Talk about being able to reminisce about the Eagles' history, the good 'ol days if you will. Bill Mackrides' association with the team started not too long after its history began. In 1939, six years after the Eagles were born, the 14-year-old did anything and everything he was asked to do as an assistant at Philadelphia's training camp in West Chester.

"(Team owner and head coach) Bert Bell was running it and he had Davey O'Brien as his quarterback," says Mackrides. "It was just about the time that they started throwing a lot. And when I say a lot, not like they do today, but compared to what they did prior to his coming to the Eagles."

Following a standout career as a quarterback at West Philadelphia High School and at the University of Nevada-Reno, Mackrides returned to Eagles' training camp in 1947 as the team's second-round draft choice where he'd play under Bell's coaching successor, Greasy Neale.

"He was like a grandfather for the team. In other words, he was critical, he pushed you, but underneath it all, you'd know that he was there for you," Mackrides said. "And lots of times when we were out practicing, people would be on the sidelines listening to him screaming and yelling and they'd say, 'How can you play for somebody like that?' But we took it for what it was. We knew that he wasn't that kind of a person. He was a good guy and a good coach.

"I think his greatest contribution was his defense, which in part is still being used by all of the teams. When they have four deep backs, a 4-3-4, they adopted that from his defense. Nobody used that before him. All of it all evolved from Greasy Neale."

After compiling a 9-2-1 record in 1948, the Eagles' 7-0 victory over the Chicago Cardinals in the NFL Championship Game evolved from Neale's leadership, as well. And even though Mackrides was behind Tommy Thompson on the depth chart, he actually began contributing to the title the previous season as a rookie.

"I watched the game film and saw that when Steve Van Buren ran off-tackle, the guy that was always making the tackle because they blocked everybody else was the defensive halfback," Mackrides explained. "So I thought why not have him fake the off-tackle and have the right end run a corner (pattern) while this guy was coming up? Steve was such a force that every time they saw him running everybody converged on the hole. I told Al Sherman, another quarterback that was with the team, because I was afraid to go up to the coach and try to tell him what to do. So Al told Greasy about putting a play like that in. And it worked. Pete Pihos got a lot of touchdowns off of that play."

While Pihos and his teammates scored fewer touchdowns the following season, the Eagles lost only one game thanks in large part to the defense which allowed an average of only 11 points per game. Philadelphia won its second straight NFL championship by beating the Los Angeles Rams in the title game, 14-0, becoming the only team to win back-to-back titles by shutting out their opponents.

"We were good in '48, but we were even better in '49," said Mackrides. "And I've got to tell you, Joe Muha, our fullback, punted for us, he kicked off and he played linebacker. We were known for the 'Eagle Defense' in '48, '49 and '50, but he probably made at least a third of all the tackles and never got the credit that he deserved. He was just outstanding. But in any event, a lot of the teams weren't used to that defense. They didn't know how to work against it."

Throughout most of his five seasons with the Eagles, Mackrides knew he'd have to work alongside Thompson, the veteran quarterback. And while they were cordial, they weren't exactly pals.

"It wasn't that we were enemies by any means, but I think Tommy was always looking over his shoulder," Mackrides said. "When I came up, I was 10 years younger than almost all of the team members. I was 22 and Tommy was about 33. Most of the other starters were in their 30s. We got along all right, but he had his group and I had my group."

Some of the more vocal members of Mackrides' group sat in the bleachers during Philadelphia's home games. Much like today, the backup quarterback is one of the more popular players among the fans. It also didn't hurt that he was a native son.

"There was a large section in the stands that would yell, 'Put Mackrides in! Put Mackrides in!' I'm sure (Thompson) heard that. He didn't particularly like it. But Greasy was deaf and he couldn't hear it," laughed Mackrides. "Generally, unless the quarterback is having a super day, they're going to ask for somebody else."

This season marks the 60th anniversary of the Eagles' first NFL championship. And while Mackrides says that the game has basically remained the same, there have been, well, let's say adjustments, along the way.

"We were out of leather helmets by then, but we didn't have any facemasks," Mackrides said. "I remember when I first went into the locker room for practice, I saw people putting their dentures up in their lockers. And I said, 'Oh, oh! This is not good.' As a quarterback, they're coming at you from all angles and they could hit you anytime except when the whistle blew. Even when you handed the ball off, you got hit. You were hit all the time!"

He continued: "The defenses today are much faster, much bigger. The offenses are bigger and faster and they have the wherewithal to change plays on the line of scrimmage. It's just so much more than what we had. We had one audible. If we called a state that meant that whoever was flank would run a hook. We didn't use it that often, but when we did, honestly, it worked almost every time."

Following his football career, Mackrides returned to college and earned a doctorate from the University of New Mexico. He then taught math and English at Springfield [Pa.] High School for 15 years before becoming a counselor for the next 11. He was also the school's football coach.

Mackrides and his wife, Louise, are now enjoying their retirement, splitting time between homes in suburban Philadelphia and Florida. They have three sons: Chip, Michael and Brian; a daughter, Joyce; and 12 grandchildren.