Do you remember that the Eagles also began the season 10-1 in 1980?

And with the World Cup in high gear, do you remember the Pennsylvania Stoners or the Philadelphia Atoms?

In this week’s version of my Yesterday column – a look back in time to the 1960s, 70s, 80 and sometimes beyond - I will recall that 10-1 Eagles’ start from over four decades ago, as well as the two former pro soccer teams with regional ties, and some other pop-culture items.

Birds were on a Super Bowl flight ... The 1980 season was a magic one for the Eagles, as most signs pointed to them heading to their first Super Bowl.

They had some impressive wins along their way to their first 10-1 start since 1949 (during that season, they finished 11-1 in the regular season and defeated the Rams, 14-0, in the NFL championship).

To record their 10th victory, the Eagles blanked the then Washington Redskins, 24-0, behind Ron Jaworski’s two touchdown passes and Jerry Robinson’s 59-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

In Week 12, the Eagles traveled to San Diego to meet Dan Fouts and the 8-4 Chargers. The Eagles rallied from a 22-7 deficit to close to within 22-21, but they couldn’t get the ball back from the Chargers, who had tight end Kellen Winslow and bespeckled running back Chuck Muncie. Fouts threw for 342 yards in the game.

The following week, the Eagles returned home to the Vet to meet 10-3 Atlanta, who many thought could also be Super Bowl-bound with quarterback Steve Bartkowski.

It was a tight game throughout, and Falcons’ kicker Tim Mazzetti, a former bartender at the University of Penn’s famous local bar, Smokey Joe’s, kicked a late-game, 27-yard field goal for a 20-17 win.

The Eagles rebounded from their two-game slide with a 17-3 victory over the then St. Louis Cardinals, but they dropped their season finale in Dallas by a 35-27 score.

Can these Eagles best the 1980’s mark of 12 wins? We’ll find out.

Soccer finds a brief local home ... In 1979, the Pennsylvania Stoners began as a franchise in the new North American Soccer League. They played their games at Allentown School District (ASD) Stadium and drew crowds of 6,000 to 8,000. In their inaugural season, Matt Bahr and Florian Kempf - two NFL kickers - were on their roster.

They won the league championship in 1980 with a 19-5-4 mark and defeated Sacramento, 2-1, in Allentown for the title in front of over 7,000 fans. Scott Manning – does that ring a bell? - was the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year.

The Stoners moved to Bethlehem the following year, but their attendance plummeted. They had qualified for the playoffs, but withdrew due to financial reasons.

Their last game was in 1983 in a 1-0 loss to the Jacksonville Tea Men in the finals. The league was down to six teams before it disbanded in 1984.

Down the turnpike ... A few years earlier, the Philadelphia Atoms debuted in 1973, and became the first expansion team in the league to win the title. They began playing at the Vet, but they eventually moved to Franklin Field.

The Atoms couldn’t draw enough fans to stay afloat and disbanded in 1976. Some of their more recognized players were Bobby Rigby and Chris Bahr. Bahr was the Rookie-of-the-Year in 1975.

The team was revived as the Philadelphia Fury in 1978, but they only stayed afloat until 1980.

Anyone remember the Philadelphia Fever? They were founded in 1978 as a member of the Men’s Indoor Soccer League. However, like the Atoms, their stay was short-lived until 1982.

Beatles, not Birds ... On Nov. 29, the Beatles’ “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” debuted in 1963. It was their first top hit.

It would begin a string of seven No. 1 hits over the next year, and established the band as one of Rock N’ Roll’s greatest.

Does anyone remember the Beatles’ cartoon? ABC-TV broadcast 39 episodes of the cartoon from 1965-67. The Beatles’ songs were included, but they didn’t voice over their parts in the episodes.

Another classic game ... In the 1970s, Marx unveiled their “Set Shot Basketball Game.”

It was a simple game that involved a basketball player figure on a stand that could move around the court and shoot from any spot. There was a button you would push to release the shot.

The cool part about the game was the box that featured all of the NBA team logos from that time including the old Baltimore Bullets, Buffalo Braves, Cincinnati Royals, and San Diego Rockets (yes, San Diego), and Seattle Supersonics.

Philadelphia had its old 76 logo, and Cleveland had its old bright orange one.

It still amazes me how we could get locked into a simple game back then. By the way, the Marx Company was based in Girard, Pennsylvania - near Erie. It was another toy maker in the 70s that was based in Western Pennsylvania.

On this date ... On Dec. 2, 1967, the Monkees’ legendary song, “Daydream Believer” hit No. 1. Six years later, the Carpenters’ ‘Top of the World” topped the charts. Can you still hear those songs in your head? Both bands were part of our lives during that era.

One possibly forgotten top song on from this date was Kenny Rogers’ “Lady” in 1980. Rogers had a string of top hits in the late 70s and early 80s.

Some winter sweets ... With the winter cold creeping up on us, I can remember getting my Swiss Miss Instant Cocoa with the mini-marshmallows ready (there was a jingle with that).

Also, do you recall the clear, colored Christmas toy candy that usually was green and red and had a butterscotch flavor to it? Or those hard, red-and-white ribbon candies?

One of my morning and afternoon standbys was the Nestle Quik Strawberry Milk mix. I still buy it once in a while.

Do you remember? ... Every week, I’ll recount a likely forgotten player, manager, coach, or announcer from yesterday.

Do you remember Eagles’ receiver Charlie Smith? No. 85 spent all of his eight NFL seasons with the Eagles from 1974 through 1981 and caught 249 passes for 2,349 yards with 24 touchdowns. In 1980, Smith had a career season-high 47 catches for 825 yards with three touchdowns as the receiver opposite well-known Harold Carmichael.

Smith retired and coached high school football for 20 years in his hometown of Monroe, Louisiana.