Eagles Give Meaning to ‘Meaningless’ Win Over the Vikings

The Philadelphia Eagles won one for the Swamp Fox.

Marion Campbell, fired last Monday by the club’s first-year owner, Norman Braman, was given the game ball in his absence by his former players after they rallied to defeat the Minnesota Vikings, 37-35, Sunday.

Fred Bruney, an assistant coach elevated to interim head coach, was also given a game ball by the Eagles, who won on Paul McFadden’s third field goal, a 35-yarder, with 40 seconds to play.

“Emotions were running high,” Eagle safety Wes Hopkins said.

He was one of several players wearing Fox 78 taped to their uniforms. Campbell wore No. 78 and was known as the Swamp Fox when he was a defensive end for the Eagles from 1956 through ’61. Campbell was the Eagles’ defensive coordinator for six seasons before becoming the head coach in 1983 after Dick Vermeil retired.

“Marion Campbell, we all loved,” Hopkins said. “He was a player’s coach. We didn’t always do our job that we were supposed to, but he had all of our respect.”

McFadden’s winning kick was set up by Ron Jaworski’s 11-yard pass to Mike Quick and an ensuing personal-foul penalty on Issiac Holt, a rookie cornerback for the Vikings. An official thought Holt gave Quick an unnecessary shove. Holt said he was just being aggressive.

Earnest Jackson rushed 25 times for 106 yards and two touchdowns, making him only the third runner in Eagle history to pass the 1,000-yard plateau. The other two are Steve Van Buren and Wilbert Montgomery. Jackson finished with 1,028 yards.

Minnesota quarterback Tommy Kramer completed 21 of 36 passes for 321 yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings, trailing 24-7, rallied to take a 35-31 lead with 1:43 left in the third quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by Ted Brown. The touchdown was set up by a 37-yard pass from Kramer to Anthony Carter.

A 43-yard field goal by McFadden pulled the Eagles to within 35-34 with 11:01 left to play.

After McFadden’s game-winner, the Vikings had one more chance as Carter caught a 46-yard pass to give the Vikings the ball at the Eagle 16. But time ran out before Jan Stenerud could attempt a field goal.

The game marked the end of Stenerud’s 19-year NFL career.