Once the ink was dry, the sale was complete, and Jeffrey Lurie’s $195 million purchase of the Philadelphia Eagles was approved by his new NFL peers, the historically scattershot franchise’s new 42-year-old steward set his sights on Palo Alto, Calif.
It was 1994. Having made a name for himself in the movie business, and now set to pursue another passion, Lurie was determined to build a first-in-class football operation. At the time, the San Francisco 49ers were the gold standard not just in the NFL, but all of professional sports—and the Eagles would face them in their fourth game of Lurie’s ownership. So as soon as the schedule came out, Philly’s new boss lined up a side trip to Stanford.
