Former Eagles great Bill Bergey has died after a three-year battle with cancer, his son Jake announced on social media.
Bergey was 79 years old.
“The best father, friend, grand father, football player and out right great person in this world,” Jake Bergey wrote. “I will truly miss him. Love you dad.”
A second-round draft pick of the Bengals in 1969, Bergey would spend five seasons in Cincy, earn defensive rookie of the year honors, and make the Pro Bowl. However, it would be in Philadelphia where his career would really take off.
With the Eagles, Bergey “earned four Pro Bowls, two first-team All-Pro honors, and was second-team All-Pro three other times. Bergey had five interceptions and 3.5 sacks in his best season of 1974, narrowly losing defensive player of the year to Pittsburgh’s Mean Joe Greene,” Pro Football Talk reports.
Bergey ended his 12-year career with 27 interceptions and 18.5 sacks. After retiring from playing in 1980, he became a fixture on Philly sports talk radio.
