The Eagles have not won since. Penn competes in the Ivy League.
Bednarik lives on in Coopersburg, Pa., a reminder of another time in college and Eagles football. Now, "Concrete Charlie" will live on forever in the form of a statue that will be dedicated and unveiled on Saturday, Nov. 19 before Penn's game against Cornell at Franklin Field.
The statue will be available for Quakers and Eagles fans to see and touch. It will be just inside Gate 2 on the North side of Franklin Field, facing the Palestra. A collage honoring the history of the Eagles during their time at Franklin Field (1958-70) will be alongside.
The statue is being done by Brian Hanlon, of Hanlon Sculpture Studio in Toms River, N.J. Called "New Jersey's Sculptor," Hanlon's many works include the recent Shaquille O'Neal statue at LSU. Hanlon Sculpture Studio is the official sculptor of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
Just last year, several Philadelphia businessmen went to the university with the idea of a Bednarik statue. Nearly $100,000 has been raised toward the project.
Some of the many names involved with the project include Steve Sabol, president of NFL films, former Eagles and Rams head coach Dick Vermeil, former Eagles players Ron Jaworski and Eddie Khayat and Bednarik's son-in-law, Ken Safarowic.
"It's a great thing," said Khayat, who coached the Eagles in 1971-72. "With all the great players and all the great teams that have been in Philadelphia, when you want to call somebody Mr. Eagle, his name has got to be Bednarik . . . Bednarik is one of my heroes. We were teammates, but he was also a hero to me as were several other players on that team. You can write volumes on his many abilities and attributes . . .
"There wasn't anything he couldn't do. He was a great leader on the field and off the field and all over town. He is a great man and very devout. He goes to Mass every day and then he could step right out on the field and knock you out. We all love him so much."
The last of the true two-way players, Bednarik, a k a the 60-minute man, grew up in Bethlehem when that city was steel. No athlete has ever epitomized Philadelphia better. If you drew up the perfect Philly player, Bednarik would come off the paper onto the field. Now, his likeness will stand where he became an All-American at Penn and a champion with the Eagles, a permanent reminder of a player unique in sports and Philadelphia history.
