The coaches didn’t like each other. The players on both teams were military rejects afflicted with flatfeet, bad hearing, blindness in one eye or weak knees.
The year was 1943. The Second World War was raging, but President Roosevelt thought the continuation of professional sports was good for home-front morale.
The problem for most NFL football teams was a lack of players. Everyone was off fighting. Wikipedia claims that 600 NFL players served in the military during the war years.
Both the Eagles and their cross-state rival, Pittsburgh, were low on players. With only six-contract players, the Steelers were in really bad shape.
The owners came up with an unusual plan.
Let’s merge the Steelers and Eagles for the season into one team.
They would be called Phil-Pitt team.
Soon sports writers and everyone else called them The Steagles.
The leading receiver for the mixed team was Steeler Tony Bova. The Army rejected him because he was blind in one eye and the good eye was not so great.
Eagles center Ray Graves was deaf in one ear and tailback John Butler had poor eyesight and a bad knee. When the season started there were 25 Steagles.
You might think the NFL could open up team rosters to black players, but the whole league was whites only and stayed that way.
There were some Steagles who were fit and really good.
The leading receiver for the mixed team was Steeler Tony Bova. The Army rejected him because he was blind in one eye and the good eye was not so great.
Eagles center Ray Graves was deaf in one ear and tailback John Butler had poor eyesight and a bad knee. When the season started there were 25 Steagles.
You might think the NFL could open up team rosters to black players, but the whole league was whites only and stayed that way.
There were some Steagles who were fit and really good.
Port Richmond’s Bucko Kilroy would play for the Eagles for many years and became an All-Pro guard. Quarterback Allie Sherman would have an outstanding football career as a player, head coach, executive and sports commentator.
While the players got used to working as a team, having two head coaches was always a problem. The Eagles’ Alfred “Greasy” Neale and the Steeler’s Walt Kieserling hardly spoke to each other.
Attendance at home games was good. For the final game against Green Bay, 35,000 fans watched the Steagles lose a close contest. The season ended for the Steagles at 5-4-1.
The next season, 1944, the draft laws eased up and the Eagles had a enough manpower to bid adieu to Pittsburgh. The poor Steelers had to merge with the Chicago Cardinals in ’44. The Card-Pitts lost every game and got the nickname The Carpets.
Apparently, there is enough interest in a team that played one season 74 years ago, that you can go on-line and purchase a full-line of Steagles’ gear.
Baseball had the same shortage of players. The Phillies had some teenage players, too young for the draft.
While the players got used to working as a team, having two head coaches was always a problem. The Eagles’ Alfred “Greasy” Neale and the Steeler’s Walt Kieserling hardly spoke to each other.
Attendance at home games was good. For the final game against Green Bay, 35,000 fans watched the Steagles lose a close contest. The season ended for the Steagles at 5-4-1.
The next season, 1944, the draft laws eased up and the Eagles had a enough manpower to bid adieu to Pittsburgh. The poor Steelers had to merge with the Chicago Cardinals in ’44. The Card-Pitts lost every game and got the nickname The Carpets.
Apparently, there is enough interest in a team that played one season 74 years ago, that you can go on-line and purchase a full-line of Steagles’ gear.
Baseball had the same shortage of players. The Phillies had some teenage players, too young for the draft.