Buddy Ryan arrived in Philadelphia as the new head coach in 1986 with much fanfare. Ryan was the defensive coordinator for the 1985 Chicago Bears, one of the great defenses of all time. In three short years, Ryan turned a struggling franchise into a playoff team as the 1988 Philadelphia Eagles captured the NFC East.
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of sports history articles aimed at preserving the best moments of the modern sports era, from 1976 to the present. The focus is team sports—college & pro basketball and football, major league baseball and hockey. This article offers a snapshot of 1988 sports, a year that saw an epic college football clash with cultural overtones, an NBA guarantee made good and a great Super Bowl drive finally save face for America’s most popular sporting event.