The Philadelphia Eagles have lost one of their former stars.
On Saturday, it was announced that former Eagles linebacker Frank LeMaster had passed away.
He was only 71 years of age.
The Eagles are saddened to learn of the passing of Frank LeMaster.
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) March 25, 2023
LeMaster played nine seasons in the NFL from 1974 to 1982, all of them coming with Philly, and he became a franchise cornerstone as it started to build a contender.
He was a fourth-round draft pick in 1974 after playing his college ball at the University of Kentucky, and at first, he wasn’t much better than your average NFL linebacker.
At the time, the Eagles had been grounded for years, as they hadn’t made the playoffs since winning the league championship in 1960, well before the AFL-NFL merger.
But shortly after LeMaster came to town, the team hired head coach Dick Vermeil, and he would help transform it into a winner while helping him become the best version of himself.
Philly reached a zenith in 1980 when it finished 12-4 and knocked off its NFC East rivals, the high and mighty Dallas Cowboys, in the conference championship game to reach the Super Bowl.
There, it would fall by a wide margin to the Oakland Raiders.
The following season, LeMaster would record two interceptions and two fumble recoveries, one of which he ran back for a touchdown, as he was named to his first and only Pro Bowl.
After his retirement, he continued to live in the Delaware Valley area, raising his three children while rising through the ranks to become the vice president of sales for a leading artificial turf company.
