Labeled illustrations introduce people, symbols, equipment, and other things associated with the Philadelphia Eagles football team.

With the first iconic strum of the guitar on 'Take It Easy' the Eagles set a new direction for the country-rock infused California sound. They drew their inspiration from The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Flying Burrito Brothers and Crosby, Stills and Nash. In the band's first nine years together they scored gold records for every album release and delivered songs that changed the musical landscape. Their thought-provoking, intimate lyrics were matched by precision instrumentation that sounded as good live as in the studio. Legions of fans built around them. But where did they come from? BEFORE THE BAND maps their individual histories before they became the best-selling band in history.

The first comprehensive history of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Presents stories about the Philadelphia Eagles football team and profiles of some of the team's greatest players, from their inception in 1933 through the 2010 season.

High Stakes, Deep Faith, and Unbreakable Brotherhood They were the first No. 1 seed in NFL history to enter the playoffs as an underdog. Their star quarterback was out with a season-ending knee injury. Five-time Super Bowl champions the New England Patriots towered over them. But public opinion didn't matter to the Philadelphia Eagles. They believed in each other. The band of Christian brothers on the team believed in the God of the impossible, and they played for an audience of One. The most extensive book to explore the Christian faith shared by many of the team's players, Birds of Pray details the incredible inside story behind the Eagles' capture of the biggest prize in professional sports: the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Through exclusive interviews with the players, never-before-seen photos, and insider accounts of the miracle season's most memorable moments, Philly native and Associated Press sportswriter Rob Maaddi reveals a side of the team the world has yet to fully witness. From an impromptu baptism in the team's cold tub to weekly Bible studies and pre-game prayers, to the unique friendship between star quarterback Carson Wentz and back-up-then-MVP Nick Foles - the Eagles excel in the unexpected. Birds of Pray follows the deep faith shared among players, the high stakes they faced together, and their relentless reliance on Christ who gives all strength in moments of crisis and celebration alike. The result is a boldly inspiring, entertaining read that will challenge readers to go deeper in their faith, dream bigger, and live with renewed courage for whatever odds life stacks against them.

It had long been held in ancient legend that the majestic black raptors on Fundautum served as sentinels of freedom. With hundreds of years of peace in Kief’s homeland, their sightings have been rare. But when his dead grandfather leaves him a mysterious white stone and his nation is attacked by the Gars, the dark eagles begin to appear once more. As Kief watches his own town leaders betray his father and craft an alliance with the enemy, he’s determined to make them pay. He forms a secret band called the “Dark Eagles” to fight back. Unsuspected by the Gars, Kief’s little gang weaves together the perfect plot. However, Kief’s vengeful impulse for his father’s betrayal endangers all their lives and threatens the plan’s success. When he discovers that what the Gars are seeking in his mountain home will give them power over the entire world, he is forced to make a decision that could cost him his life. He comes to see that he is fighting for something greater than mere revenge. In the fight for his homeland Kief realizes he has more of a connection to the small white stone and the dark eagles’ charge to defend freedom than he ever imagined.

“One of Ten Best History Books of 2021.” —Smithsonian Magazine For fans of The Boys in the Boat and The Storm on Our Shores, this impeccably researched, deeply moving, never-before-told “tale that ultimately stands as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit” (Garrett M. Graff, New York Times bestselling author) about a World War II incarceration camp in Wyoming and its extraordinary high school football team. In the spring of 1942, the United States government forced 120,000 Japanese Americans from their homes in California, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona and sent them to incarceration camps across the West. Nearly 14,000 of them landed on the outskirts of Cody, Wyoming, at the base of Heart Mountain. Behind barbed wire fences, they faced racism, cruelty, and frozen winters. Trying to recreate comforts from home, they established Buddhist temples and sumo wrestling pits. Kabuki performances drew hundreds of spectators—yet there was little hope. That is, until the fall of 1943, when the camp’s high school football team, the Eagles, started its first season and finished it undefeated, crushing the competition from nearby, predominantly white high schools. Amid all this excitement, American politics continued to disrupt their lives as the federal government drafted men from the camps for the front lines—including some of the Eagles. As the team’s second season kicked off, the young men faced a choice to either join the Army or resist the draft. Teammates were divided, and some were jailed for their decisions. The Eagles of Heart Mountain honors the resilience of extraordinary heroes and the power of sports in a “timely and utterly absorbing account of a country losing its moral way, and a group of its young citizens who never did” (Evan Ratliff, author of The Mastermind).