Eagles: "The duffel-bag dynasty"

Here was an interesting nickname that I was unaware of until today. I'm sure most of us remember the gang green defense of 1991. But who can recall "The duffel-bag dynasty" nickname? One of the more amazing facts is that we are the ONLY team in NFL history to post back to back championship SHUT OUTS. Check out these facts:

1948 and 1949

NFL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS

Honor Roll Inductee: 1999

No NFL team before or since ever posted consecutive shutouts in championship play. No NFL team can claim to be more dominant over a two-year period. The Eagles won back-to-back NFL Championships in 1948 and 1949, first shutting out the Chicago Cardinals, 7-0, and then blanking the Los Angeles Rams, 14-0. The foundation of this team began in 1947, when the Eagles lost to the Cardinals, 28-21, in the championship game. Under legendary head coach Greasy Neale, Philadelphia finished the 1948 regular season with a 9-2-1 record and took on the Cardinals in the championship game with a foot of snow covering Shibe Park. Superstar running back Steve Van Buren scored the game's only touchdown on a 5-yard TD run, while the defense limited the Cards to just 6 total first downs. The Eagles continued their dominance in 1949 with an 11-1 record in the regular season and a victory over the Rams in the championship game on a rain-soaked Los Angeles Coliseum field. Van Buren again led the Eagles' offensive charge as he rumbled for 196 yards on 31 carries. In those two seasons, the Eagles outscored their opposition 761-290. They were lovingly called "the duffel-bag dynasty." Many players were young men who had served their country in World War II and returned home trying again to settle into a regular life. Said Hall of Fame LB Chuck Bednarik, a rookie on the 1949 team, "I think we belong with the best teams ever. Look at what we accomplished."