Cowboys vs Eagles

A quick note before we start: this article is just a lot of fun and doesn't have much if any, factual information in it. There's nothing wrong with that! Hopefully, if you read through the whole thing, you'll learn a little about American football in general. But please don't take this as an authoritative source for things like stats or historical accuracy.

Cowboys vs. Eagles

The rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles has reportedly been going for over 100 years, but the two teams' first meeting is said to have started in 1894. The Cowboys and Eagles go at it again on Monday Night Football every year, but this time around, we'll be taking a look at the rivalry from a supernatural perspective.

The Beginning of the Rivalry

Kids today probably don't know much about America's great sports rivalries like Packers vs. Bears or Giants vs. Cowboys, but long before the National Football League existed, regular games between teams in a particular area were the norm.

For example, back in 1906, two very different teams played each other in the same city. The Army team was actually composed of mostly West Point military academy graduates while the Navy team was composed of mostly college graduates. The Army team was named the Cadets while the Navy team was known as "The Midshipmen"—seemingly a combination of two very different names. But in spite of the lengthy history of these two teams, they're perhaps best remembered today for their infamous rivalry.

In this same year, the Cadets and Midshipmen played each other in Philadelphia. These two teams got into a fight right before kickoff and that's when things really started to get interesting. As explained by Sports Illustrated, "the entire Army team was thrown into general rowdiness out at Philadelphia's Municipal Ballpark, with several cops and U.S. marshals called in to keep an eye on matters. During the game, several Cadets lost control of themselves and charged up the field to attack the Midshipmen. The two teams were sent off the field after fighting over a fumble."

The two teams each received a two-day suspension from their respective athletic bodies as well as fines of $200 each. However, there was more drama to come. Apparently, the Midshipmen were so pissed about the fight that they refused to accept their suspensions and had to go before a grand jury in New York City. Here's what happened:

"The Midshipmen became convinced that no punishment would be forthcoming, and they were on their way back to Philadelphia to resume play. Their train pulled into Jersey City, however, and several small bands of Cadets lurked along the tracks ready for another attack. In the ensuing melee, the train was derailed by a Cadet train, killing 24 people and injuring dozens. The players of both teams were arrested and charged with criminal negligence. They were released on bail pending trial."

While it's hard to imagine a football game turning into a passenger train wreck, it was truly an amazing display of sportsmanship. So much so that the two rival schools decided to let bygones be bygones. In fact, these two teams were the only two to compete for the national collegiate football championship in the years between 1894 and 1899.

This historic rivalry is legendary in its own way, but it's still not as crazy as the modern-day rivalry between these two teams. As opposed to a train wreck, this duel over rivalries still affects both fan bases in a much different way today. For one thing, both teams get huge crowds of screaming fans on game days. Unfortunately, these crowds have a tendency to make things dangerous.

The Crazy Fans

Going back to the early days of the rivalry, Eagles fans were known for their rowdy behavior. However, the Cowboys fans in Dallas have long been known as some of the rowdiest fans in the country.

In 1970 alone, Cowboys players reported threats on their lives and confrontations with knives and chains at games. A couple of years later, Cowboys head coach Tom Landry recalled "every time we go into a game, there's a fight in the stands at least once." The NFL actually had to pass rules against this kind of thing as well.

Indiscretions by fans are also one of the biggest reasons why the rivalry has stayed alive for so many decades. When you think about it, these two teams just happen to be loaded with criminals and miscreants from back in the day.

Even today, the fans of both teams have a reputation for not holding back when trying to make a statement or show their team spirit. For instance, in 2010, Cowboy fans threw beer bottles at Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson as he was returning punts during the game. In response to this, the Eagles receiver ran over to the sideline and slammed his helmet into the Cowboys logo on the field.

Apparently, this wasn't even the first incident of its kind between these two teams. In 2006, Eagles fans threw beer bottles onto the field as well. Fortunately, these kinds of things get a little bit more controlled today.

The Protective Fans

Luckily for the Eagles and Cowboys, their fans have taken a much more peaceful approach to this rivalry. Today, each fan base makes sure that their own players aren't injured by opposing players during games. The Cowboys and Eagles show up to every game with big phalanxes of protective fans known as "The Shield" and "The Barricade.

Today, these fans have the rest of the NFL beat when it comes to fan etiquette and sportsmanship. In recent years, Eagles fans have had several run-ins with police officers. In 2010, several fans were arrested after running onto the field at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. After this happened, police officers said that "This situation could have turned very violent quickly if not for the physical presence of our officers."

Thankfully for everyone involved, there haven't been any major incidents involving fans in recent years. Still, it's a pretty good thing that these two teams have fans so respectful today.

The Scandal

Despite all of the crazy things that have happened in this rivalry, perhaps the most scandalous incident occurred in 1976 when Cowboys owner Clint Murchison was fined $25,000 for having a secret meeting with referees during a game between his team and the Eagles. The NFL is still investigating this incident to this day.

This incident made the entire game pretty controversial, especially since Dallas won that game to move ahead of Philadelphia in the East Division of the NFC. The alleged meeting became known as "The Stalag 13 Game" and is still considered a black mark on NFL history. It's quite possible that this was one of the biggest scandals in sports history, if not THE biggest.

Final Thoughts

If nothing else has been proven by this article, it's that this rivalry is truly unlike any other in the world of sports. From the players that took part in these games to the fans, this rivalry has a long and very illustrious history. In fact, there's no question that this rivalry is one of the greatest in all of sports history.

While some might think that college football and the NFL are two separate entities, the truth is that they are much more alike than most people realize. This was proven during the early days of this rivalry when a train wreck turned into a football game while crazy fans threw bottles onto the field.

While the Cowboys and Eagles had a long history before these two teams first stepped onto the field together in 1960, it's hard not to consider this rivalry one of the greatest sports rivalries that we've ever known. So much so, in fact, that this rivalry is ranked #8 among the top 10 most intense rivalries in sports history.

The events listed above are just a small sample of all of the crazy things that have happened during this rivalry. These are just some of the more extreme things that happened during this rivalry. Thankfully, these days fans get pretty responsible when it comes to this rivalry, something that should be commended.

Of course, the Cowboys and Eagles still have a long way to go before they can claim victory in this great rivalry. Let's hope that by the time you're done reading this article, these two teams will have played many more successful games than those mentioned above. It's probably safe to say that they will.