When negotiations for the use of Shibe Park fell through, however, the Eagles struck a deal with the Athletics' crosstown rival, the Philadelphia Phillies, to begin playing at the Baker Bowl.

[28] In 1943, with player shortages stemming from the U.S. entry engagement in World War II, it became difficult to fill the roster, and the team merged with the Steelers to form the "Phil-Pitt Combine", known as the Steagles.

In 1958, the Eagles took several steps to improve, hiring Buck Shaw as head coach and acquiring quarterback Norm Van Brocklin in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams.

[51] After a 3–10–1 record in 1970 and three consecutive blowout losses to Cincinnati, Dallas, and San Francisco to open the 1971 season, Williams was fired and replaced by assistant coach Ed Khayat, a defensive lineman on the Eagles' 1960 NFL championship team.

Williams and Khayat were hampered by Retzlaff's decision to trade longtime starting quarterback Norm Snead to the Minnesota Vikings in early 1971, leaving the Eagles a choice between journeyman Pete Liske and raw Rick Arrington.

Aided by the skills of quarterback Roman Gabriel and towering young wide receiver Harold Carmichael, they managed to infuse a bit of vitality into a previously moribund offense.

New general manager Jim Murray also began to add talent on the defensive side of the line, most notably through the addition of future Pro Bowl linebacker Bill Bergey in 1974.

But what was known as the Gang Green defense, led by Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner, Wes Hopkins, Mike Golic, Byron Evans, Eric Allen, Andre Waters, and Mark McMillian, defined the team.

[70] Rich Kotite was fired and replaced by San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes, who successfully lured 49ers star Ricky Watters to join the team as a free agent.

However, a week 5 Monday night game at Veterans Stadium against the rival Cowboys witnessed a season-ending knee injury to Peete, loss of the team's momentum, and the transition to an offense led by Ty Detmer and Watters.

The continued early playoff exits led fans and local media to cast blame on high-priced free agents (Irving Fryar, Watters, Troy Vincent, and Guy McIntyre) for not stepping up in big games, especially in the postseason.

Despite clearing the roster for new talent by releasing unpopular and aging veterans such as Ricky Watters and Irving Fryar, Reid was still a virtual unknown before his arrival as head coach, and his appointment was met initially with skepticism among Philadelphia fans.

Kickoff temperature in Texas Stadium was 109 degrees Fahrenheit and soared to nearly 120, making it the hottest game in league history, beating a previous record set in a 1997 Cowboys–Cardinals match in Arizona.

In the Divisional Round of the playoffs, the Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers 20–17 in overtime thanks in part to a late-game completion from McNabb to Freddie Mitchell on an iconic play that has come to be known as 4th and 26.

[89] The Eagles actively pursued premier wide receiver Terrell Owens, and acquired him in a controversial three-way deal with the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, on March 16, 2004.

The Eagles tied a record by clinching the NFC East division crown (their fourth straight) after only their eleventh game of the season, matching the mark set by the 1985 Chicago Bears and the 1997 San Francisco 49ers.

[97] McNabb finally had a complete receiving corps, between first-round draft pick Jeremy Maclin, DeSean Jackson's 1,000-yard season, and Brent Celek ranking among the top 5 tight ends in the league.

In their January 2010 wild card game, the Eagles played against their divisional foes for the second consecutive week, losing 34–14 to hand Dallas their first playoff win since December 1996.

But things rapidly fell apart when Vick injured his ribs and chest late in the first quarter when two Redskins defensive backs crushed him from both sides while running near the end zone.

While a hamstring injury took Michael Vick out after a 1–3 start, his backup Nick Foles led the team to a 10–6 regular-season record and its seventh NFC East title in 13 seasons, but the Eagles lost to the New Orleans Saints in the wild card round.

Following the 2013 season, the Eagles released Pro-Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson due to his poor "work ethic and attitude", as well as speculation of his involvement in gang-related activities.

[116] He also cut ten-year veteran and starter Trent Cole, who was still a consistent threat on defense and was second only to legend Reggie White on the Eagles all-time sack list.

Bradford had a poor 2–4 TD-INT ratio, Maxwell was constantly beaten by Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones, and Murray was held to 11 yards on 21 carries.

Foles caught the ball, making him the first quarterback ever to catch a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl, and the ensuing extra point was good, giving the Eagles a 22–12 lead.

[157] The Eagles' 4–6 record after 10 games seemed to give them little chance of making the playoffs, but the team managed to win 5 of their last 6, including upsets over the eventual NFC champion Los Angeles Rams and Houston Texans.

[190] After starting the season 2–5, the Eagles went 7–3 in their last ten games, clinching a playoff berth in week 17 after a victory over the Washington Football Team along with a loss by the Minnesota Vikings and win by the San Francisco 49ers.

The Eagles' late-season woes continued into the playoffs, in which they were eliminated in the Wild Card round by the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 32–9 blowout loss.

champion Brad Rutter,[275] journalists Jake Tapper[276] and Jesse Watters,[277] morning talk show host Kelly Ripa,[278] TV personality Jim Cramer,[279] and soccer star Carli Lloyd, the latter of whom also appeared at a joint practice of the Eagles with the Baltimore Ravens in 2019 where she nailed a 55-yard field goal attempt.

[280] One week later, during an international friendly pitting the United States against Portugal at Lincoln Financial Field, Lloyd celebrated scoring a goal by doing the "E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!"

[283] In 2006, HarperCollins published If Football's a Religion, Why Don't We Have a Prayer?, a book by Jereé Longman, in which he describes the fans of the 700 Level at Veterans Stadium as having a reputation for "hostile taunting, fighting, public urination and general strangeness.