1948 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1948 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 16th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Eagles repeated as Eastern Division champions and returned to the NFL Championship game, this time defeating the Chicago Cardinals to win their first NFL title.
| 1948 Philadelphia Eagles season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Lex Thompson |
| Head coach | Earle "Greasy" Neale |
| Home field | Shibe Park |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–2–1 |
| Division place | 1st NFL Eastern |
| Playoff finish | Won NFL Championship (vs. Cardinals) 7–0 |
Off season
The Eagles travel to New York State to hold training camp at Saranac Lake High School Field in Saranac Lake, New York, in northern New York State near Lake Placid and in the Adirondack Park. As of 2014 the building where the Eagles stayed is still a local landmark and is located on Lake Street in Saranac Lake and it is still called the Eagles Nest.
NFL draft
The 1948 NFL draft was held on December 19, 1947, five days after the end of the regular season, and nine days before the championship game was played. The Eagles finished the 1947 season with an 8–4 record. Tied with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers they picked 7th, 8th or 9th normally in the 32 rounds that they had picks.
The Washington Redskins had a lottery bonus pick at number one and chose Harry Gilmer, Back out of the University of Alabama. In the first round, the Eagles selected Clyde Scott, a running back from the University of Arkansas.
The Eagles' 26th round pick, Lou Creekmur, did not make the team but ended up becoming a Hall of Fame player for the Detroit Lions.
Many of the draft picks made by NFL teams ended up playing for teams in the rival All-America Football Conference (AAFC).
Player selections
The table shows the Eagles selections and what picks they had that were traded away and the team that ended up with that pick. It is possible the Eagles' pick ended up with this team via another team that the Eagles made a trade with. Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away.
| = Pro Bowler [1] | = Hall of Famer |
| Rd | Pick | Player | Position | School | Rd | Pick | Player | Position | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Clyde Scott | Back | Arkansas | 2 | No PICK | ||||
| 3 | 22 | Paul Campbell | Quarterback | Texas | 4 | No PICK | ||||
| 5 | 33 | Jack "Moose" Myers | Back | UCLA | 6 | 42 | Howard Duncan | Center | Ohio State | |
| 7 | 54 | Buddy Tinsley | Tackle | Baylor | 8 | 63 | Marty Wendell | Guard | Notre Dame | |
| 9 | 72 | Scott Beasle | End | Nevada-Reno | 10 | 84 | Ray Richeson | Guard | Alabama | |
| 11 | 93 | Gil Johnson | Quarterback | Southern Methodist | 12 | 102 | Bill Wyman | Tackle | Rice | |
| 13 | 114 | Jim Walthall | Back | West Virginia | 14 | 123 | Dick Kempthorn | Back | Michigan | |
| 15 | 132 | Dick Rifenburg | End | Michigan | 16 | 144 | Don Stanton | Tackle | Oregon | |
| 17 | 153 | Ralph Kohl | Tackle | Michigan | 18 | 162 | Aubrey Fowler | Back | Arkansas | |
| 19 | 174 | Rudy Krall | Back | New Mexico | 20 | 183 | Ed Claunch | Center | LSU | |
| 21 | 192 | Negley Norton | Tackle | Penn State | 22 | 204 | Lockwood Frizzell | Center | Virginia | |
| 23 | 213 | Jack Swaner | Back | California | 24 | 222 | Art Littleton | End | Pennsylvania | |
| 25 | 234 | Jim Parmer | Back | Oklahoma State | 26 | 243 | Lou Creekmur | Tackle | William & Mary | |
| 27 | 252 | Bill Stanton | End | North Carolina State | 28 | 264 | Bennie Ellender | Back | Tulane | |
| 29 | 273 | Rex Grossman | Back | Indiana | 30 | 282 | A. B. Kitchens | Tackle | Tulsa | |
| 31 | 292 | Art Statuto | Center | Notre Dame | 32 | 298 | Tom Novak | Center | Nebraska | |
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 24 | at Chicago Cardinals | L 14–21 | 0–1 | Comiskey Park | 24,159 | |
| 2 | October 3 | at Los Angeles Rams | T 28–28 | 0–1–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 24,597 | |
| 3 | October 10 | New York Giants | W 45–0 | 1–1–1 | Shibe Park | 22,804 | |
| 4 | October 17 | at Washington Redskins | W 45–0 | 2–1–1 | Griffith Stadium | 35,580 | |
| 5 | October 24 | Chicago Bears | W 12–7 | 3–1–1 | Shibe Park | 36,227 | |
| 6 | October 31 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 34–7 | 4–1–1 | Forbes Field | 32,859 | |
| 7 | November 7 | at New York Giants | W 35–14 | 5–1–1 | Polo Grounds | 24,983 | |
| 8 | November 14 | Boston Yanks | W 45–0 | 6–1–1 | Shibe Park | 22,958 | |
| 9 | November 21 | Washington Redskins | W 42–21 | 7–1–1 | Shibe Park | 36,254 | |
| 10 | November 28 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 17–0 | 8–1–1 | Shibe Park | 22,001 | |
| 11 | December 5 | at Boston Yanks | L 14–37 | 8–2–1 | Fenway Park | 9,652 | |
| 12 | December 12 | Detroit Lions | W 45–21 | 9–2–1 | Shibe Park | 15,322 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Game recaps
Week 1
Sunday, September 14, 1948
Played at Comiskey Park in Chicago
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Philadelphia Eagles (0–1) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Chicago Cardinals (1–0) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| SCORING PLAYS | PHIL | CHI C | TIME | ||
| 1st | Cardinals | Charlie Trippi 8-yard rush (Pat Harder kick) | 0 | 7 | |
| 2nd | Cardinals | Mal Kutner 30-yard pass from Paul Christman (Pat Harder kick) | 0 | 14 | |
| Eagles | Bosh Pritchard 34-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 7 | 14 | ||
| 3rd | Eagles | Pete Pihos 42-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 14 | 14 | |
| 4th | Cardinals | Mal Kutner 64-yard pass from Charlie Trippi (Pat Harder kick) | 14 | 21 | |
Week 2
Sunday, October 3, 1948
Played at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Philadelphia Eagles (0–1–1) | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
| Los Angeles Rams (1–0–1) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 28 |
| SCORING PLAYS | PHIL | LA | TIME | ||
| 1st | Eagles | Pete Pihos 40-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 7 | 0 | |
| 2nd | Eagles | Pete Pihos 36-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 14 | 0 | |
| Eagles | Neill Armstrong 13-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 21 | 0 | ||
| 3rd | Eagles | Bosh Pritchard 52-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 28 | 0 | |
| Rams | Jack Zilly 27-yard pass from Bob Waterfield (Bob Waterfield kick) | 28 | 7 | ||
| 4th | Rams | Bill Smyth 3-yard pass from Bob Waterfield (Bob Waterfield kick) | 28 | 14 | |
| Rams | Bob Hoffman 1-yard rush (Bob Waterfield kick) | 28 | 21 | ||
| Rams | Jack Zilly 20-yard pass from Bob Waterfield (Bob Waterfield kick) | 28 | 28 | ||
Week 3
Sunday, October 10, 1948
Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| New York Giants (1–2–0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Eagles (1–1–1) | 14 | 7 | 3 | 21 | 45 |
| SCORING PLAYS | NY G | PHIL | TIME | ||
| 1st | Eagles | Steve Van Buren 1-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 7 | |
| Eagles | Pete Pihos 28-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 14 | ||
| 2nd | Eagles | Eagles Ernie Steele 32-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 21 | |
| 3rd | Eagles | Cliff Patton 27-yard field goal | 0 | 24 | |
| 4th | Eagles | Tommy Thompson 1-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 31 | |
| Eagles | Ben Kish 66-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 38 | ||
| Eagles | Jim Parmer 7-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 45 | ||
Week 4
Sunday, October 17, 1948
Played at Griffith Stadium in Washington, DC
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Philadelphia Eagles (1–1–1) | 14 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
| Washington Redskins (2–2–0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SCORING PLAYS | PHIL | WASH | TIME | ||
| 1st | Eagles | Pete Pihos 19-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 7 | 0 | |
| Eagles | Steve Van Buren 1-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2nd | Eagles | Cliff Patton 23-yard field goal | 17 | 0 | |
| Eagles | Steve Van Buren 3-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 24 | 0 | ||
| 3rd | Eagles | Bosh Pritchard 32-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 31 | 0 | |
| Eagles | Steve Van Buren 7-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 38 | 0 | ||
| 4th | Eagles | Ernie Steele 4-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 45 | 0 | |
Week 5
Sunday, October 24, 1948
Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Chicago Bears (4–1–0) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Philadelphia Eagles (3–1–1) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 |
| SCORING PLAYS | CHI B | PHIL | TIME | ||
| 1st | Eagles | Steve Van Buren 8-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 7 | |
| 3rd | Bears | Ken Kavanaugh 42-yard pass from Johnny Lujack (Johnny Lujack kick) | 7 | 7 | |
| 4th | Eagles | Cliff Patton 38-yard field goal | 7 | 10 | |
| Eagles | Safety, Luckman tackled in end zone by Barnes | 7 | 12 |
Week 6
Sunday, October 31, 1948
Played at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, PA
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Philadelphia Eagles (4–1–1) | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 34 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers (2–4–0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| SCORING PLAYS | PHIL | PITT | TIME | ||
| 1st | Eagles | Cliff Patton 42-yard field goal | 3 | 7 | |
| 2nd | Steelers | Jerry Shipkey 1-yard rush (Joe Glamp kick) | 3 | 7 | |
| Eagles | Steve Van Buren 20-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 10 | 7 | ||
| Eagles | Jack Ferrante 7-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 17 | 7 | ||
| 4th | Eagles | Bosh Pritchard 55-yard punt return (Cliff Patton kick) | 24 | 7 | |
| Eagles | Cliff Patton 23-yard field goal | 27 | 7 | ||
| Eagles | Bosh Pritchard 18-yard fumble return (Cliff Patton kick) | 34 | 7 | ||
Week 7
Sunday, November 7, 1948
Played at Polo Grounds in New York, NY
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Philadelphia Eagles (5–1–1) | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| New York Giants (2–5–0) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| SCORING PLAYS | PHIL | PITT | TIME | ||
| 1st | Eagles | Pete Pihos 26-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 7 | 0 | |
| 2nd | Eagles | Pete Pihos 34-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 14 | 0 | |
| 3rd | Eagles | Steve Van Buren 6-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 21 | 0 | |
| Giants | Joe Scott 11-yard pass from Charlie Conerly (Len Younce kick) | 21 | 7 | ||
| Eagles | Bosh Pritchard 65-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 28 | 7 | ||
| 4th | Eagles | Steve Van Buren 3-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 35 | 7 | |
| Giants | John Atwood 26-yard pass from Ray Coates (Len Younce kick) | 35 | 14 | ||
Week 8
Sunday, November 14, 1948
Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
For third time in the 1948 season, and the second time playing at Shibe Park, the Eagles win a game by the score of 45–0.
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Boston Yanks (2–7–0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Eagles (6–1–1) | 3 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 45 |
| SCORING PLAYS | BOS | PHIL | TIME | ||
| 2nd | Eagles | Russ Craft 70-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 7 | |
| Eagles | Jack Ferrante 20-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 14 | ||
| Eagles | Pete Pihos 26-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 21 | ||
| Eagles | Cliff Patton 37-yard field goal | 0 | 24 | ||
| 3rd | Eagles | Bosh Pritchard 2-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 31 | |
| 4th | Eagles | Neill Armstrong 14-yard pass from Bill Mackrides (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 38 | |
| Eagles | Jim Parmer 5-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 45 |
Week 9
Sunday, November 21, 1948
Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Washington Redskins (6–3–0) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Philadelphia Eagles (7–1–1) | 14 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
| SCORING PLAYS | WASH | PHIL | TIME | ||
| 1st | Eagles | Steve Van Buren 6-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 7 | |
| Eagles | Neill Armstrong 25-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 14 | ||
| 2nd | Eagles | Jack Myers 29-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 21 | |
| Redskins | Hal Crisler 30-yard pass from Sammy Baugh (Dick Poillon kick) | 7 | 21 | ||
| Redskins | Hal Crisler 79-yard pass from Sammy Baugh (Dick Poillon kick) | 14 | 21 | ||
| 3rd | Eagles | Russ Craft 24-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 14 | 28 | |
| Eagles | Pete Pihos 19-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 14 | 35 | ||
| 4th | Redskins | Dick Poillon 93-yard fumble return (Dick Poillon kick) | 21 | 35 | |
| Eagles | Jack Ferrante 15-yard pass from Bill Mackrides (Cliff Patton kick) | 21 | 42 |
Week 10
Sunday, November 28, 1948
Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers (3–7–0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Eagles (8–1–1) | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| SCORING PLAYS | PITT | PHIL | TIME | ||
| 1st | Eagles | Eagles Bosh Pritchard 5-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 7 | |
| 2nd | Eagles | Pete Pihos 13-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 14 | |
| Eagles | Cliff Patton 31-yard field goal | 0 | 17 | ||
Week 11
Sunday, December 5, 1948
Played at Fenway Park in Boston, MA
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Philadelphia Eagles (8–2–1) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Boston Yanks (3–9–0) | 10 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 37 |
| SCORING PLAYS | PHIL | BOS | TIME | ||
| 1st | Eagles | Jack Ferrante 14-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 7 | 0 | |
| Yanks | Frank Muehlheuser 35-yard rush (Nick Scollard kick) | 7 | 7 | ||
| Yanks | Nick Scollard 35-yard field goal | 7 | 10 | ||
| 2nd | Yanks | Frank Seno 68-yard pass from Phil Slosburg (Nick Scollard kick) | 7 | 17 | |
| Yanks | Bill Chipley 38-yard interception return (Nick Scollard kick) | 7 | 24 | ||
| Eagles | Joe Muha 20-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 14 | 24 | ||
| Yanks | Joe Golding 89-yard interception return (Nick Scollard kick) | 14 | 31 | ||
| 4th | Yanks | Rudy Romboli 2-yard rush (kick failed) | 14 | 37 | |
Week 12
Sunday, December 12, 1948
Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Detroit Lions (2–10–0) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Philadelphia Eagles (9–2–1) | 3 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 45 |
| SCORING PLAYS | DET | PHIL | TIME | ||
| 1st | Eagles | Cliff Patton 23-yard field goal | 0 | 3 | |
| 2nd | Eagles | Pete Pihos 10-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 10 | |
| Eagles | Jack Ferrante 66-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 17 | ||
| Lions | Bill Dudley 4-yard pass from Clyde LeForce (Merv Pregulman kick) | 7 | 17 | ||
| 3rd | Lions | Bill Dudley 10-yard pass from Clyde LeForce (Merv Pregulman kick) | 14 | 17 | |
| Eagles | Steve Van Buren 16-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 14 | 24 | ||
| 4th | Lions | John Greene 38-yard pass from Clyde LeForce (Merv Pregulman kick) | 21 | 24 | |
| Eagles | Jack Ferrante 15-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 21 | 31 | ||
| Eagles | Jim Parmer 42-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 21 | 38 | ||
| Eagles | Jack Ferrante 23-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Cliff Patton kick) | 21 | 45 |
Standings
| NFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Philadelphia Eagles | 9 | 2 | 1 | .818 | 7–1 | 376 | 156 | W1 | |
| Washington Redskins | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 5–3 | 291 | 287 | W1 | |
| New York Giants | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 3–5 | 297 | 388 | L2 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 3–5 | 200 | 243 | L1 | |
| Boston Yanks | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 2–6 | 174 | 372 | W1 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Playoffs
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL Championship | December 19 | Chicago Cardinals | W 7–0 | 1–0 | Shibe Park | 28,864 |
NFL Championship Game
The NFL Championship game was played at Philadelphia's Shibe Park on December 19 during a blizzard. Thinking the game would not be played in the blizzard, Steve Van Buren remained home until Eagles coach Earle "Greasy" Neale called him and told him the game was still on. He had to catch 3 trolleys and walk 12 blocks in order to make the game on time.
The paid attendance for the game was 36,309 (28,864 actual), and it was scoreless until early in the fourth quarter. The Eagles recovered a fumble that set up Van Buren's five-yard touchdown at 1:05 into the fourth quarter. The Cardinals disputed that the ball or Van Buren had crossed the snow-covered goal line.
This was the Cardinals' last appearance in any NFL Championship game in the 20th century. There is said to be a curse on the football Cardinals that followed them from Chicago to St. Louis and on to Arizona.
Roster
All time List of Philadelphia Eagles players in franchise history
| = 1940 All-Star Selection[2] | = Hall of Famer |
- + After name means 1st team selection
| NO. | Player | AGE | POS | GP | GS | WT | HT | YRS | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earle "Greasy" Neale | 58 | COACH | West Virginia Wesleyan | ||||||
| Neill Armstrong | 22 | E-DB | 12 | 4 | 189 | 6–2 | 1 | Oklahoma State | |
| Walt Barnes | 30 | G | 11 | 0 | 238 | 6–1 | Rookie | LSU | |
| Russ Craft | 29 | DB-HB | 12 | 2 | 178 | 5–9 | 2 | Alabama | |
| Noble Doss | 28 | HB | 11 | 0 | 186 | 6–0 | 1 | Texas | |
| Otis Douglas | 37 | T | 5 | 0 | 224 | 6–1 | 2 | William & Mary | |
| Jack Ferrante | 32 | E-DE | 12 | 0 | 197 | 6–1 | 7 | none | |
| Mario Giannelli | 28 | MG-G | 12 | 1 | 265 | 6–0 | Rookie | Boston College | |
| John Green | 27 | DE-E | 12 | 9 | 192 | 6–1 | 1 | Tulsa | |
| Fred Hartman | 31 | T | 12 | 0 | 229 | 6–1 | 1 | Rice, and Schreiner College | |
| Dick Humbert | 30 | E-DE | 12 | 0 | 179 | 6–1 | 7 | Richmond | |
| Al Johnson | 26 | QB-P | 5 | 0 | 6–0 | Rookie | Hardin-Simmons | ||
| Bucko Kilroy | 27 | G-MG-T-DT | 12 | 12 | 243 | 6–2 | 5 | Notre Dame and Temple | |
| Ben Kish | 31 | B | 9 | 0 | 207 | 6–0 | 8 | Pittsburgh | |
| Vic Lindskog | 34 | C | 12 | 11 | 203 | 6–1 | 4 | Stanford | |
| Jay MacDowell | 29 | T-DE | 12 | 10 | 217 | 6–2 | 2 | Washington | |
| 39 | Bill Mackrides | 23 | QB | 10 | 1 | 182 | 5–11 | 1 | Nevada-Reno |
| John Magee | 25 | G | 12 | 8 | 220 | 5–10 | Rookie | La-Lafayette, and Rice | |
| Bap Manzini | 28 | C | 3 | 0 | 195 | 5–11 | 4 | St. Vincent | |
| Duke Maronic | 27 | G | 12 | 1 | 209 | 5–9 | 4 | none | |
| Pat McHugh | 29 | DB-HB | 10 | 1 | 166 | 5–11 | 1 | Georgia Tech | |
| 36 | Joe Muha | 27 | FB-LB | 11 | 11 | 205 | 6–1 | 2 | Virginia Military Institute |
| Jack Myers | 24 | FB-QB-LB | 12 | 7 | 200 | 6–2 | Rookie | UCLA | |
| Les Palmer | 25 | HB | 5 | 0 | 190 | 6–0 | Rookie | North Carolina State | |
| Jim Parmer | 22 | FB-HB | 11 | 2 | 193 | 6–0 | Rookie | Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M | |
| 65 | Cliff Patton | 25 | G-LB | 12 | 2 | 243 | 6–2 | 2 | TCU |
| 35 | Pete Pihos | 25 | E-DE | 12 | 11 | 210 | 6–1 | 1 | Indiana |
| Hal Prescott | 28 | E | 11 | 0 | 199 | 6–1 | 2 | Hardin-Simmons | |
| Bosh Pritchard | 29 | HB | 12 | 9 | 164 | 5–11 | 6 | Georgia Tech, and VMI | |
| George Savitsky | 24 | T | 12 | 0 | 244 | 6–2 | Rookie | Pennsylvania | |
| Vic Sears | 30 | T-DT | 12 | 2 | 223 | 6–3 | 7 | Oregon State | |
| Ernie Steele | 31 | HB-DB | 12 | 2 | 187 | 6–0 | 6 | Washington | |
| Gil Steinke | 29 | HB | 2 | 1 | 175 | 6–0 | 3 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | |
| Frank Szymanski | 25 | C | 9 | 0 | 225 | 5–11 | 3 | Notre Dame | |
| 11 | Tommy Thompson | 32 | QB | 12 | 4 | 192 | 6–1 | 8 | Tulsa |
| 15 | Steve Van Buren+ | 28 | HB | 11 | 8 | 200 | 6–0 | 4 | LSU |
| Al Wistert | 28 | T-G-DT | 12 | 12 | 214 | 6–1 | 5 | Michigan | |
| 53 | Alex Wojciechowicz | 33 | C-LB-E | 10 | 1 | 217 | 5–11 | 1 | Fordham |
| Team Totals 37 players | 28.1 | 12 | 200.0 | 6–0.4 | 3.0 |
Postseason
NFL Championship Game recap
Sunday, December 19, 1948
Played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Weather: Snow, Blizzard conditions
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Chicago Cardinals (11–2–0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Eagles (10–1–1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| SCORING PLAYS | CHI C | PHIL | TIME | ||
| 1st | Eagles | Steve Van Buren 5-yard rush (Cliff Patton kick) | 0 | 7 | 13:55 |
Attendance: 36,309 (paid), 28,864 (actual)
Awards and honors
- Tommy Thompson leads league in Passing TDs – 25[3]
- Tommy Thompson leads league in Passer Rating- PHI 98.4
- Steve Van Buren leads league in Rushing Attempts – 201
- Steve Van Buren leads league in Rushing Yards – 945
- Steve Van Buren leads league in Rushing TDs – 10
- Cliff Patton Leads League in Field Goals Made – 8
- QB Tommy Thompson, LH Steve Van Buren, RG Bucko Kilroy, RT Al Wistert, RE Pete Pihos, and P Joe Muha are named to numerous All-Pro teams at season's end [4]
Pro Football Hall of Fame members
- Alex Wojciechowicz – 1968
- Steve Van Buren – 1965
- Pete Pihos – 1970
- Greasy Neale – 1969 as coach
References
- Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.
- Players are identified as a 1940 All-Star.
- "NFL 1948 League stats, awards and more on databaseFootball.com". Archived from the original on May 28, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2011. database football league leaders for 1948 page
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1948/allpro.htm Pro Football Reference 1948 All-Pro teams page