The Philadelphia Eagles, one of the most famous NFL teams, have won one Super Bowl and four NFL championships. They have played in the playoffs 31 times and won 16 division titles, with their fame getting them a substantial spot in NFL history. However, we can’t credit all of the team’s popularity with the famous coaches and quarterbacks they’ve had throughout the years.
The team’s iconic logo, showing an eagle with the legendary green team color, represents the team and has made it stand out in the franchise. Although you might be familiar with this logo if you’ve been following the NFL for the past few decades, it is one of the oldest franchises in NFL history and has been around since the early 1930s. As can be expected, a team with such a long history has undergone many changes.
As the team itself, the emblem has taken a long journey from its starting point to evolve into the design we associate with the team today.
We’re approaching a century since the start of the Philadelphia Eagles, and as such, we thought it was only right to celebrate by looking at how far the team’s emblem has come. Let’s take a trip throughout the history of the Philadelphia Eagles logo, from its first inception to where it is today.
1933––1935: The First Logo
The first logo was created in 1933 when Bert Bell and Lud Wray were given a franchise. Bell and Wray settled on the Eagles as their team’s name and, as such, knew that they had to have a logo that reflected the name. They decided to draw inspiration from the National Recovery Administration for their logo. The first Eagle’s logo was detailed, featuring an eagle with its wings held high. It appeared to be in the air, and in its talons, it was holding a football in the same color.
The key to the design was in the color choice and detail; the design showed every feather and texture of the football in great detail. The design appeared almost like a painting, with every majestic detail shown prominently. This first logo was an excellent introduction to the team and its character. Although the eagle’s logo has been prominently blue its whole life, it first started out blue.
1936–1942: A Change in Color
The team’s first logo lasted only two years before they decided it was time for another change. This was when the team made the shift to using green for their branding instead of blue. As a professional team, they hadn’t been off on the right foot.
They lost their first game ever 56––0 against the New York Giants. Perhaps it was the rocky start or the financial difficulty that the team was experiencing during the 1930s, but Burt Bell decided it was time for a color change.
The logo was now green, and some detail was removed to make the design appear sleeker. Although the concept of the logo was the same, the color and the level of detail were changed to create a fresh logo.
1943–1944: A Redesign
The previous logo stayed with the team for six years before they decided it was time for another change. This time, the team took a dip from their previous design, this time launching an eagle in black as their emblem. This logo change came with an even more significant change that happened to the team at the time.
America entered World War II during this period, and after the Pearl Harbor Attack, there was a shortage of players for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers due to the need for soldiers to fight. As a result, the two teams formed a temporary merger to have enough players.
Although the official name is “Phil-Pitt Combine,” the fans fondly nicknamed the team “Steagles.” The logo for this team was harsh and vague, a change from the Eagle’s previous logos. Although the logo still used an eagle, this time it was in black and was holding what looked like some kind of a helmet in his talons.
1944–1947: Back to Green
After a year, the Eagles once again became the Eagles, and as such, they shifted their logo back to their own colors and original design.
However, they made some adjustments to their previous design before the merger.
Although the team kept the original concept with a logo holding a football in its talons, the lifelike feather detailing was gone, and the football was significantly smaller this time.
The eagle still appeared to be landing, and this time, it was shown in green and more abstract. There was less detail, and the design was sleeker, with the ball just being a simple block.
1948–1968: The Wings are Spread
In the late 1940s, the team made a significant switch by choosing to spread the eagle’s wings. The previous designs had been more vertical, but this time, they switched to a more horizontal approach.
This time, the eagle was still in the same green as below, but more detail was added to the feathers and the football, with a bit more white added for detail.
The eagle appeared to simply be gliding, with the wings stretched open and its talons still safely holding the football.
1969–1972: A Darker Green
The previous logo lasted two decades with the team before they decided it was time to make some small adjustments. This tornado turned out to be a fan favorite amongst the logos, mainly due to the significant shift in style that the logo remake had. This logo gave the wings a more refined, geometric shape and cleared up the edges to be sharper.
The logo color became a darker shade of green, and the football was now entirely clear, just showing the transparent white background. During this period, modernism was the trend in marketing and advertising so this logo followed right along with that current theme.
However, the actual logo and outline were the same, still keeping the spirit of the colors and the overall design associated with the team.
1973–1986: A Total Redesign
In 1973, the Eagle’s logo underwent a total redesign. For the first time, the team removed the eagle from their logo, the only remaining symbol of the bird being a wing. Now, the logo was the profile of a green football helmet.
The swooping eagle was no more, and instead, the bold football helmet was now what represented the team. The grey wing on the side of the helmet stood out boldly against the green and still represented the team.
The logo was simplistic without much detail, clearly outlined and sleek.
1987–1995: The Eagle Returns
The previous logo, although associated with the period when the Eagles were doing well on the field, didn’t last long. Ultimately, the team decided that they should embrace tradition and bring back the iconic logo that had been one of the brands since the beginning.
The experiment with removing the logo had lasted long, and this time, the team brought the eagle back, this time bolder and more detailed than ever before. The swooping eagle returned, wings outstretched and a brown football in his talons. This time, the eagle had more detail than the previous designs, with an orange beak and talons and white and green wings and the body outlined in black. This time, the eagle was facing toward the left, and the football was in brown.
1996–Present: The Logo Today
In the mid-1990s, the Eagles redesigned their logo, and this is the one that you see representing the players today. The logo still features an eagle, this time showcasing only the eagle head that was facing toward the left.
The wings were officially retired, and this time, an open beak shooting toward the left was the main feature of the design. The head is in a monochromatic color palette and has bold outlines that show the profile clearly.
The green shade is subtle, only showing a slight blue-green shade around the design.
History of Philadelphia Eagles
The history of the Philadelphia Eagles began in 1933 when it served as a replacement for the Frankford Yellow Jackets, who had gone bankrupt. Bert Bell and Lud Wray secured the rights to the Philadelphia-based NFL franchise for $2,500. 1941 was the period when a unique change occurred, and Philadelphia decided to do a swap between teams. The two teams traded home cities, and Alexis Thompson became the new team owner, which was now known as the Eagles.
Two years later, the Eagles had another big move when they combined their team with the Pittsburgh franchise due to the manpower shortage in World War II. This new team created with the combined teams was called Phil-Pitt and the Steagles. The two coaches at the time–Greasy Neale and Walt Kiesling–co-coached the team together. Shortly after this, the team split again to form two teams.
Throughout the years, the Eagles had many highs and lows, appearing in the playoffs 31 times and winning 16 division titles, 13 of the sixteen including the NFC East. The team appeared in four pre-merger NFL Championship Games, and they won 3 of these: 1948, 1949, and 1960.
The team appeared in five Super Bowls and won Super Bowls LII and LIX. To this day, the Philadelphia Eagles rank as one of the best teams in NFL history. The team has historically sold out every home game since the 1999 season. Today, the Philadelphia Eagles are owned by Jeffrey Lurie and coached by Nick Sirianni, who coached them to victory in their recent LIX Superbowl win.
Conclusion
Over the years, the Philadelphia Eagles’ logo has gone through a fascinating transformation, reflecting the team’s evolution, challenges, and triumphs. From the intricate first design in the 1930s to the bold, modern emblem we recognize today, each version tells a piece of the Eagles’ rich history.
While the colors, details, and styles have changed, the essence of the soaring eagle has remained a constant symbol of the team’s resilience and strength. As the Eagles continue to carve their legacy in the NFL, their logo will always stand as a proud representation of the team, the city, and the passionate fan base that supports them.
Check out these awesome Logo Contests run on Hatchwise:
