Tommy McDonald - Hall of Fame player, person

Tommy McDonald was a Hall of Fame football player. More importantly, he was a Hall of Fame person.

Philadelphia has a powerful, passionate relationship with our pro athletes.

We wear our opinions on our sleeves. And we’re not afraid to let our heroes know it when we are displeased.

Booing is something of an art form around these parts.

We approve of players who like to get their uniform dirty, who never quit, who show up every day and give 110 percent of their ability.

Maybe that’s why we loved Tommy McDonald.

McDonald, an all-time Eagles wide receiver, died this week at the age of 84. McDonald was very likely the most popular member of the last Eagles team to win a championship, before this year’s Super Bowl champions.

Back then there was no Super Bowl. McDonald, Norm Van Brocklin and the others gained a bit of immortality by beating Vince Lombardi in the 1960 NFL Championship. It was the only playoff game the legendary coach ever lost.

How good was McDonald. This is what Lombardi had to say about the undersized wide receiver.

“If I had 11 Tommy McDonalds I’d win a championship every year.”

McDonald was generously listed as 5-foot-9-inches tall and weighing 175 pounds. But pushed by an exuberant personality that would become his calling card, he played a lot bigger.

McDonald did not see his size as an impediment; instead he used it as inspiration. His trademark quickly became bouncing right back to his feet no matter how hard he got hit.

“I don’t like to let some big guy think he can hurt me just because I’m small,” he said.

McDonald caught 84 touchdowns in his 12 seasons in the NFL, the bulk of which were with the Eagles.

Soon to be forever vilified general manager Joe Kuharich earned the derision of fans in part because he sent the beloved wide receiver packing. McDonald then spent time in Dallas, Lost Angeles, Cleveland and Atlanta. Over that career he snagged 495 receptions for 8,410 yards, many of them from Eagles quarterbacks Van Brocklin and Sonny Jurgensen

But his heart always remained in Philadelphia, and he returned here after he retired.

Thanks to the dogged pursuit of Daily Times alum and Hall of Fame sportswriter Ray Didinger, McDonald finally was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. At the time, he was the smallest player.

Clearly, they didn’t measure heart.

Tommy McDonald grew up in New Mexico and went to school at the University of Oklahoma. He held the distinction of being part of the group of proud Sooners who never lost a collegiate game. McDonald brought that down-to-earth, folksy midwestern style with him to Philly.

A lot of times that is a turnoff to big-time, big city fans. Philadelphia is no exception. But Philly took Tommy McDonald to heart. And he returned the love. Tommy McDonald loved Philly -- in particular its rabid fans. They cheered the way he played.

The NFL today is struggling mightily on ways to make the game safer. They are cracking down on hits to the head, including leading with the crown of the helmet.

Tommy McDonald played without a facemask. Think about that for a minute.

It was that toughness that connected McDonald with the Philly fans.

In his autobiographical stage play, “Tommy and Me,” Didinger detailed his connection with the future Hall of Famer, how he first spotted him at Eagles training camp in Hershey, Pa.

The young Ray got in the habit of carrying McDonald’s helmet. When his career was over, Didinger took on the project of advancing the notion of having McDonald elevated to the Hall of Fame.

One of the best parts of the show are the interactions between Tommy and both the young and older Ray, including Didinger’s effort to talk Tommy out of his planned celebration at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Canton. McDonald would not be deterred.

A lot of things have changed about the NFL. Not all of them good.

This week, it lost one of its best.

Tommy McDonald was a Hall of Fame football player.

More importantly, he was a Hall of Fame person.

RIP, Tommy.