A statue honors Bednarik's play at Franklin Field
In Chuck Bednarik's opinion - which he is not afraid to offer - being honored with a statue is similar to taking a step toward sainthood.
In Chuck Bednarik's opinion - which he is not afraid to offer - being honored with a statue is similar to taking a step toward sainthood.
No wonder Bednarik was in such high spirits on Saturday afternoon.
As a Franklin Field crowd that included many former teammates looked on, a 9-foot bronze statue of Bednarik was unveiled at halftime of the Penn-Cornell football game.
"Statues are saints; they go to heaven. You're putting me in heaven while I'm still alive," Bednarik said. "When I was growing up, I never thought something like that would happen."
The statue will reside permanently on the north concourse of Franklin Field, the sporting stage that Bednarik ruled over for so many years playing for Penn and the Eagles. A mural detailing the Eagles' history at Franklin Field has also been installed on that side of the stadium.
Along with many of Bednarik's teammates, Eagles coach Dick Vermeil was on hand to serve as master of ceremonies.
As he spoke with reporters, some of whom had not yet been born when Bednarik played, Vermeil expressed hope that the statue would help educate future generations of fans.
"Chuck Bednarik is a great American, and a great symbol for all of us to recognize what we're all made of - or wish we were made of what he is made of," Vermeil said. "I hope the University of Pennsylvania does a wonderful job of making sure no one forgets him."
This being a confluence of Penn and Eagles traditions, it was no surprise to also see Ed Rendell on hand. The former governor is a Penn alum and diehard fan of the Quakers and Eagles.
"For the Penn students now, it's hard [for them] to believe that there were 70,000 people here every Saturday" in Bednarik's era, Rendell said.
Talking about Penn's 7-0-1 record in 1947, marred only by a 7-7 tie with powerhouse Army, Rendell quipped that Penn "would have gone to a BCS bowl if they had [them] in those days."
Ed Rendell and Dick Vermeil talk about Chuck Bednarik and his statue.
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