# 1953 Philadelphia Eagles season

The 1953 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 21st in the league. The team improved on their previous output of 7–5, going 7–4–1. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

## Off Season

At the end of the 1952 season, 2-year player Bud Grant is offered a pay raise in his contract. He chooses to play football in the CFL(Canadian Football League) instead. He would have a career worthy of being named to the CFL's Hall of Fame as a player. Later on he would make the Pro Football Hall of Fame as coach of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Eagles held training camp at Hershey Park Stadium in Hershey, PA for the 3rd straight year.
Matt Guokas, Sr. is hired to be the PA announcer for the Eagles. Guokas played basketball for Saint Joseph's Hawks in college and the Philadelphia Warriors in the NBA. After losing his right leg in an automobile accident, Guokas turned to broadcasting, and he served as an announcer for the N Philadelphia Eagles for 32 years from 1953 to 1985.

### NFL Draft

The 1953 NFL draft was held on January 22, 1953. There was 30 rounds in the draft with 12 teams picking. The San Francisco 49ers received this year's Lottery bonus pick. With this pick they chose Harry Babcock an End out of University of Georgia.
The 1952 expansion team Dallas Texans (NFL) folded during the 1952 season and then became the Baltimore Colts on January 23, 1953. The Colts had the number 1 pick and choose Heisman Trophy winner Billy Vessels a Halfback out of University of Oklahoma.
With a 7–5 record in 1952 the Eagles got the 7th, 8th or 9th pick in the 30 rounds. With trading away their 1st round pick the Eagles 1st selection was the 7th pick in the 2nd round, 20th overall, they chose Al Conway a Back out of Army and William Jewell College. He did not play due to injury and ended up as an official in the American Football League and an official in the NFL for 28 years.

### Player selections

The table shows the Eagles selections and what picks they had that were traded away and the team that ended up with that pick. It is possible the Eagles' pick ended up with this team via another team that the Eagles made a trade with. Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away.
| = Pro Bowler | = Hall of Famer |
| Rd | Pick | Player | Position | School | Rd | Pick | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | 7 | $^{PickTradedtoLosAngelesRams}$ | | | 2 | 20 | Al Conway | Back | Army and William Jewell College |
| 3 | 34 | Don Johnson | Back | California | 4 | 45 | George Mrkonic | Guard | Kansas |
| 5 | 56 | Eddie Bell | End | Pennsylvania | 5 | 61 | Rex Smith | End | Illinois |
| 6 | 70 | $^{PickTradedtoChicagoCardinals}$ | | | 7 | 76 | Jack Erickson $^{pickfromChicagoCardinals}$ | Tackle | Army/Beloit |
| 7 | 81 | Ray Malavasi | Guard | Army/Mississippi State | 8 | 92 | Jess Richardson | Tackle | Alabama |
| 9 | 106 | Roger French | End | Minnesota | 10 | 117 | Tom Brookshier | Back | Colorado |
| 11 | 128 | Bob Pollard | Back | Penn State | 12 | 142 | George Porter | Tackle | San Jose State |
| 13 | 153 | Ray Westort | Guard | Utah | 14 | 164 | Roy Bailey | Back | Tulane |
| 15 | 178 | Willie Irvin | End | Florida A&M | 16 | 189 | Bud Wallace | Back | North Carolina |
| 17 | 200 | Tony Rados | Back | Penn State | 18 | 214 | Marv Trauth | Tackle | Mississippi |
| 19 | 225 | Pete Bachouros | Back | Illinois | 20 | 236 | Rollie Arns | Center | Iowa State |
| 21 | 250 | Hal Brooks | Tackle | Washington & Lee | 22 | 261 | Laurie LeClaire | Back | Michigan |
| 23 | 272 | Jeff Knox | End | Georgia Tech | 24 | 286 | Eli Romero | Back | Wichita State |
| 25 | 297 | Johnny Michels | Guard | Tennessee | 26 | 308 | Harvey Achziger | Tackle | Colorado State |
| 27 | 322 | Earl Hersh | Back | West Chester | 28 | 333 | Joe Gratson | Back | Penn State |
| 29 | 344 | Ralph Paolone | Back | Kentucky | 30 | 357 | Chuck Hren | Back | Northwestern |

## Schedule

| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 27 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 21–31 | 0–1 | Kezar Stadium | 44,587 | Recap |
| 2 | October 2 | Washington Redskins | T 21–21 | 0–1–1 | Shibe Park | 19,099 | Recap |
| 3 | October 10 | at Cleveland Browns | L 13–37 | 0–2–1 | Cleveland Stadium | 48,502 | Recap |
| 4 | October 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 23–7 | 1–2–1 | Pitt Stadium | 18,681 | Recap |
| 5 | October 25 | at Chicago Cardinals | W 56–17 | 2–2–1 | Comiskey Park | 22,064 | Recap |
| 6 | November 1 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 35–7 | 3–2–1 | Forbes Field | 27,547 | Recap |
| 7 | November 8 | New York Giants | W 30–7 | 4–2–1 | Shibe Park | 24,331 | Recap |
| 8 | November 15 | Baltimore Colts | W 45–14 | 5–2–1 | Memorial Stadium | 27,813 | Recap |
| 9 | November 21 | Chicago Cardinals | W 38–0 | 6–2–1 | Shibe Park | 19,402 | Recap |
| 10 | November 29 | at New York Giants | L 28–37 | 6–3–1 | Polo Grounds | 20,294 | Recap |
| 11 | December 6 | at Washington Redskins | L 0–10 | 6–4–1 | Griffith Stadium | 21,579 | Recap |
| 12 | December 13 | Cleveland Browns | W 42–27 | 7–4–1 | Shibe Park | 38,654 | Recap |

## Standings

NFL Eastern Conference :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Cleveland Browns | 11 | 1 | 0 | .917 | 9–1 | 348 | 162 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 4 | 1 | .636 | 6–3–1 | 352 | 215 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 6 | 5 | 1 | .545 | 6–3–1 | 208 | 215 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | 5–5 | 211 | 263 | W2 |
| New York Giants | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 3–7 | 179 | 277 | L2 |
| Chicago Cardinals | 1 | 10 | 1 | .091 | 0–10 | 190 | 337 | W1 |
    Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
NFL Western Conference :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Detroit Lions | 10 | 2 | 0 | .833 | 8–2 | 271 | 205 | W6 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 8–2 | 372 | 237 | W4 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 8 | 3 | 1 | .727 | 7–3 | 366 | 236 | W2 |
| Chicago Bears | 3 | 8 | 1 | .273 | 2–7–1 | 218 | 262 | L2 |
| Baltimore Colts | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 2–8 | 182 | 350 | L7 |
| Green Bay Packers | 2 | 9 | 1 | .182 | 2–7–1 | 200 | 338 | L5 |
    Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

## Game recaps
### Week 1 @ San Francisco

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 14 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
at Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, California
* Date: September 27, 1953
* Game time: ? PM PST
* Game attendance: 27,819
* Recap and Stats

### Week 2 vs Washington

The Eagles inability to hold onto the ball allows the Washington Redskins to tie them at 21 – 21. The Eagles allowed 4 interceptions and would lose 1 fumble as they allowed Washington to gain 182 yards on 9 completions. The Eagles also hurt their cause by having 10 penalties for 99 yards called against them.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Washington Redskins | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, PA
* Date: October 2, 1953
* Game time: ? PM EST
* Game attendance: 19,099
* Recap and Stats

### Week 3 @ Cleveland Browns

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| Cleveland Browns | 6 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 37 |
at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio
* Date: October 10, 1953
* Game time: ? PM EST
* Game attendance: 45,802
* Recap and Stats

### Week 4 vs Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 23 |
at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, PA
* Date: October 17, 1953
* Game time: ? PM EST
* Game attendance: 18,681
* Recap and Stats

### Week 5 @ Chicago Cardinals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 21 | 7 | 21 | 56 |
| Chicago Cardinals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
at Comiskey Park, Chicago, IL
* Date: October 25, 1953
* Game time: ? PM CST
* Game attendance: 22,064
* Recap and Stats

### Week 6 @ Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 14 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
* Date: November 1, 1953
* Game time: ? PM EST
* Game attendance: 27,547
* Recap and Stats

### Week 7 vs New York Giants

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| New York Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 30 |
at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, PA
* Date: November 8, 1953
* Game time: ? PM EST
* Game attendance: 24,331
* Recap and Stats

### Week 8 vs Baltimore Colts

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Baltimore Colts | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 14 | 0 | 24 | 45 |
at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, PA
* Date: November 15, 1953
* Game time: ? PM EST
* Game attendance: 27,813
* Recap and Stats

### Week 9 vs Chicago Cardinals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chicago Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 14 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, PA
* Date: November 21, 1953
* Game time: ? PM EST
* Game attendance: 19,402
* Recap and Stats

### Week 10 @ New York Giants

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
| New York Giants | 7 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 37 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, NY
* Date: November 29, 1953
* Game time: ? PM EST
* Game attendance: 20,294
* Recap and Stats

### Week 11 @ Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Washington Redskins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
at Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
* Date: December 6, 1953
* Game time: ? PM EST
* Game attendance: 21,579
* Recap and Stats

### Week 12 vs Cleveland Browns

The Eagles give the Cleveland Browns their only loss of the regular season in the final week of the season. Cleveland would have 3 turn overs during the game.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cleveland Browns | 10 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 42 |
at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Date: December 13, 1953
* Game time: ? pm EST
* Game attendance: 38,654
* Recap and Stats

## Playoffs

With a record of 7–4–1 the Eagles finish behind Cleveland and fail to make the playoffs. The Detroit Lions won the National Division and played the Cleveland Browns in the 1953 NFL Championship Game.

## Roster

(All time List of Philadelphia Eagles players in franchise history)
| = 1953 Pro Bowl | = Hall of Famer |
* + = Pro Bowl starter
| NO. | Player | AGE | POS | GP | GS | WT | HT | YRS | College |
| | Jim Trimble | 35 | COACH | $_{1953record}$ 7–3–1 | $_{NFL-EaglesLifetime}$ 14–9–1 | | | 2nd | Indiana University |
| 60 | Chuck Bednarik + | 28 | C-LB | 12 | 0 | 233 | 6–3 | 4 | Pennsylvania |
| 36 | John Brewer | 25 | FB | 6 | 0 | 230 | 6–4 | 1 | Louisville |
| 45 | Tom Brookshier | 22 | DB | 11 | 0 | 196 | 6–0 | Rookie | Colorado |
| 10 | Adrian Burk | 26 | QB | 10 | 4 | 190 | 6–2 | 3 | Baylor |
| 33 | Russ Craft | 34 | DB-HB | 12 | 0 | 178 | 5–9 | 7 | Alabama |
| 53 | Ken Farragut | 25 | C-LB | 12 | 0 | 240 | 6–4 | 2 | Mississippi |
| 14 | Bob Gambold | 24 | QB | 3 | 0 | 215 | 6–4 | Rookie | Washington State |
| 27 | Hal Giancanelli | 24 | HB | 12 | 0 | 182 | 5–10 | Rookie | Loyola Marymount |
| 88 | Bob Hudson | 23 | DB-LB-E | 12 | 0 | 225 | 6–4 | 2 | Clemson |
| 81 | Willie Irvin | 23 | DE-E | 3 | 0 | 203 | 6–3 | Rookie | Florida A&M |
| 78 | Mike Jarmoluk | 31 | DT-T-MG | 12 | 0 | 232 | 6–5 | 7 | Temple |
| 40 | [[Don Johnson (halfback)}]] | 22 | HB | 12 | 0 | 187 | 6–0 | Rookie | California |
| 76 | Bucko Kilroy | 32 | G-MG-T-DT | 12 | 0 | 243 | 6–2 | 10 | Temple |
| 25 | Toy Ledbetter | 26 | HB | 10 | 0 | 198 | 5–10 | 3 | Oklahoma State |
| 67 | John Magee | 30 | G | 12 | 0 | 220 | 5–10 | 5 | $_{La-LafayetteandRice}$ |
| 61 | John Michels | 22 | G | 11 | 0 | 200 | 5–11 | Rookie | Tennessee |
| 72 | George Mrkonic | 24 | T-DT | 10 | 0 | 225 | 6–2 | Rookie | Kansas |
| 68 | Maury Nipp | 23 | G | 12 | 0 | 219 | 6–0 | 1 | Loyola Marymount |
| 43 | Jim Parmer | 27 | FB-HB | 12 | 0 | 193 | 6–0 | 5 | Oklahoma State |
| 35 | Pete Pihos + | 30 | E-DE | 12 | 0 | 210 | 6–1 | 6 | Indiana |
| 21 | Al Pollard | 25 | HB-FB | 12 | 0 | 196 | 6–0 | 2 | $_{ArmyandLoyolaMarymount}$ |
| 65 | Jess Richardson | 23 | DT | 12 | 0 | 261 | 6–2 | Rookie | Alabama |
| 52 | Wayne Robinson | 23 | LB-C | 11 | 0 | 225 | 6–2 | 1 | Minnesota |
| 85 | Bob Schnelker | 25 | E | 8 | 0 | 214 | 6–3 | Rookie | Bowling Green |
| 82 | Tom Scott | 23 | DE-LB | 12 | 0 | 218 | 6–2 | Rookie | Virginia |
| 79 | Vic Sears | 35 | T-DT | 12 | 0 | 223 | 6–3 | 12 | Oregon State |
| 73 | Lum Snyder | 23 | T | 12 | 0 | 228 | 6–5 | 1 | Georgia Tech |
| 44 | Bob Stringer | 24 | LB-FB | 12 | 0 | 197 | 6–1 | 1 | Tulsa |
| 11 | Bobby Thomason | 25 | QB | 12 | 8 | 196 | 6–1 | 4 | VMI |
| 31 | Ebert Van Buren | 29 | DB-LB-FB-HB | 12 | 0 | 210 | 6–2 | 2 | LSU |
| 83 | Bobby Walston | 25 | E-HB-K | 12 | 0 | 190 | 6–0 | 2 | Georgia |
| 86 | Norm Willey | 26 | DE-G-E | 12 | 0 | 224 | 6–2 | 3 | Marshall |
| 49 | Jerry Williams | 30 | DB-HB | 12 | 0 | 175 | 5–10 | 4 | $_{IdahoandWashingtonState}$ |
| 75 | Frank Wydo | 29 | T-DT | 12 | 12 | 225 | 6–4 | 6 | Cornell |
| 41 | Frank Ziegler | 30 | HB-DB | 12 | 0 | 175 | 5–11 | 4 | Georgia Tech |
| | 35 Players Team Average | | | 12 | | | | | |
* Jerry Williams will become head coach of Eagles for the 1969 season

## Postseason

Philadelphia finished second in last 2 seasons to the Cleveland Browns, with that Trimble is awarded a three-year contract after the team's second straight runner-up finish in 1953.

## Awards and honors

Pro Bowl
The Eagles placed 6 players on the 1953 Pro Bowl team. Chuck Bednarik is named MVP of the Pro Bowl.
    Chuck Bednarik (Center – Linebacker)
    Ken Farragut (Center – Linebacker)
    Bucko Kilroy (Lineman)
    Pete Pihos (End)
    Lum Snyder (Tackle)
    Bobby Thomason (Quarterback)
League leaders
    Bobby Thomason finished 2nd in passing attempts and passing yards to George Blanda
    Bobby Thomason finished 3rd in pass completions
    Pete Pihos leads league in receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs
    Chuck Bednarik ties for lead in interceptions returned for TD