Former Eagles defensive back Tom Brookshier passed away on Friday night at the age of 78.  He played on the 1960 Eagles championship team which was the last Birds squad to win the NFL title.
He also worked for years as a national broadcaster on NFL games.   Tom was at WIP doing the morning show when I started with them years ago.   He was always kind enough to give me advice and words of wisdom.
I knew Tom and he was a great guy with a tremendous sense of humor.  He could tell stories about his time in the NFL and you could tell that they were true.
He was one of the few older players you could talk to and he would be honest with you about what the league was like when he played.
Tom didn’t portray all the players like they were angels.
Originally a 10th round draft pick from Colorado, Brookshier made an immediate impact with eight interceptions during his rookie season of 1953. Then, after a two-year stint in the Air Force, the defensive back returned to the Eagles and twice earned All-Pro honors – first in 1959, and again in 1960 as a member of the NFL championship team.
In all he spent seven seasons with the Eagles and collected 20 interceptions. Upon retiring as a player, he entered the broadcast booth on CBS’s telecasts of NFL games. Brookshier, a native of Roswell, New Mexico, is a member of the Eagles Honor Roll and is one of seven players in franchise history to have his jersey number (#40) retired.
Said Eagles head coach Andy Reid today after learning of Brookshier’s passing, “Tom Brookshier is one of all-time greats, both for what he did on the field and for the kind of man he was off the field. I will always remember him for his booming and bright personality. He had an uncanny love for life, a love for his family and a love for the game of football, especially for the Philadelphia Eagles.
“He bled green and I will always cherish our conversations and the relationship that we fostered throughout my tenure in Philadelphia. Our deepest condolences go out to his wife, Barbara, and the rest of the Brookshier family.‚Äù
Per the Brookshier family, funeral arrangements are pending.
