PHILADELPHIA — Built more like an NBA player at 6'8", Harold Carmichael turned to football because he couldn’t perform basketball’s most basic skill.
Carmichael couldn't dribble. It worked out for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Carmichael used his size to outjump and overpower defenders, catching more passes for more yards and touchdowns than any player in the history of the Philadelphia team.
The gentle giant then waited patiently for three decades before he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of last year’s special centennial class.
His wait then lasted another whole year, after the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled his induction ceremony last season.
This weekend, it will finally happen for one of the Eagles' all-time greats.
"One more year didn't hurt," Carmichael told the Eagles' official website, when talking about the pandemic delaying his Hall of Fame moment another year.
Carmichael played for the Eagles from 1971 to 1983. During his 12-year tenure, the imposing wideout became the team's all-time leader in career receptions (589), receiving yards (5,879), and receiving touchdowns (79), and was a key figure in Philadelphia's NFC Championship and Super Bowl season in 1980.
Drafted out of Southern University, Carmichael also tied the Eagles' record for consecutive games played, appearing in 162 straight games (he played in 180 total games for the Birds during his career).
A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Carmichael led all NFL receivers in receptions (549), receiving yards (8,414), and receiving TDs (77) from 1973-83, according to the Eagles website. He was the only NFL player with 500+ receiving yards every season from 1973-83.
By the end of his Philadelphia career in 1983, Carmichael was tied with Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff for the fifth-most receptions (589) in NFL history. The four players who were ahead of him on the list at the time – Charley Taylor, Don Maynard, Raymond Berry, and Charlie Joiner – are also all Pro Football Hall of Famers.
So Carmichael's trip to Canton is long-overdue, and well-deserved.
"Congratulations to Harold Carmichael on being selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame," Eagles CEO Jeffrey Lurie said when Carmichael's selection was announced. "Our entire organization is so proud to see Harold earn this well-deserved honor. Harold revolutionized the wide receiver position and became one of the most productive players of his era and in the history of our franchise. He was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame in 1987 and his records will always rank among the all-time greats, but Harold's true contributions to our game extend far beyond his on-field accomplishments.
Harold has served as a role model, mentor, and friend to so many during his four-plus decades in Philadelphia as a player, executive, and ambassador. He is a one-of-a-kind person who loves this organization, who loves this city and its fans, and who treats everyone with dignity and respect. We are excited to celebrate this honor with Harold and his family."
