Philadelphia Eagles: Harold Carmichael responds to another year of waiting

After almost 30 years, the wait continues for Philadelphia Eagles fans.

Prior to about 18 months ago, no one would have revoked your title as a Philadelphia Eagles fan if you would have stated that you thought Harold Carmichael was already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Truthfully, if you weren’t already thinking about this and hadn’t taken the time to look, there was really no reason to believe he wasn’t.

That’s another story for another day though. What’s important is the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters finally got it right, and in 2019, the six-foot-eight legend that the NFL Network’s Rich Eisen described as the “towering target in the ‘City of Brotherly Love” during the introduction of the 2020 centennial class, finally got his due.

At the most recent NFL Honors, Carmichael, after a nearly thirty-year wait, joined the other inductees of the 2020 class on stage. Unfortunately, if you’re a “Birds” fan, you’re going to have to wait to see the bust and hear the induction speech. That’s been put on hold. On June 25th, shortly after breakfast time on the East Coast, the mighty NFL made its decision. The Pro Football Hall of Fame had postponed its 2020 enshrinement ceremony until 2021. The 2020 Hall of Fame Game was also canceled. Is anyone else absolutely sick of COVID-19 yet?

The Philadelphia Eagles legend responds with class.

If you’re wondering about what Mr. Carmichael might be thinking, don’t stress. This four-time Pro Bowl nod and the current owner of the Eagles franchise record for receptions, a record Zach Ertz figures to break at some point during the 2020 season, is handling things with class. Is anyone shocked? Of course, he is.

His attitude is “I’ve waited this long. What’s another year?”. Here’s a quote from this Philly sports legend, courtesy of Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro and the team’s official website.

"Well, I’ve just got to wait another year. I waited for 30-some years already, so one year probably won’t make a difference. It’s kind of a letdown a little bit, but you want to get all of these things, the rings, the jacket, the bust. You want to do all of that stuff and you want to celebrate with family and fans, and it’s a downer, but I can wait."

Carmichael spent 13 seasons in an Eagles jersey, much like another Eagles Pro Football Hall of Fame nod, Brian Dawkins. He was a Second-team All-Pro in 1973, 1979, and 1980. He was the NFL receiving yards leader and the league’s leader in receptions in 1973. He was the NFL’s Man of the Year in 1980, and he’s a member of the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team, the Philadelphia Eagles 75th Anniversary Team, and the Eagles Hall of Fame.

There’s a ton of achievement that Mr. Carmichael can be proud of. His football resume reads like no other as he’s also a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, the Southwest Athletic Conference Hall of Fame, and the Black College Football Hall of Fame. Oh, and he finally earned that Super Bowl ring in 2017 as he served as the team’s Director of Player and Community Relations from 1998 until 2017.

We could talk about the wait all day, but if the man who made the number “17” famous in Philly is taking things in stride, we should be too. Perhaps, he said it best. “The Hall of Fame always does it the right way and I’m excited about being able to do it next year”. You can’t argue with a man when he’s right. It’s going to be fun to hear that speech when it finally comes.