Former Eagles great Frank "Bucko" Kilroy, who played 13 seasons for the Eagles from 1943-1955 and was a part of the Eagles 1948 and '49 championship teams, passed away Tuesday. He was 86.

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A Philadelphia native, Kilroy enjoyed a decorated NFL career as both a player and front office executive that spanned 64 years. Kilroy spent the last 36 years working in various positions with the Patriots, who announced Kilroy's death.

Prior to joining the NFL in 1943, Kilroy was a standout at North Catholic High School in Philadelphia and later on at Temple. He was recently inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.

As a two-way player with the Eagles, Kilroy known as one of the toughest players of his era, a trait that naturally endeared him to the city he grew up in.

"Bucko was a Philadelphia guy who played the game the way Philadelphians want the game played: Tough, hard-nosed and he never stopped," Hall of Fame writer Ray Didinger said. "He played both ways as an Eagle and he was a dominating player."

Kilroy was most recognized for his contributions at right guard, where he was a relentless, intimidating force and a six-time All-Pro selection.

On the other side of the ball, Kilroy played on the defensive line and was a key member of a menacing defense known around the league as "The Suicide Seven."

Serving as a stalwart in the trenches, Kilroy was a vital member of the Eagles back-to-back world championship teams. It was Kilroy's fumble recovery in the fourth quarter of the 1948 championship at a snow-blanketed Shibe Park that set up a five-yard touchdown run by Steve Van Buren – the game's only score.

The '48 and '49 squads are still the only teams in NFL history to win back-to-back championship games by shutout.

The former Eagle great's rough brand of play often earned him the disdain of opponents. Yet in an era of hard-nosed, grind-it-out era of football, Kilroy always resented the notion of being perceived as a dirty player.

"I was just a heavy hitter," Kilroy said in an interview with Ron Borges and the Boston Globe in December 1992. "We were hard people back then and some guys are just naturally heavy hitters. It was a different time. We got away with a lot more than they do today but that was the environment.

"In the 1940s and '50s, people were tougher … We were raised to believe in three things – love your God, respect your elders, and fear (nobody) that walked. That's a Buckoism."

Kilroy's contributions as a player are such that many in the past have called for him to be considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Yet his impact on the game of football was only just beginning.

"He started working with me looking for information on certain college players – you couldn't get information easily in those days," former Eagles executive Jim Gallagher said. "Bucko broke into the personnel department and he talked the football talk. He certainly knew the game inside and out and did a good job over the years."

Kilroy would use eye talent to help rebuild the team he had played for. Kilroy served as head scout and assistant coach for the Eagles' third world championship team in 1960. He would then go on to work in personnel and scouting capacities with Washington and Dallas before being named New England's personnel director in 1971.

Kilroy would spend the next 36 years working with the Patriots, serving as general manager from 1979-1982 and as the team's vice president from 1983-1993.

For the past 13 years, Kilroy was a scouting consultant for the Patriots, helping to build a dynasty that won three Super Bowls in the past six seasons.

Kilroy is considered one of the founders of the National Football Scouting Combine, further spreading his impact in player personnel and scouting throughout the entire league.

Above all during his 64 years in the NFL, Kilroy demonstrated a sincere love for the game he played and, later, the league he served for over 50 years as an executive.

"He had a terrific passion for the game that extended beyond the field, as evidenced by the great career he had in the NFL," Didinger said. "Bucko was able to stay with the changing times in the NFL, and he showed his ability to do that with New England for more than three decades."