NFL
HOF Wide Receiver Tommy McDonald Passes Away
The Pro Football Hall of Fame lost a Philadelphia legend Monday morning. Tommy McDonald was a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1957 to 1963. He is arguably the greatest wide receiver in Eagles history.
His Resume
McDonald was a third-round draft pick of the Eagles in 1957. Tommy averaged a whopping 19.2 yards per catch with Philadelphia. He racked up 5,499 yards on 287 catches. He also had 66 touchdowns during his 7-year tenure with the Eagles. McDonald earned 6 Pro Bowl selections in his career. Five of them came while he played for Philadelphia. His run with the franchise also gave him all four of his All-Pro honors.
In three years with the Eagles, McDonald ranked in the top-five in receptions. From 1958-1962, he ranked in the top-five in touchdown catches. In 1960, Tommy had 1,146 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in 1960. He followed-up that campaign pretty well the following season. He led the league 1,144 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns. Most memorable for Eagles fans is when he helped them win the NFL championship. During the game, he had three catches for 90 yards. His efforts helped them upset the Green Bay Packers. McDonald definitely made the most of his time playing with a pair of Hall of Fame quarterbacks. He had the luxury of catching passes from Norm Van Brocklin and Sonny Jurgensen.
Departure From The Eagles
In a move that stunned Eagles fans at the time, the team traded him to the Dallas Cowboys in 1964. McDonald made the Pro Bowl one last time in 1965 while with the Los Angeles Rams. That year, he caught 67 passes for 1,036 yards along with nine touchdowns. He retired in 1968 after stents with the Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns. Upon his retirement, McDonald ranked in the top-ten in three major receiving categories. He was fourth in reception yardage (8,910), second in touchdown receptions (84), and sixth in receptions (495).
Although McDonald was inducted in to the Hall of Fame in 1998, the Eagles have yet to retire his No. 25. This is something that I’m sure the fans in Philly would love to see changed.
Photo credit to aquiles cuanda via Flickr
