Jeff Ireland’s Philly Connection
For Jeff Ireland, Philly Isn’t Just An Opponent on the Schedule.
It’s Goes Much Deeper Than That.
No, this isn’t the story of a Philly kid who made it to great fame and fortune on the national stage. It isn’t a tale of rising from humble beginnings to athletic excellence in Philly’s batting cages, basketball courts, or dimly lit football fields at dusk.
It isn’t the path of a young athletic star whose nights were spent rooting for the Eagles or the Phillies before ascending to greatness. And it isn’t the professional resume of a former Philadelphia sports executive whose career peaked in a destination city after being released from a hometown franchise.
Jeff Ireland doesn’t garner the fame and national attention of Howie Roseman or John Lynch—and that is in part because he isn’t currently an NFL General Manager.
After a five-year stint from 2008 to 2013 with the Miami Dolphins, as well as being featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks, Ireland is now the Assistant General Manager and College Scouting Director for the New Orleans Saints.
But for Ireland, returning to Philadelphia has a very different fondness.
Jeff Ireland’s grandfather was former Eagles player Jim Parmer. Parmer was drafted by the Eagles in the 25th round of the 1948 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma State. Playing as both a fullback and a halfback, Parmer not only had an eight-year career with the Eagles until 1956 — he was a member of the 1948–1949 NFL Champion Eagles Teams. Like many players from that near dynasty of the late 1940s, Parmer would leave the Eagles during a disastrous decade of the 1950s when the Eagles never eclipsed a seven-win season again until 1960.
Parmer was a critical piece in building the 1985 Chicago Super Bowl Team. Jeff Ireland was a ball boy on the Chicago team, interacting with Richard Dent, Walter Payton, and Jim McMahon.
Jeff Ireland has shown his southern roots. He was a scout and Vice President of College and Pro Scouting with the Cowboys between 2001 and 2007. However, Philly will also be a special place for Ireland, whose grandfather won two NFL Championships at Franklin Field, which is only a few miles away from the South Philly Sports Complex.
Oh, and the team that dominated the NFC East while Ireland was scouting for the Cowboys?
Yep, that was your Philadelphia Eagles.
PHOTO: WikiCommons
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Categorized:Eagles