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07-30-2006, 09:20 PM
The Curse of William Penn
The Plight of a City Scorned
by EaglePhil
Many sports teams and fans from many cities around the world lay claim to the existence of outrageous curses and notorious bad luck which have allegedly prevented them from experiencing championship level success in their respective leagues. These jinxes can vary dramatically in design some effecting singular individuals, others whole teams, and some can even affect entire cities. The sports fans in the region of Minnesota lay claim to a jinx of mediocrity that has prevented their franchises from procuring a championship in any major sports venue since 1991 and thrusted their teams into a seemingly endless cycle of mediocrity. While impressive it pales in comparison to the story of a city named Philadelphia and its own jinx, The Curse of William Penn.
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/images/wpenn.gif
First a little history….
William Penn (1644-1718) is best remembered as the founder of Pennsylvania and one of many famous Quaker leaders. Atop city hall in Philadelphia stands a bronze statue of William Penn. Subsequent to the construction of the statue in 1894 in memory of the regions beloved founder a tradition spread, a gentlemens agreement so to speak, that no structure would be constructed within the city limits that exceeded the height of the statue. In 1987 however a glass skyscraper was erected at One Liberty Place that exceeds the height of the statue by 397 feet. This is where the story begins.
http://www.city-data.com/cpicc/cfiles4776.jpgPrior to the construction of the building at One Liberty Place in 1987, Philadelphia sports franchises had achieved an impressive level of sporting excellence. The Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series in 1980, the Philadelphia Flyers were crowned back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions in 1974 and 1975, and the Philadelphia 76ers won the NBA Championship in 1983.
After the construction of the now infamous building Philadelphia’s sports franchises were thrust into a pattern of repeated championship failure despite a continued level of sporting excellence. The Flyers appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1987 (only 2 months after the construction of the building) and in 1997 only to lose both series. The Phillies lost the 1993 World Series in 6 games to an underdog Blue Jays team. The 76ers lost the 2001 NBA Finals in 5 games, and the Philadelphia Eagles lost 3 straight NFC Championship Games between 2001 and 2003 as well as suffering a loss in Superbowl XXXIX. The Eagles aren’t the only one of these teams to suffer losses in a conference final either. The Flyers have suffered through conference finals losses in 1989, 1995, 2000, and 2004. Check it if you must, no city with 4 major sports teams has gone longer without a championship than Philadelphia.
Has the city that William Penn once beloved scorned him by obstructing his view? Has the city somehow provoked the wrath of the virtuous Quaker? If so it certainly doesn’t help that the city has repeatedly dressed Penn’s statue up in hats and shirts of their sports teams. When the Flyers fought for the Stanley Cup in 1997 the city dressed Penn in a Flyers t-shirt. When the Phillies made the World Series in 1993 the city put a giant Phils cap on his head. Both teams went on to losing efforts in their attempts to bring home a championship. It is believed that the Quaker faithful would have been abruptly uncomfortable in that clothing, as a Quaker he would not do anything to draw attention to himself.
http://www.allsportsrugs.com/images/Eagles.jpgFor fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, this continuous failure has been particularly frustrating. The last time the Eagles won a league championship was in 1960, 7 years before the NFL/AFL merger. Since then they have appeared in 2 Superbowls and lost both times. Despite consistently fielding some of the best teams in the league the Eagles history books are filled with unfulfilled expectations. There isn’t a team in the NFL today who better fits the term “close but no cigar.” Many believe that the curse directly manifested itself in the Eagles 2004 Superbowl loss to the New England Patriots in which Eagles quarterback Donovan Mcnabb threw 3 interceptions after having only 8 over the span of the entire regular season.
Aside from the constant underachievement of one of the NFL’s oldest and proudest franchises, Eagles fans have also had to endure more than their fair share of controversy. For years the fans were tortured by poor ownership. First it was Leonard Tose, a trucking industry millionaire who lost his entire fortune to severe addictions to gambling and alcohol. In 1985 Tose sold the team to Norman Braman in a last ditch effort to pay off more than $25 million in gambling debts he owed to the Atlantic City casinos. With Braman came a new, cheapskate management philosophy. You see Braman was very literally a cheap used car salesman. He made his fortune as an automobile dealer in Florida. The consistent shortcomings of the teams fielded under Bramans ownership have often times been summed up as a result of Bramans refusal to spend money on the offensive side of the ball, a contributing factor to Randall Cunninghams underachievement as an Eagle quarterback. Randall Cunningham went on to enjoy a fantastic finish to his career as a Minnesota Viking. In 1994 the Eagles were sold once again, this time to Jeffrey Lurie, the current owner. Thus far into the Lurie era the Eagles have been a model of quality management and planning, but that isn’t to say there haven’t been any speed bumps along the way. Such as the allowance of head coach Ray Rhodes’ decision to bench Randall Cunningham going into the 1995 season. Despite the great success and stability the Eagles have enjoyed since Jeffrie Lurie’s acquisition of the team they have yet to shake the jinx of underachievement.
http://www.bestsportsphotos.com/images/cunningham-randall-phe-1.jpgThe degree of that underachievement has varied over the years but has consistently existed. Beginning in 1988 the Eagles made the playoffs 3 straight years fielding fantastic teams under head coach Buddy Ryan. In those 3 years they failed to win a single playoff game despite fielding championship level talent. The most infamous loss during that stretch was the 1988 playoff game versus the Chicago Bears known as “the fog bowl” on a day where a strange thick fog covered soldier field and heavily disrupted the Eagles game plan. In 1991 another great Eagles team loaded with talent failed to make the playoffs despite a 10-6 finish. In 1992 the Eagles went back to the playoffs with an 11-5 record only to suffer a loss to a Dallas Cowboys team who would go on to win 3 of the next 4 superbowls. The team then fell on their face for the next couple of seasons before rebounding to a 10-6 record and a wild card berth in the playoffs in 1995 under new coach Ray Rhodes. Once again the team would fall in the 2nd round to the superbowl bound Dallas Cowboys. The 1996 season followed an all-too-familiar pattern, a 10-6 finish and an early departure from the playoffs at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers this time. Subsequently the team would fall apart after that season and would not rebound until the Andy Reid and Donovan Mcnabb era began in 1999. The flirtation with greatness continued after that and as usual the Eagles just weren’t quite good enough. Close but no cigar.
Curses, jinxes, bad luck, whatever the case may be one thing is for certain, Eagles fans have fortitude. They have been flirted with to the point of harassment and they keep coming back for more. Nothing will keep them down and even though at times they can seem overzealous, abrasive and downright dirty you would be hard pressed to find a more faithful following given the circumstances. The only question remaining is, how much longer can William Penn hold a grudge?
We will break through eventually!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/65/Mcnabbtitle.jpg/250px-Mcnabbtitle.jpg
The Plight of a City Scorned
by EaglePhil
Many sports teams and fans from many cities around the world lay claim to the existence of outrageous curses and notorious bad luck which have allegedly prevented them from experiencing championship level success in their respective leagues. These jinxes can vary dramatically in design some effecting singular individuals, others whole teams, and some can even affect entire cities. The sports fans in the region of Minnesota lay claim to a jinx of mediocrity that has prevented their franchises from procuring a championship in any major sports venue since 1991 and thrusted their teams into a seemingly endless cycle of mediocrity. While impressive it pales in comparison to the story of a city named Philadelphia and its own jinx, The Curse of William Penn.
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/images/wpenn.gif
First a little history….
William Penn (1644-1718) is best remembered as the founder of Pennsylvania and one of many famous Quaker leaders. Atop city hall in Philadelphia stands a bronze statue of William Penn. Subsequent to the construction of the statue in 1894 in memory of the regions beloved founder a tradition spread, a gentlemens agreement so to speak, that no structure would be constructed within the city limits that exceeded the height of the statue. In 1987 however a glass skyscraper was erected at One Liberty Place that exceeds the height of the statue by 397 feet. This is where the story begins.
http://www.city-data.com/cpicc/cfiles4776.jpgPrior to the construction of the building at One Liberty Place in 1987, Philadelphia sports franchises had achieved an impressive level of sporting excellence. The Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series in 1980, the Philadelphia Flyers were crowned back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions in 1974 and 1975, and the Philadelphia 76ers won the NBA Championship in 1983.
After the construction of the now infamous building Philadelphia’s sports franchises were thrust into a pattern of repeated championship failure despite a continued level of sporting excellence. The Flyers appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1987 (only 2 months after the construction of the building) and in 1997 only to lose both series. The Phillies lost the 1993 World Series in 6 games to an underdog Blue Jays team. The 76ers lost the 2001 NBA Finals in 5 games, and the Philadelphia Eagles lost 3 straight NFC Championship Games between 2001 and 2003 as well as suffering a loss in Superbowl XXXIX. The Eagles aren’t the only one of these teams to suffer losses in a conference final either. The Flyers have suffered through conference finals losses in 1989, 1995, 2000, and 2004. Check it if you must, no city with 4 major sports teams has gone longer without a championship than Philadelphia.
Has the city that William Penn once beloved scorned him by obstructing his view? Has the city somehow provoked the wrath of the virtuous Quaker? If so it certainly doesn’t help that the city has repeatedly dressed Penn’s statue up in hats and shirts of their sports teams. When the Flyers fought for the Stanley Cup in 1997 the city dressed Penn in a Flyers t-shirt. When the Phillies made the World Series in 1993 the city put a giant Phils cap on his head. Both teams went on to losing efforts in their attempts to bring home a championship. It is believed that the Quaker faithful would have been abruptly uncomfortable in that clothing, as a Quaker he would not do anything to draw attention to himself.
http://www.allsportsrugs.com/images/Eagles.jpgFor fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, this continuous failure has been particularly frustrating. The last time the Eagles won a league championship was in 1960, 7 years before the NFL/AFL merger. Since then they have appeared in 2 Superbowls and lost both times. Despite consistently fielding some of the best teams in the league the Eagles history books are filled with unfulfilled expectations. There isn’t a team in the NFL today who better fits the term “close but no cigar.” Many believe that the curse directly manifested itself in the Eagles 2004 Superbowl loss to the New England Patriots in which Eagles quarterback Donovan Mcnabb threw 3 interceptions after having only 8 over the span of the entire regular season.
Aside from the constant underachievement of one of the NFL’s oldest and proudest franchises, Eagles fans have also had to endure more than their fair share of controversy. For years the fans were tortured by poor ownership. First it was Leonard Tose, a trucking industry millionaire who lost his entire fortune to severe addictions to gambling and alcohol. In 1985 Tose sold the team to Norman Braman in a last ditch effort to pay off more than $25 million in gambling debts he owed to the Atlantic City casinos. With Braman came a new, cheapskate management philosophy. You see Braman was very literally a cheap used car salesman. He made his fortune as an automobile dealer in Florida. The consistent shortcomings of the teams fielded under Bramans ownership have often times been summed up as a result of Bramans refusal to spend money on the offensive side of the ball, a contributing factor to Randall Cunninghams underachievement as an Eagle quarterback. Randall Cunningham went on to enjoy a fantastic finish to his career as a Minnesota Viking. In 1994 the Eagles were sold once again, this time to Jeffrey Lurie, the current owner. Thus far into the Lurie era the Eagles have been a model of quality management and planning, but that isn’t to say there haven’t been any speed bumps along the way. Such as the allowance of head coach Ray Rhodes’ decision to bench Randall Cunningham going into the 1995 season. Despite the great success and stability the Eagles have enjoyed since Jeffrie Lurie’s acquisition of the team they have yet to shake the jinx of underachievement.
http://www.bestsportsphotos.com/images/cunningham-randall-phe-1.jpgThe degree of that underachievement has varied over the years but has consistently existed. Beginning in 1988 the Eagles made the playoffs 3 straight years fielding fantastic teams under head coach Buddy Ryan. In those 3 years they failed to win a single playoff game despite fielding championship level talent. The most infamous loss during that stretch was the 1988 playoff game versus the Chicago Bears known as “the fog bowl” on a day where a strange thick fog covered soldier field and heavily disrupted the Eagles game plan. In 1991 another great Eagles team loaded with talent failed to make the playoffs despite a 10-6 finish. In 1992 the Eagles went back to the playoffs with an 11-5 record only to suffer a loss to a Dallas Cowboys team who would go on to win 3 of the next 4 superbowls. The team then fell on their face for the next couple of seasons before rebounding to a 10-6 record and a wild card berth in the playoffs in 1995 under new coach Ray Rhodes. Once again the team would fall in the 2nd round to the superbowl bound Dallas Cowboys. The 1996 season followed an all-too-familiar pattern, a 10-6 finish and an early departure from the playoffs at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers this time. Subsequently the team would fall apart after that season and would not rebound until the Andy Reid and Donovan Mcnabb era began in 1999. The flirtation with greatness continued after that and as usual the Eagles just weren’t quite good enough. Close but no cigar.
Curses, jinxes, bad luck, whatever the case may be one thing is for certain, Eagles fans have fortitude. They have been flirted with to the point of harassment and they keep coming back for more. Nothing will keep them down and even though at times they can seem overzealous, abrasive and downright dirty you would be hard pressed to find a more faithful following given the circumstances. The only question remaining is, how much longer can William Penn hold a grudge?
We will break through eventually!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/65/Mcnabbtitle.jpg/250px-Mcnabbtitle.jpg