By Kristal Pinales
Did you know the Philadelphia Eagles and The Pittsburgh Steelers used to be one team? In the mist of World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt demanded all sports continue to play, but that was not an easy task for the NFL. The majority of the coaches and players were deployed to fight in the war. Many teams started recruiting younger players from local colleges. In 1943, Pittsburgh Steelers owner, Art Rooney and Philadelphia Eagles owner, Burt Bell, decided to combine forces in honor of Roosevelt’s orders. They put two rival teams together and called the team “The Steagles!” There was a lot of adversity the team had to overcome, including injured players, and two head coaches that could not stand one another. The only way the coaches were able to coexist was by dividing up the duties. One took on the offensive players, and the other took on the defense. Sound familiar? Recruiting young, and divvying up coaching responsibilities are team tactics that still exist today. Hardships aside, the Steagles prevailed that year and ended up with a winning 5-4-1 season. It was the first winning season for the Eagles (at the time) and only the second in franchise history for the Steelers.