On July 9, 1933, Bert Bell and Lud Wray obtained permission to reactivate an NFL franchise that had been inactive since midway through the 1931 season. Previously, the franchise had been called the Frankford Yellow Jackets, but Bell and Wray decided to rename the team in honor of FDR's New Deal and the National Recovery Act -- the symbol of which was an eagle. Thus, the Philadelphia Eagles were born. Although some sports historians believe the Eagles and Yellow Jackets should be regarded as one team, the NFL officially considers them to be two separate franchises, citing the period of dormancy from 1931 to 1933.