Philadelphia Eagles Logo History & Its Evolution Today

2.5- Simplification of the Eagles Brand Logo 1969 – 1972

Most of the focus was kept on the contours when the franchise decided to redesign the logo in 1969. Despite the similar color combinations, the image started to look different from other versions of the Eagles logo.

2.6- Opting for a Helmet as the Philadelphia Eagles Logo 1973 – 1986

The emblem launched in 1973 was nothing like the franchise’s previous NFL logos. The Philadelphia Eagles logo was revamped from scratch.

The franchise opted for an image of a bold and green helmet. The details include a delicate gray wing on the side, which was outlined in white.

2.7- The Return of the Eagle in Philadelphia Eagles Logo 1987 – 1995

In the modification of 1987, orange and brown colors were used for the bird and football beak. Apart from the new addition to the color palette, the eagle’s direction was also changed and kept to the left side.

2.8- The Current Philadelphia Eagles Logo 1996 – Present

Philadelphia Eagles logo received a new style and color palette in 1996 to develop the Philadelphia Eagles official logo. The franchise still uses the sleek and modern design, just like the Chicago Bears logo.

The new design of the Philadelphia Eagles logo features the eagle’s head facing the left side. The gradient white and gray, thick double outline in black and blue colors complete the bird’s head. The sharp and bold lines also make the bird look determined.

3. Elements that Add Value to the Philadelphia Eagles Logo Image

When we talk about visual art like logos and other branding designs, the elements of the logo help determine the success of the design. When we look at the logo for the Eagles, we see that over the years, the elements portrayed in the design change with the evolving design aesthetics.

Let’s take a look some of the essential elements of the Eagles logo.

3.1- Philadelphia Eagles Logo Font

The Philadelphia Eagles font styles incorporate a unique design with sharp ends in the letter “E” and “S,” which resemble the eagle’s claws. All letters in the typeface are kept uppercase. Recently, the company decided to update its wordmark for a more modern look. However, this new design faced a lot of backlash from the fans, with the people not liking the style of the new logo fonts.

3.2- Philadelphia Eagles Logo Colors

The Philadelphia Eagles color schemes include silver, white, green (Kelley green previously and a darker midnight green shade now) for several decades. Using elements of color theory, they have also used black as part of their color scheme, as a complementary color as well as a way to make the other shades pop. And in recent years, there has been talk about bringing the team’s primary shade of green, that is the Kelley Green, back into rotation with the other colors of their palette.

4. History of Philadelphia Eagles Franchise

Now that we have seen how the Philadelphia Eagles logo design has evolved through the decades, let’s dive in and take a look at the history of the franchise and the team as well. With nearly a century of gameplay under its belt, the Philadelphia Eagles have seen championship success only four times, despite making the playoffs a number of times.

Let’s find out if its just bad luck or something more that has kept the franchise from becoming one of the most successful in the League.

4.1- Wray & Bell Buy a Bankrupt Franchise and Turn it Into the Philly Eagles (1931 – 1932)

With the Frankford Yellow Jackets declaring bankruptcy midway through the 1931 NFL season, the League decided to award the franchise to partners Wray and Bell. Looking to rebrand the team and move them to Philadelphia, the duo took inspiration from the symbol for FDR’s NRA, and named their team the Eagles.

However, despite their takeover, it wasn’t until the 1933 season that the franchise was able to field a team for the NFL. That is because it took the NFL nearly a year to find buyers for the bankrupt team, and it took the duo nearly the same amount of time to get up to speed and develop a team.

4.2- The Philadelphia Play Their First Season in the NFL (1933 – 1948)

In 1933, the Philadelphia Eagles, the now-defunct Cincinnati Reds, and Pittsburgh Steelers joined the NFL as new expansion teams. This meant that in the eyes of the league, the Eagles were not related to the Yellow Jackets in any manner, and were in fact a separate, new team.

With Wray as the team’s coach, the first few years of the team were not very successful. After the financial losses incurred in the first few years, the team was put up for auction in 1936. With Bart Bell being the only bidder, he was awarded the franchise. However, a salary dispute with Wray meant that he was let go, and Bell took charge as the new owner-coach for the Eagles.

In 1940, the Eagles moved to Shibe Park as their home stadium after Alexis Thompson took over the Eagles in exchange for giving Bell and Art Rooney control of his Pittsburgh Steelers. Hiring “Greasy” Neal as the team’s head coach, the team continued its string of mediocre play until the 1943.

With the US heavily involved in World War 2, there was a severe manpower shortage for all major sports, including MLB, NHL, and the NFL. Therefore, in order to field a team to play the 1943 season, Eagles and the Steelers, both Pennsylvanian teams, decided to merge squads. This new team was called the “Steagles” by fans, and it was the first time that the team had a remotely positive score, with the season yielding a 5-4-1 record.

However, it was post WW2 that the team managed a winning season, with the 1945-46 seasons seeing the Eagles come in second. And it was 1947 that the team reached the championship game for the first time, losing a valiant fight to the Chicago Cardinals with 28-21 loss. Determined, the team made it to the championship final again the next year, beating the Cardinals 7-0 to win their first NFL championship.

4.3- The Happy Hundred (1949 – 1963)

Just after the team won their first championship, the franchise was sold to a syndicate of hundred investors for $3000 apiece, with noted Philadelphia businessperson James P. Clark at the helm. However, there was another big investor among the hundred, Leonard Tose, who would be involved with the team a lot more closely a few years down the road.

The syndicate, known as the “Happy Hundred” retained Greasy Neal as coach, which saw the team reach the NFL championship final once again in 1949, and win it, as back-to-back champions.

4.4- The Decline of the Two-Time NFL Championship Team Under Wolman (1964 – 1968)

With Greasy Neal retiring in 1950, the team lost much of the magic that had made them great for the better part of the previous decade. And although much of the championship winning team managed to retain their performance, along with the talented newcomers, the team lacked that winning spirit.

It wasn’t until 1958, a year after the team moved to Penn’s Franklin Field, that the franchise took steps to improve its form. Hiring Buck Shaw as head coach, and a talented Rams quarterback at the helm of the team, the team started regaining their championship-winning form. And it was just two years later that the Philadelphia Eagles won their third NFL Championship in 1960, handing Vince Lombardi his first and only championship game loss as the Packers coach.

And that was one of the greatest NFL championships in the history of the team. With it being the year before star quarterback Van Brocklin, legendary tackler Bednarik, and Coach Shaw were to retire, all eyes were on the team to see what they would accomplish. It is said that this team had more determination than talent at that time. And that was the season where Bednarik executed “The Hit”, one of the hardest tackles in NFL history.

The next few years were bad, both for the team and the franchise as a whole. In 1964, the franchise was sold to Jerry Wolman, a Washington-based millionaire who outbid local investors to pay $5.5 million for the Eagles. However, he 60s were a terrible time for the team, with 1966 being the only season that the team managed a decent score.

4.5- Leonard Tose and the Era of Moving Forward (1969 – 1984)

With the team in crisis, Wolman sold the team to Leonard Tose, one of the original investors among the “Happy Hundred”, for an unprecedented record sum of $16 million. Changing the old guard at the top of the team, by replacing the coach and the general manager, Tose tried to steer the team back towards a winning streak.

However, despite adding new talent into the defensive side under GM Jim Murray’s guidance, as well as a revitalized offensive side, the team was barely a shadow of its former glory midway through the 70s. And it wasn’t until 1977 that the team started to see a glimmer of hope for a winning season.

1978 saw the Eagles making their way into the playoffs, and it was in 1980 that the team dominated the season. However, due to some major upsets for the Super Bowl XV, the team lost to the underdogs Oakland Raiders, despite a stronger team.

While the 1981 season showed great promise, the three years after that saw the team failing to make the playoffs. And with the team as well as its owner mired in problems, it was time for a change.

4.6- Norman Braman and the Stagnation of the Philadelphia Eagles (1985 – 1993)

In 1985, Tose sold the team to Norman Braman, in order to pay off his gambling debts. With Coach Buddy Ryan of Chicago Bears fame at the helm, the team was revitalized and became known for their toughness, both physical and mental.

However, despite visible improvements, the team failed to regain its championship winning form. With the team being widely considered one of the most talented squads in the NFL, the championship drought was frustrating for the fans and the Eagles alike. And despite playoff appearances in that time, Buddy Ryan was fired as the coach in 1991.

With new coach Rich Kotite leading the team, the Eagles tried to change their luck. However, a string of bad luck saw the team fail to make the playoffs, prompting the people to demand that something drastic needed to be done.

4.7- Jeffrey Lurie and the New Dawn for the Philadelphia Eagles (1994 – Present)

Based on the team’s performance, Braman decided that he needed to sell the franchise. And it was in 1994 that Norman Braman sold the franchise to Jeff Lurie for a sum of $185 million, who owns the team today.

Under his leadership, the franchise has grown and become more valuable, with Forbes valuing the team at $3.4 billion as of 2021. It is under his ownership that the team won their first Super Bowl, winning the championship in 2018, with backup QB Nick Foles leading the charge against Tom Brady’s Patriots. The championship decider was a game that broke many records, including the most combined yardage gained in a match.

5. What is the Current Philadelphia Eagles logo? Understanding its Design

The current logo design is a combination of a cartoon eagle featuring realistic strokes. It looks inspirational and rousing, just like the modern LA Rams logo. Over the years, the team has used many different Philadelphia Eagles logo design ideas incorporated within its design. However, the style of logo used today is designed for better visibility, as well as a League-wise focus on an animated logo design.

The eagle also symbolizes the spirit and ingenuity of the football team. The overall design of the logo is appealing with colors and logo symbols that match the team’s tenacity and rich history. The color palette is high contrast and easy on the eyes, with the white and blue of the design representing the team’s confidence and integrity.

6. Interesting Facts about Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles has a rich history in the NFL, with nearly nine decades as a part of the League. In that time, there are a number of firsts that are attributed to the team and the people associated with it. Let’s take a look at some interesting Philadelphia Eagles factoids.

6.1- Defeated Vince Lombardi at a Championship Game

One of the biggest things that the Eagles are known for is defeating Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers at the 1960 Championship game. That was truly remarkable, seeing as that was Lombardi’s one and only championship game loss in his entire NFL career.

6.2- Introduction of the NFL Draft

Organizing and conducting an annual NFL draft was Eagle owner Bell’s idea to ingrain a level of fairness in the NFL’s talent recruitment system. The team with the lowest score the previous year got first pick for the draft for the next season.

6.3- Eagles Played in the First-Ever Televised NFL Game

The was also one of the first teams to play an NFL game that was televised. In 1939, the Eagles lost to the Brooklyn Football Dodgers. NBC’s eight-men crew filmed the match. The game was telecasted on New York City’s affiliated networks. Around 500 New Yorkers watched the game aired for two hours and 33 minutes without any commercial interruptions.

6.4- Van Buren’s Multiple Thousand-yard Seasons

Philly icon Steve Van Buren ran for 1008 and 1146 yards in 1947 and 1949, respectively. He was the only Football Hall of Famer who belonged to Honduras. And along with Bednarik, was one of the key players in winning the 1948 and 1949 NFL championships.

6.5- President John F. Kennedy and His Brothers Once Wanted to Buy the Franchise

Did you know President John F. Kennedy and his brothers thought about purchasing the franchise?

As former senator Ted Kennedy said, “My brother Jack called me and said, ‘Are you in for a third if we can get [the Eagles] for $6 million? I’ve talked to Bobby, and he says he’ll go for it.’ I said, ‘Okay, I’ll go for a third.’”

The deal was not materialized as they ultimately came to conclusion that owning the franchise may not go well with JFK’s responsibilities as the US president.

6.6- Fifty Four Thousand Fans Watched the Game Despite a Blizzard

In 1968, 54,535 fans reached Philly’s Franklin Field despite the blizzard to watch the game. To boost the hype, the owners booked a Santa Claus impersonator to entertain the audience at halftime.

However, the hired impersonator never arrived. One of the attendees, Frank Olivo, wore a homemade Santa suit and performed in their stead. The angered fans hurled snowballs at him, which Olivo reportedly enjoyed.

6.7- When Fans Were Denied Celebrating Philly’s Win How They Wanted

Philadelphia city workers greased streetlight poles in 2017 after the team defeated Atlanta in the divisional round. The reason for greasing the streetlight poles was to prevent over-excited fans from celebrating on them.

6.8- Original Eagles Anthem Lyrics

You might recite the current Eagles anthem, “Fly, Eagles Fly.” But you might not know that the lyrics of the anthem have been changed over the years. The original anthem was “Fight, Eagles Fight,” written by Charles Borreli and Roger Courland in the 1950s.