Bert Bell Philadelphia Eagles Financial Records

Collection

Identifier: MSSP_1009

Staff Only
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Scope and Contents

The bulk of this collection consists of two spiral-bound notebooks with financial records related to the 1937 Philadelphia Eagles season. One notebook includes player salary information, and the second notebook includes information about advertisers in programs for home games and information about people who bought season tickets. The collection also includes one letter from Bert Bell to his future wife Frances Upton.

Dates

Creation: 1934; 1937
Creation: Majority of material found in 1937

Creator

Bell, Bert, 1894-1959 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Biographical / Historical

De Benneville "Bert" Bell (1895-1959) was a professional football executive and owner. Bell played football at the University of Pennsylvania and then worked as an assistant football coach at Penn and Temple University during the 1920s and early 1930s. In 1933, Bell secured the rights to a National Football League franchise in Philadelphia and bought the Frankford Yellow Jackets to move to Philly. Bell was a co-owner and functioned as the general manager. He also became the team's head coach in 1936. During the 1937 season, the Eagles struggled on the field, winning only two of the eleven games on the schedule. After the 1940 season, Bell sold the Eagles and bought a share of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 1946, Bell was chosen as the commissioner of the National Football League.