Tag: Harold Carmichael

Washington tough guy NFL legend Pat Fischer dies at 84

A true Washington legend passes away. Pat Fischer was 84.

One of the most tenacious, fierce competitors in Redskins history has died.

Pat Fischer, longtime veteran cornerback for the Washington Redskins, died Tuesday morning, October 8, 2024, at the age of 84.

Being physically disadvantaged did not stop Fischer from becoming one of the more consistent corners in the NFL in his era. What he lacked in size and strength, Fisher matched in grit, intensity, and aggressive play.

He was deservedly voted one of the 70 Greatest Redskins in 2002 and is a member of the Redskins/Commanders Ring of Fame.

Though only 5-foot-9 and weighing 170 pounds, Fischer did not back down in his approach to going up against such top physical talents as Harold Carmichael of the Philadelphia Eagles. Being in the same division meant the 5-foot-9 Fischer would do battle not once but twice each season against the 6-foot-8, 225-pound Carmichael.

Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1961 NFL draft (232 overall), Fischer accomplished an incredible 1964 season. He intercepted ten passes, returning two for touchdowns, leading the NFL. Thus, he was awarded All-Pro 1st team for his spectacular season.

Fischer would also be a Pro Bowler again in the 1965 season (Cardinals) and the 1969 season (Redskins). For a man who repeatedly had to face pulling guards outweighing him by 70-100 pounds, it remains a remarkable accomplishment that Fischer lasted as long as he did and was good enough to be a primary starting corner for 15 years in the NFL.

Even more, not only was Fischer a starting corner, but how he remained healthy enough to start all 14 games in 14 of his 17 NFL seasons is a testimony to his fitness and his discipline in his approach to the game.

Fischer is a member of the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame for his exploits as a receiver and returner. Fischer played in 213 NFL games and collected 56 career NFL interceptions, returning four for touchdowns.

Former Redskins head coach George Allen absolutely loved Pat Fischer, saying, “Pat Fischer showed that size and speed is not necessarily the number one requisite for a football player. He never missed a practice, never missed a game, played a 110 percent, was as tough as nails, loved the game, tremendous competitor.”

Video of Pat Fischer’s career highlights

Fischer was born in St Edward, Nebraska, on Jan. 2, 1940. He is survived by two children and six grandchildren.

The closing of his obituary reads:

A public visitation will be held at Loudoun Funeral Chapel located at 158 Catoctin Circle SE, Leesburg, VA 20175 on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, from 5 – 8PM.

The family invites friends and fans to celebrate Pat’s life and legacy by attending his funeral services. A funeral mass will be held at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church located at 55 Oakcrest Manor Dr NE Leesburg, VA 20176 on Wednesday, October 16 at 10am. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to 37GivesBack in his memory – https://bit.ly/37GivesBack

 

You have $15, build the best offensive unit in Eagles’ history

Can you build the greatest Philadelphia offense of all time? With a $15 budget, try to assemble the best QB, WR, RB, TE combination in Eagles history

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Philadelphia has had some all-time great offensive players, but what five players at multiple positions could give fans a dynamic unit on offense?

The Bird’s official Twitter account created a frenzy when they asked fans to build the ultimate roster.

The goal is to create the ultimate Eagles offensive unit with a $15 budget. Your team must consist of a quarterback, two wide receivers, a running back, and a tight end or fullback.

Which trio of Eagles’ greats would you pick to build an all-time wide receiver core?

Philadelphia has had some elite pass catchers over the years and the Eagles twitter page is asking fans to pick a core group of three franchise greats to make the ultimate trio

Since its inception in 1933, Philadelphia has had some top pass catchers in the sport’s history.

Two of the 11 Hall of Famers linked to the franchise were wide receivers.

It could be challenging to determine who was the best.

Still, the Eagles official Twitter page asked the question on Saturday, looking to make an all-time trio made of some of the top players in franchise history.

We looked at 13 all-time greats, including two that have joined the franchise within the past two years.

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Live blog of Eagles legend Harold Carmichael getting inducted

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Live blog of Harold Carmichael getting inducted in Canton

Two classes of the NFL’s all-time greats are set to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall Fame on Saturday and Sunday, with one former Eagles great finally getting his chance after a 30-year wait.

Philadelphia’s Harold Carmichael will be inducted as part of the Centennial Class and the former seventh-round pick out of Southern University will join an elite class of wide receivers.

One of the NFL’s first big-bodied wide receivers, Carmichael logged 476 catches and 70 touchdowns and averaged 15.5 yards per catch from 1973 to 1981.

With Carmichael set to be inducted, follow along with the Eagles Wire live blog for updates and highlights.

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https://twitter.com/i/lists/1028750008189890560

Watch: Harold Carmichael receives his Gold Jacket at the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Watch: Harold Carmichael receives his Gold Jacket at the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Harold Carmichael made it cool for big guys to play the wide receiver position, and on Saturday night, he’ll e enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a more than three-decade wait.

A seventh-round pick out of Southern University by the Eagles in the 1971 NFL draft, Carmichael played in Philadelphia from 1971-1983, setting the record for consecutive games with a catch, while parlaying that success into his 2020-2021 Hall of Fame induction.

The Eagles’ all-time leader in career receptions (589), receiving yards (5,879), and receiving touchdowns (79), Carmichael initially walked on at Southern University, playing three sports.

A versatile athlete, Carmichael played on the basketball team as a center and threw the javelin and discus for the track and field team. A four-year starter in football, the Eagles legend likely would have been a Travis Kelce, Darren Waller style tight end in today’s game.

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Who are the 29 wide receivers that are Pro Football Hall of Famers?

Isaac Bruce and Harold Carmichael will join 27 wide receivers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Harold Carmichael and Isaac Bruce will enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August. The former Philadelphia Eagles great and St. Louis Rams star will become the 28th and 29th wide receivers to be honored with a place in Canton, OH. The Hall site draws a distinction, interestingly, between wide receivers and ends. There were seven “ends,” who played prior to 1945, that wound up in Canton.

Lance Alworth

 Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

In 11 pro seasons, Alworth caught 542 passes for 10,266 yards and 85 touchdowns. During his nine seasons with the Chargers, “Bambi” averaged more than 50 catches and 1,000 yards per season. He was named All-AFL from 1963-69 and played in the league’s last seven All-Star games. He caught at least one pass in every AFL game he played, including a then-record 96 straight regular-season games.

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Drew Pearson should have been named to Pro Football Hall of Fame

Former Dallas Cowboy great Drew Pearson was snubbed by the Pro Football HOF. The wideout belongs in Canton.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame opened its doors to a massive class Tuesday. The building in Canton is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the NFL and  announced of 13 more members of Centennial Slate for the Class of 2020 to go along with former Steelers coach Bill Cowher and former Cowboys and Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson. The names can be found here.

“This was the most thorough vetting of candidates in the Hall’s history and it needed to be. Our charge was to scour 100 years of professional football and find the most deserving candidates who have slipped through the cracks,”  veteran Hall of Fame Selector Rick Gosselin said on the PFHOF site. “All 38 finalists for the Centennial Slate were Hall of Fame worthy but we could only choose 15. I am proud to be a part of this process that honors these men who shaped the NFL in its first century.”

One person who would disagree — vehemently — and has slipped through the cracks, again, is former Cowboys wideout Drew Pearson. He was crushed.

“This hurts. They broke my heart. They broke my heart.” Pearson said. “And they did it like this. They strung it out like this.”

A player in the class who can be compared to Pearson is a player he faced numerous times as a rival, Harold Carmichael of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Carmichael was a four-time Pro Bowler, who led the NFL in receiving and yardage in 1973. He was on the 1970s All-Decade team and finished his career with 590 catches for 8,985 yards and 79 touchdowns. Carmichael also played in seven playoff games with 29 grabs and six TDs. He played 14 seasons, finishing his career as a Cowboy.

Pearson, meanwhile, played 11 seasons, all with Dallas. He had 489 catches for 7,822 yards with 48 TDs. Pearson was also on the All-Decade team for the ’70s, was a three-time Pro Bowler and was part of the Super Bowl XII champs, scoring a TD in the game. Pearson played in 22 playoff games with 68 catches for 1,131 yards and eight TDs.

Carmichael played on Eagles teams that were subpar for much of the early part of his NFL career while Pearson delivered on the biggest stages, over and over.

Pearson caught the Hail Mary reception from Roger Staubach that sealed the victory over the Vikings in a 1975 playoff game, one of the most famous plays in NFL history. He also caught the game-sealing touchdown in 1973 playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams and the game-winning touchdown pass from reserve quarterback Clint Longley in the 1974 Thanksgiving game against the Washington Redskins. All three of those plays were named among the Top 75 plays in NFL history by NFL Films in 1994. Pearson figured prominently in a fourth play on that list, throwing the final block to clear Tony Dorsett’s path to the end zone on his 99-yard touchdown run in 1983. In addition in the 1980 playoff game at Atlanta, Pearson’s clutch receptions helped win that game in a comeback by the Cowboys.

That’s impressive. And it is easy to understand how disappointed he was not to be named to Canton. While Carmichael played longer — and is deserving — Pearson’s body of work is every bit as Hall of Fame worthy. His years and stats may have been lesser but the historic plays he was part of have to count for something.

You can’t please everyone when it comes to the any Hall of Fame. Snubbing Drew Pearson feels like one the voters fumbled. Badly.

Eagles’ legendary WR Harold Carmichael selected to Pro Football Hall of Fame

Harold Carmichael selected to Pro Football Hall of Fame

The long wait is finally over for Harold Carmichael, as the Eagles legendary wide receiver now has a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Carmichael caught 589 passes for 8,978 yards and 79 total touchdowns in 13 years with the team Eagles. Considering the time period, he played in, Carmichael might put up Michael Thomas style numbers if he played today.

Carmichael will enter the Hall as a member of the NFL’s Centennial Slate of inductees, an expanded class of 20 new members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, celebrating the league’s 100th season celebration.

Best bets for which Pro Football Hall of Fame centennial finalists will be enshrined

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s special Centennial Class of 2020 will be announced Jan. 15 but the 38 finalists for induction have been revealed. As per the HOF’s official web site release: A special Blue-Ribbon Panel comprised of many members of …

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s special Centennial Class of 2020 will be announced Jan. 15 but the 38 finalists for induction have been revealed. As per the HOF’s official web site release:

A special Blue-Ribbon Panel comprised of many members of the overall Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee, Hall of Famers, coaches, football executives and several leading historians has scrutinized the merits of nearly 300 candidates nominated for consideration as part of the Hall’s special Centennial Class of 2020. The finalists will be deliberated by the Blue-Ribbon Panel in January from which 10 Seniors, three (3) Contributors and two (2) Coaches will be elected to the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2020. The remainder of the one-time 20-person Class of 2020 will include five Modern-Era Players who will be elected from 15 finalists by the full Selection Committee on “Selection Saturday,” the eve of Super Bowl LIV in Miami.

So, with that in mind, here are our next best guesses — former coaches turned analysts, Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson, have already been announced as in — for the sweet Centennial Class enshrinees.

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