On this day in 1933, the Philadelphia Eagles played their first NFL game. It did not go well: the New York Giants beat them 56-0 at the Polo Grounds in front of 18,000 fans.
Sixty-two years later to the day, on October 15, 1995, the Carolina Panthers won for the first time, beating the New York Jets 26-15 in Clemson, South Carolina. The two franchises meet Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles host the Panthers at 1:00 p.m. EDT on October 18.
A new team in Philadelphia
The Eagles were born in 1933 when Bert Bell and Lud Wray were granted an NFL franchise for Philadelphia, replacing the inactive Frankford Yellow Jackets for a $2,500 entrance fee. They joined the league that year along with the Pittsburgh Pirates, now the Steelers, and the Cincinnati Reds. The name came from the Blue Eagle, the symbol companies used to show they were complying with the National Industrial Recovery Act during the Depression. The first uniforms were light blue and yellow, the colors of the city flag.
The 56-0 debut
The Giants scored 21 points in the first quarter. Harry Newman threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to Hap Moran on the opening score, Bo Molenda ran for two touchdowns, Ken Strong added another, and Jack McBride threw two touchdown passes in a 21-point fourth quarter.
The Eagles gained 79 rushing yards on 35 carries and completed 5 of 22 passes. Swede Hanson went 4 of 14 for 19 yards with two interceptions. Philadelphia did not score in any quarter.
Three days later, on Wednesday, October 18, 1933, the Eagles played their first home game at the Baker Bowl and lost 25-0 to the Portsmouth Spartans before 1,750 fans. Their first win came on November 5, 6-0 at Cincinnati, and they finished 3-5-1.
Those early years stayed hard. The Eagles never won more than four games in any of their first 10 seasons. They have since won NFL championships in 1948, 1949 and 1960 and Super Bowls LII and LIX. The rivalry that began that afternoon in New York is the oldest in the NFC East; the Eagles and Giants have played in the same division every season since 1933.
Carolina’s first win
The Panthers’ first season, 1995, under coach Dom Capers began with five straight losses, the last a 31-27 defeat at Chicago. Their home games that year were played at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium because their stadium in Charlotte was still being built.
Against the Jets, in front of 52,613, the Panthers trailed 12-6 in the second quarter after linebacker Mo Lewis returned an interception 13 yards for a touchdown for New York. Panthers linebacker Sam Mills answered with a 36-yard interception return touchdown that put Carolina ahead 13-12. Vince Workman ran 5 yards for a third-quarter score, and John Kasay kicked four field goals.
The defense won the game. Jets quarterback Bubby Brister completed 17 of 41 passes for 143 yards and threw three interceptions. Rookie Kerry Collins was 14 of 26 for 158 yards for Carolina, and Derrick Moore ran 21 times for 93 yards. Afterward, players dumped Gatorade on Capers.
What it started
The win over the Jets began a four-game winning streak: 20-3 over New Orleans, 20-17 in overtime at New England and 13-7 at San Francisco against the defending Super Bowl champions. Carolina finished 7-9, the best first season by any expansion team at that time. A year later, the Panthers went 12-4 and reached the NFC Championship Game.
Both franchises took their first steps on October 15. On Sunday, their matchup is about what is happening now, with the Eagles waiting on updates for Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith as they prepare for Carolina.
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