Former Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan never won a playoff game, but the affection for him runs deep in Philadelphia. Legendary vintage sporting goods store Mitchell & Ness recently teased a new Buddy Ryan-inspired pair of throwback shorts.
The Philly-based company sent out a viral tweet Sunday night showing Ryan standing next to the “Ultimate Weapon” Randall Cunningham and instructed fans to retweet if they would buy the form-fitting shorts wrapped around Ryan’s hips. The initial response was astounding, with hundreds upon hundreds of people telling them to make the shorts.
Buddy Ryan Was Folk Hero in Philly
Buddy Ryan earned accolades for being the architect of the “46 Defense” and helped lead the Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl championship in 1985. He served as the team’s defensive coordinator that year and was carried off the field, much to head coach Mike Ditka’s chagrin.
Ryan’s coaching philosophy was simple, centering on defense and defense only.
“QBs are overpaid, overrated, pompous bastards and must be punished,” Ryan said. “A quarterback has never completed a pass when he was flat on his back.”
Ryan parlayed his success in Chicago into a head coaching job with the Eagles where he guided the franchise from 1986-1990 through a raucous and controversial era, filled with plenty of memorable (and sometimes forgettable) moments.
Perhaps the most talked-about game happened in 1990 against the Washington Redskins in an infamous contest deemed “The Bodybag Game.” In it, the Eagles injured nine different Redskins players, including two quarterbacks, and even before the game Ryan had bragged that “they’ll have to be carted off in body bags.”
The Eagles never won a playoff game under Ryan. His career coaching record was 55–58–1 — an underwhelming 0-3 in the postseason — in various stops in Philadelphia and Arizona. Ryan died on June 28, 2016 at the age of 82 from complications with a stroke and cancer.
Doug Pederson Throwback Jersey Coming Next?
Mitchell & Ness had everyone talking Thursday afternoon when they teased a new Eagles jersey that resembled the 1999 jersey worn by former Eagles quarterback Doug Pederson. Fans have been clamoring for it since May when Mitchell & Ness posted a photo of the former quarterback on Twitter.
Pederson served as the franchise’s veteran bridge to Donovan McNabb in 1999 after the Eagles brought him over from Cleveland. He went a disappointing 2-7 as the signal-caller in Philly, but it’s what happened during his time patrolling the sideline that cemented Pederson as a certifiable living legend.
Pederson grew up in the Eagles organization and hinted at bringing the City of Brotherly Love a long-awaited Super Bowl title, two years before he actually did it.
“I understand the culture and the passion of Philadelphia,” Pederson said at his introductory press conference as Eagles head coach in 2016. “I get it. I experienced that as a quarterback in 1999. I experienced that firsthand.
“And now coming back, I understand what it feels like to win in this city. This city hasn’t won and this organization hasn’t won in quite some time. It’s my job to turn that around. And you do it one day at a time. You do it one player at a time and you do it one coach at a time.”