Bucko Kilroy
- July 10, 2007
- 86 years
About Bucko Kilroy
Bucko Kilroy, 86, American football player, scout and general manager for the New England Patriots.
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Full Biography
|Francis Joseph Kilroy (May 30, 1921 – July 10, 2007), nicknamed "Bucko", was an American football player, executive and administrator. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons.
Early life
Kilroy was born in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia, where he attended St. Anne's grade school before attending Northeast Catholic High School and then Temple University. As a Junior at Northeast Catholic, he played on the 1937 Falcons championship team.
College career
Kilroy was originally recruited by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but went on to become one of the finest linemen in Temple Owls football history. He starred for the Owls in the 1940 and 1941 seasons. He helped them to defeat rivals Penn State, Bucknell and Villanova in the 1941 season for the first and only time in school history. He played both offense and defense and started every game in 1941 en route to becoming the first Temple football player to receive honorable mention All-American honors. In 1942 and part of 1943 he served in the merchant marines during the World War II.
Professional career
Kilroy was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 1943. He played both offensive and defensive line in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, all with the Eagles. He also was often called one of the toughest, if not the dirtiest, player of that era. Despite that reputation he won two NFL championships in the 1948 and 1949 seasons. He was a Pro Bowl selection 3 times during his career, missing only one of 203 games because of an injury. He also played in 147 consecutive games, which was a league record at the time.
A two-way line starter for championship teams in 1948 and 1949 and for runners-up in 1947, Bucko helped Steve Van Buren win several NFL rushing titles in that time span. He also had 5 career interceptions on defense.
Hall of Famer defensive tackle Art Donovan had this to say about him: "The beginnings of the Colt-Eagle rivalry probably had something to do with a guy named Frank Kilroy. They called him Bad News Kilroy, and he was. The dirty bastard was a legend by the time I got into the league. It was the first thing they warned a rookie: 'Watch out for the Irish bum'. He was really pretty unbelievable. He took kickoffs literally. He'd run downfield kicking people, just kicking them out of bounds. And he never got called for it. The officials would just let him do it".
After playing career
After retiring from football as a player, Kilroy became an assistant coach with the Eagles from 1955 to 1959. He then went on to work as a scout for the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys. He was instrumental in selecting Roger Staubach in 1969 despite his military service. Kilroy was also credited as a founder of the modern day NFL draft and as an NFL executive he helped fashion the Super Bowl as we know it today. He later became the general manager of the New England Patriots in 1971; during his tenure, they went to their first Super Bowl in Super Bowl XX, in 1985. As the head of scouting in early 2000s, Bucko was instrumental in drafting many of players that won three Super Bowls for the Patriots.
Executive career
- Scout for the Philadelphia Eagles, from 1960 to 1961.
- Scout for the Washington Redskins, from 1962 to 1964.
- Scout for the Dallas Cowboys, from 1965 to 1970.
- Director of Player Personnel for the New England Patriots, from 1971 to 1978.
- General manager for the Patriots, from 1979 to 1982.
- Vice president for the Patriots, from 1983 to 1993.
- Scout consultant for the Patriots, from 1994 to 2006.
Honors
Kilroy was inducted into the North Catholic High School Hall of Fame, the Temple University Athletics Hall of Fame and the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. He was also named to the National Football League 1940s All-Decade Team.
In 2022, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Kilroy to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2022. In 2025, the Philadelphia Eagles inducted Kilroy to the Eagles Hall of Fame.
Death
Bucko Kilroy died in Norwood, Massachusetts, on July 10, 2007, at the age of 86.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucko_Kilroy
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 15 questions
Questions drawn from Bucko Kilroy's archived record and the sources above.
1.On what date was Francis Joseph Kilroy born?
- A.July 10, 2007
- B.January 1, 1919
- C.May 30, 1921correct
- D.December 12, 1925
Francis Joseph Kilroy was born on May 30, 1921.
Source: biographical introduction
2.Which high school did Francis Joseph Kilroy attend?
- A.Temple High School
- B.St. Anne's High School
- C.Philadelphia Central High
- D.Northeast Catholic High Schoolcorrect
Francis Joseph Kilroy attended Northeast Catholic High School.
Source: early life section
3.What university did Francis Joseph Kilroy attend for his college football career?
- A.Temple Universitycorrect
- B.Villanova University
- C.Penn State
- D.Notre Dame
Francis Joseph Kilroy became one of the finest linemen in Temple Owls football history.
Source: college career section
4.During which years did Francis Joseph Kilroy serve in the merchant marines?
- A.1940-1941
- B.1950-1951
- C.1942-1943correct
- D.1945-1946
Francis Joseph Kilroy served in the merchant marines in 1942 and part of 1943.
Source: college career section
5.How many seasons did Francis Joseph Kilroy play for the Philadelphia Eagles?
- A.15 seasons
- B.13 seasonscorrect
- C.20 seasons
- D.10 seasons
Francis Joseph Kilroy played for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League for 13 seasons.
Source: biographical introduction
6.Which NFL championships did the Philadelphia Eagles win while Francis Joseph Kilroy was on the team?
- A.1948 and 1949correct
- B.1949 and 1950
- C.1947 and 1948
- D.1950 and 1951
Francis Joseph Kilroy won two NFL championships with the Eagles in the 1948 and 1949 seasons.
Source: professional career section
7.What league record did Francis Joseph Kilroy set during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles?
- A.Most consecutive games playedcorrect
- B.Most fumbles recovered in a game
- C.Most interceptions in a career
- D.Most sacks in a single season
Francis Joseph Kilroy played in 147 consecutive games, which was a league record at the time.
Source: professional career section
8.Who did Francis Joseph Kilroy help win several NFL rushing titles?
- A.Steve Van Burencorrect
- B.Art Donovan
- C.Roger Staubach
- D.Bucko Kilroy himself
Francis Joseph Kilroy helped Steve Van Buren win several NFL rushing titles in the late 1940s.
Source: professional career section
9.Which player did Francis Joseph Kilroy help the Dallas Cowboys select in 1969?
- A.Steve Van Buren
- B.Roger Staubachcorrect
- C.Art Donovan
- D.John Elway
Francis Joseph Kilroy was instrumental in selecting Roger Staubach in 1969 despite his military service.
Source: after playing career section
10.In what year did Francis Joseph Kilroy become the general manager of the New England Patriots?
- A.1971correct
- B.1983
- C.1994
- D.1965
Francis Joseph Kilroy became the general manager of the New England Patriots in 1971.
Source: after playing career section
11.Under which Super Bowl did the New England Patriots play during Francis Joseph Kilroy's tenure as general manager?
- A.Super Bowl XXcorrect
- B.Super Bowl X
- C.Super Bowl XXX
- D.Super Bowl XL
The New England Patriots went to their first Super Bowl in Super Bowl XX in 1985 while Francis Joseph Kilroy was general manager.
Source: after playing career section
12.What position did Francis Joseph Kilroy hold with the New England Patriots from 1994 to 2006?
- A.Vice president
- B.Head coach
- C.General manager
- D.Scout consultantcorrect
Francis Joseph Kilroy served as a scout consultant for the New England Patriots from 1994 to 2006.
Source: executive career section
13.Which of these honors was given to Francis Joseph Kilroy in 2025?
- A.Induction into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
- B.Named to the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team
- C.Induction into the Temple University Athletics Hall of Fame
- D.Induction into the Eagles Hall of Famecorrect
In 2025, the Philadelphia Eagles inducted Francis Joseph Kilroy to the Eagles Hall of Fame.
Source: honors section
14.In which city did Francis Joseph Kilroy die?
- A.Dallas, Texas
- B.Washington, D.C.
- C.Norwood, Massachusettscorrect
- D.Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Francis Joseph Kilroy died in Norwood, Massachusetts, on July 10, 2007.
Source: death section
15.What record did Francis Joseph Kilroy receive as a player for Temple University?
- A.Most rushing yards in a single game
- B.First Temple player to receive honorable mention All-American honorscorrect
- C.Most touchdowns in a season
- D.Most passing yards by a non-quarterback
Francis Joseph Kilroy was the first Temple football player to receive honorable mention All-American honors in 1941.
Source: college career section
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