section_path: History/Thompson, Wolman and the Happy Hundred era (1941–1969)/Buck Shaw years (1958–1960)
section_name: Buck Shaw years (1958–1960)
paragraph_text: Buck Shaw years (1958–1960)
  
  In 1958, the Eagles took several steps to improve, hiring Buck Shaw as head coach and acquiring quarterback Norm Van Brocklin in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams. During the 1959 season, the team showed flashes of talent, and finished in second place in the Eastern Division. Former Eagles owner and co-founder Bert Bell had become NFL commissioner, and attended the Eagles game on October 11 at Franklin Field against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team Bell used to own. Bell refused the box seats that the Eagles reserved for him and purchased his own tickets to sit with the fans. During the fourth quarter, while sitting behind the end zone, Bell suffered a heart attack and died later that day.
  
  In 1958, the Eagles took several steps to improve, hiring Buck Shaw as head coach and acquiring quarterback Norm Van Brocklin in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams. During the 1959 season, the team showed flashes of talent, and finished in second place in the Eastern Division. Former Eagles owner and co-founder Bert Bell had become NFL commissioner, and attended the Eagles game on October 11 at Franklin Field against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team Bell used to own. Bell refused the box seats that the Eagles reserved for him and purchased his own tickets to sit with the fans. During the fourth quarter, while sitting behind the end zone, Bell suffered a heart attack and died later that day.