Eagles-Packers rematch with link to Penn's Franklin Field

In anticipation of today's Eagles-Packers NFC wildcard playoff game in Philadelphia, the New York Times ran an interesting piece (which happens to be quite Penn-centric) on Thursday about the 50-year anniversary of the Eagles-Packers NFL Championship Game. According to the article, the game was moved from Sunday December 25, 1960 to the 26th "given the belief ... that Christmas should be a day for devotion and family, not sports." As the article notes, things are quite different with regard to that nowadays (see: NBA).

But anyway, the game for all the marbles took place on Penn's own Franklin Field and the Eagles, who defeated "The Pack," 17-13, (Coach Vince Lombardi's only playoff loss), were led by center — and linebacker — Chuck Bednarik (center, no.60, pictured below after the game). The Hall of Famer, as many may know, began his collegiate football career here at Penn in 1945 after serving a few highly distinguished years in the military during WWII. And it was Bednarik who recorded a shared tackle to end the game. Side note: Bednarik's own story, including his military service, is very intriguing — see this short clip from a documentary.

Also, for those looking to learn more about Franklin Field, the DP's Sebastian Stockman wrote this quite informative piece on Franklin Field's history back in 2001, which features some quotes from the legendary Bednarik himself.

So with that dose of history, enjoy the game today and impress your friends with some Penn trivia related to the matchup.