Philadelphia Eagles: 30 greatest players in franchise history

While Eric Allen‘s Pro Football Hall of Fame case is to some degree compelling, how is outside linebacker Maxie Baughan not in Canton already? He is one of the greatest players in the history of the Ramblin’ Wreck of Georgia Tech. As a pro, he made nine Pro Bowls, getting his stellar NFL career of the ground in Philadelphia.

The Eagles got an immediate impact from their No. 20 overall selection in the 1960 NFL Draft. Baughan would carve out a starting role at outside linebacker on the 1960 NFL championship team in Philadelphia. He played his first six NFL seasons with the Eagles, making five trips to the Pro Bowl and an All-Pro first team nod in 1964.

But Baughan wanted out of Philadelphia after the 1965 season once the team started to decline. He would be traded to George Allen‘s Los Angeles Rams before the 1966 NFL campaign. Baughan rattled off four-straight Pro Bowl seasons in his five years with the Rams, making his second All-Pro team in 1969. He retired after the 1970 season with the Rams and returned to his alma mater to coach on the defensive side of the ball in Atlanta.

Then in 1974, Baughan would briefly serve as a player/coach for the Washington Redskins before retiring for good. His coaching career would last over two decades, including a six-year stint as the main man for the Cornell Big Red in the Ivy League. Baughan last coached the linebackers for the expansion Baltimore Ravens from 1996 to 1998. He is a member of the Eagles Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. Why isn’t nine Pro Bowls good enough to have Baughan in Canton already?