The day pickle juice became famous in Philly
Twenty-five years ago, the Eagles didn’t just begin the ascension of their franchise in the early 2000s — they actually brought fame to a preventative liquid antidote against early September football heat.
The Eagles — complete with an incredible coaching staff that included Andy Reid, Ron Rivera, Leslie Frazier, Steve Spagnuolo, John Harbaugh, Jim Johnson, and Sean McDermott among others — were ready to forget an inaugural season of 5–11 the previous year and position themselves for the NFC Playoffs.
The season would begin with an Eagles offensive explosion. With opening temperatures eclipsing one hundred degrees, the Eagles began the season with an onside kick recovery. What followed was a 425-yard offensive spectacle and a defensive lockdown, holding Dallas to a mere 167 yards of total offense. Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb opened the scoring by hitting Jeff Thomason for an opening touchdown. Duce Staley then capped a 102-yard first quarter with a touchdown. He would finish the game with over 200 yards rushing and the Eagles never looked back. Troy Aikman would not complete a pass — except to the Eagles Jeremiah Trotter (whose son now plays for the team) who returned it for a touchdown. Aikman left the contest with a concussion. In the 4th quarter, McNabb capped off the 41–14 victory with a three-yard scamper for a touchdown.
The game was notable for several reasons. Perhaps the biggest goes to Eagles Trainer Rick Burkholder who helped to utilize a then BYU study that found that pickle juice helps with cramping. By giving it to the team combined with conditioning — helped Philadelphia to stay fresh in the scorching South Texas sun. A follow-up study in 2010 (also by BYU) confirmed the positive effects of pickle juice to prevent cramps.
For Aikman, the contest brought back memories nearly a decade early of another game at Texas Stadium in 1991 where he was sacked an incredible eleven times. After Aikman’s departure, former Eagles franchise quarterback Randall Cunningham for the Cowboys would enter the game and throw a touchdown to Joey Galloway.
The contest won’t just be remembered for these things. Aikman’s 2000 season would be his last in the NFL. Dallas All-Pro wide receiver Michael Irvin’s career had ended a year earlier on the Veterans Stadium turf. The combination of Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer who brought the Cowboys three Super Bowls were also gone — the team was now coached by Dave Campo (who was fired after the 2002 campaign having never had been at the helm of a season for the Cowboys.)
It truly was a clash of two NFL franchises: one whose dominance was in the past, and one whose greatness was just beginning. It was the beginning of a run of Reid’s Eagles would win six NFC East Titles, appeared in five NFC Championship Games, and one Super Bowl before 2013.
Michael Thomas Leibrandt lives and works in Abington Township, Pennsylvania.
