The Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers spent the 1930s and much of the ‘40s side by side on pro football’s skid row. They were two of the league’s most hapless franchises. They merged for one season (as the Steagles in 1943) and as Eagles Hall of Fame tackle Al Wistert said, “All that meant was we had twice as many lousy players.”
But in 1947, the Eagles and Steelers were finally putting things together. They were no longer the laughing stocks of the NFL. The Eagles, with rookie end Pete Pihos joining halfback Steve Van Buren on offense, were one of the league’s highest-scoring teams.