Philip Jacob Handler (July 21, 1908 – December 8, 1968) was an American football player and coach who spent his entire professional career in the city of Chicago.
"[1] Prior to his professional debut, Handler played college football at Texas Christian University.
However, with manning shortages due to World War II, the Cardinals lost all 10 games that season.
The return of Conzelman and many of their top players, helped the Cardinals improve to 6–5 in 1946, followed by the franchise's only undisputed NFL title the next season, with a 28–21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on December 28, 1947, at Comiskey Park in Chicago.
As a result, Handler and fellow assistant Buddy Parker were named as co-head coaches for the team in a unique arrangement on February 3, 1949.
However Parker soon took over as sole coach when Handler shifted to a front office role later that season.
When Parker left after the season, Curly Lambeau, the legendary coach and founder of the Green Bay Packers, was hired as his replacement.
He then helped the squad capture the NFL title seven years later, in a storied 14–10 Bears victory over the New York Giants, on a frigid day at Wrigley Field in late 1963.
Several months after the 1967 NFL season had ended, Handler was vacationing in Florida when he suffered the first of two heart attacks and spent several weeks in a hospital for treatment.
[6] The following Sunday, December 15, 1968, when the Bears hosted the Green Bay Packers at Wrigley Field, a moment of silence was held before kickoff.