An Ode to Brian Dawkins at No. 20, but There are Others

If you are looking for an ode to Brian Dawkins when it comes to the No. 20 in our jersey countdown to kickoff, you came to the wrong place.

OK, maybe not.

Dawkins was the greatest in franchise history to ever put that uniform number on.

Lest anyone forget, however, that Andre Waters wore it, too, and he was a darn good player as well. Same with John Outlaw. A pair of Leroy’s weren’t bad, either – Keyes and Harris.

As good as those three were, none rose to the level of Dawkins and because of Dawkins, no one will ever wear it again for the Eagles after the organization retired it in 2012.

Before taking a look at the others in the rankings, here’s more on “Dawk.”

He is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Wait, that’s starting backward.

It began when the Eagles took Dawkins in the second round of the 1996 draft out of Clemson. Thirteen seasons with the Eagles later, he was the best a younger generation of fans ever laid eyes on.

Go to an Eagles game at Lincoln Financial Field and count the number of No. 20s worn by fans. You’ll lose count eventually.

During his time in Philadelphia, Dawkins intercepted 34 passes from his safety position, which is tied for most in franchise history with Eric Allen (our top-ranked player at No. 21) and Bill Bradley (our top-ranked player at No. 28).

He started 182 games, played in 183. He recorded 21 sacks, forced 36 fumbles, recovered 16 fumbles, and made 914 tackles, 723 of those of the solo variety.

He and Charles Tillman are the only two players who have forced at least 35 fumbles and intercepted at least 35 passes.

The shame of Dawkins’ career was that it ended elsewhere, and that was Denver, where he spent three years after the Eagles let him go in free agency. He played three years with the Broncos, adding three more interceptions, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.

Turned out to be an ode, after all.

Current number 20:

RETIRED

Top 3 to wear number 20:

3. John Outlaw. The cornerback came to Philadelphia in 1973 after four seasons with the Patriots and spent six years with the Eagles. He started 70 games and played in 76, finishing with 13 interceptions and five fumble recoveries.

2. Andre Waters. An undrafted free agent out of Cheyney College in 1984, the safety whose nickname was “Dirty Waters” for his ferocious style of play. He spent 10 years with the Eagles, starting 100 games and playing in 137.

Waters had 15 interceptions in Philadelphia with 10 fumble recoveries and 910 tackles before ending his career with two years with the Cardinals.

He played on some the best Eagles defenses the city ever saw, with safety-mate Wes Hopkins and other defensive stars like Reggie White, Clyde Simmons, Jerome Brown, and Seth Joyner.

Unfortunately, Waters committed suicide in 2006 and it was discovered that he suffered from CTE brought on by head trauma.

1. Brian Dawkins. See above.

Runner-up:

Leroy Keyes. He was the third overall pick in the 1969 out of Purdue, where he played running back and defensive back. He did both for the Eagles as well, starting 28 games at safety and 39 at running back.

He spent just five years in the league four with the Eagles and one with the Chiefs.

Others: Alex Marcus, John Lipski, Clyde Williams, Howard Bailey, Pete Stevens, Jim MacMurdo, Henry Reese, Elmer Hackney, Don Stevens, Bibbles Bawel, Jim Harris, Frank Budd, Leroy Harris, and Vaughn Hebron.

Get the latest Eagles news by joining the community. Click "Follow" at the top right of EagleMaven page. Mobile users click the notification bell. And please follow me on Twitter @kracze.