# 1959 Philadelphia Eagles season

The 1959 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 27th season in the National Football League. They improved on their previous output of 2–9–1, winning seven games. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the tenth consecutive season.

## Off-season

The Eagles held training camp in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

### NFL Draft

The 1959 NFL draft was held on December 2, 1958 (rounds 1–4) and January 21, 1959 (rounds 5–30). The draft consisted of 30 rounds with each of the 12 NFL teams having one draft pick in each round. A total of 360 players were selected in this year's draft. There was no lottery bonus pick this year as it had run its course; all 12 teams had been given a bonus pick in previous drafts.
As the Green Bay Packers had the worst record in the previous season at 1–10–1, they had the first draft pick, and selected Randy Duncan, the quarterback for the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Packers' lone win in 1958 had been over the Eagles, 38–35, on October 26 in Green Bay.
The Eagles and the Chicago Cardinals both had 2–9–1 records in 1958, which were tied for the 2nd-worst record in the league, so they rotated in picking 2nd or 3rd in each round. Despite their poor records in 1958, both of these teams had defeated the eventual Eastern Conference champion New York Giants that year. The Eagles traded their first-round pick, the 2nd overall pick in the draft, to the Los Angeles Rams for quarterback Norm Van Brocklin. The Eagles made their first draft selection in round 2 with the 15th overall pick.
In 1959 the Eagles and Packers would both improve to 7–5–0. Then in 1960 they would each win their respective conference championships and meet in the NFL Championship game.

### 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 |
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 2 | 15 | J. D. Smith | Tackle | Rice Owls |
| 3 | 26 | Wray Carlton | Back | Duke Blue Devils |
| 4 | 39 | Jim Grazione | Quarterback | Villanova Wildcats |
| 5 | 51 | Nick Mumley | Tackle | Purdue Boilermakers |
| 6 | 62 | Al Benecick | Guard | Syracuse Orange |
| 8 | 86 | Wilmer Fowler | Back | Northwestern Wildcats |
| 9 | 99 | Gene Johnson | Back | Cincinnati Bearcats |
| 10 | 110 | Rollie West | Back | Villanova Wildcats |
| 11 | 123 | Art Powell | Wide receiver | San Jose State Spartans |
| 12 | 134 | Howard Keys | Tackle | Oklahoma State Cowboys |
| 13 | 147 | Dick Stillwagon | Back | Purdue Boilermakers |
| 14 | 158 | Jack Smith | Tackle | Clemson Tigers |
| 15 | 171 | Jim Poteete | Center | Mississippi State Bulldogs |
| 16 | 182 | Ken Paduch | Tackle | Auburn Tigers |
| 17 | 195 | Bill Craig | Tackle | Villanova |
| 18 | 206 | Jim Benson | Back | Georgia Tech |
| 19 | 219 | Alan Miller | Back | Boston College |
| 20 | 230 | Jim Payne | Guard | Clemson |
| 21 | 243 | Bob Salerno | Guard | Colorado |
| 22 | 254 | Jim Bowie | Tackle | Kentucky |
| 23 | 267 | Dick Williams | End | Southern |
| 24 | 278 | Gerry Benn | Tackle | Oklahoma State |
| 25 | 291 | Dick Jamieson | Quarterback | Bradley |
| 26 | 302 | Jim Burks | Tackle | Virginia Tech |
| 27 | 315 | Lowell Jenkins | Tackle | Wisconsin |
| 28 | 326 | Leo Sexton | End | Auburn Tigers |
| 29 | 339 | John Stolte | Tackle | Kansas State Wildcats |
| 30 | 350 | Angelo Mosca | Tackle | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
* 30th round pick Angelo Mosca had already chosen to play in the Canadian Football League for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 1958 season after 3 years at Notre Dame and his senior year at Wyoming

## Schedule

| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 27 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 14–24 | 0–1 | Kezar Stadium | 41,697 | Recap |
| 2 | October 4 | New York Giants | W 49–21 | 1–1 | Franklin Field | 27,023 | Recap |
| 3 | October 11 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 28–24 | 2–1 | Franklin Field | 27,343 | Recap |
| 4 | October 18 | at New York Giants | L 7–24 | 2–2 | Yankee Stadium | 68,783 | Recap |
| 5 | October 25 | at Chicago Cardinals | W 28–24 | 3–2 | Metropolitan Stadium | 20,112 | Recap |
| 6 | November 1 | Washington Redskins | W 30–23 | 4–2 | Franklin Field | 39,854 | Recap |
| 7 | November 8 | at Cleveland Browns | L 7–28 | 4–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 58,275 | Recap |
| 8 | November 15 | Chicago Cardinals | W 27–17 | 5–3 | Franklin Field | 28,887 | Recap |
| 9 | November 22 | Los Angeles Rams | W 23–20 | 6–3 | Franklin Field | 47,425 | Recap |
| 10 | November 29 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 0–31 | 6–4 | Forbes Field | 22,191 | Recap |
| 11 | December 6 | at Washington Redskins | W 34–14 | 7–4 | Griffith Stadium | 24,325 | Recap |
| 12 | December 13 | Cleveland Browns | L 21–28 | 7–5 | Franklin Field | 45,952 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text. |||||||||

## Standings

NFL Eastern Conference :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| New York Giants | 10 | 2 | 0 | .833 | 8–2 | 284 | 170 | W4 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 6–4 | 268 | 278 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 6–4 | 270 | 214 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 5 | 1 | .545 | 6–4 | 257 | 216 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 2–8 | 185 | 350 | L5 |
| Chicago Cardinals | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | 2–8 | 234 | 324 | L6 |
    Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
NFL Western Conference :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Baltimore Colts | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 9–1 | 374 | 251 | W5 |
| Chicago Bears | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 6–4 | 252 | 196 | W7 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 5–5 | 255 | 237 | L2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 6–4 | 248 | 246 | W4 |
| Detroit Lions | 3 | 8 | 1 | .273 | 2–8 | 203 | 275 | L1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | 2–8 | 242 | 315 | L8 |
    Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

## Roster

(All time List of Philadelphia Eagles players in franchise history)
| = 1959 All-Star Selection | = Hall of Famer |
* + After name means 1st team selection
| NO. | Player | AGE | POS | GP | GS | WT | HT | YRS | College |
| | Buck Shaw | 61 | COACH | $_{1958record}$ 7–5–0 | $_{EaglesLifetime}$ 9–14–1 | $_{NFLLifetime}$ 80–53–5 | | 2 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
| 50 | Darrel Aschbacher | 24 | G | 11 | 0 | 220 | 6–1 | Rookie | Boise State, Oregon |
| 33 | Billy Ray Barnes | 24 | HB | 12 | 0 | 201 | 5–11 | 2 | Wake Forest |
| 60 | Chuck Bednarik | 33 | LB-C | 12 | 0 | 233 | 6–3 | 10 | Pennsylvania Quakers |
| 36 | Dick Bielski | 27 | E-FB | 12 | 0 | 224 | 6–1 | 4 | Maryland Terrapins |
| 40 | Tom Brookshier | 28 | DB | 12 | 0 | 196 | 6–0 | 6 | Colorado Buffalos |
| 78 | Marion Campbell | 30 | DE-DT-MG-G-T | 11 | 0 | 250 | 6–3 | 5 | Georgia Bulldogs |
| 67 | Stan Campbell | 29 | G | 12 | 12 | 226 | 6–0 | 7 | Iowa State |
| 21 | Jimmy Carr | 26 | DB-LB-HB | 12 | 0 | 206 | 6–1 | 4 | Charleston (WV) |
| 63 | Tom Catlin | 28 | LB-C | 12 | 0 | 213 | 6–1 | 6 | Oklahoma Sooners |
| 45 | Paige Cothren | 24 | K | 7 | 0 | 201 | 5–11 | 2 | Mississippi |
| 74 | Jerry DeLucca | 23 | T-DT | 12 | 0 | 247 | 6–2 | Rookie | Middle Tenn. State Blue Raiders |
| 65 | Jerry Huth | 26 | G | 10 | 0 | 226 | 6–0 | 3 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons |
| 27 | Gene Johnson | 24 | DB | 12 | 0 | 187 | 6–0 | Rookie | Cincinnati Bearcats |
| 9 | Sonny Jurgensen | 25 | QB | 12 | 0 | 202 | 5–11 | 2 | Duke Blue Devils |
| 73 | Ed Khayat | 24 | DT-DE-T | 9 | 0 | 240 | 6–3 | 2 | Tulane Green Wave |
| 43 | Walt Kowalczyk | 24 | FB-DB | 12 | 0 | 208 | 6–0 | 1 | Michigan State Spartans |
| 61 | Tom Louderback | 26 | LB-C-G | 12 | 0 | 235 | 6–2 | 1 | San Jose State |
| 80 | Ken MacAfee | 30 | E-TE | 4 | 0 | 212 | 6–2 | 5 | Alabama Crimson Tide |
| 75 | Jim McCusker | 23 | T | 12 | 0 | 246 | 6–2 | 1 | Pittsburgh Panthers |
| 25 | Tommy McDonald | 25 | FL-HB-SE-WR | 12 | 0 | 178 | 5–9 | 2 | Oklahoma Sooners |
| 29 | John Nocera | 25 | LB | 12 | 0 | 220 | 6–1 | Rookie | Iowa Hawkeyes |
| 70 | Don Owens | 27 | DT-T | 12 | 0 | 255 | 6–5 | 2 | Southern Miss Golden Eagles |
| 32 | Joe Pagliei | 25 | FB | 7 | 0 | 220 | 6–0 | Rookie | Clemson Tigers |
| 26 | Clarence Peaks | 24 | FB | 12 | 0 | 218 | 6–1 | 2 | Michigan State Spartans |
| 53 | Bob Pellegrini | 25 | LB-G | 12 | 0 | 233 | 6–2 | 3 | Maryland Terrapins |
| 87 | Art Powell | 22 | SE-DB-WR | 12 | 0 | 211 | 6–3 | Rookie | San Jose State Spartans |
| 44 | Pete Retzlaff | 28 | E-HB-TE | 10 | 0 | 211 | 6–1 | 3 | South Dakota State Jackrabbits |
| 72 | Jess Richardson | 29 | DT | 12 | 0 | 261 | 6–2 | 6 | Alabama Crimson Tide |
| 22 | Lee Riley | 27 | DB | 12 | 0 | 192 | 6–1 | 4 | Univ. of Detroit-Mercy Titans |
| 66 | Joe Robb | 22 | DE-LB | 12 | 0 | 238 | 6–3 | Rookie | TCU Horned Frogs |
| 30 | Theron Sapp | 24 | FB-HB | 12 | 0 | 203 | 6–1 | Rookie | Georgia Bulldogs |
| 76 | J.D. Smith | 23 | T | 11 | 11 | 250 | 6–2 | Rookie | Rice Owls |
| 68 | Bill Striegel | 23 | G-T-LB | 12 | 0 | 235 | 6–2 | Rookie | Pacific |
| 11 | Norm Van Brocklin | 33 | QB | 12 | 12 | 190 | 6–1 | 10 | Oregon Ducks |
| 83 | Bobby Walston | 31 | E-HB-K | 12 | 0 | 190 | 6–0 | 8 | Georgia Bulldogs |
| 51 | Chuck Weber | 29 | LB-DE-G | 12 | 0 | 229 | 6–1 | 4 | West Chester Golden Rams |
| 88 | Jerry Wilson | 23 | DE | 12 | 0 | 238 | 6–3 | Rookie | Auburn Tigers |
| | 37 players team average | 26.1 | | 12 | | 220.1 | 6–1.2 | 2.8 | |

## Season summary
### Week 3 vs Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Steelers | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Eagles | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Franklin Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Date: October 11, 1959
* Game attendance: 27,343
* Referee: Bud Brubaker
* Box Score
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Steelers | Passing | Bobby Layne | 18/33, 209 Yds, 2 TD, INT |
| Steelers | Rushing | Tom Tracy | 11 Rush, 33 Yds |
| Steelers | Receiving | Tom Tracy | 4 Rec, 70 Yds, TD |
| Eagles | Passing | Norm Van Brocklin | 13/27, 172 Yds, TD, 2 INT |
| Eagles | Rushing | Clarence Peaks | 14 Rush, 42 Yds |
| Eagles | Receiving | Tommy McDonald | 4 Rec, 66 Yds, TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | PIT | PHI |
| 1 | | | | | Steelers | Bobby Layne 10-yard touchdown run, Bobby Layne kick good | 7 | 0 |
| 1 | | | | | Eagles | Billy Ray Barnes 3-yard touchdown run, Bobby Walston kick good | 7 | 7 |
| 2 | | | | | Eagles | Punt returned 58 yards for touchdown by Art Powell, Bobby Walston kick good | 7 | 14 |
| 2 | | | | | Steelers | 12-yard field goal by Bobby Layne | 10 | 14 |
| 3 | | | | | Eagles | Norm Van Brocklin 1-yard touchdown run, Bobby Walston kick good | 10 | 21 |
| 3 | | | | | Steelers | Tom Tracy 11-yard touchdown reception from Bobby Layne, Bobby Layne kick good | 17 | 21 |
| 4 | | | | | Eagles | Tommy McDonald 18-yard touchdown reception from Norm Van Brocklin, Bobby Walston kick good | 17 | 28 |
| 4 | | | | | Steelers | Jimmy Orr 17-yard touchdown reception from Bobby Layne, Bobby Layne kick good | 24 | 28 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 24 | 28 |

## Postseason

Before the start of the 1960 Season, but after the 1960 NFL draft, on March 19, the NFL had an expansion draft for the Dallas Cowboys. The Philadelphia Eagles lost, Dick Bielski a tight end, Gerry Delucca an offensive tackle, and Bil Striegel, a linebacker.

## Honors and awards

Pro Bowl selections – East Team
** Norm Van Brocklin – QB
** Billy Barnes – HB
** Tommy McDonald – Flanker
** Marion Campbell – DT
** Tom Brookshier – CB
League leaders
** Norm Van Brocklin finishes 2nd in pass attempts with 340
** Norm Van Brocklin finishes 2nd in pass completions with 191
** Norm Van Brocklin finishes 2nd in passing yards with 2617
** Norm Van Brocklin finishes 3rd in passing yards per Attempt Avg with 7.70
** Norm Van Brocklin finishes 3rd in passing touchdowns with 14
** Tommy McDonald finishes 2nd in pass receptions with 47
** Tommy McDonald finishes 3rd in pass receiving yards with 846
** Tommy McDonald finishes 2nd in pass reception touchdowns with 10
** Tommy McDonald finishes 2nd (tied with 8) in punt return for a touchdown with 1
** Tommy McDonald finishes 2nd in kickoff returns with 24
** Art Powell finishes 2nd in kickoff returns avg. 27.1