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BIOGRAPHY

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Tommy McDonald

Wide Receiver

Eagles Career: 1957-63 | Eagles Hall of Fame Induction: 1988 | Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee: 1998

"If I had 11 Tommy McDonald's on my team, I'd win a championship every year," Vince Lombardi once said. The 5-9, 176 pounder dazzled fans with acrobatic receptions for 12 seasons and finished his career ranked 6th alltime in receptions (495), 4th in yards (8410), and 2nd in TDs (84). In 1960, he registered 13 TDs for the NFL Champion Eagles. Born July 26, 1934, in Roy, NM, he starred at Oklahoma. As a senior, he won the Maxwell Award as the nation's top collegian.

YEAR-BY-YEAR

1957: After being drafted in the third round, McDonald played in 12 games as a rookie, averaging a career-high 25.3 yards per reception as he had 228 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

1958: McDonald made his first Pro Bowl, catching 29 passes for 603 yards, including a league-leading nine touchdown grabs in just 10 games.

1959: In 12 starts, McDonald had 846 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He was named second-team All-Pro.

1960: Helping the Eagles win the NFL Championship, McDonald had 801 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. In his lone postseason game, he had three catches for 90 yards and a score.

1961: His 1,144 receiving yards and 13 touchdown grabs both led the NFL as he started all 14 games.

1962: McDonald posted a career-high 1,146 receiving yards, adding 10 touchdowns, making his fifth and final Pro Bowl with the Eagles. He was also named second-team All-Pro.

1963: McDonald had 731 yards receiving yards and eight touchdown grabs in his final year with the Birds.

  • Pro Football Hall of Famer
  • 6-time Pro Bowl selection (5 with Eagles)
  • 2-time All-Pro selection
  • 1960 NFL Champion
  • Tied for No. 2 in franchise history for the most touchdown catches (13 twice) in a season
  • Eagles single-game receiving yards record with 237 (vs. Giants 12/10/61)
  • No. 4 in franchise history with 67 career touchdowns
  • No. 7 on the Eagles all-time receiving yards list with 5,499
  • No. 9 in Eagles history with 402 points scored
  • Leads the Eagles in all-time receiving average (19.2 yards per catch)

Memorable Moments: Tommy McDonald

We look back at the career of Tommy McDonald on our weekly Memorable Moments segment ...