Football History

July 9, 1933 - The Frankford Yellow Jackets are sold and renamed the Eagles as the franchise is moved to Philadelphia. According to our interview with the legendary Upton Bell on our February 25 bonus podcast in tribute to his father former NFL Commissioner Bert Bell, Upton shared that his father and mother, Broadway starlet Francis Upton, walked into a Philadelphia bankruptcy court room and walked out owning the Yellow Jackets. Upton told us that since his father lost most of his own wealth in the 1929 stock market crash, his new bride provided the funds to purchase the newly named team in the City of Brotherly Love. During a walk shortly there after they went past a sign advertising the purchase of U.S. Liberty Bonds which was a adorned with America's national bird. Bert Bell then looked at his new bride and said something to the effect, that is it! Our new team will be called the Eagles! The Bells owned the Eagles until 1940 when the famous "Pennsylvania Polka" occurred where Bert Bell and Steelers owner Art Rooney did a series of transactions where in the end Rooney and Bell were co-owners of the Steelers and the Eagles were purchased by Alexis Thompson.