The Philly Fifty, #30: Steve Van Buren, Eagles

For the complete list and explanation of criteria and scoring, check out the Philly Fifty page Longevity – 3 Played 8 seasons, his entire career, with the Eagles. Was drafted in 1944 out of LSU with the 5th overall pick and played until he was 31. Peak – 4 A top-5 player at any position for much of his career. Led the league in rushing yards and total touchdowns in the same year twice. Popularity – 2 You don’t run into a ton of Van Buren jerseys on game day. Team Success – 4 The Eagles won 2 NFL titles with Van Buren and went 58-30-3 during his tenure. They only went 3-1 in the playoffs due to the format at the time. Awards – 4 He was first-team all-pro in 5 of his 8 seasons and was selected to one 1st team NFL team in 6 seasons. Only Reggie White was selected to more first-team all-pro’s as an Eagle. Stats – 4 The only thing holding Van Buren back from holding a ton of Eagles records is the 12 game schedule and his shortened career. H...