Author: Kevin Roberts
Al Wistert stopped by practice Thursday at the Eagles' invitation. Head coach Andy Reid welcomed him ("Andy was very gracious," Wistert said), and Donovan McNabb made a point of saying hello. The offensive line got a picture with Wistert, and the five Eagles starters towered over him.
But Wistert is the guy with his jersey on the wall.
Wistert -- a star two-way lineman for the Eagles during the 1940s and probably the best player not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame-- was inducted Thursday into the Philadelphia Hall of Fame.
It was the fifth annual induction for the Philadelphia Hall, and it featured legendary newspaper columnist Stan Hochman, track star Leroy Burrell, former Eagles receiver Harold Carmichael, former basketball star Lionel Simmons, Sixers head coach Mo Cheeks, Philadelphia University basketball coach Herb Magee and golfing legend Dorothy Porter.
The biggest star of the night might well have been the Phillies' World Series trophy, which drew the largest crowd and probably appeared in the most pictures.
The Hall also honored several deserving athletes who are no longer with us -- Fred Shero, Tommy Loughran, Ed Delahanty and Mickey Vernon. The nature of these things is that often people pass away before we honor them.
Wistert is still with us. He's 88 years old, and he's still sharp and funny. He was tickled by the induction into the Philadelphia Hall of Fame.
"It's a wonderful honor, a dream come true," Wistert said. "At my age, it's kind of nice when people make a big fuss over you."
But he's still wondering why Canton never called.
"I've been hoping and hoping," Wistert said.
Someday, somebody will wise up to the fact that, according to the record, Wistert ought to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"I've done as much as I can do without being too obnoxious about it," he said.
Wistert has a case -- linemen, of course, rack up no easily identifiable stats. He made All-Pro every season after his rookie year, and he played in the inaugural Pro Bowl in 1950.
Wistert captained the Eagles when they were an NFL dynasty in the late 1940s, was a member of the 1940s All-Decade Team and his number, 70, was the first ever retired by the team.
Legendary Eagles coach Greasy Neale called Wistert "the greatest offensive tackle I have ever seen."
Steve Van Buren's winning touchdown in 1948 came after running behind Wistert.
He's also credited with pioneering the shoulder block. The technique at the time was the cross-body block, but Wistert practically invented driving into one defender with the shoulder block, keeping his feet, and moving on to block another.
Wistert was a bear of a man in his time -- 6-feet-1 and 214 pounds. Today, he'd be smaller than McNabb, the Eagles quarterback.
Wistert wore a green Eagles sweater Thursday, and he's still an ardent Eagles fan.
"I had great years with them and great experiences with them," Wistert said. "It's a big part of my life and continues to be a big part of my life. It gets even bigger as the years go by.
"I really loved these guys very much. You never forget that. You never lose that. Wonderful athletes, wonderful teammates. And as we grow older and put on some years, we're faster friends than we were before."
There are fewer and fewer left -- and few who remember the 1948 and 1949 title teams. Wistert practically glows with pride talking about those teams, noting that the Eagles won those championships by scores of 7-0 and 14-0 -- the only NFL teams ever to post consecutive shutouts in championship games.
"It will never happen again," Wistert said.
Wistert retired after the 1951 season. For a time, he coached at Riverside High School. A former life-insurance salesman, he lives in Oregon, owns a farm and cares for neglected horses with his daughter Kathy.
Canton is a distant dream, but he still hopes one day to be named to the Eagles honor roll. Oddly, he's the only Eagle to have his number retired but not be named to the honor roll.
"It would be a great honor," Wistert said. "And a real thrill."
