newton | Defensive Back Defensive back In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of... |
Washington University of Washington University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University... |
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| 3 | 19 | Joe Mihal Joe Mihal Joseph "Joe" Mihal was a professional American football player who played offensive lineman for two seasons for the Chicago Bears.Elected as starter on 1939 Chicago College All-Star Game.... |
Tackle | Purdue Purdue University Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and... |
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| 4 | 29 | Billy Dewell Billy Dewell William Austin Dewell was an American football player. He was a part of the Chicago Cardinals NFL championship team in 1947.... |
Offensive End | Southern Methodist Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church... |
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| 5 | 34 | Fred Costen | Guard | Texas A&M | |||
| 6 | 44 | Jake Schuehle | Back | Rice | |||
| 7 | 54 | Tony Ippolito | Back | Purdue | |||
| 8 | 64 | George Somers George Somers (American football) George Anthony Somers is a retired American football offensive lineman and placekicker. He is one of only two La Salle Explorers to enter the National Football League and the only one selected in the NFL Draft... |
Tackle | La Salle La Salle Explorers La Salle Explorers is the name of the athletic teams from La Salle University. The school's 23 varsity sports teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and are a member of the Atlantic Ten Conference. The American football team previously played in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football... |
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| 9 | 74 | Rankin Britt | End | Texas A&M | |||
| 10 | 84 | Bill McKeever | Tackle | Cornell | |||
| 11 | 94 | Paul Humphrey | Center | Purdue | |||
| 12 | 104 | Jack Kraynick | Back | North Carolina | |||
| 13 | 114 | Thomas "Allie" White | Tackle | Texas Christian | |||
| 14 | 124 | Joe Aleskus | Tackle | Ohio State | |||
| 15 | 134 | Foster Watkins | Back | West Texas State Teachers | |||
| 16 | 144 | Irv Hall | Back | Brown | |||
| 17 | 154 | Bob Riddell | End | South Dakota State | |||
| 18 | 164 | Charley Gainor | End | North Dakota | |||
| 19 | 174 | Morris White | Back | Tulsa | |||
| 20 | 184 | Dick Gormley | Center | Louisiana State | |||
| 21 | No Pick in this Round | . | |||||
| 22 | No Pick in this Round | . |
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17, 1939 | Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
L 7–0 |
| 2 | September 24, 1939 | New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 13–3 |
| 3 | October 1, 1939 | Brooklyn Dodgers Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) The Brooklyn Dodgers were an American football team that played in the National Football League from 1930 to 1943, and in 1944 as the Brooklyn Tigers. The team played its home games at Ebbets Field. In 1945, because of financial difficulties, the team was merged with the Boston Yanks... |
T 0–0 |
| 4 | October 15, 1939 | at New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 27–10 |
| 5 | October 22, 1939 | at Brooklyn Dodgers Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) The Brooklyn Dodgers were an American football team that played in the National Football League from 1930 to 1943, and in 1944 as the Brooklyn Tigers. The team played its home games at Ebbets Field. In 1945, because of financial difficulties, the team was merged with the Boston Yanks... |
L 23–14 |
| 6 | November 5, 1939 | at Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
L 7–6 |
| 7 | November 12, 1939 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
L 23–16 |
| 8 | November 19, 1939 | at Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 27–14 |
| 9 | November 23, 1939 | Pittsburgh Pirates | W 17–14 |
| 10 | November 26, 1939 | at Pittsburgh Pirates | L 24–12 |
| 11 | December 3, 1939 | at Cleveland Rams Cleveland Rams The Cleveland Rams were a professional American football team based in Cleveland, Ohio.The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland, Ohio. The NFL considers the franchise as a second incarnation of the previous Cleveland Rams team that was a charter member of the second American Football League... |
L 35–13 |
Standings
| NFL Eastern Eastern and Western Divisions (NFL) 1933-69 The Eastern and Western Divisions of the National Football League, renamed the American and National Conferences in 1950 and then the Eastern and Western Conferences in 1953, were organized as a result of the disputed NFL championship of 1932... |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| New York Giants 1939 New York Giants season The 1939 New York Giants season was the fifteenth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
9 | 1 | 1 | .900 | 168 | 85 | W-4 |
| Washington Redskins 1939 Washington Redskins season The 1939 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 6-3-2 record from 1938.-Schedule:-Standings:... |
8 | 2 | 1 | .800 | 242 | 94 | L-1 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers 1939 Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) season The 1939 Brooklyn Dodgers season was their 10th in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous season's output of 4-4-3, losing six games. They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.-Schedule:-Standings:... |
4 | 6 | 1 | .400 | 108 | 219 | L-3 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates 1939 Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL) season - Week 1 : Brooklyn Dodgers :at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York* Game time:* Game weather:* Game attendance: 19,444* Referee:Scoring Drives:* Brooklyn – FG Kercheval 27... |
1 | 9 | 1 | .100 | 114 | 216 | W-1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 1 | 9 | 1 | .100 | 105 | 200 | L-2 |
Playoffs
The Eagles had a 1–9–1 record and failed to make it to the 1939 NFL Championship Game. The game was on December 10, 1939 at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This was the seventh NFL championship game played. The Green Bay Packers defeated the New York Giants to win their fifth title. The game attendance was 32,379.The game matched the champions of the Eastern Division, New York Giants (9–1–1) against the Western Division champion Green Bay Packers (9–2–0). The Packers won 27–0 in a rematch of the 1938 NFL Championship Game
1938 NFL Championship Game
The 1938 NFL Championship Game was the 6th championship game played in the history of the National Football League. The game was on December 11, 1938, at Polo Grounds in New York City...
that was won by the Giants.
1939 Roster
(All time List of Philadelphia Eagles players in franchise history)| = 1939 Pro All Star | = Hall of Fame Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees... r |
As was in 1937 roster and 1938 roster , this year team is mostly rookies and players with 1 or 2 years NFL experience.
| NO. | |AGE | |GP | |WT | |YRS | Bert Bell Bert Bell De Benneville "Bert" Bell was the National Football League commissioner from 1946 until his death in 1959. As commissioner, he helped chart a path for the NFL to facilitate its rise in becoming the most popular sports attraction in the United States... > | 44 | Coach | 1939 record 1–9–1 |
NFL-Eagles Lifetime 9–34–2 |
4th | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | HB-WB-DB BB-KR-PR |
10 | 9 | 210 | 6–1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 26 | End | 1 | 0 | 205 | 6–2 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 23 | Back | 11 | 1 | 216 | 6–0 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 24 | BB | 11 | 3 | 194 | 6–1 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 29 | E | 11 | 11 | 201 | 6–1 | 6 | |||||||||||
| 24 | C | 1 | 0 | 222 | 6–2 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 29 | G | 10 | 8 | 200 | 5–10 | 5 | |||||||||||
| 23 | BB-FB | 9 | 2 | 195 | 6–0 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 25 | T | 11 | 9 | 215 | 6–1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 29 | Cen | 11 | 8 | 227 | 6–4 | 3 | |||||||||||
| 30 | E-DE | 11 | 2 | 190 | 5–9 | 7 | |||||||||||
| 24 | G-C | 11 | 6 | 226 | 6–1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 24 | T-G | 9 | 0 | 242 | 6–3 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 23 | HB-E | 8 | 3 | 201 | 6–4 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 23 | G | 1 | 0 | 199 | 6–2 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 23 | B | 8 | 2 | 181 | 6–1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 24 | B-K-P | 11 | 6 | 200 | 6–0 | Rookie | Pennsylvania | ||||||||||
| 23 | FB-HB | 9 | 7 | 204 | 6–0 | Rookie | Washington Washington Huskies football College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by... |
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| 22 | QB-TB | 11 | 8 | 151 | 5–7 | Rookie | TCU TCU Horned Frogs football The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football... |
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| 26 | T | 10 | 2 | 214 | 6–4 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 28 | E | 11 | 6 | 196 | 6–0 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 30 | C-G | 5 | 3 | 214 | 5–11 | 6 | |||||||||||
| 24 | B | 10 | 3 | 200 | 6–1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 23 | G | 11 | 8 | 219 | 5–11 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 22 | HB | 2 | 0 | 196 | 6–0 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 25 | FB-LB | 4 | 4 | 226 | 6–1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 24 | T | 9 | 3 | 253 | 6–2 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 24 | G-T | 7 | 0 | 212 | 5–11 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 24 | T | 10 | 8 | 214 | 6–1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 28 Players Team Average |
25.1 | 11 | 208.2 | 6–0.6 | 1.6 |
Awards and Honors
- Davey O'Brien finishes 2nd in Pass Attempts with 210
- Davey O'Brien finises 2nd with Pass Completes with 99
- Davey O'Brien leads NFL in Passing Yards with 1324
- Joe Carter named to Pro All_Star team.
- Davey O'Brien named to Pro All-Star team.