1940 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1940 Philadelphia Eagles season was their eighth in the National Football League. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 1–9–1, losing ten games. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.
The Eagles 298 rushing yards in 1940 are the fewest in the history of the NFL. The team gained only 0.94 yards per carry.
Off Season
After 4 years playing at larger Philadelphia Municipal Stadium the Eagles move to Shibe Park for the 1940 seasonEagles training camp was held at West Chester State Teachers College, West Chester, Pennsylvania.
NFL Draft
The 1940 NFL Draft was held on December 9, 1939. This year again it was to have 22 rounds, with each team getting 20 picks. The weaker teams only picked in the 2nd and 4th rounds and were passed over in rounds 21 and 22.The Eagles and Pittsburgh Pirates, before being called Steelers, both finished with 1–9–1,.100 records, but the 1939 Chicago Cardinals ended up at 1–10,.091 and would get the first pick in the draft. The Eagles and Pirates would alternate picking 2nd or 3rd in each round.
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.
Schedule
Game Recaps
A recap of the scoring plays and the game scores by quarters during the year. The record after the team's name reflects this games outcome also.WEEK 1
Sunday September 15, 1940| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 20 |
| Green Bay Packers | 21 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 27 |
| SCORING PLAYS | PHIL | GB | TIME | ||
| 1st | Packers | Packers Cecil Isbell 39-yard rush | 0 | 7 | - |
| Packers | Carl Mulleneaux 6-yard pass from Cecil Isbell | 0 | 14 | - | |
| Packers | Carl Mulleneaux unknown yard pass from Cecil Isbell | 0 | 21 | - | |
| 2nd | Eagles | Dick Riffle 8-yard pass from Davey O'Brien | 6 | 21 | - |
| 3rd | Packers | Clarke Hinkle 45-yard field goal | 6 | 24 | - |
| Packers | Clarke Hinkle 45-yard field goal | 6 | 27 | - | |
| 4th | Eagles | Don Looney 31-yard interception return | 13 | 27 | - |
| Eagles | Don Looney unknown yard pass from Davey O'Brien | 20 | 27 | - |
WEEK 2
Sunday September 22, 1940| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| Cleveland Rams | 13 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 21 |
Scoring
1st Quarter Scoring Plays
- Rams – Johnny Drake 2-yard rush 0 6
- Rams – Johnny Drake unknown yard rush 0 13
- Eagles – Don Looney 10-yard pass from Davey O'Brien 7 13
- Rams – Johnny Drake 8-yard rush 7 19
- None
- Eagles – Don Looney 23-yard pass from Foster Watkins 13 19
- Rams – Safety, OBrien tackled in end zone 13 21
WEEK 3
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
| New York Giants | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Scoring
1st Quarter Scoring Plays
- Eagles – Joe Bukant 1-yard rush
- Giants – Ward Cuff 37-yard field goal
- Giants – Ward Cuff 42-yard rush
- Giants – Ward Cuff 30-yard field goal
- Giants – Jim Poole 38-yard pass from Eddie Miller
- Eagles – Dick Riffle 2-yard rush
NONE
WEEK 4
Friday, October 4, 1940| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 17 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 30 |
Scoring
1st Quarter Scoring Plays
- Eagles – John Cole 45-yard field goal
- Dodgers – Perry Schwartz unknown yard pass from Ace Parker
- Dodgers Art Jocher 2-yard pass from Dick Cassiano
- Dodgers Ralph Kercheval 24-yard field goal
- NONE
4th Quarter Scoring Plays
- Eagles Davey O'Brien 10-yard rush
- Dodgers Pug Manders 1-yard rush
- Dodgers Ace Parker 2-yard rush
WEEK 5
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| New York Giants | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 17 |
Scoring
1st and 2nd Quarter Scoring Plays
- NONE
- Giants – Eddie Miller 25-yard rush
- Giants – Ward Cuff 35-yard field goal
- Giants – Lee Shaffer 6-yard pass from Tuffy Leemans
- Eagles – Frank Emmons 1-yard rush
WEEK 6
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
| Washington Redskins | 7 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 34 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
Scoring
1st Quarter Scoring Plays
- Eagles George Somers 46-yard field goal
- Redskins Wayne Millner 41-yard pass from Sammy Baugh
- Eagles Dick Riffle 1-yard rush
- Eagles Don Looney 47-yard pass from Davey O'Brien
- Redskins Bob Masterson 52-yard pass from Sammy Baugh
- Redskins Dick Todd 29-yard pass from Sammy Baugh
- Redskins Bob Seymour 5-yard rush
- Redskins Dick Todd 2-yard rush
WEEK 7
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Scoring
1st Quarter Scoring Plays
- Dodgers – Banks McFadden 75-yard rush 7 0
- NONE
- Dodgers – Pug Manders 2-yard rush 14 0
- Eagles – Dick Riffle 4-yard rush 14 7
- Dodgers – Bill Leckonby 98-yard kickoff return 21 7
WEEK 8
This was the final game in NFL history as of in which neither team was penalized.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Scoring
1st Quarter Scoring Plays
- Eagles – George Somers 36-yard field goal 3 0
- Steelers – Coley McDonough 1-yard rush
WEEK 9
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
| Detroit Lions | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 21 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring
1st Quarter Scoring Plays
- Lions – Lloyd Cardwell 30-yard rush
- Lions – Whizzer White 7-yard rush
- Lions – Whizzer White 5-yard rush
WEEK 10
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
WEEK 11
Sunday, December 1, 1940This was the Eagles 2nd game in 3 days.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Washington Redskins | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
Scoring
1st Quarter Scoring Plays
- NONE
- Redskins – Wilbur Moore 23-yard rush
- Redskins – Dick Todd 6-yard rush
- Eagles – Frank Emmons 19-yard pass from Davey O'Brien
Standings
Playoffs
The Eagles with a 1–10–1 record finished last in the NFL Eastern Division and fail to make it to the 1940 NFL Championship Game. The game was played at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. on December 8, 1940. The Chicago Bears, with an 8–3 record, defeated the Washington Redskins, with a 9–2 record, 73–0, the most one-sided victory in NFL history. The Bears scored on 3 interception returns of Washington passes during the game.This was the first NFL title game that was broadcast nationwide on radio by Mutual Broadcasting System.
1940 Roster
Post Season
In the off season Davey O'Brien turned down a salary raise and retired from the NFL.In December 1940, owner Art Rooney sold the Steelers to Alexis Thompson and used half of the proceeds to buy a half interest in the Philadelphia Eagles from his friend Bert Bell. Before the start of the 1941 season Rooney, Bell, and Thompson swapped city and NFL rights for Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Steelers players of 1940 and before thereby became Philadelphia Eagles and the Philadelphia Eagles players of 1940 and before likewise became members of the Pittsburgh Steelers - with the exception of several players who were traded between the two teams.
Award and Honors
- Davey O'Brien leads league with 227 Pass Attempts
- Davey O'Brien leads league with 124 Pass Completions
- Davey O'Brien finishes 2nd in league with 1227 Passing Yards
- Don Looney leads league in Passes Caught with 58
- Don Looney leads league in Passing Yards with 707 yards
- Dick Bassi makes Pro All-Star team as a Left Guard
- Don Looney makes Pro All-Star team as an End