Frank LeMaster obit

Former Eagles Pro Bowl LB Frank LeMaster dies at 71

 

He was not on the list.

Former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Frank LeMaster has died at the age of 71.

The Eagles announced Saturday that LeMaster died on Thursday. There were no details regarding the cause of his death.

LeMaster spent all nine seasons of his NFL career with Philadelphia after being selected by the Eagles in the fourth round (89th overall) of the 1974 draft. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1981, one season after helping Philadelphia reach its first ever Super Bowl before losing to the Oakland Raiders.

In 129 career games (115 starts), LeMaster recorded 10 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries. He scored three defensive touchdowns, two of which were pick-6s, and never missed a game in his career -- starting every game in each of his final eight seasons.

LeMaster played one season at Kentucky (1971) and was inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

LeMaster was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round (89th overall) of the 1974 NFL Draft. He was also selected in the 1974 WFL Draft, but remained with Philadelphia. As a rookie, he started all four preseason games, and ended up making the team as the second-string left linebacker, behind Steve Zabel. He appeared in every game that year and became the starter the following year after Zabel was traded; LeMaster went on to be one of the anchors of the Eagles defense for the next several years, and along with Bill Bergey and John Bunting, formed one of the best linebacking corps in the NFL in the 1970s. He played a total of nine seasons for the team and appeared in all 129 of their games in that period, starting the final 115. Along with Robert Brazile, he was the only player at his position to start every NFL game from 1975 to 1982. As of March 2023, LeMaster is fourth all-time in team history for starts by a linebacker, trailing only William Thomas (129), Chuck Bednarik (122), and Bunting (116). When he retired, he placed sixth all-time for most consecutive games with Philadelphia, and he also led the team in tackles four out of the nine seasons he played with them.

In LeMaster's first four seasons, the Eagles won only 20 out of 56 games. The team hired coach Dick Vermeil, and they went from 4–10 in 1976, to 5–9 in 1977, before reaching the playoffs as a wildcard in 1978 and making the playoffs again in 1979; LeMaster was a vital figure in helping the team turn around. Vermeil described him as "an outstandingly conditioned player. He was very respected by the coaching staff and players. He was just that kind of guy who had his head screwed on straight. Frank wasn't vocal with his ideas. He set examples." In 1980, he helped the team win the NFC Championship and reach Super Bowl XV, where they lost to the Oakland Raiders. Nevertheless, he was an important figure in their defense, which was first in the league for points allowed and second in yards allowed. The following year, he again led an Eagles defense that had the league-best for lowest points allowed, which as of the 2022 season remains the last year the team has accomplished this. He also earned his first and only Pro Bowl selection. The Eagles only won three games in the strike-shortened 1982 season, and LeMaster missed the entire 1983 season due to an injury in preseason. He was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 1984, and despite being told he had made the team, ended up being the final roster cut. He retired in 1985.

LeMaster played 129 games and started 115 in his career, and posted 10 interceptions, which he returned for 190 yards and two touchdowns. He also posted 14.5 unofficial sacks, and was occasionally used throughout his career on offense, posting eight rush attempts for 108 yards as well as one reception for -4 yards. He scored a total of three touchdowns in his career, being only one of three Eagles linebackers to accomplish this feat.