Philadelphia Eagles players all-time Mount Rushmore

By Brad Weiss | May 19, 2020

PHILADELPHIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Former Philadelphia Eagles line backer Chuck Bednarik #60 waves to the crowd at halftime ceremonies during a game against the Green Bay Packers on September 12, 2010 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Packers won 27-20. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Philadelphia Eagles/Getty Images) /

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Steve Van Buren (Photo by Vic Stein/Getty Images) /

Steve Van Buren, HB (1944-1951)

The No. 1 overall pick in the 1944 NFL Draft, running back Steve Van Buren dominated the NFL landscape as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, proving to be the most clutch player in team history. Van Buren played his entire eight-year career with the Birds, helping them to two titles, and setting NFL records along the way.

Van Buren is recognized as clutch due to the fact that when the team needed him the most, he always seemed to deliver. That statement was cemented in stone during the team’s back-to-back NFL Championship run, where Van Buren scored the only touchdown in 1948, and then ran for nearly 200 yards in 1949.

A six-time All-Pro, Van Buren is a member of the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 1940s, and was also named to the league’s 75th Anniversary Team, as well as the 100th Anniversary team. When he retired, Van Buren was the NFL’s all-time leader in rushing yards, as well as scoring.

By the end of his time in the league, injuries had started to mount, and it really affected how productive Van Buren could be on the field. He retired after the 1951 season, but had done enough during his NFL career to be seen as a pioneer at the running back position, and in the return game.

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