Getty Former Eagles legend Jerry Sisemore attends a gala event in Atlanta in 2019 on behalf of the NFL.
Jerry Sisemore is one of the greatest offensive linemen to ever play the game. He’s finally getting the recognition he deserves in Philadelphia.
The Texas native switched between right guard and right tackle for 12 seasons as a vaunted member of the Eagles’ offensive line. On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame announced that Sisemore will be enshrined into their hallowed halls in a virtual ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 68-year-old will be joined by Philly stalwarts like Rick Tocchet, David Montgomery, Bo Ryan, Cy Williams, Tim Witherspoon, Lisa Raymond and the late-great Kobe Bryant.
Sisemore, a former first-round pick (third overall) in 1973, qualified for two Pro Bowls and started on the 1980 Super Bowl team. The University of Texas product started 154 games for the Eagles from 1973 until 1984. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002 and entered the Eagles Hall of Fame in 1992.
“That’s the highest honor that the organization can place on a player, to single a player out,” Sisemore told the team’s official website. “But the real blessing was that Stan Walters and I went in together. Thank you, (then-team president) Harry Gamble. Bless your soul for making that happen.”
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Sisemore Recalls Crazy Super Bowl Week in 1980
The former Eagles great recalled then-coach Dick Vermeil running the team through two-a-day practices during Super Bowl week in 1980. To put that in perspective, NFL coaches aren’t allowed to put players through that rigorous of a schedule in training camp anymore. It was a different era and Sisemore was a different breed.
“We (arrived in New Orleans a week before the game) and had a two-hour workout. And then we had two-a-day (practices) for two days,” Sisemore told the Eagles’ website in 2015. “That’s the way Coach Vermeil approached the game. The best way to kill time is to work it to death. We took the hotel out by the airport because it was away from the distractions of Bourbon Street. So basically, we were locked down. We just sat around and thought about it for a week.”
Hall of Fame tackle Jerry Sisemore reveals a candid convo w/Dick Vermeil after Super Bowl XV: http://t.co/52ECbB51Y2 http://t.co/fpGZt6FMti
Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia ranked Sisemore No. 8 on his list of the greatest offensive linemen in Eagles’ franchise history. Sisemore didn’t miss a game from 1974 through 1981 and didn’t allow a sack during the 1980 Super Bowl run. He was sandwiched between Jon Runyan (No. 7) and Evan Mathis (No. 9). Jason Kelce narrowly edged Jason Peters out for first place, but those two can add to their legendary legacies in 2020.
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