1968 Philadelphia Eagles season

1968 Philadelphia Eagles season
1968 Philadelphia Eagles season
Owner	Jerry Wolman
Head coach	Joe Kuharich
Home field	Franklin Field
Results
Record	2–12
Division place	4th NFL Capitol
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
	← 1967; Eagles seasons; 1969 →;

The 1968 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 36th season in the National Football League (NFL). They failed to improve on their previous output of 6–7–1, winning only two games. Eagles fans expected to get O. J. Simpson if they went winless. They finished 2–12, but the Buffalo Bills went 1–12–1 and got Simpson with the first pick.^[1] Before they won their twelfth game, which they won, the Eagles were on target for a winless season at 0–11. They were the first team in the NFL proper to lose eleven consecutive games in one season since their own 1936 season, though in the AFL the 1962 Oakland Raiders lost their first thirteen games.

The Philadelphia Eagles Santa Claus incident, one of the most infamous incidents in Philadelphia sports history, came at halftime of the final game of the dismal 1968 season, when the Eagles were on their way to losing to the Minnesota Vikings. The Eagles had planned a Christmas pageant for halftime of the December 15 game, but the condition of the field was too poor. Instead, the team asked a fan dressed as Santa Claus to run onto the field to celebrate with a group of cheerleaders. The fans, in no mood to celebrate, loudly booed and threw snowballs at "Santa Claus."^[2]

Offseason

1968 NFL/AFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	School
1	14	Tim Rossovich	DE	USC
2	39	Cyril Pinder	RB	Illinois
3	68	Adrian Young	LB	USC
4	95	Len McNeil	G	Fresno State
5	122	Mike Dirks	T	Wyoming
5	124	Mark Nordquist	T	Pacific
6	150	Thurman Randle	T	Texas – El Paso
6	157	Dave Martin	DB	Notre Dame
7	178	Joe Przybycki	G	Michigan State
8	204	Al Lavan	DB	Colorado State
9	232	Mike Evans	C	Boston College
10	258	John Mallory	DB	West Virginia
11	286	Len Persin	DB	Boston College
12	312	Thurston Taylor	TE	Florida State
13	340	George Barron	T	Mississippi State
14	366	Dan Williamson	LB	West Virginia
15	394	Joe Graham	G	Tennessee
16	420	Phil Creel	T	Northwestern State (LA)
17	448	Joe Forzani	LB	Utah State
17	459	Frank Antonini	RB	Parsons

Roster

**1968 Philadelphia Eagles roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 7 John Huarte 16 Norm Snead Running backs (RB) 19 Dan Berry 25 Larry Conjar 23 Harry Jones 29 Izzy Lang 22 Cyril Pinder 37 Tom Woodeshick Wide receivers (WR) 81 Ron Goodwin 18 Ben Hawkins 13 Chuck Hughes 86 Fred Hill Tight ends (TE) 85 Gary Ballman 89 Mike Ditka		Offensive linemen (OL) 76 Bob Brown T 54 Gene Ceppetelli C 59 Mike Evans C 71 Dick Hart G 79 Lane Howell T 68 Mark Nordquist G 50 Dave Recher C 70 Jim Skaggs G Defensive linemen (DL) 80 Randy Beisler DT 73 Don Hultz DT 72 Floyd Peters DT 88 Gary Pettigrew DE 82 Tim Rossovich DE 58 Mel Tom DE 64 Dean Wink DE		Linebackers (LB) 55 Fred Brown 49 Wayne Colman 52 Dave Lloyd 45 Ron Medved 53 Harold Wells 61 Arunas Vasys 35 Adrian Young Defensive backs (DB) 30 Alvin Haymond CB 47 John Mallory SS 26 Al Nelson CB 9 Jim Nettles CB 24 Nate Ramsey S 21 Joe Scarpati FS Special teams 38 Sam Baker K/P				Reserve 51 Ike Kelley LB (IR) Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 15	at Green Bay Packers	L 13–30	0–1	Lambeau Field	50,861
2	September 22	New York Giants	L 25–34	0–2	Franklin Field	60,858
3	September 29	Dallas Cowboys	L 13–45	0–3	Franklin Field	60,858
4	October 6	at Washington Redskins	L 14–17	0–4	D.C. Stadium	50,816
5	October 13	at Dallas Cowboys	L 14–34	0–5	Cotton Bowl	72,083
6	October 20	Chicago Bears	L 16–29	0–6	Franklin Field	60,858
7	October 27	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 3–6	0–7	Pitt Stadium	26,908
8	November 3	St. Louis Cardinals	L 17–45	0–8	Franklin Field	59,208
9	November 10	Washington Redskins	L 10–16	0–9	Franklin Field	59,133
10	November 17	at New York Giants	L 6–7	0–10	Yankee Stadium	62,896
11	November 24	at Cleveland Browns	L 13–47	0–11	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	62,338
12	November 28	at Detroit Lions	W 12–0	1–11	Tiger Stadium	47,909
13	December 8	New Orleans Saints	W 29–17	2–11	Franklin Field	57,128
14	December 15	Minnesota Vikings	L 17–24	2–12	Franklin Field	54,530
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game recaps

A recap of the scoring plays and the game scores by quarters during the year. The record after the team's name reflects this games outcome also.^[3]

Week 1 at Packers

Week One: Philadelphia Eagles (0–0) at Green Bay Packers (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	3	3	0	7	13
Packers	7	14	6	3	30

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Date: September 15
Game attendance: 67 °F (19 °C)
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

PHI – Sam Baker 27-yard field goal. Eagles 3–0. Drive:
GB – Jim Grabowski 6-yard run (Jerry Kramer kick). Packers 7–3. Drive:

Second quarter

GB – Carroll Dale 12-yard pass from Bart Starr (Jerry Kramer kick). Packers 14–3. Drive:
PHI – Sam Baker 17-yard field goal. Packers 14–6. Drive:
GB – Boyd Dowler 55-yard pass from Bart Starr (Jerry Kramer kick). Packers 21–6. Drive:

Third quarter

GB – Jerry Kramer 17-yard field goal. Packers 24–6. Drive:
GB – Jerry Kramer 22-yard field goal. Packers 27–6. Drive:

Fourth quarter

PHI – Gary Ballman 2-yard pass from King Hill (Sam Baker kick). Packers 27–13. Drive:
GB – Jerry Kramer 35-yard field goal. Packers 30–13. Drive:

Top passers

PHI – King Hill – 16/35, 196 yards, TD, INT
GB – Bart Starr – 14/18, 220 yards, TD, INT

Top rushers

PHI – Tom Woodeshick – 11 rushes, 48 yards
GB – Donny Anderson – 12 rushes, 92 yards

Top receivers

PHI – Ben Hawkins – 4 receptions, 85 yards
GB – Boyd Dowler – 5 receptions, 110 yards, TD

Week 2

Sunday, September 22, 1968

Played in Franklin Field on grass in 70 °F (21.1 °C) weather with a 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn) wind

	1	2	3	4	Total
New York Giants (2–0–0)	7	10	10	7	34
Philadelphia Eagles (0–2–0)	12	0	7	6	25

		Scoring Plays
1st	Giants	Randy Minniear 2-yard rush (Pete Gogolak kick)
	Eagles	Alvin Haymond 98-yard kickoff return (kick failed)
	Eagles	Izzy Lang 23-yard pass from John Huarte (kick failed)
2nd	Giants	Spider Lockhart 72-yard interception return (Pete Gogolak kick)
	Giants	Pete Gogolak 20-yard field goal
3rd	Eagles	Tom Woodeshick 54-yard rush (Sam Baker kick)
	Giants	Pete Gogolak 30-yard field goal
	Giants	Joe Morrison 12-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Pete Gogolak kick)
4th	Giants	Bobby Duhon 1-yard rush (Pete Gogolak kick)
	Eagles	Ben Hawkins 92-yard pass from King Hill (kick failed)

Week 3

Sunday, September 29, 1968.

Played in Franklin Field on grass in 61 °F (16.1 °C) weather with a 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn) wind

	1	2	3	4	Total
Dallas Cowboys (3–0–0)	7	7	14	17	45
Philadelphia Eagles (0–3–0)	3	10	0	0	13

Scoring

1st Quarter Scoring Plays

Eagles – Sam Baker 23-yard field goal
Cowboys – Dan Reeves 2-yard pass from Don Meredith (Mike Clark kick)

2nd Quarter Scoring Plays

Cowboys – Lance Rentzel 11-yard pass from Don Meredith (Mike Clark kick)
Eagles – Gary Ballman 18-yard pass from King Hill (Sam Baker kick)
Eagles – Sam Baker 13-yard field goal

3rd Quarter Scoring Plays

Cowboys – Bob Hayes 44-yard pass from Don Meredith (Mike Clark kick)
Cowboys – Don Perkins 10-yard pass from Don Meredith (Mike Clark kick)

4th Quarter Scoring Plays

Cowboys – Mike Clark 26-yard field goal
Cowboys – Lance Rentzel 8-yard pass from Don Meredith (Mike Clark kick)
Cowboys – Craig Morton 4-yard rush (Mike Clark kick)

Week 4

Sunday, October 6, 1968

Played at District of Columbia Stadium on grass in 46 °F (7.8 °C) weather with a 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn) wind

	1	2	3	4	Total
Philadelphia Eagles (0–4–0)	0	0	0	14	14
Washington Redskins (2–2–0)	0	10	7	0	17

Week 5

Sunday, October 13, 1968

Played at the Cotton Bowl on grass in 77 °F (25 °C) weather with a 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn) wind.

	1	2	3	4	Total
Philadelphia Eagles (0–5–0)	0	0	7	7	14
Dallas Cowboys (5–0–0)	7	7	7	13	34

Scoring 1st Quarter Scoring Plays

Cowboys – Pettis Norman 9-yard pass from Don Meredith (Mike Clark kick)

2nd Quarter Scoring Plays

Cowboys – Rayfield Wright 15-yard pass from Don Meredith (Mike Clark kick)

3rd Quarter Scoring Plays

Eagles – John Mallory 58-yard pass from Sam Baker (Sam Baker kick)
Cowboys – Don Perkins 1-yard rush (Mike Clark kick)

4th Quarter Scoring Plays

Cowboys – Mike Clark 26-yard field goal
Cowboys – Mike Clark 21-yard field goal
Cowboys – Craig Baynham 22-yard rush (Mike Clark kick)
Eagles – Mike Ditka 4-yard pass from Norm Snead (Sam Baker kick)

Week 6

Sunday, October 20, 1968

Played at Franklin Field on grass in 62 °F (16.7 °C) weather with a 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn) wind

	1	2	3	4	Total
Chicago Bears (2–4–0)	7	6	3	13	29
Philadelphia Eagles (0–6–0)	3	10	3	0	16

Week 7

Sunday, October 27, 1968

Played at Pitt Stadium on grass in 45 °F (7.2 °C) weather with a 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn) wind

	1	2	3	4	Total
Philadelphia Eagles (0–7–0)	0	3	0	0	3
Pittsburgh Steelers (1–6–0)	0	0	0	6	6

		Scoring Plays
2nd	Eagles	Sam Baker 38-yard field goal
4th	Steelers	Booth Lusteg 34-yard field goal
	Steelers	Booth Lusteg 15-yard field goal

Week 8

Sunday, November 3, 1968

Played at Franklin Field on grass in 55 °F (12.8 °C) weather with a 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn) wind

	1	2	3	4	Total
St. Louis Cardinals (5–3–0)	7	7	14	17	45
Philadelphia Eagles (0–8–0)	0	10	7	0	17

		Scoring Plays
1st	Cardinals	Jim Hart 1-yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)
2nd	Eagles	Fred Hill 31-yard pass from Norm Snead (Sam Baker kick)
	Cardinals	Willis Crenshaw 14-yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)
	Eagles	Sam Baker 12-yard field goal
3rd	Eagles	Tom Woodeshick 12-yard rush (Sam Baker kick)
	Cardinals	Jim Hart 1-yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)
	Cardinals	Roy Shivers 40-yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick)
4th	Cardinals	Roy Shivers 1-yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)
	Cardinals	Jim Bakken 47-yard field goal
	Cardinals	Roy Shivers 4-yard rush (Jim Bakken kick)

Week 9

Sunday, November 10, 1968

Played at Franklin Field on grass in 40 °F (4.4 °C) weather with a 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn) wind

	1	2	3	4	Total
Washington Redskins (4–5–0)	3	6	7	0	16
Philadelphia Eagles (0–9–0)	0	3	0	7	10

		SCORING PLAYS
1st	Redskins	Charlie Gogolak 15-yard field goal
2nd	Redskins	Charlie Gogolak 25-yard field goal
	Eagles	Sam Baker 37-yard field goal
	Redskins	Charlie Gogolak 9-yard field goal
3rd	Redskins	Gerry Allen 1-yard rush (Charlie Gogolak kick)
4th	Eagles	Ben Hawkins 6-yard pass from Norm Snead (Sam Baker kick)

Week 10

Sunday, November 17, 1968

Played at Yankee Stadium on grass in 40 °F (4.4 °C) weather with a 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn) wind

	1	2	3	4	Total
Philadelphia Eagles (0–10–0)	3	3	0	0	6
New York Giants (7–3–0)	0	7	0	0	7

		SCORING PLAYS
1st	Eagles	Sam Baker 19-yard field goal
2nd	Giants	Bobby Duhon 33-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Pete Gogolak kick)
	Eagles	Sam Baker 19-yard field goal

Week 11

Sunday, November 24, 1968.

Played in Cleveland Municipal Stadium on grass in 52 °F (11.1 °C) weather with a 13 miles per hour (21 km/h; 11 kn) wind

	1	2	3	4	Total
Philadelphia Eagles (0–11–0)	0	6	0	7	13
Cleveland Browns (8–3–0)	10	10	14	13	47

Week 12

Thursday, November 28, 1968 Thanksgiving Day

Played in Tiger Stadium on grass in 40 °F (4.4 °C) weather with a 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn) wind

Going into this week’s games the Eagles are 0–11, the Buffalo Bills are 1–9–1, the Falcons are 2–9 and the Steelers are 2–8–1.

	1	2	3	4	Total
Philadelphia Eagles (1–11–0)	3	3	3	3	12
Detroit Lions (3–7–2)	0	0	0	0	0

Scoring

1st Quarter Scoring Plays

Eagles – Sam Baker 36-yard field goal

2nd Quarter Scoring Plays

Eagles – Sam Baker 18-yard field goal

3rd Quarter Scoring Plays

Eagles – Sam Baker 32-yard field goal

4th Quarter Scoring Plays

Eagles – Sam Baker 35-yard field goal

Week 13

Sunday, December 8, 1968

Played at Franklin Field on grass in 31 °F (−0.6 °C) with a 16 miles per hour (26 km/h; 14 kn) wind and a wind chill of 19 °F or −7.2 °C.

	1	2	3	4	Total
New Orleans Saints (3–9–1)	7	7	3	0	17
Philadelphia Eagles (2–11–0)	0	13	2	14	29

Scoring

1st Quarter Scoring Plays

Saints Jimmy Hester 4-yard pass from Billy Kilmer (Charlie Durkee kick)

2nd Quarter Scoring Plays

Eagles Gary Ballman 55-yard pass from Norm Snead (Sam Baker kick)
Saints Billy Kilmer 2-yard rush (Charlie Durkee kick)
Eagles Ben Hawkins 14-yard pass from Norm Snead (kick failed)

3rd Quarter Scoring Plays

Saints Charlie Durkee 10-yard field goal
Eagles Safety, Conjar tackled Brown in end zone

4th Quarter Scoring Plays

Eagles Ben Hawkins 23-yard pass from Norm Snead (Sam Baker kick)
Eagles Tom Woodeshick 30-yard rush (Sam Baker kick)

Week 14

Sunday, December 15, 1968

Played at Franklin Field on grass in 28 °F (−2.2 °C) weather with a 20 miles per hour (32 km/h; 17 kn) wind and a wind chill of 15 °F or −9.4 °C. During halftime of this last home game of the season, a group of Eagles fans showed their discontent by booing, and then throwing snowballs at, a performer dressed as Santa Claus.^[4]^[5]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Minnesota Vikings (8–6–0)	0	7	7	10	24
Philadelphia Eagles (2–12–0)	0	7	3	7	17

		SCORING PLAYS
2nd	Eagles	Gary Ballman 5-yard pass from Norm Snead (Sam Baker kick)
	Vikings	Bill Brown 57-yard pass from Joe Kapp (Fred Cox kick)
3rd	Vikings	Gene Washington 30-yard pass from Joe Kapp (Fred Cox kick)
	Eagles	Sam Baker 25-yard field goal
4th	Vikings	Joe Kapp 2-yard rush (Fred Cox kick)
	Eagles	Fred Hill 12-yard pass from Norm Snead (Sam Baker kick)
	Vikings	Fred Cox 17-yard field goal

Standings

NFL Capitol
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Dallas Cowboys	12	2	0	.857	5–1	9–1	431	186	W5
New York Giants	7	7	0	.500	5–1	7–3	294	325	L4
Washington Redskins	5	9	0	.357	2–4	3–7	249	358	W1
Philadelphia Eagles	2	12	0	.143	0–6	1–9	202	351	L1

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References

^ "1968 Philadelphia Eagles Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
^ Mihoces, Gary (November 27, 2003). "Santa snowball incident shrouded in myth". USA Today. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
^ "Pro Football Statistics and History".
^ Merrill, Elizabeth (December 21, 2011). "Philly booed Santa, but Santa still smiles". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
^ "For Eagles Fans: The Truth About The 'Boo'". Gloucester City News. Gloucester City, New Jersey. December 31, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2022.

[1] "1968 Philadelphia Eagles Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

[2] Mihoces, Gary (November 27, 2003). "Santa snowball incident shrouded in myth". USA Today. Retrieved October 5, 2009.

[3] "Pro Football Statistics and History".

[4] Merrill, Elizabeth (December 21, 2011). "Philly booed Santa, but Santa still smiles". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 9, 2022.

[5] "For Eagles Fans: The Truth About The 'Boo'". Gloucester City News. Gloucester City, New Jersey. December 31, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2022.

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v t e Philadelphia Eagles
Founded in 1933 Based and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Franchise	Franchise History Seasons Coaches Quarterbacks All-time roster (A–Ke, Kh–Z) Draft
Stadiums	Baker Bowl Philadelphia Municipal Stadium Connie Mack Stadium Franklin Field Veterans Stadium Lincoln Financial Field
Culture	"Fly, Eagles Fly" Swoop Curse of Billy Penn Invincible Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame Matt Guokas Sr. Dan Baker Cheerleaders Dom DiSandro Silver Linings Playbook The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon Pattison station South Philadelphia Sports Complex Boy Meets World It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia "No one likes us, we don't care" A Philly Special Christmas A Philly Special Christmas Special
Lore	Frankford Yellow Jackets Pennsylvania Keystoners "Pennsylvania Polka" Steagles "Happy Hundred" Chuck Bednarik's hit on Frank Gifford Santa Claus incident Miracle at the Meadowlands 46 defense Fog Bowl Bounty Bowl series Body Bag Game Pickle Juice Game 4th and 26 Miracle at the New Meadowlands Philly Special Double Doink
Rivalries	Atlanta Falcons Dallas Cowboys New York Giants Pittsburgh Steelers Washington Commanders
Division championships (15)	1947 1948 1949 1980 1988 2001 2002 2003 2004 2006 2010 2013 2017 2019 2022
Conference championships (5)	1960 1980 2004 2017 2022
League championships (4)	1948 1949 1960 2017 (LII)
Retired numbers	5 15 20 40 44 60 70 92 99
Media	Broadcasters WIP-FM Merrill Reese Mike Quick Howard Eskin
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: East Division