Philadelphia Eagles running Saquon Barkley needs one measly yard to cross the 1,500-yard milestone for the first time in his seven-year NFL career. His 2024 campaign is already third-best in Eagles history with four games remaining. Barkley’s 1499 rushing yards sit behind Wilbert Montgomery (1,512 in 1979) and LeSean McCoy (1,607 in 2013). The 27-year-old running back needs 108 rushing yards to set a new rushing record for the nearly century-old Philadelphia franchise.
Even with Jalen Hurts stealing touchdown runs inside the 5-yard line, Barkley has still tied a career-high with 11 TDs through Week 13 of the NFL season, placing third in the NFL behind Hurts (12) and Derrick Henry (13). This season, Barkley’s greatness on the gridiron has a Philadelphia running back in the MVP conversation for only the second time in NFL history.
The AP NFL Most Valuable Player Award Since 1957
The official award for the Most Valuable Player in the NFL has been handed out since 1936 and was first won by a fullback for the Detroit Lions, Joe. F. Carter. The Associated Press, or AP, has been responsible for deciding the award’s winner since 1957. The vote occurs following the end of the regular season and is typically one of the few things handed to a quarterback in football. QBs have claimed 47 of the 68 awards, representing a 69% win rate over the last seven decades. Running backs have won the award 18 times, or 26% of winners.
The remaining 5% of NFL MVPs include a defensive tackle (Alan Page—1971), a linebacker (Lawrence Thoams—1986), and a kicker (Mark Moseley – 1982). While he did not secure enough votes to win, Ray Guy, a Hall of Fame punter, received votes for MVP following the 1977 NFL season. Wide receiver Jerry Rice received at least one vote for Most Valuable Player six times between 1986 and 1995. Rice was beaten out in the voting process in three of those six seasons by his own San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks, Joe Montana and Steve Young.
The voters have not been very kind to Philadelphia athletes, with only one winner from the City of Brotherly Love and several close calls at the award over the decades. Eagles legends like Donovan McNabb, Harold Carmichael, and Seth Joyner were all among the names that can say they were considered for MVP. However, only one Eagles player was honored with the Most Valuable Player award in the franchise’s 92-year history.
Eagles Only MVP Season
That’s right! In almost a century of Eagles football in Philadelphia, the Eagles can claim only one MVP selection. This legendary Eagles QB was only the third player to claim the award behind Cleveland Browns legend Jim Brown (1957 & 1958) and Baltimore Colts icon Johnny Unitas (1959).
Before Eagles Quarterback Norm Van Brocklin led the 1960 Eagles squad to the NFL Championship, the Hall-of-Fame quarterback claimed the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award in the final season of his career following a 10-2 regular season. The 34-year-old signal caller completed 153-of-284 passes for a 54% completion rate, totaling 2,471 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. Detroit Lions Hall-of-Famer linebacker Joe Schmidt finished second in the voting.
Van Brocklin finished his final three seasons in the NFL in Philly after spending the first nine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams between 1949 and 1957. His first few seasons saw him split duties with another Hall of Fame signal-caller, Bob Waterfield. Van Brocklin won the NFL’s passing title twice in three years (1950 and 1952) despite only playing half of the snaps for the Rams. The Eagles acquired the disgruntled quarterback in 1958 for Buck Lansford, Jimmy Harris, and a first-round draft pick. Van Brocklin brought Philadelphia its first football title in over a decade since the back-to-back NFL Champions in 1948 and 1949.
Tight End Pete Retzlaff Made an Impact in 1965 and Beyond
Over 60 years have passed since Van Brocklin was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player by the sports media. While the names mentioned moving forward didn’t win top honors, the Eagles athletes who have had MVP-caliber seasons are worth mentioning.
In 1965, Eagles Tight End Pete Retzlaff amassed 1,190 yards on 66 receptions to secure one MVP vote following the season. Jim Brown won the award for the third time in 1965. Retzlaff reached the Pro Bowl five times during his 11-year NFL career. “Pete was proud to have played his entire career in Philadelphia,” Retlaff’s family said after the player’s passing in 2020. “Pete set lofty goals for himself. He believed in hard work, honesty, and always giving 100 percent effort.”
Perhaps more importantly to NFL history, Retzlaff was a critical cog in forming the player’s union, The NFL Player’s Association (NFLPA), and served as the union president during the final years of his playing career. He may have even caused himself some future headaches. After his NFL playing days, Retzlaff spent three seasons as Eagles general manager between 1969 and 1972.
A Pair of Birds in 1979’s MVP Race
While neither player had a shot at running back Earl Cambell’s 34 winning votes for the 1979 AP NFL MVP Award, wide receiver Harold Charmichael and running back Wilbert Montgomery received votes at the end of Philadelphia’s 1979 season. The Eagles finished the season at 11-5 with a playoff exit to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional playoffs.
Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Harold Carmichael received two votes for Most Valuable Player in his 30-year-old season, his ninth out of 13 years in Midnight Green. Carmichael had 52 receptions for 872 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns for Philadelphia in 1979. Carmichael was selected to his third Pro Bowl and was a second-team All-Pro for the only time in his career.
Eagles running back Wilbert Montegomery garnered a solo vote for MVP at the end of the 1979 Eagles season. Incredibly, this is the only season that an Eagles running back is in the conversation for an MVP award in the team’s history. Montgomery completed 1979 with a career-high 1,512 yards on the ground and a combined 2,006 yards from scrimmage. Like Carmichael, Montgomery was selected to the All-Pro Second team and the Pro Bowl.
Ron Jaworski’s 1980 Season Receives Praise
Houston’s running back, Campbell, could not repeat his 1979 MVP title the following season as he lost out to Quarterback Brian Sipe from Cleveland. The Browns signal-caller finished the season with over 4,100 passing yards and 30 touchdowns to deny the running back’s repeat bid.
Eagles Quarterback Ron Jaworski finished third in voting for MVP with 4 votes behind Sipe (47) and Campbell (22). Jaworski led the Eagles to a 12-4 record behind a career-best 3,529 yards and 27 touchdowns. “Jaws” and the Eagles made the journey to Super Bowl XV. Philly fell short to the Oakland Raiders, 27-10, in a game that never felt competitive after a 14-point opening quarter for the AFC representative with the giant eyepatch.
In part two of our series, we will pick up where we left off with several more Philly quarterbacks, such as Randall Cunningham and Jalen Hurts, as they compete for the NFL Most Valuable Player award between 1989 and 2024.
Related: The Eagles are on-pace to make rushing history, but unsung heroes are making it possible
Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
