Former Eagles share stories of battling concussions — and playing through them

For a report on the troubled legacy of the NFL’s concussion settlement program, The Inquirer interviewed former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil and 12 of the 17 surviving starters from the Eagles’ 1980 team, the first in the franchise’s history to advance to a Super Bowl. 

“I came from a town of 800 people in Wisconsin. I was freaked out about playing in the NFL, coming from a Midwestern town. I was just trying to make the team.”

— Keith Krepfle, 72, former tight end

“My rookie contract, I had a $20,000 base salary. I didn’t care. Playing football was my heart.”

— Randy Logan, 73, former safety

“We were taught to fire out, with the tip of the helmet, and drive the other guy off the ball. You lead with your head.”

— Stan Walters, 76, former left tackle

“The game was played lower … You used to have defensive linemen who would head-butt, but as a technique. I know some guys who were the best head-butters I’ve ever seen, and they have no [cognitive] issues.”

— Dick Vermeil, 87, Eagles head coach 1976-82

“You’d go into the locker room, after the game, and see somebody sitting there, looking straight ahead. We didn’t call it concussions then. We just said, ‘He got his bell rung.’”

— Stan Walters

“We were contending not only with the viciousness of the game — which we liked! — but we also played on the friggin’ Philadelphia AstroTurf, which was as hard as a rock. I know I had concussions from … hitting my head on the turf."

— John Bunting, 74, former linebacker

“If somebody had [a concussion] in the old days, you just said, ‘Oh, you got dinged, you got to sit down, clear your head. When you’re ready to go, come back in.’ That’s just how it was. … We were all unaware.”

— Dick Vermeil

“I came out of Vanderbilt University. Head-butting is what we did for warm-ups. When I got to Philly, they were kinda doing the same thing.”

— Dennis Harrison, 68, former defensive end

“Back then, you just thought, ‘You had a concussion? What is that? I’m OK. I’ll rest a little bit.’ We all did it. You didn’t think about the long-term effect. You didn’t think about 20 years after you retired. You were in the moment.”

— Herm Edwards, 70, former cornerback

“My rookie year, in Dallas, we played the Cowboys. I’ll never forget, I got hit wrong — my head hit the turf. I got knocked out then. You’d get smelling salts under your nose and go right back in.”

— Charlie Smith, 74, former wide receiver

“I don’t know how many concussions I’ve had over the years. It’s affected my memory capability. I just think I wrote it off to getting older. But it’s something that is not very pleasant.”

— Keith Krepfle

“Let’s face it: [Trainers] would put fingers in front of your face. You knew it was never one, and never four. So if you guessed two or three, you could get back in the game. That’s how it worked."

— Reggie Wilkes, 68, former linebacker

“It took about three years for [Vermeil] to get us to believe in ourselves. He would not take any shortcuts, in terms of what had to be done to get to the top. He ran such a dedicated program, and the players really respected him for it.”

— Keith Krepfle

“The week we played the Cowboys [in the 1980 NFC championship game], we were practicing in Tampa Bay, and I got knocked out. It was probably the worst concussion I ever had. … I still was not feeling well the day of the game.”

— Wilbert Montgomery, 69, former running back

“Words can’t describe how it felt [when the Eagles won the NFC and advanced to Super Bowl XV]. I just dropped to my knees. I was so thankful. After all of that hard work, at this moment, you’re going to the Super Bowl!”

— Randy Logan

“The thing that [Vermeil] always preached, and we believed — and we still believe it — is that it doesn’t matter how old you are, or when you were drafted. We’re all Eagles. You played for the green. You played for each other.”

— Herm Edwards