Fact check: Did Cuban Missile crisis ruin JFK's $4 million Eagles bid? Revisiting viral myth
The Eagles franchise has experienced both success and failure throughout its tenure in the NFL. Back in 1962, the team was up for sale after owner James P. Clark passed away due to a stroke. Reports said the franchise would be sold as it had won the NFL Championship in the 1960 season.
There were some interested buyers but none bigger than President John F. Kennedy.
JFK's brother, Ted, arranged a meeting with the Eagles front office but that meeting never took place. JFK's other brother Bobby was interested as well. The Cuban Missile Crisis took place in October 1962 and dashed whatever plans JFK may have had to purchase the Philadelphia Eagles.
Did You Know: JFK and his brothers very nearly purchased the #Eagles for $6M in 1962: Ted: “My brother Jack calls me, ‘Are you in for a third if we can get [the Eagles] for $6M? Bobby is in. I said ‘Ok, I’m in.’”
The abrupt Cuban Missile Crisis caused them to miss finalizing it. https://t.co/OiLQwUR23u
Co-author of the book Pro Football Chronicle Bob O'Donnell noted that the Eagles came about as the Kennedys were in the Oval Office in October.
Per O'Donnell, JFK pointed out he'd be only 51 when his second term concluded if re-elected. All three Kennedy brothers had thought about life after politics. Robert was the Attorney General, while Ted was a Senator representing Massachusetts at the time.
Stephen Plotkin stated that if the Kennedys did talk about buying the franchise that October, they probably did not do so in the Oval Office. He is the reference archivist at JFK's Presidential Library.
Plotkin said none of the Oval Office recordings for October 1962 included a meeting with the three of them:
"The most likely site [for a reference to the topic] would be Edward M. Kennedy's papers, but those are not yet open for research. John F. Kennedy's personal papers include virtually nothing from his administration years."
The possibility of Kennedy's ownership is still an intriguing topic for Eagles fans to think about.
Would JFK have been able to own the Eagles and remain as President?
There was concern about JFK owning an NFL franchise and running the United States per John Culver, a close friend of Ted Kennedy. It was reported that the asking price for the team was $4 million but was sold in 1963 for $5.5 million.
All three brothers have passed away and it's hard to assess how serious each were in owning the team. Bobby Kennedy was assassinated like his brother in June 1968, while Ted died in August 2009 at age 77.
Currently, the franchise is owned by Jeffrey Lurie and is worth $4.9 billion, according to Forbes.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit The Philadelphia Inquirer and H/T Sportskeeda.