Perhaps they won’t be booing Donovan McNabb on September 19, after all.
The Eagles have announced that halftime of the Andy Reid homecoming game won’t simply include a recognition of McNabb’s retirement, but also a retirement of his number.
“Donovan McNabb was a franchise-changing quarterback for the Eagles and helped raise the bar of success for this franchise during his 11-year tenure with the team,” owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a team-issued release. “On the field, the numbers that Donovan posted during his time in an Eagles uniform speak for themselves. He is the franchise leader in nearly every major passing category and is the all-time winningest quarterback in Eagles history. His unique ability to make plays through the air and with his legs made him one of the most dynamic players this city has ever seen. Donovan was the face and the focal point of so many of our great Eagles teams and he helped make this franchise a contender each and every year that he was here.”
McNabb’s No. 5 will join eight others as retired by the Eagles through 80 years of football: 15 (Steve Van Buren); 20 (Brian Dawkins); 40 (Tom Brookshier); 44 (Pete Retzlaff); 60 (Chuck Bednarik); 70 (Al Wistert); 92 (Reggie White); 99 (Jerome Brown).
In May, McNabb said he would “love” for his number to be retired. He also said he’d put himself in the Hall of Fame.
One out of two ain’t bad.
