Every Underdog Has a Story: Meet Three of the Eagles’ Dogs
Last Sunday night, we saw an outstanding team performance from a Philadelphia Eagles team that had been given no shot to beat the reigning NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers.
To the outside world, this was a team that was miserable and brutally injured, but in the locker room, they knew that they were all they got and all they needed.
The result was an incredible 25-20 win in Santa Clara, which was highlighted by the play of a handful of young and inexperienced players. Some of these players were making their first-ever starts while others had only taken a handful of snaps in competitive NFL action before. Collectively though, they all have one aspect in common; each one of them came from humble beginnings and played a large part in the Eagles’ win over the 49ers.
You’ve heard their names, now, read the stories of the improbable heroes from last Sunday.
1) Travis Fulgham
Photo: Tim Tai/Philadelphia Inquirer
Travis Fulgham stole the spotlight in primetime last Sunday with his big-time 42-yard touchdown grab, but before that, Fulgham was largely a practice squad receiver. As a sixth-round pick for the Detroit Lions in 2019, Fulgham appeared in only three games for them, before eventually being waived by them this past August. He would soon be claimed by the Green Bay Packers only to be released by them as well, which is when the Eagles would finally take him on.
Traveling from place to place isn’t new for Fulgham though. In his early years, Fulgham lived in five different countries, with his parents working for the U.S. Agency for International Development (Mike Kaye, NJ.com). After his family finally settled in America in 2011, he would eventually take on football for the first time in his life in his junior year of high school. A year later, he would once again be on the move, only transferring schools this time, but nevertheless, another change in Fulgham’s life.
At the end of his two-year stint playing high school football, Fulgham walked onto the Old Dominion team, where he would spend five years and a total of 122 receptions for 2,044 yards and 18 touchdowns. His relentless hard work is finally paying off as he’s garnered attention across the city within a week.
2) Jordan Mailata
After a three-year-long journey in the Eagles organization, Jordan Mailata made his first career start on Sunday and did not disappoint. When he first came to the Eagles though, he had never played the game of football nor watched the sport. He had, however, played professional Rugby, a sport with many similarities to football, in Australia.
He was a member of the South Sydney Rabbitohs of the Australian Rugby League, where he was known for manhandling grown men. Eventually, he was sought out by Eagles offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland, through the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. His physical intangibles of being 6’8″ and 346 pounds is what compelled the Eagles to take a shot on him as a project offensive lineman.
The project has worked well so far, as he’s held his ground through 82 professional snaps in the NFL, giving up zero sacks. Against the 49ers, he had one false start that cost the offense a chance at a Wentz sneak on 3rd-and-1, but afterward, played flawlessly.
3) Alex Singleton
Photo: Tim Tai/Philadelphia Inquirer
The Eagles desperately needed one of their linebackers to step up this Sunday with George Kittle abusing the defense, and eventually, Alex Singelton did. Up 18-14 with a little under six minutes to play, Singelton read Nick Mullens and picked him off to take it 30 yards into the end zone. It would be the final nail in the coffin as the 49ers would not have enough time to overcome the deficit. Just like the other heroes of last Sunday, though, Singleton also has a story.
Singleton, 26 years old, grew up in Thousand Oaks, California, and went to Montana State to play college football. After graduating, he would sign with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks in 2015, only to be cut three months later. Singelton then bounced around with both the Patriots and Vikings, before he switched gears and looked for a chance in the Canadian Football League.
There, he would be drafted sixth overall in the draft, and eventually matriculated into an all-star. He was a two-time CFL all-star and even won the CFL award for Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2017. His talents didn’t go unnoticed, as the Eagles would sign him in January of 2019, bringing him back to the NFL. On Sunday, he would get his first career interception and touchdown in his home state to help the Eagles to victory.
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