Remembering Eagles' One-Armed Wounded Veteran on Memorial Day

Getty The Philadelphia Eagles were established in 1933 and have won three NFL championships and one Super Bowl.

It’s Memorial Day, a time meant to mourn loved ones and remember the sacrifice the greatest generation made for the United States of America.

The Eagles do a great job of raising awareness for the area’s many veterans throughout the year. They honor past and present service members on the field prior to games and players proudly wear emblems of support on their uniforms. But one former Eagles player epitomized that sacrifice above all else.

Jack Sanders played in 33 NFL games for both the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. It is what he did in 1945 that opened everyone’s eyes to the horror of World War II. Sanders took the field as the Eagles’ starting guard for an exhibition game versus the Packers, mere days after being released from the Naval Hospital in Philly where “a brace and pad were made for his arm.”

Yes, he was playing football with one arm. Sanders had served in the Marine Corps during World War II after losing his left hand and wrist in an explosion at Iwo Jima. According to Pro Football Daily, Sanders had suffered shrapnel wounds and significant hearing loss, and one of his legs was broken in three places.

The Eagles and Packers played before 90,218 fans (including 21,500 service members) in Philadelphia that day. Here is the game report from the Philadelphia Inquirer at the time.

The thunderous crescendo rolled from one side of Municipal Stadium and back again as Lieutenant Jack Sanders of the Marine Corps ran onto the field to take his place in the Eagles’ starting lineup. . . . Every eye was focused on the courageous athlete, who lost part of his left arm at Iwo Jima. The sincere wishes of every man, woman and child in the huge stadium went with him as he stepped forward to make his comeback – a personal ambition for him as well as a shining example for other fighting men who have returned from the battlefronts wounded.

Sanders went on to play in three games for the Eagles in 1945 and eventually retired at the age of 28. In all, he played four NFL seasons — three in Pittsburgh, one in Philly — and later coached in the league.

Dan Daly

@dandalyonsports · Follow

Sanders made his debut with the #Eagles in a preseason charity game vs. the #Packers at Memorial Stadium. A crowd of “90,218, including 21,500 servicemen,” was on hand, the Inquirer reported. The reception he got:

11:53 am · 25 May 2020

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Remembering Eagles Halfback Mike Basca

Another old-time Eagles player to remember on Memorial Day is Nick “Mike” Basca. The former halfback from Villanova played in 11 games during his lone season in Philly. He was a dual-threat as a kicker and punter.

Basca enlisted in the Army following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and was promptly shipped off to the front lines in France. He served as tank commander in the 4th Armored Division, per his Wikipedia page, and was killed four months into his tour of duty after a German tank struck his tank. He was only 26.

15 active NFL players have been killed in action during wartime, 12 during World War II, two in Vietnam and one in Afghanistan. Let us remember them today:

Cpl. MIKE BASCA (Philadelphia Eagles, died in France, 1944)

— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) May 25, 2020

The Phoenixville, PA native was honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of their “Football’s Wartime Heroes” display. He is joined by former Eagles receiver Len Supulski (killed in a plane crash in 1944) and front-office executive John O’Keefe (killed in combat in Panama Canal Zone.) Rest in peace, heroes.