Why Eagles Made Right Choice Selecting Jeffrey Lurie To HOF, And What It Means For Owner's Future

Lurie is going to the team's HOF as the franchise succession plan could be sooner than expected.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Eagles announced their newest member of the franchise Hall of Fame, none other than chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie.

This wasn't a case of Lurie picking himself to go to his own franchise's Hall of Fame (although it would have been easy to agree with him based on his accolades). Lurie was selected to the Eagles Hall of Fame by the team's selection committee, which has selected the team's Hall of Famers for years.

“The Eagles Hall of Fame honors those who have made exceptional contributions to the history of this organization and the National Football League,” said Ron Jaworski, as the former quarterback is a member of the selection committee. “Jeffrey’s legacy and relentless dedication to this team are the reasons why we – the selection committee – felt it was important to recognize him with the organization’s highest honor.”

Honestly, what took the Eagles so long?

Lurie's accolades with the Eagles are unmatched in franchise history. He is one of five owners in NFL history to win 300 games, four Super Bowl appearances, and have multiple championships -- the others being Pat Bowlan (Broncos), Robert Kraft (Patriots), Dan Rooney (Steelers), and Al Davis (Raiders). Three of these owners are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Kraft will eventually get in.

The Eagles have a greater winning percentage (.569), playoff games (39), and playoff wins (21) under Lurie than all of the previous ownership groups combined. Lurie's .600 win percentage since 200 trails only Robert Kraft (.679) and 315 wins since taking over the team in 1994 trail only Kraft (379).

Lurie is one of five owners with multiple Super Bowl titles since 2000. The Eagles' four Super bowl appearances are third in the NFL (behind Patriots and Chiefs) and eight conference championship game since 2000 lead the NFC (trailing only the Patriots in NFL).

The Eagles have achieved unprecedented success under Lurie. It was only a matter of time before he was getting into the Hall of Fame, joining Bert Bell as the only owners in the franchise Hall of Fame (and Bell founded the Eagles).

Lurie's other legacy in Philadelphia

Lurie's passion for autism awareness has left a lasting impact on the franchise. He established the Eagles Autism Foundation to raise funds for innovative autism research and care programs.

The Eagles' signature fundraising event, the Eagles Autism Challenge, was created by Lurie in 2018. The event has raised more than $60 million and has helped fund 223 autism research projects and community grants/initiatives.

Lurie also was instrumental in getting the contruction of Lincoln Financial Field and the Jefferson Health Training Complex, giving the Eagles a state-of-the-art stadium and practice facility in the early 2000s.

One of the most progressive owners in the league, Lurie has stayed ahead of the curve in sport science, personnel hirings, and front office decisions. Every head coach Lurie has hired made the postseason.

Lurie has become one of the respected leaders of the NFL in his three decades owning the Eagles.

Succession plan coming?

Lurie is turning 75 years old in September and is entering his 33rd season owning the franchise. Since Lurie is in his mid 70s and he's been grooming his son, Julian Lurie, to take over the day-to-day operations, there has bene chatter when Lurie will step down.

Julian Lurie has the title of Business and Football Operations Strategy, showcasing an involvement of the football and business aspects of the franchise.  Julian has been involved in that aspect of the franchise for four years and is only 31 years old. Jeffrey will groom Julian into the the CEO role slowly, but there's no time table for him to step down.

Lurie's selection to the Eagles Hall of Fame is a culmination of his career, not the beginning of the end.

"I would say I'm more involved now, but less physically have to be at Jefferson Health Complex," Lurie said back in March. "It’s not that it’s behind the scenes. It’s very overt, but I will talk to my executives more often, and probably with more intensity, because I have a son that’s growing and learning everything.

"And so you can both watch how focused and intense I am still, and yet, at the same time, learn from all the executives we have."

Julian Lurie will take over as chairman and CEO of the Eagles at some point, but Jeffrey Lurie isn't set to hand over the keys to the Ferrari just yet.

Make sure you bookmark Philadelphia Eagles on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!