Philadelphia Eagles: Brian Dawkins is franchise’s ultimate player
By Carl Naimoli
Brian Dawkins joins the list of Eagles greats enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame. What sets him apart from the rest is that he’s the most beloved of them all
On Saturday, Philadelphia Eagles legend Brian Dawkins will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. Over 13 seasons in midnight green, he came to embody what Eagles fans love the most out of their athletes. He had talent, of course, but it was his toughness and willingness to leave everything he had on the field that made Philadelphia fall in love with him.
Dawkins was a hard hitting free safety out of Clemson when he was drafted by the Eagles in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He made an immediate impact as he started 13 games in his rookie season and had three interceptions as well. From that point on, he was an instrumental part of the defense for more than a decade.
He was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 1999 and made his first All-Pro team in 2001. During his time in Philadelphia, he made seven Pro Bowl teams and was selected First-Team All-Pro four times in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2006. He is tied for the lead in Eagles franchise history with 34 interceptions and he has forced more fumbles than anyone in Eagles history with 32.
His numbers clearly speak for themselves, but those numbers aren’t the reason why he’s one of the most beloved Eagles of all-time. It was his intensity and fight on the field. He played so hard and furiously that he was named “Weapon X” for the superhuman qualities he put forth every time he came to play.
Everybody has a lasting memory of Dawkins as an Eagle. The list is long: Perhaps the huge hit on Alge Crumpler in the NFC Championship Game or the flying tackle against the Giants in the 2006 playoffs. Or maybe it’s just his everyday habits that people loved, like his pre-game introduction when he would run around on all-fours as if he were an animal ready to unleash himself.
Many Eagles fans were devastated when the Eagles decided it was time to move on from Dawkins as he signed on to play in Denver for his final three seasons. It just didn’t seem right to see him playing in another uniform, but now is the time to rejoice for B-Dawk. He’ll be the first player enshrined in Canton who played the majority of his career in Philadelphia since Reggie White entered the Hall of Fame back in 2006.
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He’ll forever be remembered as the heart and soul of arguably the most successful Eagles run during the 2000s. If you get a chance to watch his Hall of Fame induction speech on Saturday, it will be obvious from the crowd’s ovation that he’ll always have a special place in the heart of the Eagles fans.