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The Pro Football Hall of Fame submitted a list of 54 semifinalists for the Class of 2023 on Thursday. It includes 25 eligible players who last played in 1996, plus 29 “Coach and Contributors.” The list will get reduced to 24 names on July 27.
The Philadelphia Eagles are represented by linebacker Maxie Baughan who spent six seasons in green. He recorded 18.5 of his 24.5 career sacks in Philly while earning nine Pro Bowl nods during stints with the Eagles, Redskins, and Rams. Baughan was the starting right outside linebacker, playing alongside Chuck Bednarik, for the 1960 world championship team.
“It was a Cinderella year,” Baughan told the team’s website in 2020. “Bednarik wasn’t playing on defense to start with; he was just playing on offense (at center). But then (middle linebacker) Chuck Weber got hurt and he had to come over and play both ways.”
Baughan was a second-round pick out of Georgia Tech in 1960. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Eagles Hall of Fame in 2015. The 6-foot-1, 227-pounder played 12 total seasons before retiring in 1974. He finished with 18 career interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown for the Eagles in 1965.
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Philly Natives Named Semifinalists for Hall
Philadelphia saw three city residents named semifinalists for the Class of 2023: Joe Klecko, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, and Frank “Bucko” Kilroy. Klecko’s name surely rings a bell to young and old football fans. He was a member of the New York Jets’ famed “New York Sack Exchange” and his son, Dan, played for the Eagles in 2008. Joe played his college ball at Temple University and the family lived in Chester, PA.
Johnson, a native of Boothwyn, PA, enjoyed a legendary 14-year career with stops in Houston, Atlanta, and Washington. He was selected to three Pro Bowls and inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996 for his time at Widener University. His “White Shoes” nickname is an ode to his flashy end-zone celebrations. And his sense of style.
“Back in high school, a friend of mine challenged me to wear white shoes to football camp, and being young and dumb at that time, I took the bait,” Johnson told FOX Sports in 2016. “And after one of our good games, a local news reporter named Ed Gebhart gave me the name — ’Blazin’ Billy White Shoes’ — and when I went to college it stuck.”
Kilroy is a Philly native who played offensive line – mostly at right guard – for the Eagles from 1943 to 1955. He won two world championships (1948, 1949) while making three Pro Bowl appearances. The 6-foot-2, 243-pounder attended Temple University and went on to become a successful NFL executive after his playing days. Kilroy earned three Super Bowl rings as a member of the New England Patriots front office.
Otho Davis was also named a semifinalist on the “Coach and Contributor” list. He served as head athletic trainer for the Eagles from 1973 to 1995.
Eagles Celebrate 89 Years as NFL Franchise
The Eagles celebrated their 89th year as a professional football franchise on Friday. The team was founded on July 8, 1933. The ownership group, led by Hall of Famer Bert Bell, was established as a replacement franchise for the bankrupt Frankford Yellow Jackets.
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