Philadelphia Eagles add 2 legendary linemen to team’s HOF
They’ve been a Hall-of-Famers in the minds of Philadelphia Eagles fans since their playing days officially came to an end, so the news here shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. The Birds have announced that Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan will enter the team’s Hall of Fame.
It’s totally fitting that these two are inducted together. They shared the field as bookend tackles of a great offensive line for nine seasons.
These two Philadelphia Eagles legends are well-deserving of this honor.
Tra Thomas was Philly’s first-round selection in 1998 and the 11th-overall selection in that year’s NFL Draft. He played 11 seasons in an Eagles jersey starting 182 of his 183 games as a member of the team. Those numbers include 17 postseason games that he appeared in.
He earned three Pro Bowl nods (2001, 2002, 2004) and an All-Pro nod in 2002. He was a member of the Pro Football Writer’s of America’s All-NFC Team in 2004, and he’s a member of the Philadelphia Eagles 75th Anniversary Team.
Jon Runyan joined the nest as an unrestricted free agent on February 14th of 2000. At the time, his six-year, $30 million contract made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the history of the NFL. He’s also a member of the Philadelphia Eagles 75th Anniversary Team.
He appeared in 166 games as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles and started every single one of them but one (those numbers also include what he did in the postseason), and once his playing days were over, he tackled Congress (pun intended). From January 3rd of 2011 to January 3rd of 2015 he served as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey’s 3rd district.
They’ll be inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame on October 14th, a date that doubles as a Thursday night, Week 6 home date versus the defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lincoln Financial Field.