Pete Pihos

Eagles Hall of Fame end who led NFL in receptions three straight seasons.

Peter Louis Pihos (October 22, 1923 – August 16, 2011) was an American professional football player who was an end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL).

Quick Facts

Position: End
Born: 22 October 1923
Birthplace: Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Died: 16 August 2011
Place of death: Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
High school: Austin (Chicago, Illinois)
College: Indiana (1942–1943, 1945–1946)
Draft year: 1945

Lore & Background

Pihos played college football as an end and fullback for the Indiana Hoosiers from 1942 to 1943 and 1945 to 1946. He was selected as a first-team All-American in 1943 and 1945, but not in 1942. His college playing career was interrupted by service in the United States Army during World War II. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966, the first Indiana player to be so honored.

Pihos played in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1947 to 1955. While with the Eagles, he helped the team win back-to-back NFL championships in 1948 and 1949. He was selected six times to play in the Pro Bowl (1950–1955) and six times as a first-team All-Pro (1948, 1949, 1952–1955). He was named to the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team in 1969 and inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970.

After his playing career, Pihos was the head football coach for National Agricultural College (later renamed Delaware Valley University) from 1956 to 1958. He also held coaching positions with Tulane University (assistant coach, 1959–1960) and the Richmond Rebels (head coach, 1964–1965).

Reader's Guide

Pihos was born in 1923 in Orlando, Florida. He attended Orlando High School where he played football as a tackle and basketball as a guard. When he was a junior in high school, his mother moved the family to Chicago, where he attended Austin High School. He attended Indiana University and played for the Indiana Hoosiers football team.

In 1945, he played fullback for the undefeated (9–0–1) Indiana team that won the program's first Big Ten Conference championship. In 1946, he was named the most valuable player on the Indiana Hoosiers football team. In four seasons at Indiana, Pihos scored 138 points, which was then the school's all-time scoring record. He also broke Indiana career records for touchdowns and receptions.

Pihos was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round (41st overall pick) of the 1945 NFL draft, but he continued to play for Indiana in 1945 and 1946. In his first NFL season, he caught 23 passes for 382 yards and seven touchdowns. He also blocked a punt by Sammy Baugh and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown against the Washington Redskins. Pihos led the NFL in receptions in each of his final three seasons, in receiving yards twice, and in receiving touchdowns once. In 1953, he led the NFL in receptions (63), receiving yards (1,049), and receiving touchdowns (10).