Philadelphia Eagles: 30 greatest players in franchise history

Norm Van Brocklin is what you would call an NFL lifer. He put together a Pro Football Hall of Fame career as a quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams and the Eagles. After his retirement in the early 1960s, he would go on to be a head coach of two young NFL franchises at the time in the Minnesota Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons.

Truthfully, Van Brocklin was Canton bound on his Rams tenure alone. He was a six-time Pro Bowler as the Rams’ star signal caller, going 42-20-3 as a starter. Van Brocklin helped Los Angeles win the 1951 NFL Championship in his third year in the league out of Oregon. He would contemplate retirement on several occasions while with the Rams.

After seriously considering calling at a career in 1958, he would change his mind and be traded to the Eagles for a pair of offensive linemen. While he was only in Philadelphia for three years, Van Brocklin made the Pro Bowl all three years. Coincidentally, his best year as a pro came in his 12th and final year in the league. Van Brocklin won the 1960 NFL MVP, earned his only All-Pro nod and led the Eagles to the NFL championship before hanging up the spikes.

Following his retirement, Van Brocklin coached the Vikings from 1961 to 1966. After a year in the CBS booth in 1967, he would lead the Falcons from 1968 to 1974. While his coaching career was mediocre at best, Van Brocklin is one of the most notable quarterbacks in the early era of the NFL. Van Brocklin is a member of the Eagles Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He earned Canton enshrinement in 1971. His classmates include Jim Brown, Andy Robustelli and Y.A. Tittle.