Philadelphia Eagles: 30 greatest players in franchise history

With a nickname like “Ox”, you better believe that right tackle Al Wistert was an awesome player. Early in the history of the Eagles, Wistert was a standout from the jump. His rookie season came during the 1943 campaign when Pittsburgh and Philadelphia briefly merged to form the “Steagles” during the height of World War II.

Wistert may have only played nine professional seasons, but he was an All-Pro selection in eight of them. Six times was he a first-team All-Pro. He was a second-team All-Pro on two other occasions. Keep in mind that Wistert’s NFL career coincided with their not being any professional football All-Star Game. He did however make the inaugural Pro Bowl roster in 1950 at age 30.

Wistert retired at the age of 31 after the 1951 NFL season. He won back-to-back NFL championships with the Eagles in 1948 and 1949. Wistert made it into the College Football Hall of Fame after his stint with the Michigan Wolverines. He is a member of the Eagles Hall of Fame and has his No. 70 jersey retired by the Eagles.

While Wistert made the NFL’s All-Decade Team in the 1940s, he still has not been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Wistert really thought that he belonged in Canton and argued for his inclusion in his retirement. However, he will have to be inducted into Canton posthumously, as he passed away in 2016 at the age of 95. Though a member of the Hall of Very Good, Wistert’s exclusion from Canton is a bit head-scratching to say the very least.