Their new franchise played its first game in 1933-the same year that saw Franklin Roosevelt create the National Recovery Administration. This New Deal agency enforced industry codes that were designed to set minimum wages, promote union membership, and encourage fair competition. The NRA’s emblem was a blue eagle carrying a gear and three bolts of lightning. Taking a cue from this symbol, Wray and Bell decided to name their team “The Philadelphia Eagles.” 2. THE NFL DRAFT WAS THEIR CO-FOUNDER’S IDEA.
In 1935, Bell-a future NFL commissioner-came up with the idea for a draft, the NFL's main talent-recruitment system, and proposed it at a league meeting. As a result, the most in-demand stars almost always joined the richest, most successful franchises.īefore the draft, it had been standard practice for teams to negotiate with college players directly. Bell convinced his fellow owners to implement a draft, whereby the NFL teams would take turns selecting athletes from a pool of eligible players.
For fairness’ sake, it was decided that, in each draft, the worst team of the preceding NFL season would get to choose first. PHILLY PLAYED IN THE FIRST TELEVISED NFL GAME. On October 22, 1939, the Eagles lost to the Brooklyn Football Dodgers (a club which no longer exists) by a final score of 23-14.
