Ex-Eagle McDonald loses '60 championship ring

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Thursday, March 31, 2011
Posted: 1:46 p.m.

By Ray Didinger
CSNPhilly.com
Eagles Hall of Famer Tommy McDonald is hoping someone can help him recover his 1960 NFL championship ring.

He lost it about a week ago and he is sick about it, his wife Patty said.

McDonald believes he may have lost the ring during one of his frequent trips to the King of Prussia Mall. The 76-year-old McDonald lives close to the mall and often goes there to walk and socialize.

McDonald thinks he may have removed the ring while he was washing his hands in the mens room and left it there. He also was in the habit of letting people see the ring and try it on so it is possible someone could have put it in their pocket and walked off with it.

I always worried about that, Patty said. People would recognize him and stop to talk. One of the first things hed do was show them his rings the 1960 championship ring and his Hall of Fame ring. Hed say, Here, try them on.

Then he would start talking to other people and not paying attention and meanwhile the rings were being passed around. Id tell him, Tommy, you shouldnt do that. They could get stolen. But he loved doing it.

McDonald did it all the time at public appearances, card shows and autograph signings. If he wasnt wearing the rings, he carried them in his pocket in a velvet pouch.

He still has his Hall of Fame ring, but the ring commemorating the Eagles 1960 NFL championship is missing. This season the team celebrated the 50th anniversary of that world championship with a ceremony honoring the players at the Eagles regular season opener in September.

The 5-foot-9 McDonald was a star receiver on the championship team, catching 13 touchdown passes in the 12-game regular season and adding another touchdown reception in the title game against Green Bay. The Eagles defeated the Packers 17-13 at Franklin Field. It was the only postseason game Vince Lombardi ever lost as a head coach.

McDonald now is hoping to recover his most prized possession of that season, his ring.

I dont know what happened to it, he said. I was looking for it last week and realized it was gone. I thought I just misplaced it at home, but I looked and its not here. Id sure like to have it back.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of the ring, e-mail Ray Didinger at viewfromthehall@comcast.net

Related: Ray Didinger's Mailbag: Kickoffs, trades, lockoutBuy Eagles Gear

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