Nobody Better than Bigfoot at No. 68
Bigfoot was what he was called, and how cool is that for a nickname?
Dennis Harrison was not only tall, at 6-8, but he is also head and shoulders above the rest of the field when it comes to having been the best to wear No. 68 in Eagles history.
Sixty-eight is also the number of days until the Eagles are supposed to open the regular season against the Washington Whoevers on Sept. 13 in Landover, Md.
Like some jersey numbers in this quest to identify the top three players to have worn a number in team history, No. 68 did not have anyone particularly jump out.
Here are the rankings:
Current No. 68:
Jordan Mailata. Can the former Australian rugby star play pro football? Nobody can say with any certainty that he can or can’t since he has spent more time on Injured Reserve in his first two seasons since being drafted in the seventh round than on the active roster and has yet to play anything other than a preseason game.
With Halapoulivaati Vaitai’s super-sub role up for grabs as a swing tackle, after Vaitai bolted to Detroit in free agency, this could be a make-or-break season for Mailata.
Top 3 to wear No. 68:
3. Bobby Richards. A defensive end who played 56 games with the Eagles with 43 starts in four seasons from 1962-65. He ended his career with two years playing for the Falcons.
2. Mark Nordquist. A fifth-round pick in the 1968 NFL Draft, Nordquist started 79 games at right guard in seven seasons with Philly. He played in 96 games with the Eagles and ended his career with two years for the Bears, where he played in another 15 games with 13 starts.
1. Dennis Harrison. Drafted in the fourth round out of Vanderbilt in 1978, Bigfoot spent seven years in Philly making 75 starts at defensive end. He reached double figures in sacks in his final three years with the Eagles, with 10.5 in 1982, which was a Pro Bowl season, 11.5 in 1983, and 12 in 1984. He totaled 34 of his 39.5 career sacks with the Eagles.
Dennis Harrison
The Philadelphia Eagles
Harrison had 12 children, including a 6-3 daughter, Isabelle, who is still playing in the WNBA after five seasons and a 7-foot son, David, who played four years with the Pistons.
Harrison was not re-signed after the 1984 as owner Norman Braman purged the roster, letting not only Harrison go but also Mike Quick, Jerry Robinson, and Wilbert Montgomery that year.
Runner-up:
Reggie Singletary. He began his Eagles career with 16 games as a defensive tackle in 1986 before being moved to the offensive line, where he made nine starts at right guard in 1988 and 16 starts at right tackle in 1990. His entire four-year career was spent in Philly and he played in 61 games in that time.
Others:
Ray Romero, Maurice Nipp, Dick Murley, Bill Koman, Bill Striegel, Bobby Richards, Mark Nordquist, Blenda Gay, Dennis Nelson, Dennis Harrison, Reggie Singletary, Pete Walters, Tom McHale, Rickie Shaw, Frank Cornish, Morris Unutoa, Damian Lavergne, Steve Sciullo, Pat McCoy, Dan Klecko, Austin Howard, Kyle DeVan, Steve Vallos, Matt Tennant, and Josh Andrews.
