1994 Philadelphia Eagles season

The 1994 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 62nd in the National Football League (NFL). On May 6, 1994, the NFL approved the transfer of majority interest in the team from Norman Braman to Jeffrey Lurie.[1] The team failed to improve upon their previous output of 8–8, winning only seven games[2] and failing to qualify for the playoffs.

1994 Philadelphia Eagles season
OwnerJeffrey Lurie
Head coachRich Kotite
Home fieldVeterans Stadium
Results
Record7–9
Division place4th NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Uniform

Rich Kotite's fate as Eagles head coach was sealed after a seven-game losing streak to end the season knocked Philly from the top of the NFC at 7–2 all the way to fourth place in the Eastern Division. One key injury was the season-ending broken leg suffered by linebacker Byron Evans, who was lost in game #10 against Cleveland.

The epitome of this collapse came on Christmas Eve at Cincinnati, when the 2–13 Bengals scored six points in the final seconds – thanks in part to the recovery of a fumbled kick return – to steal a win.

The high point of the '94 season occurred on October 2 at Candlestick Park, when the Eagles steamrolled the eventual Super Bowl winning 49ers by a 40–8 count. As of the 2023 season, this remains the single largest margin of victory over an eventual Super Bowl champion in NFL history.

Offseason

edit

NFL draft

edit

The 1994 NFL draft was held April 24–25, 1994. This was the first draft in which the rounds were reduced to seven in total.

1994 Philadelphia Eagles draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
114Bernard Williams Offensive tackleGeorgia
237Bruce Walker Defensive tackleUCLA
242Charlie Garner * Running backTennessee
377Joe Panos GuardWisconsin
3103Eric Zomalt Defensive backCalifornia
5144Marvin Goodwin Defensive backUCLA
6174Ryan McCoy LinebackerHouston
6193Mitch Berger * PunterColorado
7206Mark Montgomery Running backWisconsin
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[3]

Personnel

edit

Staff

edit
1994 Philadelphia Eagles staff

Front office


Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams coordinator – Larry Pasquale
  • Special teams assistant – Bobby Hammond

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Jim Williams

[4][5]

Roster

edit
1994 Philadelphia Eagles final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad

52 active, 5 inactive, 5 practice squad
Rookies in italics

Regular season

edit

Schedule

edit
WeekDateOpponentResultRecordKickoffNetworkAttendance
1September 4, 1994at New York GiantsL 28–230–11:00pm ETFOX76,130
2September 12, 1994Chicago BearsW 30–221–19:00pm ETABC64,890
3September 18, 1994Green Bay PackersW 13–72–11:00pm ETFOX63,922
4Bye
5October 2, 1994at San Francisco 49ersW 40–83–14:00pm ETFOX64,843
6October 9, 1994Washington RedskinsW 21–174–18:00pm ETTNT63,947
7October 16, 1994at Dallas CowboysL 24–134–24:00pm ETFOX64,703
8October 24, 1994Houston OilersW 21–65–29:00pm ETABC65,233
9October 30, 1994at Washington RedskinsW 31–296–21:00pm ETFOX53,530
10November 6, 1994Arizona CardinalsW 17–77–21:00pm ETFOX64,952
11November 13, 1994Cleveland BrownsL 26–77–31:00pm ETNBC65,233
12November 20, 1994at Arizona CardinalsL 12–67–44:00pm ETFOX62,779
13November 27, 1994at Atlanta FalconsL 28–217–51:00pm ETFOX60,008
14December 4, 1994Dallas CowboysL 31–197–61:00pm ETFOX65,974
15December 11, 1994at Pittsburgh SteelersL 14–37–71:00pm ETFOX55,474
16December 18, 1994New York GiantsL 16–137–84:00pm ETFOX64,540
17December 24, 1994at Cincinnati BengalsL 33–307–91:00pm ETFOX39,923

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

edit

Week 1

edit

Sunday, September 4, 1994 – Kickoff 1:01 PM EasternPlayed at Giants Stadium with 68F degrees and 11 MPH wind

'1st Quarter HighlightsQB Dave Brown intercepted by Mark McMillian of the Eagles.KR Jeff Snyder fumbles and the Giants recover.Giants RB Rodney Hampton 1 yard TD run. (7–0 Giants)Giants PR Dave Meggett returns punt 68 yard TD (14–0 Giants)

Week 17

edit

Saturday, December 24, 1994 Kickoff 1:00 PM Eastern

Played at Riverfront Stadium on an AstroTurf playing surface in 38F degrees with a 12 MPH wind

1234Final
Philadelphia Eagles (7–9)3177330
Cincinnati Bengals (3–13)73101333
SCORING PLAYSPHILCINTIME
1stBengalsCarl Pickens 14 yard pass from Jeff Blake (Doug Pelfrey kick)07
EaglesEddie Murray 34 yard field goal37
2ndBengalsDoug Pelfrey 18 yard field goal310
EaglesHerschel Walker 94 yard kickoff return (Eddie Murray kick)1010
EaglesJames Joseph 7 yard pass from Bubby Brister (Eddie Murray kick)1710
EaglesEddie Murray 23 yard field goal2010
3rdEaglesMike Zordich 18 yard interception return (Eddie Murray kick)2710
BengalsHarold Green 5 yard rush (Doug Pelfrey kick)2717
BengalsDoug Pelfrey 36 yard field goal2720
4thEaglesEddie Murray 35 yard field goal3020
BengalsTony McGee 8 yard pass from Jeff Blake (Doug Pelfrey kick)3027
BengalsDoug Pelfrey 22 yard field goal3030
BengalsDoug Pelfrey 54 yard field goal3033

Standings

edit
NFC East
WLTPCTPFPASTK
(2) Dallas Cowboys1240.750414248L1
New York Giants970.563279305W6
Arizona Cardinals880.500235267L1
Philadelphia Eagles790.438308308L7
Washington Redskins3130.188320412W1

Postseason

edit

Shortly after the season ended, head coach Rich Kotite was fired. There were rumors that the Eagles new owner Jeffrey Lurie would not keep him on as coach. His fate was sealed when, after a 7-2 start, the Eagles lost the last 7 games of the season and missed the playoffs.

During the few weeks the Eagles would interview outside the organization for a replacement, they had to wait until the Super Bowl was played to talk to candidates from the teams in the playoffs. Less than a week after Super Bowl XXIX, won by the San Francisco 49ers, the Eagles hired their defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes.

References

edit
  1. ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 978-0-7611-2480-1, p.287
  2. ^ 1994 Philadelphia Eagles
  3. ^ "1994 Philadelphia Eagles draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  4. ^ Juliano, Joe (February 9, 1994). "Eagles promote John Wooten to director of player personnel". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  5. ^ Newman, Chuck (July 6, 1994). "Redskins scout hired for Eagles front office: Chuck Banker is the new director of pro personnel. Also, Joe Banner was named a vice president". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
edit