PASSINGS: Pete Pihos
Pete Pihos
Hall of Fame receiver with the Eagles
Pete Pihos, 87, a Hall of Fame receiver who helped the Philadelphia Eagles to a pair of NFL championships, died Tuesday at a nursing home in Winston-Salem, N.C., the team announced. He had Alzheimer’s disease.
Pihos was a member of the Philadelphia teams that captured consecutive championships starting in 1948, and he made the game-winning catch in the 1949 NFL title game against the Los AngelesRams.
Pihos finished his nine-year career with 373 catches for 6,519 yards and 61 touchdowns. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970.
A native of Orlando, Fla., Pihos played with the Eagles from 1947-55 after a stellar college career at Indiana. He was a stalwart on both sides of the ball at tight end and defensive end and missed only one game in nine NFL seasons.
A six-time Pro Bowl selection, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Pihos was nicknamed “The Golden Greek.” He lacked blazing receiver speed, but relied on pirouettes and pivots to break free from would-be tacklers and was a punishing runner after the catch.
A fifth-round draft pick by the Eagles in 1945, Pihos didn’t start his NFL career until 1947 because his college career was interrupted by World War II, when he served in the military under Gen. George S. Patton.
-- Los Angeles Times staff and wire reports
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for the L.A. Times biggest news, features and recommendations in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
