Philadelphia Eagles: 30 greatest players in franchise history

The Eagles do have a proud history at the receiver position, now don’t they? One guy that absolutely cracks the top-20 all-time in Eagles lore is wide receiver Harold Carmichael. He played his first 13 of 14 professional seasons with The Birds after being a three-sport athlete collegiately for the Southern Jaguars.

Philadelphia used a seventh-round draft pick back in 1971 to take the wide receiver, basketball center and discus thrower. Initially used as a tight end as a rookie in 1971, Carmichael would effectively transition to wide receiver in 1972. By year three in the league, Carmichael had his breakout season. He made his first trip to the Pro Bowl where he led the league in both catches (67) and receiving yards (1,116) for nine touchdowns.

Though never a first-team All-Pro, Carmichael was good enough to make the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1970s. He made four Pro Bowls while in Philadelphia, including three in a row from 1978 to 1980. Carmichael was instrumental in the Eagles winning their first NFC Championship and reaching the Super Bowl for the first time in 1980.

Carmichael would briefly play for the arch rival Dallas Cowboys in 1984 before retiring at the age of 35. Overall, Carmichael amassed 589 catches for 8,978 yards and 79 touchdowns in 13 years with the Eagles. While he is a member of the Eagles Hall of Fame, Carmichael will likely reside in the Hall of Very Good indefinitely. That doesn’t mean for a second that Carmichael wasn’t of the best receivers and players in Eagles football history.