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In the City of Brotherly Love, no team tugs at the hearts and weighs on the minds of fans more than the Philadelphia Eagles. But, much more than a local obsession, the Eagles are also one of football's most storied franchises. Amply illustrated with 200 photos of the players, coaches, fans, and the stadiums in which the team has played, The Eagles Encyclopedia recounts the greatest moments in the team's history, and brings to life the men who helped create modern football. Fans will read about:

* Bert Bell's 1933 purchase of the Frankford Yellow Jackets, the city's first NFL franchise

* The Philadelphia-Pittsburgh "Steagles"during WWII, which produced the team's first winning season

* The 1960 NFL title victory over the Packers and the 1980 Super Bowl game

* The sterling careers of Hall of Famers like Chuck Bednarik and Steve van Buren

* The Duffel Bag Dynasty of 1947-1949, when the Eagles went to three consecutive NFL championships, including back-to-back championships

* The thrilling 21st century, which has so far seen four consecutive NFC championship games and a second Super Bowl bid! But wait, there's more! The Eagles Encyclopedia also includes:

* A year by year history of the team—from 1933 to the present, with stats from each season

* Individual profiles of more than 100 Eagles players—from Swede Hanson to Donovan McNabb

* A statistical chapter that provides all the Eagles records—a complete roster, and every draft pick Written by Pro Football Hall of Fame writer Ray Didinger and local sports historian Robert S. Lyons, The Eagles Encyclopedia is the first comprehensive chronicle of the team's history and an indispensable guide for every Eagles fan. This book is not sanctioned by the NFL or its teams....

Ray Didinger is one of the best sportswriters Philadelphia has ever read. A sports journalist, first for the Bulletin and then for the Daily News, he never missed a deadline in over 25 years. But as he admits, there have been close calls, much to his editors' chagrin. He was widely known as "The World's Slowest Sportswriter."

Of the thousands of articles, columns, and profiles he has penned over the years, Didinger has selected his finest work to be included in this book. One Last Read contains entire chapters for each of the professional Philadelphia teams-the Phillies, the Flyers, the Sixers and of course, The Eagles. But that is only half of the story. Included here is his coverage of college sport and the Olympics as well as the full text of the speech he delivered in Canton, Ohio when he presented his boyhood idol, Tommy McDonald, for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame....