In 1973, only the 1-13 Houston Oilers gave up more points than the 5-8-1 Eagles. The following year, not surprisingly, five of Philadelphia's first six draft choices, including Frank LeMaster, played on defense.

"Back when I was drafted we really never knew who was going to draft us or if we were going to get drafted, quite frankly," said LeMaster, a linebacker selected in the fourth round out of Kentucky. "I was just hoping, first of all, to get drafted, and when the Eagles drafted me, they asked me what I thought about going to the Eagles. I said, 'The only thing I know about the Eagles is I like their helmet.'

"I didn't know much about the Eagles at that time other than that they needed a lot of good players because they hadn't had some winning seasons."

LB Frank LeMaster

After spending most of his rookie season playing on special teams and backing up and being mentored by Steve Zabel, LeMaster moved into the starting lineup in 1975 and collected four interceptions for 133 yards and a touchdown. That trip to the end zone came in the season finale when he picked off Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann and returned the ball 89 yards to paydirt.

"That was a day where everything went right," LeMaster said. "I had a lot of tackles. I think I had a fumble recovery and I had two interceptions that day. That particular one interception, they were deep in our territory and they threw a slant-in. So I caught it and took it to the outside. (Middle linebacker) Bill Bergey and I then basically went down the sideline and he was able to throw a key block which put me into the end zone."

The following year, LeMaster and his teammates experienced a change in leadership when Dick Vermeil was named Philadelphia's new head coach.

"It was really a breath of fresh air. We had had some losing seasons in '74 and '75 and we were all welcoming the change," LeMaster said. "When he came in, he was very young and had some great ideas. We were willing to work as hard as he wanted to work to win.

"What he did his first year, he kind of weeded out guys who wanted to pay the price and guys who didn't. He really developed a nucleus of players -- 12 to 14 of us -- that he really wanted to build the team around. And then we started working. He really was good about studying the game and because of his intensity and everything, I think it was contagious.

"We just started playing smarter football. We got (quarterback Ron) Jaworski and that helped. And then the emergence of (running back) Wilbert Montgomery and (tight end) Keith Krepfle and a lot of players just started playing Pro Bowl-caliber ball.

"It really started coming together in '78, the same year we had the 'Miracle in the Meadowlands.' If we had not won that game, we would not have gone to the playoffs. But I think going to the playoffs for the first time in 13 years, that's when we turned the corner. The highlight of my career and I think a lot of other guys, was beating Dallas (in the '80 NFC Championship Game) and going to the Super Bowl."

Beating the Cowboys that January afternoon at the Vet, 20-7, the Eagles earned the right to play for a league title for the first time since the NFL Championship Game, 20 years earlier.

LB Frank LeMaster

"My adrenaline was pumping so hard I couldn't even feel my legs," said LeMaster. "Walking down that tunnel, there was an aura of confidence like I never felt before. Not only with me, but with the whole team. You could just sense it. And I knew, walking down that tunnel, that we were going to win that day. It was just a real, real powerful type of feeling."

LeMaster, who spent nine seasons playing on the Veterans Stadium turf for the Eagles, is now working with turf... as the vice president of sales for FieldTurf.

"I cover the Mid-Atlantic region, and then I also travel around the country working with pro installations and college installations," said LeMaster, who lives in Phoenixville, PA, and has three sons: Justin, 25; Brennan, 23; and Alexander, 10. "The thing that's really fun about it is that I really believe in FieldTurf and the product that we make.

"I played on the worst turf in America, the Astroturf there at Veterans Stadium. The old Astroturf, I think, quadrupled injury rates. The new turf that we've invented right now is 35 percent safer than natural grass. I think it's the best thing that has happened to sports surfaces in the last 50 years as far as performance and safety. It's just a phenomenal product. I mean, it could be a driving rain and you'd still get your footing. It's just a great turf. It doesn't deaden your legs like the old Astroturf used to.

"So, first of all, I believe in it. Second of all, what's fun about it is I kind of get to keep my hand in sports. I get to talk with coaches and athletic directors and players all over the country, so I get to keep my head in the game. And not only on these fields do people play football on them, but they play soccer and lacrosse, field hockey. They play all kinds of sports."