PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) -- Eagles assistant head coach and running backs coach Duce Staley is saying goodbye to Philadelphia as he leaves the franchise he has called home for almost 20 years combined.
In his career as an Eagles player and coach, Staley has seen many of the the highs and lows of recent franchise history.
He was on the sideline when the team won its first Super Bowl championship. He was the starting running back during their dreadful three-win campaign in 1998 — one of the few positives of that season as he rushed for over 1,000 yards. And he was also in uniform during one of the team’s biggest heartbreaks — the 2002-03 NFC Championship Game loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — which many Eagles fans still feel to this day.
After the organization once again passed over Staley for the Eagles head coaching job, he reportedly requested out of his contract. They decided to hire 39-year-old Nick Sirianni, whose strongest connection to the Eagles was Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich, offensive coordinator in Philadelphia in 2016 and 2017.
Staley, now 45, first joined the Eagles at the age of 22 out of South Carolina.
He ranks fifth in rushing yards in franchise history. He had three seasons in which he ran for over 1,000 yards — and one in which he had over 1,000 combined rushing and receiving yards in an Eagles uniform.
So maybe it was especially fitting that his detailed, heartfelt goodbye letter to the city that bleeds midnight green weighed in at about 1,000 words.
In the letter, he made clear his affection for this area and team, calling his time in Philadelphia "the honor of my lifetime."
Staley wrote that the 2000 season opener at the Dallas Cowboys — the legendary "Pickle Juice Game" — "kicked off the start of a successful couple decades that only a couple of teams have been able to match in the entire National Football League."
Staley had 26 carries that day at Texas Stadium for 201 yards and one touchdown. The Eagles dominated the Cowboys 41-14.
He wrote that his opening drive touchdown in that 2002 NFC Championship Game is a play he’ll never forget. The disappointment of Tampa denying the Eagles a trip to Super Bowl XXXVII, and further disappointments to come, "would only make us stronger," he wrote.
"That’s what I always loved about this city. We are tough and we are resilient, and we want to work hard for everything that comes our way."
And of the Eagles' eventual capture of that elusive Super Bowl title in 2018, Staley wrote, "I will never be more proud than helping an outstanding group of men and an outstanding organization of men and women bring our city our first ever Lombardi Trophy."
Staley thanked several people he played for, played with, worked with and coached over his combined 18 seasons with the Eagles, mentioning by name 10 different running backs who played for him. And he had special shoutouts for wide receiver DeSean Jackson ("the best deep threat ever") and left tackle Jason Peters ("the best left tackle of all time").
In addition to names you recognize — the Lurie family, former head coaches Ray Rhodes, Andy Reid, Chip Kelly and Doug Pederson, and executives Don Smolenski and Howie Roseman — he thanked many who work behind the scenes, from the equipment staff to the medical team, from the kitchen and cleaning staff to the media and video crew.
"I am very sad to leave this great organization and city and fans, but I am looking forward to the growth opportunities that lie ahead, despite the uncertainties. The way you embraced me, gave me the best nickname I’ve ever heard (Duuuuucccceeee), the way you expect the best from your athletes, the fact you deserve our best given what you’ve invested in us — all of this motivated me to reach heights I never thought possible growing up as a country boy in South Carolina that loved playing football more than I was necessarily good at it."
Staley vowed to "continue to lead from the front to help our community on (COVID-19 and social justice) and other issues."
As "an Eagle for life," he wished the best to Philadelphia, "the best sports city of all time."
"Never forget what we accomplished together," he wrote. "The grit and character of this city will allow you to accomplish even more going forward."