The Philadelphia Eagles are honoring a relatively recent standout in Malcolm Jenkins and one of their early greats in the late Bucko Kilroy with their induction into the franchise’s hall of fame in November, the team announced on Wednesday.
The Class of 2025 will be inducted on Nov. 28 during the game against the Chicago Bears.
“It’s a huge honor,” said Jenkins, 37, a former All-Pro safety who was at the team’s joint practice with the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday and didn’t know about the announcement. “It’s confirmation that what I did meant something and had impact beyond what I did on the field. It was about the people that I interacted with and how those people then changed. It’s a great testament not only to me, but to everybody that I had a chance to interact with.”
New Orleans selected Jenkins in the first round (14th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. He played his first five seasons for the Saints (2009-13) and the next six with Philadelphia (2011-13) before returning to New Orleans for his last two years (2020-21).
He earned his three Pro Bowl nods with the Eagles (2015, 2017, 2018), and won the Super Bowl with as a Saints rookie in 2009 and with the Eagles in 2017 for the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy.
Jenkins totaled 515 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 58 passes defended, 12 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and 11 interceptions — four returned for touchdowns — in 96 regular-season games (all starts) with the Eagles.
His career totals were 1,044 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 110 passes defended, 20 forced fumbles, 11 fumble recoveries and 21 interceptions (seven returned for scores).
The Eagles chose Jenkins as their nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2019. He won the Byron “Whizzer” White Award from the NFLPA in 2017 for his community outreach efforts.
Francis Joseph “Bucko” Kilroy was a Philadelphia native who played at Notre Dame and Temple before playing his entire 13-year NFL career with the Eagles from 1943-55.
He played in 134 regular-season games (103 starts) on the offensive and defensive line. Kilroy was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-1940s team as well as the Pro Bowl in 1952, 1953 and 1954.
Kilroy was a key member of the franchise’s first NFL championship in 1948 as well as the second in 1949.
Kilroy, who died in 2007 at age 86, continued to impact professional football as an Eagles assistant coach and in player personnel for several teams. He helped found the league’s scouting combine and shape the NFL Draft into its modern form. Kilroy spent 64 years in the league, and has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a contributor.
–Field Level Media
