Video, Audio, and Text Links To Championship Year games

This post is an attempt at a single location for links to audio and video highlights (and full games when present), along with links to game stories and other aspects of  NFL, AAFC, and AFL seasons and championship games from before the Super Bowl era, i.e. 1933-1967 (NFL), 1946-1949 (AAFC--All America Football Conference), and 1960-1967 (AFL IV). I am interested in these seasons for historical and personal reasons (especially for the 1960's). I was introduced to Pro Football in the 1960s and this is where my fondest memories still are. Note that it is unknown how long the video and audio links will be available as most of them are Youtube links. Youtube links are ephemeral, as you might suspect. They are here today but might be gone tomorrow. It is for that reason that you will often find multiple videos for games. I will endeavor to link check at intervals and add or subtract links as needed. See below for explanations of how to link to newspaper and magazine articles about the games covered.

This blog should work on all platforms. On smartphones, landscape readerview works best. Hit the back arrow to get from any links back to the blog.

Note: All player links below, unless otherwise stated, are to Wikipedia articles or Pro Football Reference statistics pages. (H) indicates player is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Feedback is welcome: jbsolock1@gmail.com

Note: When I checked on April 21, 2020, both Milwaukee newspapers (Journal and Sentinel) had been removed from the free public source I was using. This means that a lot of links below no longer exist. Also, coverage of the Green Bay Packers has received a body blow. I will tend to these links as time allows. I wish the Journal-Sentinel a long and prosperous run. I hope the recovery to private hands of their  intellectual property from 65 to 87 years ago helps their bottom line. As to those interested in history, all you have to do is reach into your pockets and pay for it.

Enjoy.

Prelude:

Note: as you may have guessed by now, Volsky was chased off Youtube by the NFL ages ago. Which is unfortunate,because what he did was brilliant marketing for their product. Of course, don't tell them that. Like the Journal-Sentinel above, the threadbare NFL cannot afford to have anyone mess with their capital. I leave the links here so you can see what was, but is no more. And unlike the Journal-Sentinel, there is no place you can even pay to see what he had done. The NFL saw him as a threat to their profits. Nothing more need be said.

Whatever video links you find that don't work are most likely due to the fact that The NFL chased the providers off  Youtube. But, you know, that is a whack-a-mole project. If you can't find the links I found, just search Youtube. They won't be gone for long. (ADDED March 14, 2021)

1. Before we begin try, just for fun, Dave Volsky's 1960s NFL Symphony. (Video: 1 hour 58 minutes, 9 seconds). 1960s NFL highlights put to music. Over 1000 highlight clips from 96 NFL Film shows. Highlights cover 1963-1969. Good "calisthenics" to warm up for what is below. Fantastic stuff. See how many players you can identify. Also try Volski's 20 Unreleased Sam Spence NFL Music tracks (never released) edited to Highlights (1967-1969--video: 38:58--added October 12, 2019).

2. Volski recently released his homage to the 1960s-1980s. While much of it is out of the time period for this blog, it is brilliant, and in most of it, you can find echos of our time period (Lou Saban, and Bill Walsh both came out of the Paul Brown school, for example). Volski is a genius at editing documentary film and combining it with music. These video have dialog, which the symphony above does not. These seven videos are the best way I know to introduce you to the "feel" of the football of our period.

NFL Sight & Sound (video; 3 hours, 23 minutes, 4 seconds). (Added August 17, 2019).

The below listed videos are also part of the NFL Sight & Sound project. They have been edited from the video that was left on "the cutting room floor" of the NFL Sight & Sound video above. (all added October 12, 2019).

NFL Classic Radio/TV calls with Music (video: 3 hours 13 minutes 5 seconds)

1967-90 NFL Clips with Sound (video: 31:54).  (Added October 12, 2019).

1964-84 NFL Training Camp and Practice Clips with Sound (video: 44:09)

1967-1992 NFL Pregame & Halftime Clips with Sound (video: 29:28)

1967-1990 NFL Postgame Clips with Sound (video: 49:50)

END OF VOLSKI LINKS

3. Four for the ages:

1930s: Don Hutson (H) (Packers--End, Defensive Back, Kicker)

Video 1: (4:56)
Video 2: (3:03)

1940s: Sammy Baugh (H) (Redskins--Quarterback, Defensive Back, Punter)

Video 1: (6:05)
Video 2: (5:10)
Video 3: (2:17)
Video 4: (0:55)


Video 4 Part I: (9:25)
Video 4 Part II: (8:15)
Video 4 Part III: (4:22)

Video 4 contains highlights from 13 Redskins games in the 40s, including the 1942, 1943, and 1945 NFL Championship games. (Note that Baugh played little in the 1945 game due to an injury (see below).

1950s-60s:

Johnny Unitas (H) (Colts--Quarterback)

Video 1: (23:49)
Video 2: (5:31)
Video 3: (3:47)
Video 4: (3:45)
Video 5: (3:10)
Video 6: (2:15)

Jim Brown (H) (Browns--Fullback) Video: (1:03:29) (around 320 running plays, 80 or so running TDs, 40 or so pass catches, 15 or so TD catches, 5 passes, 2 passing TDs. The last 2-3 minutes are replays of 10-15 of his best TDs.

Note: this version is back! (Added October 12, 2019) But just in case, and also because we can never get enough Jim Brown, here is another version (47:33) (added August 29, 2019).

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Basics. The video, audio, and text links covering the games are best used with the following contextual links.

NFL:

Championship Games:

Season Synopses:

AAFC:

Seasons, Playoff Games, Championship Games:

Pro Football Researchers article The All America Football Conference, in Coffin Corner (.pdf format).

AFL:

Seasons, Campionship Games:

For the AFL, the best video source I have seen is a 5 part video documentary called Full Color Football. Don't take my word for it. See for yourself. A single documentary (Rebels with a Cause: the Story of the American Football League) is also an excellent video source.

Lamar Hunt interview in Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article The First AFL Game, in Coffin Corner. (pdf format).

Pro Football Researchers article The AFL, in Coffin Corner.

Pro Football Researchers article The AFL: A League Too Often Misremembered, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article An AFL Legacy: The Odd-Front Defense in Coffin Corner.

Pro Football Researchers article The American Football League Attendance, 1960-1969, in Coffin Corner


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The other great resource for studying the individual seasons, game by game, is

Pro Football Reference (Seasons) or (Teams). Here you can find links to week by week schedules, scores, box scores and selected statistics.

There are links to selected articles in Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner periodical. All these articles are in .pdf forrmat. The PFR site is well worth a look. For a small fee which helps sustain the organization, you also get access to much more information.

There are also links to selected blog posts from Today in Pro Football History blog, provided by Keith Yowell, one of the most interesting and eclectic topical blogs I have seen.

NOTE: UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED, THE GAME VIDEO LINKS BELOW ARE TO HIGHLIGHTS. THE AUDIO LINKS ARE MOSTLY TO FULL GAME AUDIO. IN SOME CASES THE VIDEOS HAVE NO AUDIO COMMENTARY OR ARE ACCOMPANIED BY MUSIC ONLY. RUNNING TIMES ARE PROVIDED FOR EACH VIDEO. START AND END TIMES FOR HIGHLIGHTS EMBEDDED WITHIN A LONGER VIDEO ARE ALSO GIVEN. I HAVE NOT PARSED THEM FOR YOU FOR TECHNICAL  REASONS. SIMPLY MOVE THE SLIDER BAR TO THE BEGIN TIME AND CLICK THE BACK ARROW AT THE END OF THE CLIP, OR WATCH OTHER PARTS OF THE FILM AS YOU WISH AND CLICK THE BACK ARROW WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED.  AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT, EARLY GAME VIDEOS ARE QUITE SHORT. BUT THEY TEND TO GET LONGER AS THE YEARS GO BY.

In addition to the videos, there are links to rosters, including player numbers, weights, heights, position , age, college, games played and started (provided by Pro Football Archives--click on year, then team and scroll below the schedule).  Position keys are also provided.  There are also selected statistical recaps and newspaper stories (for championship games there are links to Wikipedia reference sections that provide multiple game stories--you can pick the ones you are interested in).  For many of these games, the stories are "required reading" if you really want to know what you are watching. Note that major newspaper links (New York Times, Chicago Tribune) may be proprietary. Others are not. All newspaper story links will take you directly to the stories.

A note about uniform evolution. For those interested in sartorial splendor, i.e., what the uniforms of the teams and officials in these games actually look like over time (difficult to determine because so many of the early videos are black and white), see: The Gridiron Uniform Database (click on the decade and then the year):

Championship Games

NFL

AAFC

AFL IV

Game Officials for all three

For any of these, click on any logos and you will get a magnified version.

The best place to quickly access a variety of NFL individual and team single game, season, and career records is the annual NFL Record and Fact Book. The latest one for 2020 (.pdf format, 872 p.) is available at the NFL Operations site. The one
for 2018 (.pdf format, 851 p.) is  from the NFL Communications web site. The 2017 (.pdf format, 851p.) verson is available here. The 2016 (.pdf format, 855p.)  version is available (at present) here. The 2015 Factbook (.pdf format, 851p.) is available here.  For earlier record books, check booksellers or WorldCat for library availability.

The 2019 NFL Factbook--the 100th Year Anniversary issue (.pdf format, 907p.), is available at the Operations site.

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Note: Now that the audio/video/article section of the blog is finished, I am adding Conference (some call them Division) race charts for each year. They are set up as line graphs. The x axis=game number (game number is easier to standardize than date, especially for the early years) and the y axis=wins minus losses. The teams' final record will be with the team name in the legend. The colors loosely correspond to the uniform color for the team that year. Note that all teams didn't necessarily play the same amount of games in the early years. Source is Pro Football Reference Seasons. Click on the year of interest, then click on "Standings", then each team within the standings. From there you can link to game by game results and box scores. If you want information about individual games, use one of the newspapers you can find in links below (Milwaukee and Pittsburgh papers have much information), and search the day after the game date (which is listed in the PFR game results). Then simply browse the paper until you get to the sports section. It's actually pretty easy once you practice a little. If you want to, you can really follow these seasons as if you were living at that time. Journalism as history's first draft :)

Before 1972 ties were thrown out and winning percentage determined the order of finish in the conference standings. For example, in 1963,

the Giants (10-3) played the Steelers (7-3-3) (2:43:55 full game radio broadcast)

in the final game of the season. The Giants won 33-17

Video 1: (5:13), color video synchronized with radio broadcast
Video 2: (1:32) narrated
Video 3: (23:28-26:48) on Giants 1963 Highlight film.

clearly winning the Conference. Had the Steelers won, their 8-3-3 record would have been a higher winning percentage than the Giants 10-4-0 and they would have played the Bears in the Championship game. The tie rule played a role in the outcome of races in 1935 and 1949.

The graphs below are dedicated to the memory of John Warner Davenport, whose two brilliant books in 1979 and 1981: Baseball Graphics and Baseball's Pennant Races: A Graphic View first demonstrated to me the power of a simple, well constructed graph to tell a sports story. Today, with Excel, Wikipedia, and specialized sports sites that are a click of the mouse away, the below graphs can be made in minutes. Mr. Davenport had to go to libraries, use microfilm newspaper accounts of over 75 baseball seasons, and hand produce with chartpack tapes the 186 graphs in BPR. But they were beautiful works of art and inspired me to attempt to tell these stories. I have done these types of graphs for cricket "pennant races" and individual Championship matches. While not nearly as elegant as JWD's work, I hope you will find the graphs below entertaining and perhaps educational. They are my first attempts at  football graphs. (added this Jan. 20, 2018).

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*=Home Team

Note: In 1933-34 the NFL schedule was not standardized. In other words, teams played different numbers of games over different amounts of time. A history of the standardized schedule that began in 1935 and continues to the present (12 games, 11, 10, 12, 14, and 16) along with the number of weeks in the season can be found here. A history of roster size limits can be found here.

For the years below, click on the year for standings. Each team is linked to its entire schedule, with box scores and stats for each game. League stats can be found via the year link as well.

Note: all records in parentheses below are records going into the game.

1933 

National Football League:

Known Attendance: (click on any title for ascending or descending sorts): 598,094

Roster information: Click on team and then scroll to roster. Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. After 1949, box scores are not linked this way See Boxscore Link for game by game link in Pro Football Archives.

Major rules changes 1933 saw three existential rules changes.

1. Forward passes could be thrown from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage. Before 1933 passes had to be thrown from at least five yards behind the line. In the 1932 Playoff between the Bears (6-1-6) and Portsmouth Spartans (6-1-4), played indoors (at Chicago Stadium) on a shortened field due to bad weather, the Bears scored the winning TD on a pass that was thrown much closer than five yards behind the line (video: 9:37-11:31 of documentary of  Bears history). The rule change was a corrective that had a tremendous impact.

2. Hash marks were introduced ten yards from each sideline. Each play would begin within the hash marks. This marked a fundamental change from gridiron football's rugby ancestry.

3. In order to increase scoring, the goal posts were moved from the back to the front of the end zone, a change that was not reversed until 1974.

From 1920-1933 the NFL employed 13 African American players, including  Fredrick Douglass (Fritz) Pollard (H)  (the first African American to play in the Rose Bowl, and one of the first two African American players in the American Professional Football Association (Ohio History Central)--precursor to the NFL

(the other was Bobby Marshall (by Steven R. Hoffbeck, Minnesota History Magazine (Vol. 59. No.4, Winter 2004, .pdf format, p. 158-174), who began his AAFP-NFL career at the age of 40.

Pollard was also the first African American head coach in the history of the NFL.

(1--NFL Films video: 2:36)
(2--Fritz Pollard at the Hall of Fame--note especially the enshrinement speech)
(3-- by Louise Sloan, Brown University Alumni Magazine, Jan.-Feb. 2016)
(4-- by Gary Waleik, WBUR NPR radio, Boston, Jan. 12, 2018)
(5).

See this listing at the Pro Football Hall of Fame for details of the original African American "football pioneers." At the end of the 1933 season, the last two, Joe Lillard of the Cardinals and Ray Kemp of the Pirates (later Steelers), a team that was added to the NFL in 1933, were dropped. There wasn't another African American player in professional football (AAFC or NFL) until 1946 (see below). Though not as egregious as Major League Baseball's apartheid, which lasted from 1889-1946, it was apartheid just the same. And while every owner except the Redskins' George Preston Marshall (H) denied that apartheid was an official policy (Marshall later said that he would hire an African American player when the Harlem Globetrotters hired a white player), everyone knew why African American players were, all of a sudden, not good enough to play in the NFL. There was no Branch Rickey (though Rickey's motives were far from simple social justice) in the NFL. The Rams integrated in 1946 because the City of Los Angeles insisted on it as a condition for occupancy of the publicly financed Coliseum (for a different point of view, which emphasizes the role of William Claire (Halley) Harding, (Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, Mar. 8, 2017) columnist for the Los Angeles Tribune, see the article in the Jan. 8, 2017 Los Angeles Times). The Browns of the All America Football Conference integrated not because Paul Brown (H) was a social engineer, but because he was a football engineer who wanted the best players he could find. The NFL was not fully integrated until 1962, when US Department of the Interior Secretary Stuart Udall put great pressure on Marshall. The pioneering African Americans in 1946 and after faced the same abuse that Jackie Robinson faced, but their road was arguably more difficult because football was and is an inherently violent and dangerous game, so they faced a great amount of physical abuse (see the Los Angeles Times opinion piece of Sep. 15, 2016. In it is the famous Woody Strode quote: "If they ask me to integrate Heaven, I don't want to go."). The story of the integration of pro football is taken up in the narrative beginning with the 1946 season. To get a sense of what it was like for these African American post war pioneers, see Gridiron Gauntlet: The Story of the Men Who Integrated Pro Football, in Their Own Words, by Andy Piascik, an oral history of 12 of them. What is interesting about this book is that many of the players discuss their lives outside of football, and the nature of discrimination both inside and outside the game. For a more scholarly view, a good place to start is Outside the Lines: African Americans and the Integration of the National Football League, by Charles K. Ross. (An extended excerpt is freely available online).

Conference Races

New League members: Pittsburgh Pirates (later renamed Steelers), Philadelphia Eagles (replacing the defunct Frankford Yellow Jackets), and Cincinnati Reds.

Weekly schedule

                            EASTERN CONFERENCE RACE GRAPH

(BRKLN=Brooklyn Dodgers; BOS=Boston Redskins; PIT=Pittsburgh Pirates). The Giants won their last seven games (including a Nov. 5 13-10 win over the Portsmouth Spartans (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 6; Portsmouth Times, Nov. 6) to blow open the race. The Spartans' chances for a Western Conference championship were hurt by this game (see below.) The Spartans were in control 10-0 at halftime on the back of their consensus first team All Pro all purpose back, kicker, returner, and linebacker Glenn Presnell (he led the league in all purpose yards in 1933), who kicked a 15 yard field goal and had an 81 yard TD run. (As an aside, the Detroit Lions'--where the Spartans moved in 1934--owner asked Presnell to pick the colors for their uniforms. He and his wife picked out the teal and silver that the Lions' wear to this day). In the fourth quarter Presnell, returning a punt, was caught in the pincers of a crushing tackle by two Giant defenders and had to be carried off the field with a shoulder injury. That was the end of the Spartans offense for the day and the Giants rallied to win.

Other games of interest.

Sep. 27: Pirates (0-1-0) 14* Cardinals (0-0-0) 13 at Forbes Field. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sep. 28; Pittsburgh Press, Sep. 28). The Pirates scored their first NFL TD and won their first NFL game, a thrilling comeback from a 13 point deficit. Martin (Butch) Kottler scored the first TD on a 99 yard interception return (an NFL record that stood for 29 years, until broken by Cowboys cornerback Mike Gaechter). With less than two minutes remaining, tailback Bill Tanquay threw an 11 yard TD pass to end Paul Moss (who led the NFL in receiving yards as a rookie--283 on 13 catches),  for the tying score. A semi-pro player signed exclusively as a kicker, Mose Kelsch (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Obituary, Jul. 15, 1935) then added the winning extra point on a place kick.

Western Conference Race Graph:

(PTSM=Portsmouth Spartans;  CIN=Cincinnati Reds). On Nov. 19, the Spartans, at 6-2-0, trailed the Bears at 6-1-1. Then the Spartans lost 10-7 to the lowly Reds (1-5-1) (who scored after 2 Spartan fumbles) at Redland Field, while the Bears were losing to the Giants at the Polo Grounds 3-0 (Milwaukee Journal, Nov 20; for Giants-Bears see also Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 20, Col. 5). Later the Spartans lost their last two games to the Bears while the Bears won their last four (Spartans, Cardinals, Spartans, Packers). A tight race ended up as a blowout.

In the Nov. 27 game, played at Wrigley Field in front of 9,000 fans, the Bears won 17-14 (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 28). The Bears took a 10-0 lead using a  "forward-lateral" (also known as "hook and ladder") from passer  Keith Molesworth to end Bill Hewitt (H) (one of the last players to play without a helmet) to end Bill Karr, leading to a 17 yard field goal by "Automatic" Jack Manders and a 31 yard TD.

(Laterals were common at the time--there was even a statistical category for them--and the fact that they were used strategically rather than out of pure desperation can be seen in that they were used twice in this game and then (see below) as a game winning play in the first Championship game. The Giants also failed on a variation of the play at the end of that game. The "forward-lateral" shows the amount of rugby that was still incorporated into gridiron football at this time.)

The Spartans fought back with a Glenn Presnell TD run and 55 yard TD pass to Ernie Caddel (the first player in NFL history to finish a season in the top 10 in rushing and passing yardage--a feat he achieved twice which was not duplicated for 20 years). They were were less than four minutes away from taking the Conference lead. But then running back Elmer Shakke (Pro Football Archives) fumbled at the Bears 31 and Hewitt recovered. Bronko Nagurski (H) (video: 0:38--not these plays) then rushed three times, the last a 29 yard TD that won the game.

On Dec. 3 the Bears, playing their third game in a week

(they had beaten the Cardinals 22-6 on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 30 (Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 1)--the Cardinals' Joe Lillard, in the last minute of the game, scoring the last TD by an African American in pro football for 13 years--though he would play in one more game, a scoreless tie with the Redskins on December 3 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 3--story is directly below Bears-Spartans story--see above). Ray Kemp played his last game for the Pirates on Dec. 3, a 27-3 loss to the Giants (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 4)),

beat the Spartans 17-7 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 4) before a crowd of 7,000 at Universal Stadium. Two TD passes (from Molesworth to Hewitt and from Red Grange (H) to Molesworth) and a Manders field goal did the damage after a TD pass from Presnell to Caddell had given the Spartans an early 7-0 lead. The victory clinched the Conference title for the Bears. With the Spartans' departure for Detroit in 1934, Green Bay was left as the last of the small town teams in the NFL.

Longest winning streak: Giants:7; Longest losing streak: Cardinals:7

Highest regular season single game attendance: Oct. 22: Giants* (3-2-0) 21, Dodgers (1-1-0) 7 at the Polo Grounds: 35,000

All Pros: (all columns are sortable)

Statistical Leaders

Championship Game

Chicago Bears* (10-2-1) 23 New York Giants (11-3-0)  21 (Wrigley Field)  Attendance: 26,000. Bears Roster; Giants Roster (rosters include uniform numbers)

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Newspaper story links.  Also Dec. 18, 1933 issues of Brooklyn Eagle, , Col. 6, New York Times, P. 26, New York Herald-Tribune, P. 21, and Chicago Tribune, P. 23, 25 (NYT, NYHT, and CT are proprietary).

Game story: Pro Football Hall of Fame. (Note that this story has transposed the Giants passer and receiver on two TDs. The passer on each was Harry Newman).

Game Story: Today in Pro Football History Blog: (Note that TPFBH is a wonderful history blog by amateur historian Keith Yowell). One interesting point about this game is that the photo of the Hewitt to Karr lateral in video 1 below is not from the Championship game but from the earlier Bears v Giants game (see above). The story behind this mistake, which has been repeated repeatedly :) (see above HoF article) is told at the Gridiron Uniform Database blog.

Video 1: (12:00-14:36) of documentary on Chicago Bears history. Mostly photos. Includes interviews with Virginia McCaskey (daughter of George Halas (H)) and Red Grange (H).

Video 2: (6:36). Compilation from multiple sources. Puts the game in context. Mostly photos.

The very first championship game was one of the most exciting, featuring six lead changes (some of the newspaper accounts had the second and third scores of the game interposed but the Chicago Tribune (Dec. 18, P. 23--proprietary) had a play by play of all the scoring drives). The Bears won the game with a "forward-lateral" from Bronko Nagurski (H) (the Brooklyn Eagle account has this incorrectly credited to Keith Molesworth) to Bill Hewitt (H) to Bill Karr for a 19 yard TD. The Bears Red Grange (H) then saved the game, preventing Morris (Red) Badgro (H) from lateraling to Mel Hein (H) (Hein source is video 1 above) or halfback Dale Burnett, (1--NY Times Badgro Obituary) (2--Kansas Sports Hall of Fame entry for Burnett) by tackling him high, pinning his arms. An oddity of the game was a play where Hein (a center) hiked the ball to Harry Newman, who returned it to Hein and then faked diving for a fumble while Hein hid the ball under his shirt and started walking down the field. Hein might have scored but for the fact that he got excited and started running, which caught the attention of Molesworth (playing defensive back), who chased him down and tackled him. Molesworth later said he thought Hein looked pregnant, but probably wouldn't have reacted if Hein hadn't started running.

Needless to say, the fact that this first championship game played under the new rules (see above) featured four passing TDs, 358 total passing yards, and three field goals, including one of 40 yards, showed the power of the new rules to open up the game and shine a small light into the future.

Home team in Championship games: 1-0
Better record in Championship games: 1-0

Related information:

Pro Football Researchers article 1933 NFL Statistics, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Glenn Presnell, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Red Badgro, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Ray Kemp Blazed an Important Trail, in Coffin Corner

Today in Pro Football Blog articles relevant to 1933.

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1934

NFL:

Known Attendance: (click on any title for ascending or descending sorts): 714,045

Roster information: Click on team and then scroll to roster. Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there.

Major rules changes

Conference Races

The Cincinnati Reds disbanded after 8 games, replaced by the St. Louis Gunners. The Portsmouth Spartans moved to Detroit, becoming the Detroit Lions.

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Conference Race Graph:

After two consecutive losses to start the season, the Giants coasted to the Conference championship on the back of a five game winning streak. The race was decided on Nov. 25 when the Giants (6-4-0) beat the Redskins (5-5-0) 3-0 (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 26, Col. 2) .

Western Conference Race Graph:

(DET=Detroit Lions; STL=St. Louis Gunners). The Bears had a perfect season (13-0-0), the first perfect season under this format. Added to their 4 game winning streak and Championship victory in 1933, they won 18 in a row. The streak is tied for the 3rd longest winning streak in NFL history, behind the Patriots 21 (2003-04) and the Packers 19 (2010-11). There have been four other 18 game winning streaks: the Bears (1941-2), the Browns (AAFC--1947-48), the Dolphins (1972-3), and the Patriots (2007).  Both the Bears (twice--see below under 1942) and Patriots had their streaks stopped in the League championship game. The only perfect seasons in the modern era (1933-present) were the Browns in 1948 and Dolphins in 1972.

The Lions won their first 10 in a row and started the season with seven consecutive shutouts, an NFL record for 1933-present. Then they lost their last three games, to the Packers, and twice to the Bears (in the 1st Detroit Thanksgiving Day (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nov. 30; see also Today in Pro Football History blog article) game, which clinched the Conference championship, and again 3 days later in Chicago). In the clinching game Jack Manders' two field goals (21 and 42 yards) and a 4 yard jump pass from Bronko Nagurski (H) to Bill Hewett (H) helped the Bears overcome a 16-7 halftime deficit. Though this Thanksgiving Day game is remembered because it was the first of a continuous series of games in Detroit, there were two other games that day in 1934. The Giants beat the Dodgers in Brooklyn to clinch the Eastern Conference championship and the Cardinals beat the Packers in Chicago. (Giants-Dodgers game article: Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 30, P.  21-22)

Longest winning streak: Bears: 13; Longest losing streak: Reds: 8

Highest regular season single game attendance: Nov. 18: Bears (9-0-0) 10, Giants* (5-4-0) 9 at the Polo Grounds: 55,000

All Pros: (all columns are sortable)

Statistical Leaders

Championship Game

New York Giants (8-5-0) 30* Chicago Bears (13-0-0) 13 (Polo Grounds). Attendance: 35,059. Giants roster: Bears roster (rosters include uniform numbers)

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Newspaper story links Also Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 10, 1934

Pro Football History Blog game story

Video 1: (2:08) narrated
Video 2: (1: 37) Silent

Chicago--#3: Bronko Nagurski (H); New York--#22: Ed Danowski; #21: Ike Frankian; #50: Ken Strong (H)

The Giants, playing the second half in sneakers on the icy field, scored 27 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to upset the Bears and stop their winning streak. In what may be an apocryphal story, Bears coach George Halas (H) was asked by one of his players what should be done about the sneakers. "Step on their toes," he is reputed to have replied.

Home team in Championship games: 2-0
Better record in Championship games: 1-1

Related information:

Sneakers Game Explanation (video: 1:05)

Bronko Nagurski Bio in Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner

Ken Strong Bio in Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Lions, Bears, and the First Thanksgiving, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article 1934 NFL Statistics, in Coffin Corner

Today in Pro Football History Blog items relevant to 1934 (includes full narratives of the first College All Star game, the Reds' final game, and the end of the Lions 7 game shutout streak. Also capsule articles on the great individual seasons of the Bears' Beattie Feathers, the Giants' Red Badgro (H), and the Eagles' Joe Carter.

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1935

NFL:

Known Attendance: (click on any title for ascending or descending sorts): 680,008

Roster information: Click on team and then scroll to roster. Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there.

Major rules changes The hashmarks were moved closer to the middle of the field. They would be moved closer in 1945 and then again in 1972 to where they are today, lined up with each of the goalpost (18 1/2 yards apart.)

Conference Races

St. Louis Gunners disappeared from the landscape, leaving the Western Conference with only 4 teams.

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Conference Race Graph:

Just as in 1933, a Giants five game winning streak at the end of the season blew open a close race. They gave up 14 points in one of those games. The other four (vs Bears, Eagles, and the Dodgers twice) were shutouts.

Western Conference Race Graph:

When the dust settled after the 12th game (for the first time in the Conference setup, each team played the same amount of games), all four teams were within one game of each other. The Lions won the conference because of the tie rule (ties being thrown out and winning percentage determining the champion). The Lions' 7-3-2 (7-3--.700) won over the Packers (8-4--.667). The Cardinals could have tied the Lions or won outright, but they were tied and beaten by the Bears the last two games of the season. The Packers held the top spot late in the season but suffered a crushing 9-7 defeat at the hands of the Cardinals (Milwaukee Journal Nov. 29; also a full play by play--photo of final field goal attempt in mid-flight further down the page--Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette (packershisory.net)) at Wrigley Field in Chicago (where the Cardinals played all their Chicago home games from 1933-1937),  in their penultimate game (the Cardinals 10th game on the graph). Ade Schwammel missed a 14 yard field goal with 55 seconds to play. The Packers were without Don Hutson (H) (ESPN Sports Century article)  and Arnie Herber (H) due to injuries.  The Bears were in the thick of things but went 1-2-2 in their last 5 games. And the Lions won by sweeping their last three games, two (including the Thanksgiving Day game) against the Bears (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 29; Detroit Free Press, Mar. 25, 1947 contains quarterback Dutch Clark's (H) memories of the game--he got the score wrong--13-0, although the correct score was 14-2) and one against the Dodgers. For the season, the Lions were 1-2 against the Packers, 1-0-1 against the Cardinals, and 2-0 against the Bears.  The Packers were 2-1 against the Lions, 2-0 against the Bears, but 0-3 against the Cardinals. The Cardinals were 0-1-1 against the Lions, 3-0 against the Packers, and 0-1-1 against the Bears. The Bears were 0-2 against the Lions, 0-2 against the Packers, and 1-0-1 against the Cardinals. Two years after a devastating loss (while they were still the Portsmouth Spartans) to a team that won three games in two years before disbanding in the middle of the 1934 season possibly cost them the Conference championship, and one year after a 10-3-0 record left them in the dust behind the perfect Bears, the Lions were Western Conference Champions. 

Other games of interest:

Sep. 22: Packers* (0-1-0) 7 Bears (0-0-0) 0 (Green Bay Press Gazette via packershistory.net (City Stadium 1). This was Don Hutson's (H) first start for the Packers. On the first play from scrimmage, he caught an 83 yard TD pass from Arnie Herber (H) for the only score of the game. It was his only catch of the game, the first of his 99 TD receptions, an NFL record that stood for 44 years.

Note: the entire Packers season, game by game, with play by plays, game stories, and photos, is available here. Click on any game for a complete rundown, including play by play, of that game. Original source for most information appears to be Green Bay Press-Gazette. It is part of a much larger site called
packershistory.net, one of the best and most exhaustive fan hobby sites I've seen. A must for any "real" Packer fan.

Longest winning streak: Giants: 5; Longest losing streak: Redskins: 8

Highest regular season single game attendance: Nov. 3: Bears (3-2-0) 20, Giants* (3-3-0) 3  at the Polo Grounds: 40,000

All Pros: (all columns are sortable)

Statistical Leaders

Championship Game

Detroit Lions (7-3-2) 26* New York Giants (9-3-0) 7 (University of Detroit (Titan) Stadium) (Video--2:15) Silent. Attendance: 15,000. Lions roster; Giants roster (rosters include uniform numbers)

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Newspaper story links.

Game story: Detroit Free Press, Dec. 16
Game story: Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 16
Game story: New York Times, Dec. 16, P. 30--proprietary
Game Story: New York Herald Tribune, Dec. 16, P. 21--proprietary

Today in Pro Football History blog game story.

A Giants quick kick that didn't clear their own offensive line and interception led to two Lions touchdowns, blowing open what had been a close game for 57 minutes. The Giants passing attack was hampered by the loss of two of their best receivers. Dale Burnett missed the game with an injury and rookie Todd Goodwin, who led the league in receptions, was forced to leave the game with broken ribs. The game was almost overshadowed by the miserable weather conditions it was played in. Here is how Stanley Woodward of the Herald Tribune described it:

"There never was a more miserable football day since the American game settled into its present form. It had rained for nearly a week in this vicinity and as the courageous customers swathed themselves in slickers, blankets and sweaters for the ordeal, the rain turned into an unpleasant admixture of snow and sleet which the raw north wind swept the length of the field." 

Related information:

Today in Pro Football History Blog items relevant to 1935. An account of the 1936 College All Star game. Also capsule articles on the great individual seasons of the Giants' Ed Danowski and Lions' Ernie Caddel.

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1936

NFL:

Known Attendance  (click on any title for ascending or descending sorts): 723,879

Annual player draft begins: Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information: Click on team and then scroll to roster. Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there.

Major rules changes:  1936 marked the beginning of the NFL draft. Jay Berwanger, University of Chicago halfback and first winner of the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy (to be renamed Heisman Trophy in 1937), was the first pick in the draft. The Eagles picked him but traded his rights to the Bears because they couldn't afford the astronomical sum of $1,000 per game (Milwaukee Journal, Feb. 10, 1936) they thought they'd have to pay. Ironically, the draft was Eagle owner Bert Bell's idea. Berwanger couldn't agree with George Halas (H) (Berkeley Daily Gazette, Dec. 11, 1940) on terms and never played a down in the NFL. Instead, Riley Smith, a blocking back from the University of Alabama became the first drafted player to sign an NFL contract, with the Redskins.

Conference Races:

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Conference Race Graph:

This race was almost as good as last year's Western Conference Race. Three teams (Redskins, Pirates, and Giants) battled right through to the end. Remarkably, the Pirates, in only their 4th season, led most of the way. But in a key late season game at Boston's Fenway Park on Nov. 29 (the Pirates' 12th and final game, the Redskins' 11th) they were flattened by the Redskins 30-0) (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nov. 30, P. 17,  P. 19) and eliminated. Going into the game the Pirates were 6-5, the Redskins 5-5. There is an interesting story behind that game. According to the game article the Pirates appeared "sluggish". And why not? After their previous game Nov. 15 (a 14-6 loss to the Cardinals in Chicago) (Pittsburgh Press, Nov. 16), they had a week off to rest before preparing for the game in Boston. Instead they took a train to Los Angeles for an exhibition game on the 21st, and came back to Pittsburgh on the 24th (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nov.25) (this was common practice at the time, but this was probably not the best time or the shortest trip). The Pirates managed 2 first downs and 34 total yards. The Redskins (6-5) then finished their season against the Giants (5-5-1) at the Polo Grounds on Dec. 6. They pitched their second shutout in a row (14-0), eliminating the Giants (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 7, also Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 7). George Preston Marshall (H), the Redskins owner, was disillusioned with the Boston market and the Championship game was shifted to the Polo Grounds (Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 8), the only time, to my knowledge, that one of these championship games was played on a neutral field. In 1937 Marshall moved the team to Washington. The Giants' 3 year stranglehold on the Eastern Conference came to an end.

Western Conference Race Graph:

Several notable things happened in the West. The Conference continued to be the best conference, having 7 of the best 9 records for 1935-6. The Packers continued their rising trajectory (5-7-1, 7-6, 8-4, 10-1-1) since 1933. The Conference had another great race. And the lowly Cardinals, with only 3 wins and a tie, made them count, dealing the Pirates a crucial blow in the Eastern race (see above), eliminating the Bears on a fake punt 66 yard run for a touchdown, and then battling the Packers to a scoreless tie in Chicago in the last game of the season (of course the Packers were playing mostly second stringers by then, but hey, for the Cardinals, a win was a win--even if it was only a tie). But the Packers, what a story! After winning their first game they were hammered  30-3 at Green Bay's East Stadium (City Stadium I) by the Bears. This was the 2nd of 6 consecutive wins by the Bears to open the season. The Packers then won their next 4 and so came Nov. 1. At Wrigley field, they came back from a 10-0 deficit to beat the Bears 21-10 (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 2. Also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains game story, play by play, and much more). Now both teams were tied at the top with 6-1 records. The Packers did not lose again, finishing the season with a 10 game unbeaten streak.

The Bears lost to the Lions on Thanksgiving Day 13-7 (Youtube video) Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 27) in front of 22,000 at University of Detroit Stadium. Three days later the Packers defeated the Lions (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 30, also packershistory.net--unfortunately, no play by play) in Detroit while the Bears lost to the Cardinals at Wrigley Field, (MJ, same page). The Cardinals won on a fake punt 66 yard TD run by George Grosvenor. Grosvenor had started the season with the Bears but was sold to the Cardinals after the first game of the season. For other instances of the Cardinals knocking the Bears out of a Conference championship, see 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951, and 1955 below.

The West, for the first time in this era, belonged to the "Bays."

Complete coverage of the 1936 Packers Season, game by game at packershistory.net Click on any game for coverage (newspaper, play by play, photos) of that game.

Longest winning streak: Packers 9; Longest losing streak: Eagles 11.

Highest regular season game attendance: Nov. 1, Packers (5-1-0) 21, Bears* (6-0-0), 10, at Wrigley Field. 31,346

All Pros: (all columns are sortable)

Statistical Leaders

Championship Game

Green Bay Packers (10-1-1) 21 Boston Redskins (7-5-0) 6 (Polo Grounds, New York): Attendance: 29,545. Packers Roster; Redskins Roster

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Newspaper story links.

Full accounting of game at packershistory.net. Includes play by play.

Today in Pro Football History Blog game story.

Video 1: (0:48) silent
Video 2: (0:49) narrated

Green Bay (lighter color uniforms)--#38 Arnie Herber (H); #14 Don Hutson (H); #22 Milt Gantenbein; #55; Johnny "Blood" McNally (H): Boston: #20 Cliff Battles (H) (all in 1st video).

Two long passes by Arnie Herber (H), one for a TD to Don Hutson (H), the other to Johnny (Blood) McNally (H) that set up another TD on a pass to Milt Gantenbein, helped the Packers to an impressive victory. Battles was injured early in the game and didn't come back, severely limiting the Redskins' offense. While he was in, early in the game, he returned a punt 15 yards and carried the ball twice for 18.

Note: A new professional League, the American Football League II (AFL I lasted only one season, 1926) was born. It died after the 1937 season. The Cleveland Rams began their existence here and were added to the NFL in 1937. It is possible that competition from the Boston Shamrocks, who won the first AFL championship, was influential in George Preston Marshall's decision move the Redskins to Washington in 1937. This AFL also introduced the first West Coast professional team, the Los Angeles Bulldogs, in 1937.

AFL II Summary, Roster, game scores

Related information:

Pro Football Researchers article The Era of Hutson, in Coffin Corner

Arnie Herber Bio in Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner

Johnny "Blood" McNally Bio in Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner

Cliff Battles Bio in Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner

Today in Pro Football History Blog items relevant to 1936. Includes an article on the first NFL draft and narrative of the Eagles only victory of the season.

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1937

NFL:

Known Attendance:  (click on any title for ascending or descending sorts): 951,941

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information:  Click on team and then scroll to roster. Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there.

AFL II Summary, Roster, selected box score information

Major rules changes

Conference Races

Boston Redskins moved to Washington. The Cleveland Rams, an expansion team who had played in the American Football League (II) joined the Western Conference. The schedule was standardized at 11 games over twelve weeks.

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Conference Race Graph:

This was strictly a two team race between the only two teams who had won the Conference in this era--the Giants and the Redskins. The Redskins brought two new factors to the game. The first was a new city, Washington, where they shared Griffith Stadium with the baseball Senators (and averaged a little less than 19,000 fans a game--in Boston the year before they'd averaged about 8,750). The second was a rookie quarterback from Texas Christian named Sammy Baugh (H) (Sports Illustrated, Oct. 20, 1969). Baugh led the league in six major passing categories. He also led the league in interceptions with 11. As far as the season, the graph shows a terrific race with the 2 teams never separated by more than a game. One of them was in first place every week but one. The Redskins beat the Giants 13-3 at home on Opening Day in front of 24,500 (Brooklyn Eagle, Sep. 17, Col. 2; see also Today in Pro Football History game narrative). Going into the last game of the season the Redskins were 7-3, the Giants 6-2-2. In front of over 58,000 fans at the Polo Grounds,  the Redskins, led by Cliff Battles (H), who ran 25 times for 165 of the team's 238 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns, blew out the Giants 49-14. Three touchdowns in the 4th quarter sealed the decision. (Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 6).

Western Conference Race Graph:

The Packers began their title defense by stumbling out the gate, losing their first two games at home to the Cardinals and Bears. The Bears started their season with five consecutive wins and a tie. But by that time the Packers had hit their stride, winning five in a row. On Nov. 7, the 5-0-1 Bears met the 5-2-0 Packers at Wrigley Field in front of 45,000. Highlighted by a 78 yard touchdown pass from Arnie Herber (H) to Don Hutson (H) and a 25 yard pick 6 by Ed Jankowski, the Packers built a 17-0 halftime lead. Then they held off a Bears comeback for a 24-14 win (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 8;  Also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains game story, play by play, and much more). Though this doesn't show clearly on the graph because the Packers had played one more game than the Bears, the teams were now in a virtual tie, with the Bears ahead by percentage points. But after an easy victory over the Eagles, the Packers ended their season with a difficult road trip to New York (Green Bay Press Gazette, Nov. 22 via packershistory.net; see also Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 22, Col. 4) and Washington (Green Bay Press Gazette, Nov.29 via packershistory.net) (see Eastern Conference race graph above). They lost both games while the Bears won their last four games, including a shutout of the Lions on Thanksgiving Day. The Lions were still formidable, but 2 losses to both the Packers and Bears put them out of contention. Highlights of the Cardinals .500 season were road victories over the Packers (Green Bay Press Gazette, Sep. 13 via packershistory.net--which also contains a play by play) and Redskins. And the expansion Cleveland Rams played like an expansion team should, winning 1 game and ending their season with a 9 game losing streak.

Longest winning streak: Packers 7; Longest losing streak: Rams 9.

Highest regular season game attendance: Bears (4-0-0) 3, Giants* (4-1-0) 3, at the Polo Grounds. 50,449

All Pros: (all columns are sortable)

Statistical Leaders

Championship Game

Washington Redskins (8-3-0) 28 Chicago Bears* (9-1-1)  21 (Wrigley Field)   (Video: 3:50) Silent with text narrative and musical accompaniment. Attendance: 15,878.. Redskins roster. Bears roster.

Washington--#33 Sammy Baugh (18-33, 335 yards, 3 TDs) Chicago--#33 Bernie Masterson; #3 Bronko Nagurski

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Newspaper story links.

Sammy Baugh (H) guided the Redskins to the title in his rookie season. On a deteriorating "corrugated", frozen field, his 3 TD passes (37, 55, and 78 yards) led the way. He played with a "skinned" hand (from the abrasive field) and threw two of the touchdown passes with a badly bruised hip, the result of a "savage tackle." The attendance was held down by the weather. Wayne Millner (H) caught 9 passes for 160 yards including 55 and 78 yard TD passes. His catches were an NFL record for 13 years, until broken by Dante Lavelli (H) of the Browns (11 catches). Both the yardage and caught passes records were broken by the Colts' Raymond Berry (H), who had 12 catches for 178 yards in the 1958 Championship game.

Related information:

Sammy Baugh Bio in Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner

Sammy Baugh and Bob Waterfield, 2 Great Rookie Seasons Video: (3:52)

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1938

NFL:

Known Attendance:  (click on any title for ascending or descending sorts): 1,112,995

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information:  Click on team and then scroll to roster. Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there.

Major rules changes

Conference Races

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Conference Race Graph:

The Eastern Conference offered a terrific two team race between the Giants and Redskins. The Giants stumbled out of the blocks, losing two of their first three against the tail end Eagles and Pirates. The Redskins started 2-0-1, the wins against the tail end Eagles and Rams sandwiched around a tie with the Dodgers. The Redskins had an excellent chance to put more ground between themselves and the Giants but were beaten 10-7 (Milwaukee Sentinel, Oct. 10) by them before the largest crowd to ever see a game in Washington up to that time, 37,500. The Giants won on a 13 yard touchdown pass from Ed Danowski to Jim Lee Howell (who later became the Giants Head Coach) in the 4th quarter. From there both teams caught fire, the Giants going 6-0-1, the Redskins 4-1-2. The rematch, in the final game of the season found the Giants at 7-2-1, the Redskins at 6-2-2. With over 57,000 fans in attendance, the Giants crushed the Redskins 36-0 (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 5, also Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 5)

Video (1:22) (silent with dubbed crowd noise)

Players in order of appearance (Giants are in lighter uniforms with larger numbers)

Giants: #22--Ed Danowski; #21--Jim Lee Howell; #11--Bull Karcis; #14--Ward Cuff; #29--Chuck Gelatka;

Redskins: #30--Frankie Filchock; #46--Roy Young; #13--Ed Justice

and won the division, repaying them in kind for the 49-14 Redskins division winning victory at the same venue at the end of 1937. Star of the game was Ward Cuff, who kicked a field goal and 3 extra points, along with a 90 yard pick 6 (video: 4:06-4:23 of NFL greatest touchdowns film) .

Western Conference Race Graph:

The Western Conference race also went down to the wire. Three teams were in contention and, indeed led at one point or another. For the first half of the season the Bears and Packers had or were tied for the lead. By the 7th game the Lions, spurred by a four game winning streak, were tied with the Packers, with the Bears one game off the lead. On Nov. 6, the 4-3 Bears played the 6-2 Packers in Chicago (Milwaukee Journal, Nov.7, also see packershistory.net game 9 for more information, including play by play). The over 40,000 fans were barely in their seats, or even in the park, when the Packers capitalized on Bear fumbles by Bert (Man 'O War) Johnson the first two times they touched the ball (a running play and the kickoff following the 1st Packer touchdown). With less than 3 minutes gone the Packers led 14-0. The Bears than capitalized after a Bob Monnett fumble with a Jack Manders TD and followed that up with a Manders field goal. The first quarter ended 14-10. The Packers answered with an immediate touchdown, and the Bears scored after yet another turnover. 21-17 at the half.  The Packers scored the only points of the 2nd half on a Clarke Hinkle (H) field goal after yet another Bear fumble. Five of the seven scores in the game came as a result of turnovers. The Bears tried their best for a winning score, but on the last play of the game the ball was on the Packers' 9 yard line when a fourth down pass "dribbled off Les Mcdonald's fingertips in the end zone and the day was saved". For all practical purposes the victory knocked the Bears out of the race. The Lions eliminated the Bears with a 14-7 Thanksgiving Day win. That gave the Lions a 7-3 record. The Packers had beaten the Lions in Detroit on Nov. 13 to give them an 8-2 record, leaving the Lions at 5-3 and, so the Packers must have thought, in the dust. But the Lions won their next two games against the Cardinals and Bears and the Packers stumbled 15-3 to the Giants  in their last game of the season on Nov. 19 at the Polo Grounds in front of over 48,000 fans. (Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 20, P. 13-14, also Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 20, also packershistory.net--game 11 for play by play). Though the Packers dominated statistically the Giants won on two big plays: a 75 yard TD run by Tuffy Leemans  and a 50 yard pick six by Mel (Old Indestructible) Hein (H). The Lions last game came an agonizing two weeks later, and the anticipated win over the mediocre Eagles in Philadelphia must have made Packer fans very nervous about a possible playoff game. But it didn't happen. The Eagles, in a big upset, beat the Lions 21-7. (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 4). For the Packers, it was their 2nd Conference title in three years.

Complete coverage of the 1938 Packers Season, game by game at packershistory.net Click on any game for coverage (newspaper, play by play, photos) of that game.

Longest winning streak: Giants 6; Longest losing streak: Cardinals 8.

Highest regular season game attendance: Dec. 4: Giants* (7-2-1) 36, Redskins (6-2-2) 0, at the Polo Grounds. 57,461

All Pros: (all columns are sortable)

Statistical Leaders

MVP (Joe Carr Award--Mel Hein (H) Center, Linebacker, Giants) Today in Pro Football MVP profile.

Championship Game

New York Giants (8-2-1) 23* Green Bay Packers (8-3-0) 17 (Polo Grounds)
(Video: 1:49) Silent. Attendance: 48,120. Giants roster. Packers roster. Weather conditions.

Players in order of appearance:  Green Bay has light stripes on the shoulder pads.

Giants Coach Steve Owen has the lighter fedora. Packers Coach Curly Lambeau has the darker fedora. (This picture shows two coaches who together had 52 years of head coaching experience with these two teams).

Packers: #38--Arnie Herber; #19--Carl Mullineaux (substituting for the injured Don Hutson); #32--Wayland Becker;  #30--Clarke Hinkle; #50--Bob Monnett; Packer Field Goal Kicker--Tiny Engebretson (#34);

Giants:  #4--Tuffy Lehmans; #22 Ed Danowski, #10--Len Barnum; #24--Hap Barnard; #15--Hank Soar (defense); #21--Jim Lee Howell (defense);  #15 Hank Soar.

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Newspaper story links. Also Brooklyn Eagle,  Dec. 12, 1938

Today in Pro Football History Blog game story

Full accounting of game at packershistory.net. Includes play by play.

Two blocked punts and a fumble recovery led to 16 Giants points in a hard fought victory against the Packers. The Packers fought back from 9-0 and 16-7 deficits to take a 17-16 lead. Then a 10 play, 61 yard drive punctuated by an Ed Danowski to Hank Soar 23 yard touchdown pass gave the Giants their final margin of victory. Of the 10 plays, Soar ran 6 times for 23, yards, caught 2 passes for 32 yards, and threw one incomplete pass.  (After his football career, Soar became a baseball umpire, working for 23 years in the American League.)  All the scoring was done in the first three quarters. The Pittsburgh Press article describes a bone jarring tackle that Ward Cuff made (two plays after breaking up a long Arnie Herber pass in the end zone) against Wayland Becker late in the 4th quarter,  just as he was receiving a 45 yard pass from Herber on the Giants 20 yard line.  "The impact was heard all over the stadium." Becker fumbled and the Giants recovered to end the threat. The Packers had another chance but a Herber completion to Milt Gantenbein was nullified, Gantenbein being ruled an ineligible receiver.  (Packers coach Curly Lambeau later complained about the officiating in a Milwaukee Journal article. Giants coach Steve Owen (H) (1--click on top row far right) (New York Giants) (2) respectfully disagreed). Finally, in the last seconds the Packers moved from their own 20 yard line to the Giants 40 in two plays. Herber then threw an incomplete pass in the end zone.  According to almost all the accounts, it was an exceedingly brutal game. Also almost as exciting as the 1933 Championship game (see above). The absence of Don Hutson for all but a few plays due to a knee injury made things difficult for the Packers.

Related information.

Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner article on the 1938 season: 1938 

Pro Football Researchers article Playing for the Pack in the 1930's: An Interview with Clarke Hinkle, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Conversations about the A, in Coffin Corner (a discussion about the A formation the Giants used from 1937-1948, when they won five Eastern Conference and two NFL championships).

Today in Pro Football History items relevant to 1938. Includes capsule article on the great individual season of Giants' Ward Cuff , a narrative of Pirates' Byron (Whizzer) White's (later a US Supreme Court Justice) first game, and a narrative of the first Pro Football All Star game (a precursor to today's Pro Bowl).

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1939

NFL:

Known Attendance:   (click on any title for ascending or descending sorts): 1,226,712. Note that a different figure is cited in the Coffin Corner article below. For attendance numbers I am using those given in Pro Football Reference. In certain cases for individual attendances, when there is a discrepancy between PFR and attendances I have found in newspaper stories, I use the newspaper story attendance if I can corroborate one figure in multiple newspapers. There are accuracy issues with other kinds of statistics as well, but, for the most part, I have used PFR numbers or pointed out others as "depending on the source." In my opinion there is much work to be done to get accurate statistical numbers. But that is beyond the purview of this blog.

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information:  Click on team and then scroll to roster. Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there.

Major rules changes

Conference Races

For information on both Conference Races see:

Pro Football Researchers article The NFL in 1939 in Coffin Corner
Pro Football Researchers article Ten Interesting Things About the 1939 Season, in Coffin Corner

Game stories to selected games in NFL in 1939 will be linked to below.

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Conference Race Graph :

The Giants-Redskins game at the end of the season had the 2nd largest attendance in NFL history to that point. For the largest attendance see the Red Grange (H) Bears game against the Giants on Dec. 6, 1925., won by the Bears 19-7. The newspaper account (Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 7, 1925) claims between 60,000-70,000 in the stands and another 20,000 on Coogan's Bluff overlooking the Polo Grounds.) For an account of the Giants 9-7 win over the Redskins on Dec. 3, see the Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 4, article, P. 14, 16.  Also in Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 4 and Washington Observer, Dec. 4. For an answer to the controversy about how that game ended, see the Milwaukee Journal Dec. 4 article. See also Today in Pro Football History blog game narrative. 

Video (1:49) Silent. Shows the final "no good" field goal kick that would have won for the Redskins. Also shows reaction at the time and after the game.

 Note: for those of you "true football fans" who would like to follow the entire 1939 season in the newspapers, the best place to go, for comprehensive electronically accessible free coverage  (stories for all the week's games is usually available on the same page), Google Newspaper Archive's Milwaukee Sentinel is the best place I've found. Search for the following dates (search the full name of the month): Sep. 18, 25; Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; Nov. 6 (Sentinel is missing for this date, use Milwaukee Journal (see below), 13, 20, 24 (day after Thanksgiving); 27; Dec. 4,  11 (Championship game). Each of these dates are the Monday newspaper that has stories for Sundays games (except for Nov. 24,  the Friday after Thanksgiving). Once you've clicked on the newspaper simply type the date of interest into the search box. This is the best way to follow this race.

Other games: (records are going into the games)

Sep. 24: Dodgers (2-0-0) 7 at Lions* (1-0-0) 27 at University of Detroit (Titan) Stadium (Brooklyn Eagle, Sep. 25).

Video 1: (11:46). Silent, in color. One of the first known color highlight films. Video begins at 0:10). Partial 1st half.

Video 2 (18:50). Silent, in color. A longer version of Video 1 above.

Video 3: (1:27). Silent, in color. Concentrates on different variations of Lions' single wing offense.

Oct 1: Giants (1-0-0) 0, Redskins* (1-0-0) 0 at Griffith Stadium (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 2).

Oct 22: Giants* (3-0-1) 16, Bears (4-1) 13  at the Polo Grounds (Brooklyn Eagle, Oct. 23) Far right column; Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 23)

Oct. 22: Dodgers* (2-2-1) 23, Eagles (0-3-1) 14, at Ebbets Field (Brooklyn Eagle, Oct. 23; Today in Pro Football History feature story). Story is in the far left column. This was the first televised NFL game (Pro Football Researchers article The First TV Game--1939, in Coffin Corner) There is no mention of its being televised in the newspaper story.

Oct. 29:  Giants (4-0-1) 7 Dodgers* (3-2-1) 6  at Ebbets Field (Brooklyn Eagle, Oct. 30)

Video: (1:33) Silent with dubbed sound.

Nov. 26: Redskins* (7-1-1) 31, Lions (6-3-0) 7 at Griffith Stadium (Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 27). (Lions eliminated).

Western Conference Race Graph:

The Lions lost their last four in a row while the Packers and Bears won their last four in a row.

Oct 1: Rams (0-2-0) 27, Packers* (2-0-0) 24  at City Stadium I  (Milwaukee Sentinel, Oct. 2, P. 15-16; Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 2;  also see the entry for the game at packershistory.net, which contains game story, play by play, and
much more)

Oct: 22. Packers* (3-1-0) 26, Lions 4-0-0 7 at City Stadium I (Milwaukee Sentinel, Oct. 23, P. 15-16 (col. 2); also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains game story, play by play, and much more).

Oct. 29: Packers* (4-1-0) 24, Redskins (4-0-1) 14 at State Fair Park, Milwaukee (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 30; Milwaukee Sentinel, Oct. 30; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains game story, photos, and much more).)

Oct. 29: Lions  (4-1-0) 10, Bears* (4-2-0) 0 at Wrigley Field, Milwaukee Sentinel, Oct. 30, 1939).

Nov. 5: Lions* (5-1-0) 18, Giants (5-0-1) 14 at Briggs Stadium (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 6

Nov. 5: Bears* (4-3-0) 30, Packers (5-1-0) 27 at Wrigley Field (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 6;  also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains game story, play by play, and much more).

Video 1: (5:03) Sound.

Nov. 12: Bears  (5-3-0) 23, Lions* (6-1-0) 13 at Briggs Stadium (Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 13)

Nov. 19: Rams* (3-4-1) 14, Lions (6-2-0) 3 at Municipal Stadium (Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 20)

Nov. 26: Bears (7-3-0) 48, Cardinals* (1-9-0) 7 at Wrigley Field (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 27)

Nov. 26: Packers (7-2-0) 7, Rams (4-4-1) 6 at Municipal Stadium (Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 27, P. 13-14 col. 1); Milwaukee Journal, Nov 27; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains game story, play by play, and much more).

Dec. 3: Packers (8-2-0) 12, Lions* (6-4-0) 7 at Briggs Stadium (Clinches the Conference title)  (Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 4, P. 14, 16 Col 4); Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 4; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains game story, play by play, and much more).

Complete coverage of the 1939 Packers Season, game by game at packershistory.net Click on any game for coverage (newspaper, play by play, photos) of that game.

Longest winning streak: Giants 5; Longest losing streak: Cardinals 8

Highest regular season game attendance: Dec. 3: Giants* (8-1-1) 9, Redskins (7-2-1) 7, at the Polo Grounds.  62,404

MVP (Joe Carr Award): Parker Hall, Tailback, Halfback (Rams) Today in Pro Football History blog MVP profile.

All Pros: (all columns are sortable)

Statistical Leaders

Hall of Fame all 1930s Team

Championship Game

Green Bay Packers (9-2-0) 27* New York Giants (9-1-1) 0 (State Fair Park, Milwaukee),  Packers roster. Giants roster. Attendance: 32,279.

Video 1: (5:27). Narrated.

Video 2: (1:16). Silent.

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Newspaper story links. Also Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 11.

Full accounting of game at packershistory.net. Includes play by play.

Today in Pro Football History blog game story

The Packers easily won the rematch. After a close 1st half, they put up 20 unanswered points in the second half. 6 Interceptions helped. One of the heroes was rookie Charlie Brock, with two interceptions and a TD saving tackle. It was the most lopsided championship game in this era, a record that lasted...one year. It was the most lopsided Packer Championship victory until another Packer victory over the Giants in 1961.

Related information:

Pro Football Researchers article '39 Packers: One of Green Bay's Greatest Teams, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article A Chronology of Pro Football on Television: Part 1,  in Coffin Corner

Today in Pro Football History blog items relevant to 1939: Includes articles on the College All Star game and the Pro Football All Star game.

------------------------------

1940

NFL:

Known Attendance:   (click on any title for ascending or descending sorts): 1,278,559

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information:  Click on team and then scroll to roster. Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there.

Major rules changes

Conference Races

Pittsburgh Pirates were renamed Steelers. For information on both Conference races see:

Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner article: 1940: That Wonderful Year
Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner article 1940: The Triumph of the T, in Coffin Corner

Game stories to selected games in these articles will be linked to below.

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Conference Race Graph:

The Brooklyn Dodgers had their best year to date, almost catching the Redskins (who opened with a seven game winning streak), but split their last four games, winning their final game 13-6 against the 1-9-0 Eagles at Griffith Stadium (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 2). The astonishing record setting game of the Eagles' Davey O'Brien is discussed in The Triumph of the T.

Video of Davey O'Brien's last game (1:19) silent. 7 of his 33 completions out of 60 passes (a pass attempts record that stood for 24 years until broken by George Blanda (H)), including their lone TD, as well as a couple of amazing O'Brien runs and the ovation he got from the Redskins fans as he left the game, are available. For more on O'Brien's last game see the game report at Today in Pro Football History blog.

More on the amazing, diminutive (5'7", 151 pounds) Davey O'Brien (who followed Sammy Baugh (H) as Texas Christian's passer and led them to an undefeated national championship, then played two years for the Eagles, leading the league in five passing categories) is available on this video (6:34) (Davey O'Brien Foundation). O'Brien went to work for the FBI in 1941.

 The Dodgers (7-3-0) forced the issue with a 14-6 victory against the (6-3-1) Giants in front of almost 55,000 at the Polo Grounds. (Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 2) (also see Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 2).

Other games of interest:

Nov. 10: Dodgers* (4-3-0) 16, Redskins (7-0-0) 14 at Ebbets Field (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 11; Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 11)

Nov. 24: Giants* (5-3-1) 21, Redskins (8-1-0) 7  at the Polo Grounds (Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 25--Story of Dodgers* 14-9 (6-3-0) victory over Cardinals (2-5-2) is directly to the left of the Giants-Redskins story., Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 25, Col. 6, near bottom of page).

Video: (1:29) silent.

Note : In 1940 the Redskins' Sammy Baugh (H) set a single season punting record of 51.4 yards per punt on 35 punts for 1799 yards, with his longest punt going 85 yards. It is a record that still stands. His punting average was 6 and 1/2 yards longer than the second best punter in the league. It is unknown if these statistics are just for punts or also for quick kicks. What is known is that before Horace Gillom of the Browns in the AAFC and NFL revolutionized punting (see below under 1949) punters used a shorter drop back (and shorter yet for quick kicks). For more on the craft, see the article from the Sep. 10, 1962 Sports Illustrated by the Lions Yale Lary (H) a three time NFL season average yards per punt champion.

Western Conference Race Graph:

One way to look at this graph is to say that 2 three game winning streaks by the Bears made the difference, while the Packers spun their wheels and were inconsistent most of the season. Another way to look at it is the two Packers v Bears games, both won by the Bears, made the difference. Still, going into the last game of the season, the Bears at 7-3 were home to the Cardinals (2-6-2) while the Packers (6-4) traveled to play the Rams in Cleveland (4-6-0). The Bears won, the Packers tied. The Bears won the conference.

Sep. 22: Bears (0-0-0) 41, Packers* (1-0-0) 10 at City Stadium I (Milwaukee Journal, Sept. 23, P3, P4; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains game story, play by play, and much more.  (2 90+ yard kickoff return TDs help the Bears); also see Today in Pro Football History blog game narrative, which approaches the game from the angle of it being George McAfee's (H) first professional game.)

Sep. 29: Packers* (1-1-0) 31, Cardinals (1-0-2) 14 at State Fair Park, Milwaukee Journal, P. 6L, 7L;  also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains game story, play by play, and much more.

Video: (3:22), silent, in color. Another very early color film of an NFL game

Oct. 6: Bears (1-1-0) 21, Rams* (1-1-0) 14, at Municipal Stadium (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 7)

Video: (4:12) silent, in color. And yet another. For important plays, players are identified.

Oct. 27: Bears (4-1-0) 37, Giants* (3-1-1) 21, at the Polo Grounds (Brooklyn Eagle, Oct. 28). Sid Luckman (H) completes 9 of 14 for 171 yards and 2 TDs as Bears score the first 30 points of the game and coast home from there

Video: (1:45) Silent

November 3: Bears* (5-1-0) 14, Packers (4-2-0) 7 at Wrigley Field (Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov.4, P14, P15;  Don Hutson (H) drops a sure tying TD pass in the end zone late in the 4th quarter, according to the Milwaukee Sentinel account. The Green Bay Press-Gazette story and play by play saw things differently (see packershistory.net).

Nov. 17: Giants* (4-3-1) 7, Packers 3 (5-3-0), at the Polo Grounds (Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 4,  P15, P16; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains game story, play by play, and much more.) Fumble on opening kickoff led to Giants only TD. Don Hutson (H) was perhaps interfered with as he caught and dropped a tying TD pass in 2nd Quarter. Hutson was also mauled on another possible TD pass by Giants Tuffy Leemans (#4) and an unidentified Giants defender. See the pictures at packershistory.net and judge for yourself.

Nov. 17: Redskins* (7-1-0) 7, Bears (6-2-0) 3 at Griffith Stadium (Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 18, P15,  P16; Today in Pro Football History blog game account). Bears claimed they were robbed of this game on a clear pass interference in the end zone on the last play of the game. (See video of the championship game, linked to below). Officials were not impressed. George Preston Marshall (H) (Redskins owner) called the Bears "crybabies" and "a first half team."  (according to George Halas (H)). Probably not a good idea, considering what happened in the championship game.

Nov. 24: Packers (5-4-0) 50, Lions* (5-4-1) 7 at Briggs Stadium (Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 25, P15, 16 also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains game story, play by play, and much more.)  (Note that the story of the Bears* (6-3-0) 47-25 win over the Rams (4-5-0) at Wrigley Field is also visible from the P. 15 link. Packers clicked on all cylinders in their dominating win.

Longest winning streak: Redskins 7; Longest losing streak: Eagles 9

Highest regular season game attendance: Dec. 3: Dodgers (7-3-0) 14, Giants (6-3-1) 6, at the Polo Grounds.  54,993

MVP (Joe Carr Award): Ace Parker (H), Tailback, Quarterback, Defensive Back  (Dodgers) Today in Pro Football History blog MVP Profile

All Pros: (all columns are sortable)

Statistical Leaders

Championship Game

Chicago Bears (8-3-0) 73 Washington Redskins (9-2-0) 0* (Griffith Stadium)
Bears roster. Redskins roster. Weather conditions. Attendance: 36,034

Video 1: (29:35) Narrated

Video 2: (28:04) Silent

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Newspaper story links, also Washington Reporter (column 6), Dec. 9, 1940

Today in Pro Football History blog game story

This was the most lopsided game in NFL history. Eleven touchdowns were scored by ten different players. The Bears out rushed the Redskins 381-5. Bill Osmanski set a Championship game record (10 carries for 109 yards) that would last until 1947. At the end the Bears had to run or pass their conversions, as there were no game balls left, so many conversions had been kicked into the stands. This was the coming of age for the T formation. It was also the first of four consecutive NFL Conference championships for the Bears, a record that stood for 14 years before the Browns broke it (1950-55). And only one team stood between the Bears and four consecutive NFL championship teams. That team was...the Redskins. This was also the first championship game radio broadcast.

Related information:

Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner article: The Power and the Glory: Single Wing Football 


------------------------------

1941 (including Playoff game)

NFL:

Known Attendance:   (click on any title for ascending or descending sorts): 1,301,206

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information:  Click on team and then scroll to roster. Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there.

Major rules changes

Conference Races

For information on both Conference races and the Playoff game see:

Pro Football Researchers article The Season of '41,  in Coffin Corner

Weekly schedule:


Eastern Conference Race Graph :

In an interesting development, the Dodgers defeated the Giants twice and were in with a chance until they stumbled Nov. 16 against the Steelers, losing 14-7 at Forbes Field (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 17; See also Pittsburgh Press-Gazette, Nov. 17,  P.14, 15; there is also an extended game narrative in the Dodgers Coffin Corner article. below.). It was the Steelers' only win of the season. They didn't throw a single pass in the game. Had the Dodgers won, as they should have, there might have been two playoffs in 1941.

Other games of interest:

Oct. 26: Dodgers* (2-3-0) 16, Giants (5-0-0) 13, at Ebbets Field (Brooklyn Eagle, Oct. 27; See also Milwaukee Sentinel, Oct. 27, P. 5b, 6b).

Dec. 7: Dodgers (6-4-0) 21 Giants (8-2-0) 7, at the Polo Grounds (Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 8; See also Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 8). See P. 1 of the Eagle and P. 2 of the Sentinel for breaking news about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Video: (0:52) Features Ace Parker (H) (#7) from the Ace Parker Hall of Fame site.

Western Conference Race Graph:

For the first time under this format, two teams (Bears and Packers) tied for the top with 10-1-0 records. They both split with each other. No other team in the division had a winning record. The tie set up a playoff at Wrigley Field Dec. 14, one week after Pearl Harbor.

Other games of interest

Sep. 28: Bears (0-0-0) 25, Packers* (2-0-0) 17, at City Stadium I. (Milwaukee Journal, Sep. 29, P. 3b, 4b; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains other game stories, and photos.

Nov. 2: Packers (6-1-0) 16, Bears*(5-0-0) 14, at Wrigley Field (Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 3 P. 3b, 4b, also Cecil Isbell's (H) 1st TD; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains other game stories, and photos.

Nov. 30: Packers (9-1-0) 22, Redskins* (5-4-0) 17, at Griffith Stadium. (Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 1, P. 3b, 4b; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains other game stories, and photos; also see Today in Pro Football History blog for a game account). In this must win game, the Packers overcame a 17-0 halftime deficit to win. Don Hutson (H) had nine catches for 135 yards and three TDs to lead the comeback. He scored 20 of the 22 points, missing one PAT.

Dec. 7: Bears (9-1-0) 34, Cardinals* (3-6-1) 24, at Comiskey Park (Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 8, P. 3b, 4b; ). Bears, in their own must win game,  overcome 3 Cardinal leads to win. George McAfee (H) scored the final two Bears TDs to overcome the final Cardinal lead (24-21) with a 39 yard TD pass reception followed by a 70 yard TD run. See P. 2 of the Sentinel for breaking news about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Playoff

Chicago Bears (10-1-0) 33* Green Bay Packers (10-1-0) 14 (Wrigley Field)

No video or audio available at this time.

Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 15, Sports, P. B 3,  P. B 4; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains game stories, and photos.

Pro Football Researchers article The 1941 Western Division Playoff, in Coffin Corner

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

24 unanswered second quarter points led the Bears to an easy victory in the first playoff game in League history. The game turned on two dropped catches by Don Hutson (H). The Packers took the lead in the first quarter when Duke Gallarneau fumbled the opening kickoff after a 12 yard return to the Bears 18. Five plays later Clarke Hinkle (H) scored for the Packers. Later in the quarter the Packers recovered a Bears fumble on the Bear 35. Cecil Isbell threw in the end zone and on a difficult catch, Hutson got his hands on the ball but couldn't hold it. Later in the quarter Isbell threw a long pass to Hutson, who dropped the ball on the Bear 35 yard line. The ensuing punt was run back for 81 (or 82--depending on the source) yards and a TD by Gallarneau. Though the extra point was blocked, that was the last failure for the Bears in the game. They buried the Packers in the 2nd quarter with three crushing TD drives. The Bears out rushed the Packers 277-33 and overcame 12 penalties. One wonders if it might have been different had Hutson caught the two passes. 

Longest winning streak: Packers 8, Longest losing streak: Rams 9

Highest regular season game attendance: Dec. 7: Dodgers (6-4-0) 21 Giants* (8-2-0) 7 (Polo Grounds) 55,051

MVP (Joe Carr Award): Don Hutson (H), End, Defensive Back, Defensive End (Packers) Today in Pro Football History MVP Profile.

All Pros: (all columns are sortable)

Statistical Leaders

Championship Game

 Chicago Bears (11-1-0) 37* New York Giants 9 (8-3-0) (Wrigley Field) Attendance: 13,341. Bears roster. Giants roster.

Video 1:  (5:03) Silent, player information is given on screen for important plays

Video 2: (video that appears to be a condensed version of most of the game (coaches film): 28:04) Film is silent with musical accompaniment.

Video 3: (27:54) Silent with musical accompaniment

Scooter McLean Drop Kick for 37th point (last successful drop kick in NFL for 65 years--Doug Flutie, Jan. 2, 2006).

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Newspaper story links. Also Brooklyn Eagle (Dec. 22).

After a dominating win, the Bears had outscored opponents in Championship games by a combined 110-9 in the 1940 and 1941 title games. In this game they out rushed the Giants 207-84 and had the edge in total yardage 389-157. They forced 5 turnovers. In terms of time of possession, the Bears ran 75 non-kicking plays, the Giants 40. Sid Luckman (H) had a quarterback rating of 116.7 without throwing a TD pass. But the game was tied 9-9  seven minutes into the 3rd quarter. The Bears then closed the Giants out with 4 unanswered TDs on drives of 71, 66, and 54 yards, and a TD fumble recovery return. The Bears' first scoring drive in the 1st quarter lasted 10 1/2 minutes and 15 plays. It yielded only a field goal but foreshadowed a long day for the Giants defense, which ultimately cracked under the pressure. The attendance was a record low for Championship games. Young Bussey of the Bears (#37) and the Giants' Jack Lummus (1) (New York Giants) (2) (#29) were killed in action in the Philippines and at Iwo Jima respectively. Lummus won a Medal of Honor and Purple Heart.

Related information:

Pro Football Researchers article 1941 Championship Game, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers The 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers: Close but no Cigar, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article The '41 Bears--The Greatest, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Opinion: The Greatest Offense, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article When Halas Cornered the Draft, in Coffin Corner

------------------------------

1942

NFL:

Known Attendance:   (click on any title for ascending or descending sorts): 1,052,788

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information:  Click on team and then scroll to roster. Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there.

Major rules changes

Conference Races

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Conference Race Graph:

The East was a one team show this year, the Redskins dominating from beginning to end. They were in or tied for first place every week but one. They pulled away as the season wore on, ending the season with a nine game winning streak and winning the Conference by 3 games, the largest margin in the East since the Giants beat the Dodgers by 3 1/2 games in 1935. The Giants had their worst season (5-5-1) since 1935 (5-6-1). The Dodgers, with All Pro Ace Parker (H) and coach Jock Sutherland (among others) leaving for the military, collapsed from 8-3-0 (1940) and 7-4-0 (1941) to 3-8-0. The real surprise of the Conference was the Steelers. Winners of only 1 game last year, they were 7-4, with two wins over the Giants. Three of their four losses came at the hands of the Redskins (twice) and Packers. The Redskins had only one player who led he league (Sammy Baugh (H) had the highest pass completion and lowest interception rate, as well as the longest average punt rate), but were 3rd in offense and 2nd in defense overall.

Games of interest:

Sep. 27: Giants (0-0-0) 14, Redskins* (1-0-0) 7, at Griffith Stadium (Milwaukee Sentinel, Sep. 28)

Oct. 4: Steelers* (0-2-0) 13, Giants (1-0-0) 10, at Forbes Field (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Oct. 5 P. 20, col. 3, P. 22, photos, P. 21)

Nov. 1: Steelers (3-3-0) 17, Giants* (2-3-0) 9, at the Polo Grounds (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nov. 20, P. 18, P. 20)

Western Conference Race Graph:

For the second time in 8 years, the Bears put together an 18 game winning streak (1941-2) with a perfect 11-0-0 record. And for the 2nd time in 8 years the streak was ended in the NFL Championship Game. The Packers had a great season (8-2-1), losing only to the Bears. The Bears led the league in offense and defense, They had no individual league leader in any major category. They led the league in scoring by 76 points over the Packers and 149 over the Redskins. They won by an average score of 28-7, and had four shutouts.

Games of interest:

Sep. 27: Bears (0-0-0) 44, Packers* (0-0-0) 28, at City Stadium I. (2:41-5:04 on Packers 1942 Highlight film (see below). (Milwaukee Sentinel, Sep. 28, P. 5b, 6b; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains other game stories, and photos

Nov. 15: Bears* (7-0-0) 38, Packers (6-1-0) 7, at Wrigley Field. (16:18-17:51 on Packers 1942 Highlight film (see below). (Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 16, P. 5b, 6b; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains other game stories, and photos

1942 Packer Highlights: (17:51) Silent, with musical accompaniment and title. cards. One exhibition game (v Western Army All Stars, and Sep. 27-Nov. 1, Nov 15. For details on these and all other games see, packershistory.net (1942). For the Nov. 1 game a 55-24 Packer victory over the Cardinals (after overcoming a 17-7 deficit), see (13:06-16:15 of the above video, which shows three TD receptions (for a total of 178 yards) by Don Hutson (H). This was Hutson's second 200 yard reception game of the season, the first time that was ever done. In this game six NFL records were broken. For more on this game and the amazing Hutson see Today in Pro Football History blog article.

Longest winning streak: Bears 11, Longest losing streak: Lions 11.

Highest regular season game attendance: Nov. 15: Bears* (7-0-0) 38, Packers (6-1-0) 7, at Wrigley Field. 42,787

MVP (Joe Carr Award): Don Hutson (H), End, Defensive Back, Defensive End (Packers) Today in Pro Football History blog MVP profile.

All Pros: (all columns are sortable)

Statistical Leaders

Championship Game

Washington Redskins (10-1-0) 14* Chicago Bears (11-0-0) 6 (Griffith Stadium). Attendance: 36,006. Redskins roster. Bears Roster. Weather conditions.

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Newspaper story links

Today in Pro Football History blog game story.

Video 1:  (1:42) Silent

Video 2: (1:07-2:30) on the video of great Sammy Baugh Highlights)--narrated and in color.

Video 3: (3:05) Videos 1 and 2 combined

The Redskins sprung a huge upset. They played a superb game, holding Sid Luckman (H) to 5 completions in 12 attempts for 2 yards. They held the Bears to 41 rushes for 69 yards. After the Bears scored first on a long fumble recovery return (missing the extra point) by defensive tackle Lee Artoe, the Redskins took the lead on a Baugh to Wilbur Moore (who had 3 plays earlier intercepted a Luckman pass to set up the drive) 38 yard TD pass. The TD that turned out to decide the game came in the 3rd quarter and was authored mainly by fullback Andy Farkas (the first NFL player to wear eyeblack). First he returned a Bear punt 11 or 12 yards to set the Redskins on the Bears 43 or 42 (depending on the source.). Then the Redskins rammed the ball down the Bears throat during a 10 play drive, in which Farkas ran the ball 7 times for 29 yards (or 11 for 37, depending on the source), making a crucial first down by leaping over the entire Bears line (2:17-2:22 on Video 2), and finishing the drive with a 1 yard plunge for the TD. The drive was emblematic of the way the Redskins line handled the Bears defense. The Bears finally got rolling in the fourth quarter but couldn't capitalize. One drive was ended deep in the red zone by a Baugh interception. Another ended with a Bear touchdown called back by a penalty. Luckman was so ineffective that the main passer in the second half was Charlie O'Roarke. All in all, it was about the sweetest revenge the Redskins could imagine. (Note: the Coffin Corner article below claims the "Farkas drive" was 80 yards in 12 plays. Every newspaper source I looked at (Chicago Tribune, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Milwaukee Journal) said 42 or 43 in 10 plays with Farkas running 7 times (or 11 and 37), in addition to returning the punt).

On another front, the Soviets broke Hitler's back at Stalingrad.

Related information:

Pro Football Researchers article 1942 NFL Championship: Sweet Revenge, in Coffin Corner

Today in Pro Football History blog capsule article on the great individual season of the Cardinals' Bill Daddio

------------------------------

1943 (including Playoff game)

NFL:

Known Attendance:  (click on any title for ascending or descending sorts): 1,063,348

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information:   Click on team and then scroll to roster. Draft and Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there.

Major rules changes.  Free substitution was allowed for the first time as rosters were cut from 33 to 28.  Helmets, for the first time, were mandatory.

Conference Races:

For information on both Conference Races see:

Pro Football Researchers article: 1943 -- The Nadir, in Coffin Corner

With the US in World War II since December of 1941, the NFL struggled to put teams on the field. The Cleveland Rams of the Western Conference suspended play for the year. In the East, The Steelers and Eagles merged to form Pit/Phi, playing four home games in Philadelphia's Shibe Park and two in Forbes Field. They became known as the Steagles. The schedule was cut from 11 to 10 games and would remain so remain so until the 1945 season. 

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Conference Race Graph:

By the end of Game 7, the Redskins had a seemingly insurmountable lead, three games with three to play. The above referenced story sketches out how that lead disappeared and a 1 team race became a 3 and then a 2 team race.

Links to relevant games

Oct. 31: Redskins (3-0-0) 48, Dodgers* (0-5-0) 10, (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 1) at Ebbets Field. In this game Sammy Baugh (H) broke the record of five TD passes in a game set by Ray Buivid of the Bears on Dec. 5, 1937. Baugh's six TD passes led the way as the Redskins routed the Dodgers. That record lasted two weeks (see below).

Oct. 31: Packers (3-1-1) 35, Giants* (2-1-0) 21 at the Polo Grounds (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 1; packershistory.net for  game recap as well as feature stories and photos; Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 1 (Col. 1, bottom of the page); Today in Pro Football History blog game story). After the Giants came back from a 21-7 deficit to tie the game, the Packers scored two TDs in the last five minutes to win, only their second win over the Giants since 1935. Don Hutson caught two TD passes and threw for the only TD of his career. He also kicked all five extra points, scoring 17 of the Packers 35 points. This win set the Packers up for their crucial game in Chicago against the Bears the next week (See below under Western Conference). It dropped the Giants two games behind the Redskins with six to play. They would fall even further behind before...

Nov. 14: Redskins* (4-0-1) 42,  Lions (3-4-1) 20, at Griffith Stadium (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 15) This link also has the game story of the Bears v Giants game below. Sammy Baugh (H) threw 4 touchdown passes and had 4 interceptions, an unprecedented occurrence in the NFL. It has never been duplicated.

Redskins v Lions video (28:31) silent. Much of the game, condensed, is here.

Nov. 14: Bears (6-0-1) 56, Giants* (2-2-1) 7, at the Polo Grounds (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 15). Redskins won big as Giants were crushed and fell into 3rd place, three games behind. Sid Luckman  (H) (video 3:47) became the first to throw seven TD passes in a game (a feat that has been equaled 7 times but never surpassed). The Bears amassed 682 total yards, and Luckman passed or 433 yards, both records at the time. Luckman passed for at least one TD in every game in 1943.

Nov. 14: Dodgers* (1-6-0)  13, Steagles (3-2-1) 7, at Ebbets Field (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 15. Had the Steagles won this game, their final record would have also been 6-3-1, forcing an unprecedented 3 team playoff. 56,681 watched the Bears destroy the Giants. This game drew barely over 7,500.

Nov. 21: Redskins* (5-0-1) 21, Bears (7-0-1) 7, at Griffith Stadium (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 22).

Video: (2:29-2:45) on the video of great Sammy Baugh Highlights)--narrated and in color. The clip shows the key play of the game, Sammy Baugh (H) completing a Statue of Liberty play with Wilbur Moore for the 1st TD of the game. The Bears never recovered. Their 24 game regular season unbeaten streak was snapped in this game. What better proof that the Redskins were easily the class of the East and possibly the best team in football. But....

Nov. 28: Steagles (4-3-1) 27, Redskins* (6-0-1) 14, at Griffith Stadium (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 29).  Baugh and Moore again work the Statue of Liberty play, but it isn't enough this time, as Redskins, possibly popping corks a bit early, but still in good shape, look to back to back games with the Giants to end the season.

Nov. 28: Giants* (3-3-1) 24, Dodgers (2-7-0) 7, at the Polo Grounds (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 29). Giants dominated a decimated Dodger team (down to 16 players) and stayed alive, barely.

Dec. 5: Packers (6-2-1) 38, *Steagles (5-3-1) 28, at Shibe Park, Philadelphia. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 6, P. 18, P. 22; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains other game stories, and photos; Today in Pro Football History blog game story). The Packers, already eliminated by the Bears, eliminated the surprising Steagles. Don Hutson (H) had a remarkable game, scoring 20 points, 2 TDs, a Field Goal, and 5 Extra Points in what was supposed to be his final game. But he came back and played on the Packers 1944 Championship team, retiring again after 1944. And then he came back again and was a player coach in 1945 before finally retiring. The Steagles had many opportunities (6 interceptions and 2 fumbles didn't help their cause) and were still in the game at 31-28 before a fumble led to a final coffin nail touchdown reception by who else...Don Hutson.

Dec. 5: Giants* (4-3-1) 14, Redskins (6-1-1) 10, at the Polo Grounds (Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 6).

Video: (1:31)--silent with crowd noise dubbed in. Giants are in the light colored uniforms. Rookie Bill Paschal  (#8, who will lead the NFL in rushing yards this year and next) scores both Giant TDs. Note on the winning TD Sammy Baugh (H) is the last defender chasing Paschal.

Before over 51,000 at the Polo Grounds, the Giants handed the Redskins their second straight loss and stay alive. But wait... it gets better.

Dec. 12: Giants (5-3-1) 31, Redskins* (6-2-1) 7, at Griffith Stadium (Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 13). 35,540 fans watch Redskins take a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. Giants then scored 31 unanswered points. 5 interceptions did not help the Redskins cause. Both teams end with 6-3-1 records.

Playoff:

Dec. 19: Washington Redskins (6-3-1) 28 New York Giants* (6-3-1) 0 (Polo Grounds) (Washington Observer, Dec. 20; Brooklyn Eagle  Dec.20; Pittsburgh Press, Dec. 20). Weather conditions. The Eagle article mentions that the betting underdog won the last 5 Redskins games. Meaning... Steve Owen (Giants Head Coach) says a frozen field stopped his running attack.

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

No video or audio available at this time

After winning two elimination games in a row against this opponent, one at home and one on the road,  the Giants roared into the playoff game at the Polo Grounds with all the momentum. That momentum crashed into a brick wall named Sammy Baugh (H). Baugh on offense--16 of 21 completions for 199 yards and the bulk of the yardage that led to two short touchdown runs by Andy Farkas. The two drives went 44 and 46 or 56 yards (depending on the source). On the first drive Baugh needed two passes to get to the Giants 4 or 5 yard line (depending on the source). On the second drive, three passes netted 33 yards.  Baugh on defense--two Giant drives were stopped by crucial Baugh interceptions, one with the Giants on the march at the Redskins 32 yard line (he intercepted at the 17). A few plays later he got off the longest quick kick in NFL history to that point, 65 or 66 yards (depending on the source), burying the Giants at their 11 yard line. The second Giant drive, in the 4th quarter, was stopped at the Giants 43 yard line by Baugh's second interception. He returned it to the Giants  5 or 6 yard line (depending on the source) and then Farkas crashed over for his 3rd TD. Then, with time running out, Baugh engineered a 71 yard drive and ended it with an 11 yard TD pass to Ted Lapka. The Redskins defense also held Bill Paschal, the NFL's leading rusher in 1943, to 56 yards in 16 carries. One of the caries was for 16 yards. Giants passers were a combined 4 for 20 with 3 interceptions.

Western Conference Race Graph:

The Bears and Packers lost 3 games between them. Each lost to the Redskins. The Bears and Packers tied the opening game of the season. But the key was the second Bears-Packers game, won by the Bears 21-7. It put the Bears 2 games up on the Packers and so they had a cushion when the Redskins beat them 2 weeks later. On the other end of the scale, the Cardinals went 0-10. Added to their 6 consecutive losses at the end of 1942 they were on a 16 game losing streak.

Links to relevant games:

Sep. 26: Packers* (0-0-0) 21, Bears (0-0-0) 21, at City Stadium I (Milwaukee Sentinel, Sep. 27, Part 2 P. 3, P. 4;  also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains other game stories, and photos). In the first game of the post Cecil Isbell (Cecil Isbell in Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner) era, the Packers fought back from two deficits and lost one lead in this exciting tie. Tony Canadeo (H) took over for Isbell and had an excellent year.

Oct. 17: Redskins (1-0-0) 33, Packers* (2-0-1) 7, at State Fair Park, Milwaukee. (Milwaukee Sentinel, Part 2, P. 3, P. 4; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains other game stories, and photos). An 80 yard drive on 10 plays the first time they had the ball established the Redskins superiority.

Nov. 7: Bears* (5-0-1) 21, Packers (4-1-1) 7,  at Wrigley Field. (Milwaukee Journal Part 2 P. 4, P. 5; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains other game stories, and photos).  Packers scored first, then Bears answered with 21 straight points as Sid Luckman (H) led them to a 2 game lead. The Packers never caught up.

Nov. 28: Bears (7-1-1) 35, Cardinals (0-9-0) 24, at Comiskey Park (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 29). The Bears clinched the Conference championship by scoring three unanswered TDs in the 4th quarter. The comeback was highlighted by Sid Luckman's (H) field generalship. An unlikely hero was Bronko Nagurski (H), who came back from 6 years of retirement (during which he wrestled professionally and won the heavyweight championship three times). Though he played mostly at offensive tackle, he played at his old fullback position in this game. He scored the first TD of the comeback on a one yard plunge, ran for a key first down in the second drive, and had a very handy 11 yard run in the third. For more on Nagurski and this game see A Big Game for the Old Man of the Bears (Sports Illustrated, Dec. 9, 1963).

Longest winning streak: Bears 7; Longest losing streak: Cardinals 10

Highest regular season game attendance: Nov. 14. Bears (6-0-1) 56, *Giants (2-2-1) 7, at the Polo Grounds. 56,681

MVP (Joe Carr Award): Sid Luckman (H), Quarterback, Halfback, Defensive Back (Bears). Luckman was dominant. He threw for over 400 more yards than Sammy Baugh while throwing 37 fewer passes. He was the first passer in this era to have a rating of over 100 (107.5). He threw 7 TD passes in one game (see above) and threw a TD pass in every game, as well as 5 TD passes in the Championship game. Today in Pro Football History MVP profile.

All Pros: (all columns are sortable)

Statistical Leaders

Championship Game:

Chicago Bears (9-1-1) 41* Washington Redskins (7-3-2) 21, at Wrigley Field.  Attendance: 34,320. Bears roster. Redskins roster.

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Newspaper story links; Washington Reporter, Dec. 20, 1943

Today in Pro Football History blog game story

Video 1:  (1:56) Silent

Video 2: (2:45-4:18)  on the video of great Sammy Baugh Highlights)--narrated and in color.

Sid Luckman (H) more than made up for his poor performance in last year's Championship game by throwing five touchdown passes, intercepting two passes, and running eight times for 64 yards as the Bears thrashed the Redskins for their third NFL Championship in the last four years. Unfortunately for the Redskins and many fans, the much anticipated battle between Luckman and Sammy Baugh (H) was marred by Baugh's concussion early in the game. He was accidentally kicked in the head covering his own punt. He missed significant time in the game, and when he did come back he was still effected by the injury. (A poignant photo of the crying, confused Baugh accompanies the Milwaukee Journal game story. Scroll down past the story to find it.) In spite of all this, the Redskins scored first, The Bears then answered with four TDs. The Redskins scored again on a Baugh pass to Andy Farkas. The Bears then answered with two more TDs. The Bears put up 455 (or 444 depending on the source) yards of total offense to the Redskins 249 (or 227 depending on the source). The five TD passes were an NFL record for a Championship game that was not broken until Steve Young threw six 51 years later in Super Bowl XXIX.

On other fronts, the Western Allies were working their way through the "tough old gut" (Italy) and the Soviets won the Battle of Kursk, the greatest tank battle in the history of warfare, It was the last German Offensive on the Eastern Front.

Related information:

Pro Football Researchers article: The Steagles, in Coffin Corner

Today in Pro Football History blog capsule articles about the great seasons of the Packers' Tony Canadeo and the Bears' Harry Clarke. It also includes a game narrative for the 1943 College All-Star game.

Sammy Baugh 1943: The Greatest Season? by Dan Daly (Sports Illustrated The Throwback, November 14, 2013)

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1944

NFL:

Known Attendance:  (click on any title for ascending or descending sorts): 1,226,382

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information:  Click on team and then scroll to roster. Draft and Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there.

Major rules changes 

Conference Races:

For information on both Conference Races see:

Pro Football Researchers article The Least Remembered Championship, in Coffin Corner

As the war ground on, the NFL faced continuing challenges to putting teams on the field and having a season. Again two teams combined, this time the Steelers and Cardinals, known as Card-Pitt, but sarcastically known to its fans as Carpits. Their story is documented in

Pro Football Researchers article: Card-Pitt: The Carpits, in Coffin Corner

At the same time, on a more positive note, the Rams returned after a one year hiatus and the league expanded into Boston with the Boston Yanks. Thus a 10 team league was re-established (Philadelphia resuming as a single team after 1943). The league featured 2 winless teams (Card-Pitt) and Brooklyn, which had changed its name from Dodgers to Tigers. The last time more than one team had gone without a win was 1926. That hasn't happened since.

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Conference Race Graph:

The Conference featured a terrific three team race that went down to the final game. Two of the teams were the Redskins and Giants, which was no surprise. One of them had won the Conference every year since 1933. The surprise team was the Eagles. In 1943 the Steagles had a winning record and contended. But the Eagles alone had only one year, 1938 (5-6-0), where they were even close to .500. They finished in 4th or 5th place 9 times in the 10 seasons they competed as a unified team. In that time they were 22-83-4. The highlight of their first 10 years was their upset of the Lions in 1938 (see above under the 1938 season for context). This year they never trailed by more than 1/2 game. They were 1-0-1 against the Redskins and Giants. Their only loss (to the Bears) cost them the Conference championship. 1944 was the beginning of a golden age in Philadelphia that included three Conference championships and two NFL Championships between 1944 and 1949. Their overall record in those years was 48-16-3.  It also coincided with most of the career of Steve (Wham Bam) Van Buren (H). (1) (2) (3) (all short videos, each less than 6 minutes). Van Buren was the first player in NFL history to have multiple 1,000 yard seasons. And the key to their two championships. His 31 rushes for 196 yards in the 1949 Championship game was a Championship game record that stood until 1987.

Ultimately, the championship was determined by the last two games of the season, between the Giants and Redskins, as it had been in 1937-39 (last game of the season) and last year (1943--last 3 games).

Relevant games:

Oct. 8: Eagles* (1-0-0) 31, Redskins (0-0-0) 31, at Shibe Park. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Oct. 9). The Redskins missed four extra points, any one of which would have won the game.

Oct. 29: Eagles (2-0-1) 24, Giants* (3-0-0) 17, at the Polo Grounds (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 30). Van Buren (H) scored a touchdown and intercepted a pass.

Nov. 12: Eagles* (4-0-1) 21, Giants (4-1-0) 21, at Shibe Park (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 13). Van Buren (H) returned a kickoff 97 yards for a TD. Arnie Herber, after retiring from the Packers in 1941, came out of retirement this season for the Giants and led a 4th quarter comeback. Giants' Ken Strong's (H) winning 43 yard field goal with 35 seconds left  was nullified by a delay of game penalty.

Nov. 19: Eagles (4-0-2) 37, Redskins* (5-0-1) 7, at Griffith Stadium (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 20). Redskins opened the scoring in first minute of play. Eagles answered with 37 consecutive points. Van Buren (H) scored one TD.

Nov. 26: Bears (4-3-1) 28, Eagles* (5-0-2) 7, at Shibe Park. (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 27). The Bears, already eliminated, easily defeated the Eagles. They were helped by two TDs after turnovers. They won in spite of 170 yards of penalties. Though they won their last two games, the Eagles fell short.

Dec. 3: Giants* (6-1-1) 16, Redskins (6-1-1) 13, at the Polo Grounds (Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 4). Trailing 13-10 late in the 4th quarter with 4th and goal from the Redskins 2 yard line, Giants coach Steve Owen (H) decided to go for the win. Bill Paschal (who, for the second consecutive year, was the league's leading rusher) smashed through for the score.  Going into the last game of the season, the Giants needed another win over Redskins at Griffith Stadium to clinch. A Giants loss and Eagles win would give the title to the Eagles. A Giants tie and Eagles win would lead to a playoff. A Redskins win and Eagles loss would win the title for the Redskins.

Dec. 10: Giants (7-1-1) 31, Redskins (6-2-1) 0, at Griffith Stadium (Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 4). The Giants stopped the Redskins passing game (Sammy Baugh (H) threw 5 interceptions) and romped to an easy win and the Conference title. Arnie Herber (H) was only 3 of 6, but each completion went for a touchdown. Bill Paschal (who won the league rushing title for the second consecutive year) injured his ankle in this game. It would severely limit him in the Championship game.

Western Conference Race Graph:

A quirk in the schedule gave the Packers five home games (three in Green Bay, two in Milwaukee) to begin the season. They took full advantage, winning them all. Their opening six game winning streak, during which they dominated the Lions twice (27-6 and 14-0) and Bears (42-28) put them well on the road to winning the Conference.  Irv Comp led the league in passing attempts and yards (also interceptions).  He was second in TD passes with 12. Don Hutson (H) came out of retirement to lead the league in receiving yardage. On the flip side were the Card/Pitts, who were 0-10-0. The Cardinals had not won a game since Oct. 18, 1942. By the end of 1944 they had lost 26 in a row.

The entire Packers season, game by game, can be followed at packershistory.net. The main 1944 page that this link leads to presents an overview of the Packers and Pro Football in 1944. Click on any linked game to find information about that game, including newspaper stories and photos.

Relevant games:

 Sep. 24: Packers* (1-0-0) 38, Bears (0-0-0) 24, at City Stadium I. (Milwaukee Journal, Sep. 25; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains other game stories, and photos).  In the 2nd quarter the Packers built a 28-0 lead. The Bears came back to tie the score by the 4th quarter before the Packers scored twice in two minutes to win. Two iconic images from the game story: 1) Lou Brock taking a direct snap and running around right end with a phalanx of 4 blockers (including 2 pulling guards) to clear the way for a 36 yard TD that broke the tie. 2) about 1 minute later Ted Fritch intercepted a Sid Luckman pass intended for George Wilson and ran it back 55 yards for the pick 6 that sealed the victory (see the photo at the packershistory.net address above for the moment of the interception). Even better than the touchdown (for Packers fans) was that Luckman attempted to make the tackle and Fritch, in true Packer-Bear rivalry mode, flattened him on the way to the end zone. In hindsight, the Conference crown was knocked off the Bears' head with that play.

Oct. 29: Bears* (1-2-1) 28, Rams (3-1-0) 21, at Wrigley Field. (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 30).

Video: (5:15), narrated by Red Grange (H). Note the football configuration of Wrigley Field. Later a large set of temporary stands was put in front of the right field bleachers to increase capacity.

Nov. 5: Redskins* (3-0-1) 14, Rams 10, at Griffith Stadium (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 6).

Video: (4:19-4:49)  on the video of great Sammy Baugh (H) Highlights)--narrated and in color.

Lost in all the Bear-Packer hoopla was the fact that the Rams, refugees from the old American Football League II, with a record of 21-43-2 since 1937, began the season 3-0-0. They then lost to the Packers, Bears (Oct. 29), Redskins (Nov. 5), Packers, Lions, and Eagles to bring them back to reality. Their only other victory was over Card-Pitt. But they, like the Eagles, were beginning to move. These two tough losses, on the road, to two of the elite teams in the league, showed how close they were. They already had one go to receiver--Jim Benton. They needed someone to get him the ball. The next year, they found someone named Bob Waterfield (H) (video: 1:29). After that, the Rams were doormats no more.

Longest winning streak: Packers 6; Longest losing streak: Tigers and Cards-Steelers 10

Highest regular season game attendance: Nov. 14. Giants* (4-1-1) 24, Packers (7-1-0) 0, at the Polo Grounds. 56,481

MVP (Joe Carr Award): Frank Sinkwich (Back) (Lions) Today in Pro Football History blog MVP Profile

All Pros: (all columns are sortable)

Statistical Leaders

Championship Game

Green Bay Packers (8-2-0) 14 New York Giants* (8-1-1) 7 (Polo Grounds)
(Video: 0:58) Narrated. Attendance: 46,015. Giants roster. Packers roster. Weather conditions.

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Newspaper story links

packershistory.net account (game stories and photos)

Today in Pro Football History blog game story

In Don Hutson's (H) final Championship game, he was used most effectively as a decoy as two Packer TDs by Ted Fritch in the 2nd quarter (one on a 2 yard plunge culminating a 48 yard six play drive, and the second on a 27 yard pass from Irv Comp culminating a 63 yard drive) were enough for the win. On the first drive the Packers needed all four downs to get the TD, thwarting a Giant goal line stand. The Packers defense was magnificent in the first half, not allowing the Giants past their own 35 yard line on any of their six possessions. The Giants scored their TD at the beginning of the 4th quarter on a three play, 65 yard drive highlighted by a 40 yard pass from ex-Packers quarterback Arnie Herber (H) to Frank Liebel. Ward Cuff then "smashed over center" (Milwaukee Journal account) for the TD. The Giants had chances to tie after the TD but were undone by Packer interceptions by Joe Laws (one of three he had in the game) and Paul Duhart on the Packer 35 and 20 yard lines respectively. The Giants running game was hampered by the fact that their best runner, Bill Paschal, injured in their Conference clinching victory over the Redskins, played little in this game and was ineffective when he did. Some journalists claimed that the Giants were also exhausted from the two tough games they had to win at the end of the season (Dec. 3 and 10), while the Packers not only clinched the Conference championship early, but also finished their season on Nov. 26, giving them a three week layoff. However, that assertion is dubious at best. Winning in a hostile environment with a crowd almost as big as the city of Green Bay at the time was no small achievement under any circumstances. The Packers were also hampered by an injury to Lou Brock (relegated to punting only in this game). Brock scored 5 TDs and threw for 2 more (while playing in only 5 games) during the season. In terms of total touchdowns, he was 3rd on the team behind Comp and Hutson. For the Giants it was Al Blozis' last game (video: 7:17, also see below). He left the team for the service after the game and was killed in France in January of 1945.

This would be the last Packer Conference or NFL Championship for 16 years.

On other fronts, the Allies launched the second front on D-Day and the Soviets were driving toward Berlin.

Related information:

Pro Football Researchers article Al Blozis: Jersey City Giant, in Coffin Corner

Today in Pro Football History blog capsule articles about the great seasons of the Packers' Irv Comp and Redskins' Joe Aguirre, a game narrative for the College  All-Star Game, and an account of the Eagles Steve Van Buren's first of 19 career 100 yard rushing games, in a 21-7 win over the Tigers on Nov. 5.

------------------------------

1945

NFL:

Known Attendance:  (click on any title for ascending or descending sorts): 1,418,612

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information:  Click on team and then scroll to roster. Draft and Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there.

Major rules changes 

Conference Races:

As the war ended, normalcy began to return to the league. According to the NFL Hall of Fame, 994 current and former NFL players, coaches, owners, and other personnel served in the military in World War II. 23 died.

There was one more combination team. Card-Pitt went back to Chicago (West) and Pittsburgh (East), replaced by the combination Boston/Brooklyn (Yanks/Tigers). They were known mostly as Yanks, Boston's nickname. They played four games in Fenway Park and one in Yankee Stadium. This was Dan Topping's first step toward getting his team to play in Yankee Stadium. The Giants wouldn't let him do it in the NFL, so he took his team to the All America Football Conference in 1946. His New York Yankees played in Yankee Stadium for the duration of the AAFC.

Two new players came into their own. 2nd year man Steve Van Buren (H) nearly led the Eagles to a Conference championship. Rookie Bob Waterfield (H) emulated what Sammy Baugh (H) had done with the Redskins in 1937--led his team (Rams) to an NFL Championship in his rookie season. And he did it in Sammy Baugh's last Championship game.

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Conference Race Graph:

The Redskins and Eagles went down to the wire to determine a champion. Once again that Championship came down to a Redskins v Giants game at the end of the season. Only this time the Giants could do no more than play the role of spoiler. They had their first losing record since 1936. Their 3-6-1 record was their worst since they came into the league in 1925. A small consolation was that they helped knock the Eagles out of contention the week before losing to the Redskins. Earlier they helped knock the Lions out of contention in the Western Conference. The Redskins had a six game winning streak, the Eagles five. The Eagles were led by Steve Van Buren, who led the league in rushing with over 800 yards and scored 15 rushing TDs, more than double the league runner up in that category. Sammy Baugh led the Redskins and was one of the top three passers in 12 statistical categories. He also broke the passer rating record set by Sid Luckman in 1943. But this was the last hurrah for his team, as the Redskins would not win another Conference or NFL championship in this era. Their next Conference championship would come in 1972, and NFL championship in 1981.

Relevant games:

Oct. 21: Redskins* (1-1-0) 24, Eagles (1-1-0) 14, at Griffith Stadium (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Oct. 22). Two Steve Van Buren (H) TD runs were not enough as the Redskins broke ahead of the Eagles.

Oct. 28: Eagles* (1-2-0) 28, Rams (4-0-0) 14, at Shibe Park. (Brooklyn Eagle, Oct. 29). The story is in column 6, half way down the page. The Eagles saved their season by easily knocking off the Western Conference leaders. It was the Rams' only loss. The Rams squandered two first quarter scoring opportunities by fumbling deep in Eagles territory.

Video (9:56) Silent, in color. Watch for the big fight that happens after Eagles substitute quarterback Allie Sherman throws the last TD to Don Mcdonald during garbage time near the end of the game. Rams defender Pat West took offense at this and tackled McDonald out of the end zone. The fight included members of both teams and fans coming out of the crowd.

Nov. 25: Eagles* (5-2-0) 16, Redskins (6-1-0) 0, at Shibe Park. (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 26). The Eagles defense pressured SammyBaugh (H) all day long and his ex-understudy in Washington Roy Zimmerman threw 2 TD passes, including a 44 yard pass to Van Buren. Zimmerman also kicked a field goal. After shadowing the Redskins for 4 weeks, the Eagles finally caught them. Parenthetically, footballs were not the only things Zimmerman threw. After his football career was over, he was a fast-pitch softball pitcher for 26 years (and was known as the developer of both the rise and drop ball), leading his teams to 9 International Softball Congress titles. He pitched more than 2,000 games.

Dec. 2: Giants* (2-5-1) 28, Eagles (6-2-0) 21, at the Polo Grounds. (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 3.) Note: The story of the Redskins 24-0 victory over the Steelers is adjacent to this story. After Steve Van Buren (H) returned the 2nd half kickoff 98 yards for his third touchdown of the game (he also had runs of 33 and 19 yards), the Eagles led 21-0 and were looking at an easy victory. Their final game would be at home against the Yanks, while the Redskins had a home game with the Giants. At the very least, a playoff game was in the offing. But Arnie Herber (H) had other plans. He threw four TD passes, 3 within an 8 minute span, and the Giants stopped the Eagles at the 4 yard line when the game ended. The pass that tied the game was a 54 yard TD pass that Frank Liebel "took... practically out of the hands of Van Buren" at the Eagles 35 yard line.  It was a devastating loss that ultimately eliminated the Eagles from contention.

Dec. 9. Redskins* (7-2-0) 17, Giants (3-5-1) 0, at Griffith Stadium. (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 10). The Redskins won a difficult victory, taking only a 3-0 lead into the second half. But then a Sammy Baugh (H) TD pass and Arnie Herber's (H) fumble deep in his own territory sealed the victory. Note: there is also a small story below that story that chronicles Steve Van Buren's (H) contribution to the Eagles meaningless 35-7 victory over the Yanks. He scored 3 more TDs to give him 18 for the season, breaking Don Hutson's (H) record of 17 set in 1942 (in an 11 game season). The 3 TDs and 2 extra points gave him the season's scoring championship with 110 points. His 847 yards rushing also gave him the championship in that category as well.

Video: (6:15-6:52) on the video of great Sammy Baugh Highlights)--narrated and in color.

Western Conference Race Graph:

In what would be their last season in Cleveland, the Rams, who had shown signs of improvement in 1944 (going 4-6 after a 3-0 start), exploded to a Western Conference championship. Led by rookie passer Bob Waterfield (H) and his go to receiver Jim Benton (45 receptions for 1067 yards--23.7 yards per game--8 TDs, and 5 games with over 100 yards receiving),  they went 9-1-0. In 1944 their point differential was -36. In 1945 it was 108. They went from the 6th and 9th  best offense/defense in the league to 2nd and 3rd. Despite all that, the Lions were 6-2 and the Rams 7-1 when the two teams met at Briggs Stadium on Nov. 22 for the Thanksgiving Day game. Benton's day, 10 catches for 303 yards (which included catches for 57, 70, and 35 yards) set a new NFL record for yardage, surpassing Don Hutson's 8 catches for 237 yards against the Dodgers in 1943. Benton's record stood for 40 years. When the final gun sounded, the Rams, who had built a 28-7 lead, survived a furious Lions comeback in the 4th quarter to win 28-21, clinching the Conference title. (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 23; see also Today in Pro Football History blog game account).

Relevant games:

Oct. 7: Packers* (1-0-0) 57 Lions (1-0-0) 21 (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 8; see also packershistory.net for link to game story, photos, etc.; see also Today in Pro Football History blog game account) (State Fair Park, Milwaukee).  Grizzled Don Hutson (H), in his 11th and final season, had a game for the ages. He caught four TD passes and had five extra points in the second quarter. The Packers scored 41 points in that quarter, 41. The  29 points is one of Hutson's 13 NFL records that still stand. The 41 points in a quarter has been achieved only one other time, by the Rams in 1950 (see below).

October 14: Cardinals (0-3-0) 16, Bears (0-2-0) 7, at Wrigley Field (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 15). This was the Cardinals 1st win after 29 consecutive losses going back to the last 6 games of the 1942 season. It remains the longest consecutive loss streak in NFL history. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 26 straight (1977-78), the Lions lost 19 straight (2007-09), and the new Cleveland Browns have lost 17 straight (2016-17) in a streak that is still active as of the end of the 2017 season. Interestingly, the last two points the Cardinals scored in this game came on a Sid Luckman (H) pass from the end zone that hit the crossbar. Under the rules at the time, that was a safety. It foreshadowed a play in the championship game that cost the Redskins the NFL title.

Longest winning streak: Redskins 6; Longest losing streak: Yanks 5

Highest regular season game attendance: Oct. 28,  Redskins  (2-1-0) 24, Giants* (1-1-1 14, at the Polo Grounds.55,461

MVP (Joe Carr Award): Bob Waterfield (H) (Quarterback-defensive back-punter--kicker) (Rams) Today in Pro Football History blog MVP profile

All Pros: (all columns are sortable)

Statistical Leaders

Championship Game

Cleveland Rams* (9-1-0) 15 Washington Redskins (8-2-0) 14 (Municipal Stadium) Attendance: 32,178. Rams roster. Redskins roster.

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Newspaper story links; Washington Observer, Dec. 17

Today in Pro Football History blog game story

Video 1: (17:59) Narrated and in color--Most of 1st 3 quarters and last Washington score

Video 2: (18:01). Silent in color. A different version of Video 1.

Video 3: (6:54-7:33) on the video of great Sammy Baugh Highlights)--narrated and in color.

Video 4: (1:35) silent, different camera angles from Video 1 and 2.

Sammy Baugh and Bob Waterfield, 2 Great Rookie Seasons (Video: 3:52)

For only the 2nd time in this era and the first time since 1935, the Western Conference champion was not the Packers or the Bears. This game was the original  "Ice Bowl" (-8 degrees F). Sammy Baugh (H) tried to play but an injury plus the incredible cold forced him to the sidelines. He was ineffective when he was in, completing only one pass in six attempts. The crossbar was almost as big a story as any player in this game. The Rams scored first on a safety when Baugh's pass from his own end zone hit the crossbar. This was a rare score but not unique (see Cardinals v Bears game above). One of Bob Waterfield's (H) PATs was blocked but hit the crossbar and then dribbled over it. It came after a 70 yard drive, culminated by a 37 yard pass from Waterfield to Dick Benton that gave the Rams the lead for good.  A 44 yard TD pass from Waterfield to Jim Gillette gave the Rams just enough insurance to survive a late Redskins comeback. Frank Filchock (see below under 1946), guided the Redskins for most of the game, and with the score 15-14 they had two drives that ended in missed field goals. The Rams became the only NFL team to win a championship and then move the next year. The safety rule was changed in 1946 (see major rule changes under 1946).

On other fronts,  the European War ended in May. The Pacific War ended in August. The Cold War began in earnest. Total World War II deaths: around 60,000,000.

Related information:

Today in Pro Football History blog capsule articles about the great seasons of the Rams' Jim Benton, Redskins' Steve Bagarus and Packers' Charley Brock , an account of the 1945 College All-Star game, an article about the Rams rookie Head Coach Adam Walsh, and game accounts of the Rams 27-14 win over the Packers on Oct. 14 and Redskins 24-14 win over the Giants on Oct. 28.

------------------------------

1946--NFL

Derived  attendance: 1,931,580

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information:  Click on team and then scroll to roster. Draft and Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there.

Major rules changes  The free substitution rule was repealed and substitutions were limited to a maximum of three players at a time. (See also 1943 rules changes).

Conference Races:

Normalcy and players returned after the war ended. The free substitution rule was repealed. Substitution was severely curtailed. The season was extended to 11 games. Dan Topping (see above under 1945), ended the partnership between his Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Yanks. He took his team out of the NFL and into the All America Football Conference (see below). He was given the New York (Yankee) franchise and the team played their games in Yankee Stadium. The NFL Brooklyn Dodgers ceased to exist. The Boston Yanks again became an independent team in the Eastern Conference. The Rams became the first and only NFL team to relocate the year after winning a Championship. They moved to Los Angeles, becoming the first major league team in any sport to set up shop on the West Coast. They were soon joined by the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Dons of the AAFC. The Rams signed Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, (Sports Illustrated, Oct. 12, 2009) the first African-American players in the NFL since 1933 (video: (2:58) NFL). The very first NFL game on the West Coast was played on Sep. 29. On a blistering day (around 95 F), the Eagles' Allie Sherman threw two TD passes to help them come back from a 14-6 deficit to defeat the Rams 25-14 (Los Angeles Times, Sep. 30, P. 7, 8--propretary; see also Today in Pro Football History blog game account) in front of 30,553 fans. The Rams would go on to draw over 210,000, including over 68,000 for a game against the Bears (see below), some 10,000 more than the second largest NFL crowd. The Rams had drawn a little more than 77,500 in Cleveland during the entire 1945 regular season. How did Cleveland take the loss of its World Champions? It replaced them with another championship team that drew almost 400,000 and had the  single largest crowd of the year (over 71,000), had two crowds of over 70,000, two over 60,000, and one over 50,000 (see more below under AAFC).

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Conference Race Graph:

The Giants rebounded from their terrible 1945 season and were in a close race with the Eagles, Redskins, and Steelers. Going into the games of Nov. 3, the Giants were 4-1-0, Redskins 3-1-1, Eagles 3-2-0, and Steelers 3-2-1. The Steelers were the surprise team of this group, but not if you consider the fact that they had signed new coach Jock Sutherland, who had great success in 1940-1 with the previously mediocre Dodgers (see above), and were led by Bill Dudley (H), who won the league rushing title in his rookie year (1942) and would win another this year. He came back after three years in the service. Nov. 3 was a crucial day in the East. The Eagles beat the Giants 24-14 (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 4) at Shibe Park with the aid of two Steve Van Buren (H) TD runs. The Steelers beat the Redskins 14-7 (Pittsburgh Press, Nov. 4) at Forbes Field with the aid of an 80 yard pick 6 by Dudley.

This left The Eagles, Giants, and Steelers at the top of the Conference with 4-2-0, 4-2-0, and 4-2-1 records respectively, closely followed by the Redskins 3-2-1. From there the Eagles lost three straight to the Giants (see below), Steelers (Pittsburgh Press, Nov. 18), and Redskins (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 25). The Steelers lost three of their last four to the Lions (who finished 1-10-0) (Pittsburgh Press, Nov. 11), Giants (Pittsburgh Press, Nov. 25), and Eagles (Pittsburgh Press, Dec. 2). That left the Giants and Redskins. The Giants played the Eagles again at the Polo Grounds on Nov. 10, the week after the Eagles had beaten them. The Giants won easily by a 45-17 score (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 11), and sent the Eagles into their terminal tailspin. The next week the Yanks came from 14 points behind in the 4th quarter of a rain marred game for a 28-28 tie with the Giants. (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 18). Then the Giants  beat the Steelers (Pittsburgh Press, Nov. 25) and lost to the Rams (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 2). 6-3-1. The Redskins beat the Yanks (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 11) and Eagles, (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 25) but lost to the Bears (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 18) and Packers (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 2, P. B4, P. B5; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains other game stories, and photos). 5-4-1.

All this set the stage for a replay of the final game of the 1937-39, 1943 and 1944 seasons. One game between the Redskins and Giants with the Conference championship on the line. This time, if the Redskins won there would be a playoff game. The Giants needed only a tie or win.

Dec. 8: Giants* (6-3-1) 31, Redskins (5-4-1) 0, at the Polo Grounds. (Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 9). This was never a contest as the Giants, outgained by over 60 yards, won easily, with the assistance of five Redskin turnovers. But the victory was bittersweet, as they lost their powerhouse runner Bill Paschal, whose jaw was fractured while blocking Ed Ciphers with the score 17-0. The game story discusses how angry Giants coach Steve Owen (H) was with the increasingly unsportsmanlike way the Redskins played as they realized this wasn't going to be their day. Owen also hinted at the fact that beating the Bears in the Championship game might be a bridge too far without Paschal. As for Paschal, it was his second serious injury in the last two months. He suffered leg and back injuries in the second game against the Eagles. He was also injured in the 1944 final game against the Redskins. He played in the championship game against the Packers then, but was severely limited. He was never the same after this injury.

Western Conference Race Graph:

The Bears, like the Giants, rebounded from a poor year in 1945 to win the Conference title. Unlike the Giants, the Bears had an easier path. The chart shows that they led from start to finish, winning by two games over the defending champion Rams. Sid Luckman (H) led the league in passing with 1,826 yards and 17 TDs. No Bears receiver had over 20 receptions, but seven had over 10. The Rams' Bob Waterfield (H) had 1,747 passing yards and 17 TDs as well. Jim Benton led the league with 63 receptions, 981 yards, and 6 TDs (Billy Dewell of the Cardinals led the league in TDs with 7). But Benton didn't have much support, as only three other Rams had more than 10 catches. The Bears were 2nd and 3rd in the league in yardage gained and allowed. The Rams were 1st and 8th. The Bears had a point differential of 96, the Rams 20.

The Conference championship was, for all intents and purposes, won on Nov. 10, when the 4-1-1 Bears beat the 3-2-1 Rams 27-21 at the LA Coliseum in front of over 68,000. (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 11; Chicago Tribune, Nov. 11, P. 31, P. 32--proprietary; Los Angeles Times, Nov. 11, P. A8, P. A9--proprietary. ). Sid Luckman (H) was the star with three TD passes to Ken Kavenaugh and a crucial  interception. The Rams were driving for the winning TD in the waning moments of the game when Luckman intercepted a Bob Waterfield pass at the Bears 5 yard line and returned it to the Bears 29. From there, they ran out the clock.

The major surprise in the Conference was the Cardinals. In 1945 they had broken a three year, 29 game losing streak with their only win in a 10 game season. This year they improved to 6-5 which tied for third with the Packers. Paul Christman was third in the League in completions, yards, and TDs, behind Luckman and Waterfield. Pat Harder was second in the league in rushing yardage. In Christman, Pat Harder, and Elmer Angsman, (see the Coffin Corner article below (1947)), they had 3/4 of the "Dream Backfield" that would lead them to the greatest heights in their 120 year history. That climb began in 1946, and was symbolized by their final game that year.

Dec. 1: Cardinals (5-5-0) 35, Bears* (7-1-1) 28, at Wrigley Field (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 2; Chicago Tribune, Dec. 2, P. 39, P. 40--proprietary). Led by Harder's 2 TDs and 5 extra points, and capped by Christman's 4 yard TD pass to Mal Kutner with 14 seconds left (after the Bears tied the game with 55 seconds left and then failed with an onside kick in an attempt to win the game),  the Cardinals silenced the  Bears fans in the crowd of over 47,500 and gave their own fans a brief look into the near future, when another Bears-Cardinals game at Wrigley Field would be, arguably, the pinnacle of their success in Chicago.

Longest winning streak: Bears 4; Longest losing streak: Yanks 7

Highest regular season single game attendance: Nov. 3: Bears (4-1-1) 27, Rams* (2-3-1) 21  at the LA Coliseum: 68,381. This was around 9,000 less than the Rams drew in Cleveland for their entire home season  in 1945.

MVP (Joe Carr Award): Bill Dudley (H) (Halfback, Tailback, Quarterback,  Defensive Back--Kicker, Punter, Kick Returner, Punt Returner) (Steelers). In addition to leading the League in rushing yards, he also led in punt return yards, average punt return yards, all purpose yards, interceptions and interception return yards, and fumble recoveries. Today in Pro Football History blog MVP profile.

All Pros: (all columns are sortable)

Statistical Leaders

Championship Game

Chicago Bears (8-2-1) 24 New York Giants* (7-3-1) 14 (Polo Grounds) Attendance: 58,346. Bears roster. Giants roster. Weather conditions.

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Newspaper story links; Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 16.

Today in Pro Football History blog game story

Video 1: (34:37) Narrated. Game begins at 6:26 after background, including discussion of the betting scandal. Mostly the full game. A few plays are missing including both Giants TDs. They can be seen in Video 2.

Video 2: (1:47) Silent. Includes all scoring except the drive that lead to the Bears field goal, which can be seen in Video 1.

This game became the closest football analogue to the Black Sox scandal--the Chicago White Sox throwing the 1919 baseball World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. Gamblers offered Merle Hapes and Frank Filchock (the Filchock link tells the story in detail, as does Video 1 above and the Coffin Corner article below) bribes to make sure the Giants did not beat the spread on the game. Neither one accepted the bribes but neither informed anyone of them at first. Hapes was suspended from playing in the game. Filchock was not. With Hapes and Bill Paschal (due to injury) out of the Giants backfield, their running game was severely curtailed. During the game two of their other running backs, George Franck and Frank Reagan had to leave the game with a broken nose and separated shoulder respectively. Filchock also had his nose broken early in the game, but played all but 3 minutes as passer, defensive back, and kick returner. He threw six interceptions. The Bears took a 14-0 lead on a Sid Luckman (H) to Ken Kavenaugh TD pass, and an interception return by Dante Magnani. But Filchock brought the Giants back to equality with two TD passes of his own. Going into the 4th quarter, the score was tied. The key play of the game came when Luckman (H) faked a handoff, then circled around and ran a keeper through the Giants defense for a 19 yard TD (1:35-1:47 on video 2). The Bears added a late field goal to put the game out of reach. It was a brutal game, according to the Brooklyn Eagle account, especially by the Bears, who were penalized 120 yards to 70 by the Giants.

Relevant articles:

Pro Football Researchers article: From One War to Another: NFL Season of '46, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article: The Peregrinations of Frankie Filchock, in Coffin Corner

Today in Pro Football History blog capsule articles on the great season of the Lions' Bob Cifers (who averaged 61.75 yards in the Lions 42-6 loss to the Bears on Nov. 24 on four punts for 247 yards, a single game punt average record that still stands), a game account of the 1946 College All-Star game, and an account of Kenny Washington's signing with the Rams.

1946--AAFC

Derived  attendance: 1,327,689

There was no 1946 AAFC draft.

Roster information: Click on team and then scroll to roster. Draft and Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there. AAFC teams are listed below the NFL teams.

The story of the All America Football Conference is told in many places. Two of the best places to start are:

Wikipedia: Summaries of each AAFC season (1946-1949).

Pro Football Researchers article The All America Football Conference, Coffin Corner

Cleveland, which lost one team, got another, the Browns. In their first 10 years in the AAFC and then NFL, they won all 10 Division (Conference) titles and seven League Championships. From 1946-1950 they won 5 consecutive League Championships, the most in the history of pro football. They dominated a league as no other team ever has. In the four year life of the AAFC they were 42-4-3 during the regular season. They lost twice to the Los Angeles Dons and and twice to the San Francisco 49ers. They were tied by the New York Yankees once and the Buffalo Bills twice.

The AAFC existed from 1946-1949. In 1950 three of its teams (Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and Baltimore Colts) were absorbed into the NFL. The Colts folded after the 1950 season and were replaced by a new Baltimore Colts team (today's Indianapolis Colts) in 1953 after the Dallas Texans franchise folded. The rest of the AAFC disbanded after 1949.

The AAFC played a 14 game season for its first three years and a 12 game season in its last year. It began with eight teams in two divisions. Each team played every other team in the league twice. The Eastern Division was made up of the New York Yankees (ex-Brooklyn Dodgers of the NFL), Buffalo Bisons, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Miami Seahawks. The Western Division: Cleveland Browns, Chicago Rockets, Los Angeles Dons, and San Francisco 49ers.

When Marion Motley (H) and Bill Willis (H) appeared in the Browns opener on September 6, 1946, it marked the first appearance of African Americans in professional football since 1933.

Division races:

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Division Race Graph:

On Sep. 6, the new League played its first game. The best team (Browns) played against the worst (Miami Seahawks). The result was a predictable 44-0 shellacking (the Seahawks managed 27 total yards of offense, the Browns 345), but the real significance of the game, which must have awakened complacent NFL owners, was the attendance: 60,135  (Milwaukee Journal, Sep. 7; Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sep. 7) at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. It was a crowd that was about 16,000 less than the recently departed Rams had drawn during the entire 1945 home regular season (the Rams won the NFL title  (see above)--the championship game in Cleveland drew a little more than 32,000). The Browns would go on to draw 441,143 at home, the highest total and average (55,142) attendance in pro football for the 8 games they played. The Giants were second, (playing seven games, drawing 420,783 (average 52,609) . AAFC teams would draw four of the top ten attendances in pro football in 1946. (Caveat: AAFC teams played 14 games, which means 7 home games. NFL teams played 11 games, meaning some had 6 home games and some had 5. Curiously, the Cardinals had only four home games.)  A better way to rank attendances in this instance would be to rank average attendances. It takes more work to derive this than I care to do. You can, if you wish. The tedious part is keeping track of which NFL teams played 5 home games and which played 6). In the three cities with 2 teams, the Giants (NFL) averaged 52,609 at the Polo Grounds, the Yankees (AAFC) 27,800 at Yankee Stadium; the Rams (NFL) 42,383, the Dons (AAFC) 20,616, both at the LA Coliseum; and the Bears (NFL) 42,291 at Wrigley Field,  the Cardinals (NFL) 33,742 at Comiskey Park, and the Rockets (AAFC) 24,111 at Soldier Field.

The East lacked any competition. The Yankees, sparked by a 6 game winning streak in the middle of the season, won the division by 7 games. This also was not unexpected. After all, they were an ex-NFL team. The other three teams were, to put it kindly, less than ordinary, with point differentials ranging from -113 to -211.

Western Division Race Graph:

Note: The Browns entire 1946 season can be followed through Wikipedia links to Cleveland Plain Dealer game articles (link via the reference numbers given for each game--then link to the stories via the "archive" link for each story that has one). The chart shows that the balance of power was in the West. With a balanced schedule (each team playing each other twice regardless of division) most of the winning was done in the West, and most of the losing in the East (see above). Point differentials of the top three teams in the West ranged from 15 to 286. The Browns won their games by an average of  20.4 points. That was, however, padded by their opening win over the Seahawks (see above) and their 66-14 win over the Dodgers in the last game of the season. (Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 9, Col. 5; Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dec. 9). A seven game winning streak began their season and a five game winning streak ended it. The 49ers began a four year run of frustration as the second best team in the league, but stuck in the same division as the Browns. They did have the satisfaction of dealing the Browns their first loss:

Oct. 27: 49ers (4-3-0) 34, Browns* (7-0-0) 20, at Municipal Stadium (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct. 28; Milwaukee Sentinel, Oct. 28). In front of the second largest crowd in pro football (70,385 or 70,386 depending on the source) the 49ers dealt the Browns a decisive defeat. Frankie Albert threw three touchdown passes, two to his favorite receiver Alyn Beals (who led or tied for the lead in AAFC TD receptions every year of its existence). The 49ers turned three Browns turnovers into TDs.

Video 1: (55:20) Silent with musical accompaniment, mostly complete coaches film
Video 2: (4:04) Silent
Video 3: (6:23) Silent with titles identifying scoring plays

The next week the Browns lost again, 17-16 to the Dons (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Nov. 4; Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 4; Los Angeles Times, P. A8--proprietary) while the 49ers beat the Bisons  27-14 (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 3). Suddenly there was a race on. Then, in front of over 41,000 (the 49ers biggest crowd of the year) at Kezar Stadium, the Browns throttled the 49ers offense, and won 14-7 in the rematch (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Nov. 11; Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 11-- video highlights--33:46-35:19 of the Browns 1946 Highlight film). A key play was a 63 pass reception by Marion Motley (H). From there the Browns cruised home to the Division title.

Other games of interest:

Sep. 25. Rockets* (0-1-1) 38 Bisons 0-3-0 35,  at Soldier Field  (37:58, silent, coaches film that is missing some plays.). The Rockets won their first AAFC game  (Milwaukee Journal, Sep. 26; Chicago Tribune, Sep. 26, P. 29, P. 31--proprietary) on the same day the AAFC saw its first coaching change, Dick Hanley resigning after irreconcilable personnel differences with Rockets ownernship. Hanley had coached Northwestern to a 36-26-4 record and two Big Ten co-championships from 1927-1934.

The most interesting thing about this game is that we get a peek at Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch (H) (who signed with the Rockets because Hanley coached him in the service--he was drafted by the then Cleveland Rams) in his earliest professional days. The Rockets are in the light color uniforms in the video and Hirsch is #80, although it is almost impossible to read the numbers. He is the left halfback when the Rockets are in T-formation. He is a little more difficult to find when they are in single wing formation. In this game he scored on a 68 yard TD pass (4:35-4:50 on the video), and caught a crucial 50 yard pass (35:25-35:45 on the video) in the waning seconds of the game to set up the winning field goal, as the Rockets scored 17 points in the 4th quarter to overcome a 35-21 Bisons lead. Hirsch also ran for a brilliant 70 yard TD (19:48-20:10 on the video) that was called back due to an offside penalty. In 1949, he left the then Hornets due to a contract breach and received $20,000 from the Rams, who won a bidding war with the Hornets for his services. The following year, with the AAFC gone, the Rams cut his salary to $12,000. In passing, one other thing to look at in the video is the scoreboard, which is shown after every score. It is the coolest combination of digital and analog scoreboard I have seen :)

Longest winning streak: Browns 7; Longest losing streak: Dodgers 5

Highest regular season attendance: Oct. 20: Browns* (6-0-0) 31, Dons (3-1-1) 14. at Municipal Stadium: 71,134

Player of the Year: Glenn Dobbs (Halfback, Quarterback, Punter) (Dodgers)

All Pros (all columns are sortable)

Statistical leaders

Championship Game

Cleveland Browns* (12-2-0) 14 New York Yankees (10-3-1) 9 (video: 38:30-end of video of the Browns 1946 Highlight film, narrated. (Municipal Stadium) Attendance: 41,181. Browns roster. Yankees roster.

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Pro Football Researchers Feature and Game Story: Podunk vs Gotham: The 1946 Browns-Yankees Rivalry, in Coffin Corner

Game Story: Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dec. 23, 1946

Game Story: Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 23, 1946

Game Story: Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 23, 1946
Feature Story:Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 23, 1946

In spite of three missed field goals by Lou Groza (H), Otto Graham (H) (video: 0:57) led a 76 yard march that finished with a 16 yard touchdown pass to Dante Lavelli (H) for the winning touchdown in a 14-9 come from behind win. The play, according to the Brooklyn Eagle, was identical to the play with which the Browns had beaten the Yankees 7-0  (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct. 13) during the regular season. Marion Motley (H) began a string of four Championship games in which he led all rushers with 13 carries for 98 yards and a TD. Ace Parker (H), Yankee quarterback, played his final game.

Related information

Pro Football Researchers article Outside the Pale: The exclusion of Blacks from the NFL 1934-1946. in Coffin Corner

The "Forgotten Four" who paved the way for Jackie Robinson (video: 2:58)

"Bill Willis and Marion Motley Integrate the Browns" (video: 3:33)

"Bill Willis Retrospective": (video: 4:09)

Marion Motley (video: 4:37)

Mac Speedie Bio in Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Paul Brown, in Coffin Corner

Paul Brown documentary (video: 43:36)

Pro Football Researchers article Welcome to L.A., in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article NFL Competitors: 1926-1975, in Coffin Corner

For an inside look at the Browns 1946 season, from organization of the team to the Championship game, see the Browns 1946 Highlight film (43:17)

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1947--NFL (including Playoff game)

Derived  attendance: 1,948,208

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information:  Click on team and then scroll to roster. Draft and Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there.

Major rules changes

The NFL expanded its schedule to 12 games. Each team would play Conference rivals home and home, and four inter-Conference games. This schedule would remain unchanged until 1950, when three AAFC teams came into the NFL.

Conference races:

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Conference Race Graph:

After 2nd place finishes the previous three seasons, the Eagles finally won their first Conference championship in 1947. But not before an epic struggle with the Steelers that went into extra time. As for the Steelers, they tied for the Conference lead in spite of a rancorous relationship between star back Bill Dudley (H) and coach Jock Sutherland that caused Dudley to be traded to the Lions before the season started (Today in Pro Football History blog). Their success came despite the fact that Head Coach Jock Sutherland stuck with the old single-wing offense that he had used so successfully at the University of Pittsburgh from 1924-1938 (111-20-12, two national championships) and with the Dodgers in 1940-41 (15-7-0, two second place finishes). But the Steelers were seemingly no match for the Eagles in either tactics (the Eagles were a T formation team) or talent. Yet they were able to force a playoff for the Conference title. If you want to take a closer look at the Steelers single wing offense during this era watch this compilation of plays made by receiver Val Jansante (Video: 3:32).

On Oct. 5, the Redskins beat the Steelers 27-26 (Pittsburgh Press, Oct. 6) (video: 1:09, narrated and in color) at Griffith Stadium, in an incredible game where the lead changed seven times. The game was decided on a failed 29 yard field goal attempt by Joe Glamp. The ball hit the left upright. The loss put the Steelers record at 1-2-0 and seemed to foreshadow yet another mediocre season. But the next week they started a six game winning streak that shot them to the top of the standings. On Oct. 19 they defeated the Eagles 35-24 in front of over 33,000 at Forbes Field (Pittsburgh Press, Oct. 20). In spite of a monster game by Steve Van Buren (H) (21 rushes for 133 yards), they used a 21 point 4th quarter to overcome a 24-14 deficit. At 3-2-0, they moved into first place.  On Nov. 16, they won their sixth in row, a 24-7 victory over the Giants (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nov. 17, P. 16, P. 18). They  came back from a 7-3 deficit to score 21 unanswered points in a minute and 40 seconds in the 4th quarter. Al Abrams, Sports Editor of the P-G, wrote an enlightening column about how the game was turned around by three great punts by Bob Cifers. Abrams also had excellent insights into why it was that the Giants, last year's Conference champions, were having such a terrible 1947 season. On the same day the Eagles destroyed the Yanks 32-0 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nov. 17) at Shibe Park.

Going into the games of Nov. 23 the Steelers were 7-2-0 and the Eagles were 6-2-0. The Steelers had a tough game against the Bears, who were in a tight race of their own in the West (see below). The Eagles had a supposedly easy game against the Yanks, who were 2-5-1 going into the game at Fenway Park (back to back games against the same opponent were a common occurrence at the time). The Bears annihilated the Steelers, 49-7 to end the winning streak. But the Eagles, no doubt looking forward to their big game with the Steelers the next week, lost 21-14. Boley Dancewicz (the first pick in the 1946 draft) was the Yanks' hero, thowing 2 TD passes and running for the winning score. Both game stories can be found at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nov. 24.

Bears 49, Steelers 7 (P. 12, P. 13)
Yanks 21, Eagles 14

Analysis by Al Abrams, Sports Editor of the Post-Gazette. Note the ad directly below the column, a "3 day tour" culminating with tickets to the big game at Shibe Park. All for only $42.50.

And so came the the Steelers-Eagles clash on Nov. 30. The 6-3-0 Eagles pounced on the 7-3-0 Steelers in front of 39,814, the largest crowd to ever see an NFL game at Shibe Park, shutting them out 21-0 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec.1, P. 18, P. 19). The Steelers had lost four players through injuries in the bone crushing defeat by the Bears, including primary passer Johnny Clement (#0--see Val Jansante single wing video clip above), out with a dislocated elbow. Without Clement, the Steelers offense was greatly hampered. The Eagles also played excellent defense and Joe Muha had a great game with quick kicks of 75 and 58 yards to force the Steelers into bad field position, as well a 28 yard TD run that increased the Eagles lead to 14-0. Jansante was limited to one catch, and the Steelers made only six first downs and 120 total yards for the game. As usual, Al Abrams provided excellent analysis of the game. Now the Eagles, after six weeks of chasing, took over first place.

But they couldn't hold it. They lost their next game to the Cardinals at Shibe Park 45-21 (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 8), in a game that featured 42 points scored in the 4th quarter (4 TDs by the Cardinals and 2 by the Eagles). Meanwhile, the Steelers, lifted by a PA announcement that the Cardinals were leading the Eagles, and helped by a clutch 55 yard TD drive in the 4th quarter, beat the Yanks 17-7 (Pittsburgh Press, Dec. 8) in front of over 31,000 at Forbes Field. Thus, the Steelers ended their season at 8-4-0, while the Eagles had one game left, on Dec. 14 against the Packers at Shibe Park. They beat the Packers 28-14 (Milwaukee Journal, Dec.15; also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains other game stories, and photos; also see Pittsburgh Press, Dec. 15), led by Steve Van Buren's (H) 3 TDs and one key interception with the Packers deep in Eagles territory. He also had a 101 yard kickoff return that was nullified by a clipping penalty.  His 96 rushing yards broke the Bears' Beattie Feathers' NFL rushing record of 1004 yards, set in 1934, by 4 yards.

Playoff:

 Philadelphia Eagles (8-4-0) 21 Pittsburgh Steelers* (8-4-0) 0  (Forbes Field) Attendance: 35,729. Weather conditions.

Pittsburgh Press Playoff Preview (Dec. 21)

Game Story: Pittsburgh Press (Dec. 22)

Left click on either Press article to magnify

Game Story: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Dec. 22, P. 18, P. 20)

Today in Pro Football History blog game story

No video or audio available at this time

Two Tommy Thompson TD passes (to Steve Van Buren (H) and Jack Ferrante (1--PFRef) (2--Wikipedia), and a 79 yard Bosh Pritchard (1--PFRef) (2--Wikipedia) punt return TD led the Eagles to an easy victory. The Eagles handed the Steelers their only two shutout losses of the year, by identical scores. The Steelers were in disarray (they almost struck over pay issues for the post season) and their leading passer Johnny Clement (#0--see Val Jansante single wing video clip above)  played but was ineffective (4-16, 52 yards). The Steelers would not see post season action again until 1972. They would spend the winter thinking about that missed field goal in October and the inch or two of upright that helped cost them and outright Conference championship.

Postscript. The caboose of the Eastern Conference train consisted of the Redskins (4-8-0) and Giants (2-8-2), the two teams which had won every Eastern Conference championship since 1933. Two of the Redskins wins came against the Steelers and Cardinals. The Giants also beat the Cardinals late in the season, a crucial loss for the Cardinals at the time. But it was little consolation for either team. The Giants bounced back fairly quickly but the Redskins did not. From 1947-65 the Redskins had two winning seasons. They bottomed out in 1960-1 with a record of 2-21-3. They didn't become a factor again until the early 1970's. More than one writer has argued that a large part of the explanation for this was that the Redskins were the last NFL team to integrate (1962 (Pro Football Hall of Fame)). And that only happened after the Federal Government intervened (New York Times, Oct 7, 2012) (the leader in this was Stewart Udall, Secretary of Interior--the land that the Redskins new stadium was being built on was federal land).

Western Conference Race Graph:

The best place to begin studying the Cardinals 1947 season, including detailed replays of the victory over the Bears that won the Conference championship and the League championship victory is the print book When Football was Football: The History of the Chicago Cardinals, by Joe Ziemba. The Cardinals are the oldest professional football team in the US, their roots going back to 1898. The two oldest rivalries in professional football involve the Cardinals. The oldest is the Cardinals v Bears (Decatur Staleys) (Nov. 28, 1920). The second oldest is the Cardinals v Packers (Nov. 20, 1921). The third oldest is the Packers v Bears (Chicago Staleys) (Nov. 27, 1921).  (1) (2)

But I digress. It is a sticking point for Cardinals fans. The Cardinals were playing the Bears before the Packers were in the league.

Charles Bidwill (H) had been a Bears executive before buying the Cardinals. He began acquiring the heart of this championship team in (click on TM to sort by team and look for "CRD" for all the following draft links) 1939 when he signed Marshall Goldberg out of the University of Pittsburgh. In 1941, he signed Paul Christman out of the University of Missouri. In 1942, Vince Banonis out of Detroit Mercy. In 1943, Stan Mauldin out of the University of Texas. In 1944, Pat Harder out of the University of Wisconsin. In 1945, Charley Trippi (H) out of the University of Georgia. (Trippi didn't play for the Cardinals until 1947. He received a $100,000 contract.)  In 1946, Elmer Angsman out of Notre Dame. Bidwill also signed Jimmy Conzelman (H) as head coach. Conzelman had won an NFL championship as a player coach for the Providence Steam Roller in 1928. From 1946-48, his second stint with the Cardinals, he coached them to a 26-9-0 record, with two Conference championships and one League Championship. This, obviously, was the Cardinals high water mark in their 120 year history. Trippi, Harder, Angsman, and Christman became known as the "Dream Backfield." (1) (video: 2:06, Pro Football Hall of Fame) (2).

After a good beginning, the race graph clearly shows that the Packers and Rams dropped out, leaving a two team race between the Bears and Cardinals. The Bears lost their first 2 games, then won 8 in a row. One of the two losses came at the hands of the Cardinals (31-7) on Oct. 5 at Comiskey Park, in front of over 51,000. (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 6). The Cardinals won their first three games, then went to the West Coast and lost to the Rams, 27-7 (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 20) in front of the largest crowd to ever see a game in the NFL up to that time, 69,631. The Cardinals' rookie punter Jeff Burkett stayed behind after the game due to an appendectomy. He flew back to Chicago on Oct. 24 on an ill-fated United Airlines flight that crashed in Bryce Canyon Utah. All on board were killed. After the loss the Cardinals won 5 in a row and were 7-1-0 after a 21-20  comeback victory at home over the Packers (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 17, P. 4, P. 5: also see the entry for for the game at packershistory.net, which contains other game stories, and photos; see also Today in Pro Football History blog game account). The Bears were 6-2-0 after annihilating the Rams 42-21 in Los Angeles. (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 17, P. 4, P. 5, Col. 5). Then things got very interesting as the Cardinals lost their next two games on the road to the Redskins (45-21) (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 24, P. 12, P. 14)  and Giants  (35-31) (Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 1, Col. 8). (It was the Giants' first win of the year). Meanwhile the Bears won big at home against the Steelers (49-7--see above under Eastern Conference) and on the road in the Thanksgiving Day game  against the Lions (34-14).  (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 28). With two games to go, the Bears had finally taken the Conference lead at 8-2-0 to the Cardinals 7-3-0. The Bears road to the championship ended with home games against the Rams and Cardinals. The Cardinals had road games against the Eagles and Bears, the toughest road imaginable. The Rams, after a fight marred loss in Los Angeles (see above) came back from a 14-0 deficit and beat the Bears 17-14, stopping their 8 game winning streak and also stopping them from clinching at least a tie for the Championship. The Cardinals scored 42 points in the 2nd Half to put a big dent in the Eagles Championship hopes 45-21.

Bears game (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 8)
Cardinals game (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 8)

Each team was now 8-3-0.

And so the Western Conference title was decided on Dec. 14, at Wrigley Field. On the first play of the game Paul Christman connected with Babe Dimancheff on an 80 yard TD pass (1) (2: Ziemba--When Football was Football, P. 336-342). The play had been designed to take advantage of a weakness in the Bears' defense, but Dimancheff wasn't available to practice it because he was waiting (for days) at the hospital for his wife to give birth. The baby was born and Dimancheff was available for the game . The Bears never recovered and the Cardinals led all the way, winning 30-21 (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 15, P. 6, P. 7, Col. 4). It was the first time since 1922 that the Cardinals had beaten the Bears twice in a season.  It would happen one more time, in 1951. And die hard Chicago Cardinals fans (my interpretation of the Ziemba book above and also of the Chicago Tribune (Dec. 15, 1947, P. 61) game story--proprietary) always felt this was the biggest win in franchise history--bigger even than their Championship game win two weeks later. Beating the Bears at Wrigley field, beating them decisively in front of almost 49,000 fans (no TV), winning the Conference championship to boot--how sweet it was!

Longest winning streak: Bears 8; Longest losing streak: Giants 7

Highest regular season attendance: Oct. 20: Rams* (2-1-1) 27, Cardinals (3-0-0) 7. at LA Coliseum: 69,631

Player of the Year (Pro Football Illustrated) Mal Kutner (End, Defensive back) (Cardinals). Kutner led the league in receiving yards in 1947.

All Pros (all columns are sortable)

Statistical leaders

Championship Game: 

Chicago Cardinals (9-3-0) 28* Philadelphia Eagles  (9-4-0) 21 (Comiskey Park). Attendance: 30,759. Cardinals roster. Eagles roster. Weather conditions.

Video 1: (2:03-3:07). Narrated portion of 1947 Sports Highlight film. All four Cardinal and one Eagle TD are available in these highlights.

Video 2: (video: 43:15). Mostly full game video "coaches film". Silent.

Chicago Cardinals: #68--Charley Trippi (H); #7 Elmer Angsman; #44 Paul Christman; #99 Marshall Goldberg

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Newspaper story links

Today in Pro Football History blog game story.

The Eagles aimed to stop the Cardinal offense with an eight man line. The Cardinals defeated that strategy with three long touchdown runs on "quick openers" that, once through that line, found acres of open space. Charley Trippi scored on a 40 yard run in the 1st quarter, and Elmer Angsman on two 70 yard runs in the 2nd and 4th quarters respectively. Trippi also scored on an amazing 75 yard punt return in the 3rd quarter. The runs were partly due to great execution by the Cardinal line and partly due to the difficult footing on the frozen field (although both teams had to deal with that). The Eagles were behind the entire game (7-0, 14-0, 14-7, 21-7, 21-14, 28-14, 28-21). They had better offensive statistics than the Cardinals (Tommy Thompson was 27-44 for 297 yards and a TD, all championship game records at the time. He also threw three crucial interceptions). Angsman had 10 carries for 159 yards, breaking Bear Bill Osmanski's 1940 Championship game record (10 for 109--see above under 1940).  Angsman's record wouldn't last long (see below under 1949).  Equally important, the Cardinals defense held Steve Van Buren (H) (who had led the league in rushing with 1,008 yards) to 26 yards on 18 carries. The Cardinals haven't won an NFL championship game since 1947, a 71 year drought, the longest in NFL history.

Relevant articles:

Pro Football Researchers article Jock Sutherland: Forgotten Coaching Great, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Blue Shirt Charlie's Big Red Dream, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Elmer Angsman: A Hero of the Last Chicago Cardinal Football Champions, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Philadelphia Memories, in Coffin Corner

Today in Pro Football History blog, featuring game accounts of the 1947 College All-Star game and bookend Redskins games, an opening day 45-42 loss to the Eagles, and a season ending 40-13 win over the Yanks. In these two games Sammy Baugh (H) threw for 364 yards and five TDs and 343 yards and three TDs respectively. He led the league in six passing categories for a team that was 4-8-0.

1947--AAFC

Derived  attendance: 1,828,964

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information: Click on team and then scroll to roster. Draft and Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided.

The Miami Seahawks went bankrupt after the 1946 season and were sold off by the league to ownership in Baltimore. They became the Baltimore Colts (unrelated to the Baltimore Colts of the NFL, who came into being in 1953). The Buffalo Bisons were renamed Bills (also unrelated to the American Football League IV Bills who came into being in 1960). The AAFC continued to thrive. Granted that each AAFC team played 7 home games to the 6 that each NFL team played. Still the four highest attendance figures for professional football belonged to the Browns, Dons, Yankees, and 49ers. For average attendance, the four highest were the Browns, Dons, Steelers, and Bears. In the major cities where the two leagues competed: New York: Yankees averaged 37,773, Giants 31,696; Los Angeles: Dons 43,452, Rams 33,344; Chicago: Bears 38,233, Cardinals 34,429, Rockets 18,665.

Division races:

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Division Race Graph:

The Eastern Division race was very different from last year's, due to a complete turnaround by the Bills. The Yankees were again odds on favorites due to the fact that they were a long standing NFL team before jumping to the AAFC. But the Bills, who were 3-10-1 as Bisons, ended up 8-4-2. Two crucial weekends kept them from possibly winning the Division. Going into the games of November 2, the Yanks were 6-2-0 and the Bills were 6-2-1. Led by Spec Sanders' (14 carries, 140 yards, 3 TDs), and a fantastic 56 yard punt return by Buddy Young (video: 4:31--unfortunately the punt return is not on the video), the Yankees beat the 1-6-1 Colts 35-21. (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 3, Col. 7). In the 4th quarter, Young (5 feet 4 inches, 175 lbs) took a punt and retreated to his own 30 yard line to avoid pursuing Colt tacklers before spinning around, sweeping wide and scoring, a 56 yard return that was actually at least an 84 yard return, and probably more. (Young later became the first African American executive in the NFL). (Yankees: 7-2-0). The same day the Bills lost to the Browns (7-1-0) 28-7 (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Nov. 3; Pittsburgh Press, Nov. 3--story is the last of several game stories) before the largest Civic Stadium (War Memorial Stadium) crowd during the life of the AAFC (43,167--a larger crowd, incidentally than the AFL Bills drew in either of their home AFL IV Championship games against the Chargers in 1964 or Chiefs in 1966). The game featured a 99 yard TD pass from Otto Graham (H) to Mac Speedie (Bills 6-3-1). The Bills (8-3-1) were still in the hunt going into their crucial game with the Yankees (9-2-1) at Yankee Stadium on November 30. But they were no match for the Yankees. Once again, Spec Sanders was the hero for the Yankees, scoring 3 TDs and rushing for 144 yards in a 35-13 shellacking that clinched the Division championship (Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 1, Col. 2). Sanders led the AAFC in TDs with 19, rushing yards with 1432 (over 500 yards more than the second place finisher), and rushing yards per game with 102.3 (almost 38 yards more than the second place finisher).

Western Division Race Graph:

Note: The Browns entire 1947 season can be followed through Wikipedia links to Cleveland Plain Dealer game articles (link via the reference numbers given for each game--then link to the stories via the "archive" link for each story that has one). Two five game winning streaks led the Browns to their second consecutive Division title. Once again, the 49ers came in second. The key game of the season was played at Kezar Stadium on October 26. Going into the game the Browns were 6-1-0 and the 49ers 5-1-1. Otto Graham's (H) two TD passes to Dante Lavelli (H) and Mac Speedie were the difference in the Browns 14-7 win (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct. 27; Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 27). Graham was 19-25 for 278 yards. Speedie caught 10 of them for 141 yards. The 49ers largest crowd of the season, 54,483 looked on in dismay. From there, the Browns cruised home. The best game of the season was played between the Yankees (9-2-0) and Browns (10-1-0) on November 23 at Yankee Stadium. The Giants, in the middle of a miserable season, were playing the Packers across the Harlem River at the Polo Grounds in front of a little less than 28,000. The Yankees-Browns game drew 70,060 (the largest crowd in the history of New York professional football at the time). Led by 3 Spec Sanders TD runs, the Yankees exploded out to a 28-0 lead. The Browns trailed 28-7 at the half, but scored 3 times in the second half to tie the game. (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 23). For the Yankees, Spec Sanders had 32 carries for 147 yards. For the Browns, Graham was 15 of 28 for 325 yards and 2 TDs.  The two teams would meet again in the Championship game at Yankee Stadium on December 14.

Other game of interest:

Sep. 5: Browns* (0-0-0) 30 Bills (1-0-0) 14 (video: 33:47, appears to be a coaches film, silent, with musical accompaniment.  (Municipal Stadium). Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sep. 6).  The Bills, who, with George Ratterman (#61) at quarterback and Chet Mutryn (#83) at halfback, would be much improved this season (see above), but they were no match for the Browns, who opened their Championship defense in front of 62,263. The video is fascinating in that it shows most of the game in condensed format. Watch for Marion Motley (H) (#76) of the Browns on both offense and defense. You'll see him at linebacker if you look closely. Watch also for Chet Mutryn (#83 for the Bills), who had an excellent game. Above all this is that rarest of gems, a nearly complete film of an AAFC game.

Longest winning streak: Browns 5 (twice); Yankees 5. Longest losing streak: Rockets 10.

Highest regular season attendance: Sep. 12: Yankees (1-1-0) 30, Dons* (1-1-0) 
14 (at LA Coliseum) 82,675 

Player of the Year: Otto Graham (H) (Quarterback, Defensive back) (Browns)

All Pros (all columns are sortable)

Statistical leaders

Championship Game:

Cleveland Browns (12-1-1) 14 New York Yankees* (11-2-1) 3  (Yankee Stadium) Attendance: 61,879. Browns roster; Yankees roster

Of special interest to watch: (Browns: #60 Otto Graham, #76, Marion Motley, Yankees: #76 Buddy Young #81 Spec Sanders)

Video 1: (41:12) Seems to be most of the game, silent

Video 2: (30:54) Silent with musical accompaniment.

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Game story and feature story: Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 15
Game story: Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 15
Game story: Pittsburgh Press, Dec. 15
Game story: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 15

For the Browns, the key to winning their second consecutive AAFC Championship was simple. Stop Spec Sanders and Buddy Young. But especially, stop Sanders. He was the heart and soul of the Yankees, and had either scored or passed for at least one TD in every game during the season. Two weeks earlier he had given the Browns fits (see above), almost defeating them by himself. But in the horrible conditions of this game (snow and ice in one end zone, mud in the other), and with Sanders hobbled by an injured ankle, the Browns stopped him and the Yankees cold. Sanders was held to 40 yards in 12 carries (one of those carries going for 23 yards). His passing was just as throttled, 7-17 for 89 yards and an interception that led to the Browns second TD. Buddy Young ran 16 times for 69 yards, but it was not nearly enough. Otto Graham (H) was 14-21 for 112 yards passing and ran for 1 TD. The other TD was scored by Edgar (Special Delivery) Jones. But the shining light for the Browns was Marion Motley (H), who had 13 carries for 109 yards, including a 51 yard run (5:26-5:43 on video 1, 5:21-5:37 on Video 2 above) that set up the Browns first TD. By the end of 1947 the Yankees had played the Browns six times and were 0-5-1.

Related information:

Pro Football Researchers article The All America Football Conference, in Coffin Corner.

Summaries of each AAFC season (1946-1949).

------------------------------

1948--NFL

Derived  attendance: 1,658,047

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information:  Click on team and then scroll to roster. Draft and Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there.

Major rules changes 

Conference races

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Conference Race Graph:

The Eagles won their second consecutive Conference championship, riding an eight game winning streak to the top. There was a competitive race between the Eagles and Redskins until the ninth game of the season. The Redskins broke out to a 1 1/2 game lead over the Eagles through the first two games of the season, but then the Eagles (1-1-1) caught and passed them (2-1-0) with a 45-0 shellacking at Griffith Stadium. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Oct. 18). Steve Van Buren (H) scored three TDs and the Eagles set a league record for 1st downs with 28. They scored on drives of  80 yards in seven plays, 78 yards in 14 plays, and 67 yards in 14 plays. They had 75 offensive plays to 57 for the Redskins. The teams then matched each other, victory for victory until the rematch came on Nov. 21. The Eagles (6-1-1) defeated the Redskins (6-2-0) again, in convincing fashion, 42-21 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nov. 22), at Shibe Park, to basically ice the Conference championship. In this game Van Buren had 29 carries for 171 yards and a TD. After this game the Redskins lost their next two games by a total of  63 points and the Eagles, who won two of their last three, were home free.

Western Conference Race Graph:

The graph shows a two team race, Bears and Cardinals, just like last year. Interestingly, the Eagles were also intimately involved in this race. The Cardinals opened their season on Friday night, Sep. 24 with a rematch of last year's Championship game at Comiskey Park. In a game similar to last year's matchup the Cardinals won 21-14. (Milwaukee Journal, Sep. 25). It was a tragic victory. Stan Mauldin, a 1947 All Pro tackle, passed away after suffering a heart attack in the locker room after the game. It was the second time in two years that a Cardinal player died during the season. Their next game, Monday night, Oct. 4 at Comiskey Park against the Bears (1-0), drew 52,765, the largest crowd in the history of the franchise in Chicago (also the largest crowd in the history of Chicago pro football before the Bears moved to Soldier Field in 1971). The Cardinals, still in shock over Mauldin's death, lost 28-17. (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 5). They had overcome a 14-0 deficit and taken a 17-14 lead on a 52 yard TD pass from Ray Mallouf  (subbing for the injured Paul Christman, who broke his wrist in this game--an injury that would cause him to miss almost half of the season) to Babe Dimancheff. On the ensuing kickoff, the Bears' Frank Minini returned the kick 95 yards for a TD. After the loss, the Cardinals won 9 consecutive games (10-1-0). In one of them, a 63-35 win over the Giants at the Polo Grounds on Oct. 17 (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 18), Mallouf was 14-18 for 252 yards and 4 TD passes. The Bears, at 4-0-0, lost their 1st game of the season to the Eagles (2-1-1) 12-7 in a driving rain storm at Shibe Park on Oct. 24 (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 25). After that they won 6 straight (10-1-0). And just like last year, the two teams met at Wrigley Field in the final game of the year, with the Conference championship on the line. Over 51,000 fans watched the Cardinals come from 14-3 halftime and 21-10 4th quarter deficits to win 24-21. (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 14, P. 6, P. 7, Col. 2, feature story on P. 6),  The Bears began the 2nd half with an onside kick (explained by Coach George Halas as an attempt at a "psychological knock-out" (Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 13) that was recovered by Pat Harder (whose 3 conversions ran his streak to 53 consecutive PATs). The Cardinals put together a 3 play 46 yard drive to score and put themselves back in the game. After the Bears had re-established their 11 point lead with a TD early in the 4th quarter, the Cardinals responded with an 85 yard TD drive, and then an interception and 20 yard return by linebacker Vince Banonis to inside the Bears 20 yard line, followed by a short drive culminated by a 12 yard TD run by halfback Elmer Angsman. The Bears had a final chance to retake the lead but Sid Luckman's (H) (who had replaced Johnny Lujack after the Banonis interception, even though Lujack had a great game--15-24, 237 yards, 2TDs--before it) attempted 14 yard TD pass to Jim Keane was intercepted by Red Cochrane. The Cardinals then iced the game with a 70 yard drive which ended with the ball on the Bears 10 yard line as the gun sounded. For the second year in a row, the Cardinals won the Conference title in Wrigley Field. The Bears led for all but the last 10 minutes of the game.

Other games of interest:

Sep. 26: Redskins* (0-0-0) 17 Steelers (0-0-0) 14 at Griffith Stadium (Pittsburgh Press, Sep. 27).

Video: (32:10) silent, in color

This game, between two teams going nowhere, is interesting for two reasons. 1) It is a rare opportunity to watch a mostly complete coaches film between the last single wing NFL team (Steelers) and an orthodox T formation team. 2) It also offers a rare opportunity to watch a complete Sammy Baugh (H) game, as well as a career game from Steelers tailback Johnny Clement (19 carries for 127 yards and a TD). Baugh is #33 and Clement is #0). Clement was returning from a rib injury two weeks before and suffered a shoulder separation in this game on a crushing sack where he fumbled and the Redskins recovered and scored on the runback to tie the game at 14.  Clement  played in only 5 games all season, starting only this one. With his loss, the Steelers campaign was ruined almost before it began. After an 8-4-0 tie for the Conference lead, they ended up 4-8-0 this season.

Longest winning streak: Cardinals 10; Longest losing streak: Packers 7

Highest regular season attendance: Nov. 7: Bears (5-1-0) 21, Rams* (2-3-1) 6. at LA Coliseum: 56,263

Most Valuable Player (UPI) Pat Harder (Fullback, Linebacker, Placekicker) (Cardinals). Harder scored almost 30 % of the Cardinals league leading 395 points. Today in Professional Football History blog MVP Profile

Rookie of the Year: Charlie Conerly (Halfback, Defensive Back) (Giants.

All Pros (all columns are sortable)

Statistical leaders

Today in Pro Football History blog features a description of the 1948 College All-Star game.

Championship Game:

Philadelphia Eagles (9-2-1) 7* Chicago Cardinals (11-1-0) 0 (Shibe Park) (video: 15:40). Narrated. Attendance: 28,864. Eagles roster. Cardinals roster. Weather conditions.

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Newspaper story links

Today in Pro Football History blog game story

Steve Van Buren (H) got up on the morning of Dec. 19, looked out the window, and naturally assumed there would be no Championship game in the blizzard he was witnessing. Eagles management had to contact him and tell him the game was on. According to an interview, Van Buren said he had to take three trollies and then walk 6 blocks to the game. The Cardinals wished he had gotten lost on the way. In a game played in a driving snow storm, which had to be delayed 30 minutes while the two teams helped clear the tarp from the field (which became covered with snow again within three minutes), Van Buren smashed his way for 98 yards in 26 carries, including the 5 yard TD run at the beginning of the 4th quarter that was the only score, as the Eagles won their first NFL championship (and the Eastern Conference's first since 1942) 7-0 in front of 26,864 shivering fans at Shibe Park. Due to the conditions, the game was about as elemental as possible. 5 completions in 23 attempts for 42 yards was the total passing output for both teams. This game came down to a matter of power running, and there was no better power runner in the NFL than Van Buren. The entire Cardinal offense rushed for 2 fewer yards than Van Buren. They never penetrated beyond the Eagles 30 yard line. They had one scoring chance and Pat Harder missed a 37 yard field goal. The game was decided, as many thought it would be, by a turnover. Ray Mallouf fumbled deep in Cardinal territory. Bucko Kilroy (video: 6:32), the Eagles defensive guard, recovered it.  Five plays later, early in the 4th quarter, Van Buren completed the 17 yard drive. In the last 14 minutes of the game, the Cardinals possessed the ball for only 6 downs. The Eagles finished the victory with a drive that ended on the Cardinals 2 yard line as the final gun sounded. While Van Buren was the hero, Eagles quarterback Tommy Thompson had a wonderful game, running 11 times for 50 yards and making many beautiful fakes to Van Buren and then handing off to Bosh Pritchard (16 carries for 67 yards), or faking to either of them and running himself, befuddling the Cardinal defense. Ironically, on the Eagles first possession of the game, Thompson threw a 65 yard TD pass to Jack Ferrante, which was called back because Ferrante was offside on the play. The Eagles would defend their title in 1949. The Cardinals next NFL championship game would come in February of 2009, Super Bowl XLIII. The 1948 NFL Championship game was the last to be contested by two all white teams. It was also the first to be televised by a national network (ABC).

Related Information:

Pro Football Researchers article Snow Birds: The 1948 Philadelphia Eagles, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Philadelphia Memories, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Kilroy was There, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article The Life and Times of Fred Gehrke in Coffin Corner (Story of the man who invented the helmet logo. Earlier he had invented the facemask. Much later he invented the kicking cage.)

1948--AAFC

Derived  attendance: 1,611,379

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information:  Click on team and then scroll to roster. Draft and Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided.

AAFC Attendance dropped from 1948. The problem was an increasingly non-competitive league dominated by one great team and one very good one. The Browns and 49ers were 24 games over .500. The other six teams in the league were 24 games under .500. The best point differential in the East was the Bills + 17. It was also the only positive point differential in the Division. In the West, the 49ers and Browns together had a point differential of +446. Clearly, the League wouldn't be able to sustain itself with this lopsided talent differential. Big changes were to come in 1949, the AAFC's last year.

Division Races:

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Division Race Graph:

The East featured a very competitive race between the Bills, Colts, and Yankees. But only because all three teams struggled to reach the .500 mark. The surprise of the season was the Colts, who improved from 2-11-1 to 7-7, improving their scoring from 167 points to 333. Much of this was due to the great year their rookie quarterback, Y.A. Tittle (H) (video: 4:39) (who the Browns gave to the Colts in 1948 in a desperate attempt by the AAFC to seed the Colts with some decent players) had, best summarized by his 90.5 passer rating, the second highest in the league, behind Frankie Albert of the 49ers. No team got more than 2 games over .500 during the season, and the entire division was 10-22 against the West. The graph shows the see-saw battle between the Bills and Colts, with the Colts in first place in early and mid-season and then the Bills taking over near the end. On Dec. 5, the Bills (7-6-0) played the Colts (6-7-0) in front of over 33,000 at Memorial Stadium. Tittle was 8-14 for 163 yards, including an 80 yard TD pass to Lamar Davis in the Colts 35-15 win, (Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 6) which forced a playoff in Baltimore the next week.

Other games of interest:

Oct. 10. Yankees (1-4-0) 14 at Bills* (2-3-0) 13 (video: 4:48) silent, color, players on scoring plays are identified with title cards. (Brooklyn Eagle, Oct. 12, Col. 7) This is a beautiful short highlight film that gives you a chance to see Spec Sanders and Buddy Young (#81 and #76 respectively for the Yankees) and George Ratterman (#61 of the Bills) in action.

Playoff:

Dec. 12: Buffalo Bills (7-7-0) 28 Baltimore Colts (7-7-0) 17* (video: 3:32-4:13 of the Colts history documentary. See 3:52-4:02 for the disputed play discussed below and make your own judgement.)  (Memorial Stadium). Weather conditions.

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Milwaukee Journal Dec. 13 game story This story explains the disputed call that helped the Bills to victory.

Milwaukee Sentinel Dec. 13 game story

Trailing 17-7 going into the 4th quarter, the Bills scored 3 unanswered TDs on two George Ratterman TD passes and a 19 yard interception return by Ed (Buckets) Hirsch to win the playoff game at Memorial Stadium. The game turned on a disputed call with about 5 minutes left to play and the Colts leading 17-14. The Colts recovered a fumble after a completed Bills pass. Only it wasn't a fumble. Line judge Tommy Whelan ruled the play an incomplete pass. Six plays later, Ratterman completed a 25 yard TD pass to Al Baldwin which gave the Bills the lead. At the end of the game several fans came out of the stands to go after Whelan. He needed a police escort back to the dressing room. Ratterman had a great game, completing 10-18 for 135 yards and 3 TDs, while Y.A. Tittle (H) was 17-36 for 217 yards. For Tittle, it was the first of five post-season losses without a win.

Western Division Race Graph:

Note: The Browns entire 1948 season can be followed through Wikipedia links to Cleveland Plain Dealer game articles (link via the reference numbers given for each game--then link to the stories via the "archive" link for each story that has one).The Browns became the first professional team in this era to complete a perfect season. With their three wins (including the Championship game) last season, their winning streak stretched to 18. But the perfect season didn't lead to an easy championship. The 49ers, led by quarterback Frankie Albert, who led the league in four passing categories, and Alyn Beals, who led the league in touchdown receptions with 14, scored 495 points, more than 100 more than the Browns. Though the Browns led the league in defense, giving up 58 fewer points than the 49ers (who gave up the second fewest), the 49ers had a point differential of 247, the Browns 199.

In the end, it all came down to the two games they played against each other, Nov. 14 at Municipal Stadium, and Nov. 28 at Kezar Stadium. The first game, played before the largest crowd to witness a professional football game up to then, 82,769, saw the Browns (9-0-0) beat the 49ers (10-0-0) 14-7 (Cleveland Plain Dealer Nov. 15; Pittsburgh Press, Nov. 15, P. 18, P. 21). The Browns scored in the first 45 seconds of the game, recovering a fumble on the kickoff. Two plays later, Otto Graham (H) scored on a 14 yard TD run. Such a beginning could have broken the 49ers' spirit. Instead, after another 49ers fumble led to a missed 49 yard field goal by Lou Groza (H), the 49ers took over at their own 20. They tied the game with a grinding 16 play 80 yard drive. The Browns scored the winning TD after an 84 yard drive culminated by a 1 yard TD plunge by Edgar (Special Delivery) Jones. The Browns outgained the 49ers by over 100 yards and the 49ers did not help themselves with 6 turnovers. The Browns defense held Frankie Albert to 6-15 for 32 yards and 3 interceptions.

Two weeks later, the two teams met again in front of nearly 60,000 at  Kezar Stadium. The 49ers led 21-10 in the third quarter before the Browns came back on three Otto Graham (H) TD passes to win 31-28 (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Nov. 29) in what was arguably the best game  in the history of the AAFC. It seemed the Browns had everything going against them, having played a game three days before, and with Graham making a game day decision to play on an injured ankle.

Video: (19:38, narrated)

This game started just as the first game, with an early 49ers fumble that Graham immediately turned into 6 points with a 40 yard TD pass to Dante Lavelli (H). When Lou Groza (H) followed with a 15 yard field goal, it looked like a route was on. But the 49ers responded with three unanswered TDs to take an 11 point lead in the 3rd quarter. Before the quarter was finished, however, The Browns scored 3 TDs on 73, 61, and 28 yard (after an interception) drives, all ending with Graham TD passes (to Marion Motley (H), Edgar, and Dub Jones (father of Bert Jones  (video of both, 6:44), who quarterbacked the Colts and Rams in the 1970s and early 1980s). A final 49ers TD got them close but not close enough. The 49ers finished 12-2, far better than anyone in the Eastern Division, but for the 3rd consecutive season, second in the Western Division.

Other games of interest:

Sep. 10: Rockets* (0-2-0) 21, Colts (1-0-0) 14 (Soldier Field) (Pittsburgh Press, Sep. 11). In 1947-8, the Rockets had identical records of 1-13-0. Both wins came against the Colts. This one was particularly damaging. Had the Colts won, there would have been no Eastern Division playoff, and the Colts 35-13 win over the Bills (see above) would have given them an 8-6 record and a date with the Browns in the Championship game.

Sep. 26. Browns* (3-0-0) 21, Rockets (1-3-0) 10 (Municipal Stadium)  (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sep. 27.)

Video 1: (31:46, silent with musical accompaniment, most of the game is available in this coaches film). Note: Elroy Hirsch's (H) skull fracture--see below-- occurs at 9:13-9:26 of this video)
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Video 2: (3:41, silent, all scoring plays but the last Browns TD, identified with title cards)

This was a game played between two teams going in opposite directions. The Rockets played one of their best games, taking a 10-0 lead and then holding the Browns with a great 4th down goal line stand before the inevitable Otto Graham (H) led comeback. Parenthetically, this was the game where the Rockets' Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch (H) was accidentally kicked in the head and suffered a skull fracture which ended his season.

Dec. 5. Browns (13-0-0) 31 Dodgers* (2-11-0) 21 (Ebbets Field) (Broolyn Eagle, Dec. 6; Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dec. 6). The last game played in Brooklyn was viewed by 9,821 fans. At the time, no one knew it would be the last game. From 1946-48 the Dodgers were 8-32-2, never winning more than three games in any season. Their best player was passer Glenn Dobbs, who was the AAFC's player of the year in 1946 (see above). By the end of 1948 the Dodgers' finances were in ruins. In 1949, they were merged with the New York Yankees to form Brooklyn-New York, but that team never played in Brooklyn, and only 3 players on that team played for the merged team, including two starters on the offensive line, Martin Ruby and John Wozniak (Wozniak would also play for the NFL's New York Yanks in the last year of their existence--1951, and Dallas Texans in their only year in the NFL--1952). And so Brooklyn, which had an NFL team in 1926 (the Lions), another NFL team from 1930-1944 (Dodgers-Tigers), shared a team in the NFL with Boston in 1945 (Yanks-Tigers), and a team in the AAFC from 1946-1948, disappeared from the professional football scene. The teams in total ended up 44-125-4. Their only contending teams were the Jock Sutherland led Dodgers of 1940-41 (see above). Brooklyn had two other winning seasons, 7-4-1 in 1930 and 5-4-1 in 1933. Coach Carl Voyles'  final say on his 1948 Dodgers was "We'll have a good team next year." (Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 6).

Longest winning streak: Browns 14; Longest losing streak: Rockets 11.

Highest regular season attendance:  Nov 14: Browns* (9-0-0) 14, 49ers (10-0-0) 7 (at Municipal Stadium) 82,769

Player of the Year: Otto Graham (H) (Quarterback, Defensive back) (Browns) and Frankie Albert (Quarterback) (49ers).

All Pros (all columns are sortable)

Statistical leaders

Championship Game:

Cleveland Browns (14-0-0) 49* Buffalo Bills (8-7-0) 7 (Municipal Stadium) Attendance: 22,981. Browns roster. Bills roster. Weather conditions.

Box score, statistical recap, starting lineups

Video 1: (0:38-12:48 on the highlight film--Youtube is mislabeled but it is this game. Narrated.)

Video 2: (11:04, narrated).

Game story: Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dec. 20
Game story: Pittsburgh Press, Dec. 20.
Game story: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 20
Game story: Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 20

For the third year in a row, Marion Motley (H) had a career day (14 carries for 133 yards and 3 TDs) as the Browns crushed the Bills 49-7. Motley's rushing output more than doubled the output of the entire Bills team. A team as good as the Browns didn't really need help but they gladly accepted Bills turnovers that led to six of their seven TDs. George Ratterman was so ineffective (5 of 18 for 24 yards and 3 interceptions) that he was replaced by Jim Still. The game was such an anticlimax that it drew the smallest Browns home crowd of the year. The Browns became the first team in this era to have a perfect season and win the Championship game (the Bears lost Championship games after perfect seasons in 1934 and 1942) (see above).

Related information:

Pro Football Researchers article  A Perfect Season, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article 1948 AAFC Championship: The Perfect Ending, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article The OTHER Buffalo Bills, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article The All America Football Conference, in  Coffin Corner.

Summaries of each AAFC season (1946-1949).

------------------------------

1949--NFL

Derived  attendance: 1,656,972

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information:  Click on team and then scroll to roster. Draft and Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided there.

Major rules changes  The key rule change this year was the re-adoption of the free substitution rule. See also major rules changes for 1946 and 1943.

The Boston Yanks transferred to New York and were renamed the New York Bulldogs. More on that convoluted story can be found in Pro Football Researchers How to get from Dayton to Indianapolis by Way of Brooklyn, Boston, New York, Dallas, Hershey and Baltimore, in Coffin Corner. They played their games at the Polo Grounds.

Conference Races:

Weekly schedule:

Eastern Conference Race Graph:

During the first half of the season, the Steelers were competitive with the Eagles. But an eight game winning streak by the Eagles that began on Oct. 30 at Forbes Field (both teams were 4-1-0 going into the game) with a crushing 38-7 win (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Oct. 31) helped the Eagles to an easy 4 1/2 game winning margin. In this game, Steve Van Buren (H) led the Eagles charge with 17 carries for 103 yards and 2 TDs, one of which culminated an 80 yard drive during which he had 4 carries for 55 yards. It was a brutal game in which two players from each team were ejected for fighting. While the Steelers were treading water for the rest of the season, the Eagles won their next six games by an average score of 33-10. On Nov. 6 the Eagles (5-1-0) entertained the Rams (6-0-0) at Shibe Park. The result was a decisive 38-14 Eagles win (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 7, 1949) that slowed the Rams march to their first Western Conference title in Los Angeles (see below). The Eagles had a +230 point differential, 109 points better than the Rams, who were second in the League in that department. Van Buren led the League in rushing with 1146 yards, his second 1000 yard season in the last three. He was the first NFL player to run for more than 1000 yards in multiple seasons.

Game of interest:

Nov. 6: Eagles* (5-1-0) 38, Rams (6-0-0) 14  (video: 5:46) Silent, with musical accompaniment. (Shibe Park). Because the weather conditions in the 1949 championship game completely obliterated the players' numbers on both teams, but especially on the Rams, making even the roster number links useless, you might want to use this short film to get acquainted with the players on these two great teams. The film is black and white, but of fantastic quality for the time: These are the players you want to look for.

Eagles: #11: Tommy Thompson (quarterback, holder); #15: Steve Van Buren (H) (halfback);  #30: Bosh Pritchard (halfback) #33: Russ Craft (halfback, defensive back--breaks the game open with a great play on Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch (H)--a play that can also be seen from another angle here) #35: Pete Pihos (H) (offensive end, defensive end); #36: Joe Muha (linebacker, fullback, punter); #60: Chuck Bednarik (H) (center, linebacker, this was his rookie year) #65: Cliff Patton (offensive guard, defensive guard, kicker) #70: Al Wistert (offensive and defensive tackle, Captain of 1949 Eagles) #76: Bucko Kilroy (video: 6:22) (offensive guard, defensive guard--for two years played next to Bednarik on the offensive line--they did not like each other, to say the least--see above--1948) #83: Jack Ferrante (offensive end, defensive end).

Rams: #7: Bob Waterfield (H) (quarterback, punter, kicker); #13: Paul (Tank) Younger, (halfback, 1st NFL player from an Historically Black College and University--Grambling); #18: Fred Gehrke (halfback, designer of the ram horn logo on the helmet--the first NLF helmet logo, inventor of the facemask and the kicking cage (see above under 1946 related information); #25: Norm Van Brocklin (H) (quarterback, in his rookie year) #31: Dick Hoerner (fullback); #40: Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch (H) (halfback, defensive back);  #55: Tom Fears (H) (offensive end, defensive end); #77: Verda (Vitamin T.) Smith (halfback, kickoff returner).

Western Conference Race Graph:

The Rams began the season with 6 consecutive victories. The Bears ended the season exactly the same way. In the end the tie rule came into play and the Rams' 8-2-2 (.800 percentage when the ties were thrown out) was higher than the Bears 9-3-0 (.750). The two teams met for the first time on Oct. 9 at Wrigley Field, both entering the game with 2-0-0 records. The Bears led 16-3 in the second quarter but the Rams then scored 28 unanswered points to win going away, 31-16 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Oct. 10). Three of the TDs came on Bob Waterfield (H) passes (to Tom Fears (H) (video: 1:09), Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch (H) (video: 3:57--Waterfield's TD pass to Hirsch is on this video), and Bob Shaw). The rematch came on Oct. 30, in front of 86,080 at the LA Coliseum, the largest crowd in professional football history up to that time. The Rams (5-0-0) defeated the Bears (3-2-0) 27-24 (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 31).  In a contest that had 2 lead changes in the 4th quarter, the Rams led 20-10 when the Bears scored on a 13 play, 80 yard drive. With 7 minutes left, the Bears recovered a Hirsch fumble deep in Rams territory. The Rams proceeded to stop the Bears on downs at their 4 yard line. The Rams punted from deep in their own territory and the Bears scored on a 43 yard TD pass from Johnny Lujack to Ken Kavanaugh to give them their first lead. The Rams immediately responded with a 57 yard kickoff return by Tommy Kalmanir, setting them up at the Bears 35 yard line. 5 plays later the Rams scored the winning TD on a 1 yard plunge by Gerry Cowhig. Waterfield had a magnificent game, 24-42 for 303 yards. This was the last game the Bears lost all season. The Rams (7-1-2) lost to the Cardinals (5-4-1) 31-27 (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 5, P. 8,  P. 10) on  Dec. 4 (in front of over 74,000 disappointed fans at the Coliseum) in an unbelievable comeback by the Cardinals, who had once trailed 24-3 and still trailed 27-17 with a little more than 2 1/2 minutes left in the game. The Cardinals then scored a TD on a 50 yard pass from Paul Christman to Babe Dimancheff to close the gap to 27-24. The Cardinals got the ball back on their own 49 yard line with 34 seconds left. Two passes and a lateral moved the ball to the Rams 24. On the last play of the game Christman passed for the winning TD to Billy Dewell, who made a juggling catch in the end zone. Meanwhile. the Bears (7-3-0) defeated the Steelers (5-4-1) 30-21 (Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 5) at Wrigley Field. The Rams (7-2-2) faced the Redskins (4-6-1) at the Coliseum while the Bears (8-3-0) faced the Cardinals (6-4-1) at Wrigley Field on Dec. 11. Both contenders won. The Bears, in front of over 50,000, routed the Cardinals 52-21, while the Rams routed the Redskins 53-27 in front of a disappointing crowd of a little less than 45,000. (Stories on both games can be found in the Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 12.) In the Bears game, Johnny Lujack threw for 6 TD passes and was 24-39 for 468 yards, breaking the NFL record for yardage set by Sammy Baugh (H) (446) against the Yanks in 1948.  In the Rams game, Tom Fears (H) caught 10 passes to bring his season total to 77, breaking the record of 74 set by the Packers' Don Hutson (H) in 1942. The Packers finished the 1949 season in last place for the first time since they joined the APFA (American Professional Football Association--precursor to the NFL) in 1921. 1949 was Curly Lambeau's 29th and final year as head coach of the Packers in the NFL (Today in Pro Football History blog) (he served them in that capacity in 1919-20 also).  From 1948-1958, the Packers were 35-93-2, finishing last four times, and only reaching the .500 mark twice. In 1959 they made a coaching change (see below). 

Longest winning streak: Eagles 8; Longest losing streak: Packers, Bulldogs 5

Highest regular season attendance: Oct. 30: Rams* (5-0-0) 27, Bears (3-2-0) 24. at LA Coliseum: 86,080

Most Valuable Player: None awarded.

Rookie of the Year: None awarded

All Pros (all columns are sortable)

Statistical leaders

Championship Game:

 Philadelphia Eagles (11-1-0) 14 Los Angeles Rams (8-2-2) 0* (LA Coliseum). Attendance: 22,245. Eagles roster. Rams roster. Weather conditions.

Video 1: (16:09-17:47) of Eagles History documentary

Video 2: (3:16) Silent, players are identified for important plays

Video 3: (6:44) Silent, with musical accompaniment

Video 4: (31:30) Silent. Appears to be mostly entire game "coaches film".

Video 5: (13:12-13:20) of NFL films Eagles best 10 players list shows Pihos' TD catch in most highly defined video of the game I have seen

Box score, statistical recaps, starting lineups

Newspaper story links

Today in Pro Football History blog game story

For the second year in a row, the Championship game was played in miserable weather, a driving rainstorm that lasted all morning and through the first three quarters of the game. It turned the LA Coliseum into a quagmire. And for the second year in a row, the Eagles, a team with a rushing offense that gained almost 500 more yards than the second best rushing offense during the course of the season, were able to combine ball control (70 non kicking plays to 51) with two big plays to shut out the Rams 14-0. The game was played in front of less than 22,500.  Both teams' players and owners wanted to postpone the game for a week, and considering the fact that good weather would have probably increased the crowd by at least 50,000 (and what that would mean for the players share), they had good reason. But Commissioner Bert Bell (H) insisted the game be played, and so it was. The Eagles out gained the Rams on the ground 274-21 (the 21 yards setting a new record low, breaking the Redskins 22 yards in the 1940 Championship game against the Bears--see above). Ironically, the Eagles scored their first TD on a 31 yard pass from Tommy Thompson to Pete Pihos (H) (video: 1:35, does not have this play). A blocked punt and recovery in the end zone by Leo Skladany accounted for the second TD. But the real story of the game was Steve Van Buren (H). He had a career day, 31 carries for 196 yards, an NFL championship game rushing yardage record that would stand for 38 years. He accounted for 44% of the Eagles plays, and helped keep the Rams offense off the field for much of the game. The Eagles consecutive shutouts in the 1948-49 Championship games has never been duplicated.

Related information:

Pro Football Researchers article Philadelphia Memories, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article 1949 Los Angles Rams in Coffin Corner

Today in Pro Football History blog, featuring game accounts of  Nov. 6 Redskins 24-17 win over the Steelers and Nov. 13 Giants 30-10 win over the Packers (in this game Gene "Choo Choo" Roberts had over 200 receiving yards and became the first back to have over 200 receiving yards in two games).

1949--AAFC

Derived  attendance: 1,110,435

Draft information

Roster information:  Click on team and then scroll to roster. Draft and Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.  Click on any box score for starter/substitutes for that game. Player number information is also provided.

By 1949, the AAFC was on its last legs. The Browns, arguably the greatest team in professional football (see The Best Show in Football: The 1946-1955 Cleveland Browns: Pro Football's Greatest Dynasty, by Andy Piascik, esp. Chapter 9, also summarized below in the Coffin Corner article,  an exhaustive comparison of the two leagues from 1946-49 which makes a detailed case for this argument), had a positive and negative effect on the league. Positive because of their excellence and their coach, Paul Brown (H), the most innovative coach in the history of Pro Football (hiring assistant coaches, game film to scout opponents, the "taxi squad", invention of the passing pocket, draw play, and intricate pass patterns, rigid organization of practices, sending plays in via messenger guards, the NFL Players Association--indirectly, due to his insensitivity regarding player negotiations, among others). Perhaps his greatest contribution was hiring African Americans to play for the Browns (see 1946 above). Brown was not a great social reformer. He simply wanted the best players for his team. Pro football re-integrated for the first time since 1933 when Brown signed Marion Motley (H) and Bill Willis (H).

Negative because the Browns were simply too good. Although there were three other very good teams in the league (49ers, Yankees, and Bills), none of them could come close to the Browns. Attendance began lagging (especially in Cleveland and New York), and the league was hemorrhaging money. The other teams were mediocre or worse and management was poor. In 1949 the Dodgers collapsed (see 1948 above) and the league was left with 7 teams. It was reorganized into a single division with a 12 game schedule (double round robin). The season was followed by a Shaughnessy playoff system, with 1 v 4 and 2 v 3,  followed by a Championship game the next week. Home field advantage, for the only time in this era, was determined by regular season record. During the playoff stages of the season, negotiations between the two leagues led to a settlement that allowed three AAFC teams (Browns, 49ers, and Colts) to be incorporated into the NFL. In 1950, the AAFC ceased to exist.

Weekly schedule:

AAFC Race Graph:

Note: The Browns entire 1949 season can be followed through Wikipedia links to Cleveland Plain Dealer game articles (link via the reference numbers given for each game--then link to the stories via the "archive" link for each story that has one). The final AAFC season featured a great race involving the Browns, 49ers and Yankees. But since they all easily made the playoffs, the real race was between the Bills and renamed Chicago Hornets for the final playoff spot. Still there were several games of note.

Sep. 5. Browns (0-0-0) 28 Bills* (0-0-0) 28 (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sep. 6; Milwaukee Journal, Sep. 6) (Civic Stadium--later War Memorial Stadium).

Video 1: (28:28-28:51 of Browns 1949 highlight video, narrated and in color).

Video 2: (42:53--silent with musical accompaniment). This is a mostly complete game coaches film of one of the best games in AAFC history.

Trailing 28-7 entering the 4th quarter, Otto Graham (H) threw three TD passes, two to Edgar (Special Delivery) Jones and one to Mac Speedie (a tipped shoestring catch with 2 minutes to go in the game--following a 36 yard pass from Graham to punter-end Horace Gillom--who was triple covered but caught the pass anyway--Gillom played for Brown in high school (Masillon Washington), college (Ohio State) and for the Browns for 10 years, and originated the 15 yard drop back on punts as well as the concept of "hang time") to salvage a tie. Graham completed 15 of his last 17 passes and was 27-40 for 330 yards and four TDs for the game. The Browns out gained the Bills in total yards 507-175. The tie ended the Browns 18 game winning streak going back to 1947.

Sep. 11. Yankees (0-0-0) 17 Bills* (0-0-1) 14 (Brooklyn Eagle, Sep. 12, Col.2 (Civic Stadium). The Yankees overcame a 14-0 deficit to win late in the game on a Harvey Johnson 21 yard field goal. They got back in the game on a Martin Ruby juggling interception and 19 yard return and a Lowell Tew 8 yard run. Johnson had missed an earlier 21 yard field goal and the Yankees also failed deep in the red zone four times (twice on the 7 yard line, once on the 4, and once 4 inches from the goal line), before they scored the tying TD. One of the possible reasons for the difficulty finishing drives was the loss of Spec Sanders for the entire season due to injury.

Sep. 11: Browns* (0-0-1) 21  Colts (0-2-0) 0 (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sep. 12). In a brutal game (several Browns players were injured) the Browns ground down the Colts. In a very even first half the Colts had a chance to tie the game at 7 after a 74 yard return of a missed Lou Saban field goal by Jake Leicht gave the Colts the ball at the Browns 24 yard line. Then, according to the Plain Dealer story, "The Colts then had the ball for 10 plays, got to the 1, were pushed back to the 22 and finally lost the ball on downs at the 3-yard line." It was a microcosm of their entire season. The 1-11-0 Colts were rewarded with a place in the NFL. The Bills, who tied the Browns twice and gave them fits in the playoffs (see below) were not taken into the NFL. The number of their players that were (see above) showed that they should have been.

Video: (31:12) silent with musical accompaniment. This is a poor quality film the the only nearly full game video of the Colts I have found. It is a good opportunity to watch young Colts quarterback Y.A. Tittle. The attempt worked well in 1948 (see above) but in 1949, they were back to their usual selves.

Sep. 18. Browns* (1-0-1) 14 Yankees (1-0-0) 3 (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sep. 19; Brooklyn Eagle, Sep. 19, Col. 5) (Municipal Stadium). In front of the second smallest crowd in their history to that point, the Browns defeated the Yankees in a defensive struggle reminiscent of their first two Championship games (see above, 1946 and 1947). The game was played in a steady rain. The Yankees dominated (311-125 total yards, 15-5 first downs) but couldn't finish three drives deep in the red zone (from the 4, 8, and 1 yard lines--Source: Piascik, P. 138). That stubborn defense also accounted for both Browns TDs, an 84 yard return of a Buddy Young fumble by Les Horvath, and a late 4th quarter 27 yard interception return by Tommy James (who played for Paul Brown (H) in high school (Massillon Washington), college (Ohio State), and the Browns for 8 years) which sealed the victory.

Sep. 25. Bills* (0-2-1) 28 49ers (3-0-0) 17 (Pittsburgh Press, Sep. 26).  (Civic Stadium). The winless Bills handed the 49ers their first defeat of the season, allowing the Browns (who beat the Colts) to move into 1st place. George Ratterman had a great day with 15-20 for 224 yards and 2 TDs. The Bills defense stymied Frankie Albert (9-22 for 97 yards and 1 TD). The 49ers came back from a 21-3 deficit with 2 TDs before the Bills scored the backbreaking TD in the 4th quarter. The Bills would go on to lose three in a row after this game, but then won four and tied one of their last five to barely eke out a playoff spot.

Oct. 9. 49ers* (4-1-0) 56, Browns (4-0-1) 28. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct. 10;  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Oct. 10). (Kezar Stadium).

Video: (17:12-25:59 of the Browns 1949 highlight film. Narrated, in color).

 The Browns unbeaten streak of 29 games (including two ties), going back a 13-10 loss to the Dons in October 1947, came to an end. It was as if the 49ers were taking out all the frustrations of the last three years in this game. They scored 21 points in the first 10 minutes of the game (NY Times, Oct 10--proprietary). As 59,770 delirious fans looked on, the 49ers, who had been held to 14 points or less in four of the first six meetings between the two teams,  made 507 total yards and Frankie Albert passed for an AAFC record five TDs on 16-24 for 249 yards. Joe Perry (H) (1), (2--video: 0:20 is one of the TDs), the great 49er fullback, had a career game, 16 carries for 155 yards and two TDs.  It was by far the highest number of points given up by the Browns in the AAFC. With the win, the 49ers moved ahead of the Browns into first place.

Oct.16. 49ers* (5-1-0) 51, Bills (1-4-1) 7 (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 17). (Kezar Stadium). The 49ers scored over 50 points for the second consecutive week as they avenged their earlier loss to the Bills (see Sep. 25 above). The 49ers led 14-7 in the second quarter after a 21 yard TD pass from George Ratterman to Joe Sutton. Then, with the help of Frankie Albert's three TD passes, they buried the Bills under an avalanche of 37 unanswered points. This was the Bills' last loss of the season. It was a costly loss for the 49ers as they lost halfback Johnny Strzykalski for the season with a broken leg.

Oct. 23. Yankees* (4-1-0) 24, 49ers (6-1-0) 3 (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 24,  Brooklyn Eagle, Oct. 24). (Yankee Stadium). After scoring 107 points in their previous two games, the 49ers' gas tank was filled with sand by a great Yankee defense. The three points were the 49ers fewest in any game in their AAFC history, and the only game in that history that they didn't score a TD. Frankie Albert was 3-17 in the second half, 13-31 with 4 interceptions for the game (New York Times, Oct. 24--proprietary). Joe Perry (H) was held to 16 yards in 9 carries. The 49ers did not get a first down in the second half. And the Yankees were able to finish three drives for the win. On this day the Yankees went head to head against their NFL neighbors the Giants, who beat the Bears at the Polo Grounds. The Yankees drew 38,187 (36,197 paid--NYT), the Giants 30,587).

Oct. 23: Bills* (1-5-1) 17 Dons (2-5-0) 14 at Civic Stadium (War Memorial Stadium. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Oct. 24; Los Angeles Times, Oct. 24, P. C1, P. C2--proprietary). This game marked the beginning of the Bills' and the end of the Dons' hopes for contention. Both newspaper accounts comment on the brutality of the game, the Times noting "In a brutal Donnybrook... the vengeance-minded Buffalo Bills [they had lost a close and contentious  battle against the Dons two weeks before] sent one Los Angeles Don to the hospital and several others to the sidelines." The Dons fought back from a 17-0 halftime deficit but came up just short. The video below is the only one I have found of a Dons game. Players of note: Bills (dark uniforms): George Ratterman (quarterback--#61); Chet Mutryn (halfback--#83); Abe Gibron (offensive guard--although he played offensive left tackle in this game--#40): Dons: George Taliaferro (tailback--#93); Glen Dobbs (halfback and passer--#95); Len Ford (defensive and offensive end--#50).

Video: (27:40) Silent. Quality is average at best, poor at worst.

At this point the standings looked like this:

Yankees--5-1-0
Browns--5-1-1
49ers-----6-2-0
Hornets--4-3-0 
Bills------2-5-1
Dons-----2-6-0
Colts-----1-7-0

Oct. 30. Browns* (5-1-1) 30, 49ers (6-2-0) 28 (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct. 31; Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 31). (Municipal Stadium).

Video: (44:02) silent, with musical accompaniment

The largest AAFC crowd of the season, 72,189 saw the rematch. The game was tied 14-14 at the half, but Otto Graham (H) ran for a TD and threw for another in the second half. Along with Lou Groza's (H) 38 yard field goal, the Browns took a 30-21 lead which was just enough to survive a 1 yard TD run by Frankie Albert near the end of the game. Like so many other Browns-49ers games, the Browns figured out a way.

Nov. 6. Bills (2-5-1) 17 Yankees* (6-1-0) 14 (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 7) (Yankee Stadium).

Buddy Young began the game by returning the kickoff to his own 43 yard line (the Eagle says 48, but other sources contradict this) and scored the next play on a 57 yard run. But Young was injured on the play and was out most of the game. The Yankees scored again in the first quarter but then their attack stalled. George Ratterman countered with two TD passes (first and fourth quarters). Then a 75 yard drive ended in a 12 yard field goal by Chet Adams for the winning margin. The Yankees were hampered by three missed field goals by Harvey Johnson and a late drive was stopped by a fumble on the Bills 20 yard line. Once again, missed opportunities hurt the Yankees. This loss knocked them out of first place. The Bills were slowly moving into contention for the last playoff spot.

Nov. 13. Browns* (7-1-1) 7 Bills (3-5-1) 7 (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Nov. 14; Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 14). (Municipal Stadium).

Video (1:10) Narrated.

For the second time the Bills fought the Browns to a standstill. The Browns scored on a 1 yard run by Otto Graham (H). The Bills countered with a 4 yard TD run by Chet Mutryn. The Bills fought the top three teams to a standstill (0-0-2 vs Browns, 1-1-0 vs 49ers and Yankees). Unfortunately, they could do no better against the other three teams (1-1 v Colts, Dons, and Hornets). They would have finished a lot higher if they could have dominated the bottom dwellers.

At this point the standings looked like this.

Browns--7-1-2
Yankees--7-2-0
49ers--8-3-0
Hornets--4-6-0
Bills--3-5-2
Dons--3-7-0
Colts--1-9-0

Nov. 20. Browns (7-1-2) 31, Yankees* (7-2-0) 0. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Nov. 21; Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 21) (Yankee Stadium).

Video 1: (32:27-34:20 of the Browns 1949 highlight video, narrated and in color).

Video 2: (1:07) Narrated.

Many in the disappointed crowd of 50,711 left early as the Browns scored all their points in the first half, blowing out the Yankees and winning the regular season title. Mac Speedie victimized a rookie Yankee defensive back named Tom Landry (H), who was starting his first game. Speedie had 11 catches for 228 yards, both AAFC records. Landry also had a punt blocked. His assessment of the game. "Mac Speedie turned me inside out and hung me out to dry. That game was the most embarrassing athletic performance of my entire life." (Piasick, P. 144). Otto Graham (H) was 19-34 for 382 yards and a TD. The Yankees had three drives stopped inside the Browns 10 yard line.

Nov. 20. Bills* (4-5-2) 10 Hornets (4-6-0) 0 (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 21, Col. 6). (Civic Stadium). This win clinched the last playoff spot for the Bills. The Hornets, after starting the season 3-1-0, lost 7 of their last 8 games. On a muddy field, Bob Livingstone scored on a 79 yard punt return. Chet Adams later added a 17 yard field goal.

Nov. 27. 49ers* (8-3-0) 35 Yankees (8-3-0) 14 (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 28). (Kezar Stadium). The 49ers evened the score with the Yankees after their humiliating loss earlier. They also clinched second place and a home date with the Yankees the next week. The Yankees had a 14-7 lead in the third quarter, but the 49ers then responded with four unanswered TDs. The difference between the two teams in this game can best be understood by these statistics. Frankie Albert, 17-30, 243 yards, 2 TDs, 3 interceptions. Yankee passers (most if not all by rookie Don Panciera, the man who replaced Spec Sanders) 4-22, 54 yards, 1 TD, 4 interceptions.

Playoff teams:

Browns--9-1-2
49ers--9-3-0
Yankees--8-4-0
Bills--5-5-2

Longest winning streak: Yankees 5. Longest losing streak: Colts 6.

Highest regular season attendance: Oct. 30. Browns* (5-1-1) 30, 49ers (6-2-0) 28 (Municipal Stadium). 72,189

Player of the Year: Otto Graham (H) (quarterback) (Browns).

All Pros (all columns are sortable)

Statistical leaders

Playoffs.

Cleveland Browns* (1) (9-1-2) 31 Buffalo Bills (4) (5-5-2) 21 (Municipal Stadium) (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dec. 5, Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 5). Weather conditions. 

Box score, statistical recaps, starting lineups

Video: (40:54, silent with musical accompaniment, mostly complete coaches film).

In front of a disappointing crowd of just over 17,000, the Browns finally solved the Bills, but not without a struggle.  There were three lead changes in a game dominated by passing (a record 85 passes attempted as opposed to 45 running plays). George Ratterman had a monster game for the Bills (21-39, 293 yards, 2 TDs, 2 interceptions). So did Otto Graham (H) (22-43, 326 yards, 2 TDs, 3 interceptions). The Bills overcame a 10-0 deficit to lead 14-10 at halftime. Interceptions by Lou Saban and Warren Lahr (who would go on to play in seven NFL title games and finish his 11 year career with 44 interceptions, second most in Browns history--behind only Thom Darden) in the second half led to two crucial TDs for the Browns.

San Francisco 49ers* (2) (9-3-0) 17 New York Yankees (3) (8-4-0) 7 (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 5) (Kezar Stadium). Weather conditions.

Box score, statistical recaps, starting lineups

A 40 yard TD run by Verl Lillywhite and a 6 yard pass from Frankie Albert to Don Garlan were more than enough for the 49ers to defeat the Yankees. Albert was held to 8-17 for 96 yards and a TD. Joe Perry (H) was held to -3 yards in 4 carries. The Yankees were held to 96 yards in 33 carries. Their only score came on a 64 yard nine play drive climaxed by Sherman Howard's (1)(2) (Florida Courier)(3--video--short interview in 2008) short TD run. (As of May 2018, Howard, born Nov. 28, 1924, is the oldest living African American Pro football player). For the Yankees' Tom Landry (H) (see above), it was a day of redemption in spite of the loss. He kept the Yankees in the game with one of the greatest punting exhibitions in the history of pro football. He punted 10 times for 550 yards. One of them went 75 yards.

No video or audio available at this time.

Championship Game:

Cleveland Browns (10-1-2) 21* San Francisco 49ers (10-3-0) 7 (Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 12, P. 5, P. 7.) (Municipal Stadium). Attendance: 22,550. Browns roster. 49ers roster. Weather conditions.

Box score, statistical recaps, starting lineups.

No video or audio available at this time.

It was altogether fitting that the final AAFC game was played between by far the two best teams in the history of the League. The Browns went into the game with a total record (including post season) of 51-4-3. The 49ers were 39-14-2. The Browns had lost 2 games to the 49ers, including the 52-28 blowout earlier in the 1949 season (see above). Because the fate of the league was already apparent, and because of the miserable weather, the crowd was a little over 22,500. Compare that to the opening league game--60,135 (see 1946 above). The trajectory of AAFC Championship games was about the same (41,181 in Cleveland, 61,879 in New York, 22,981 in Cleveland).

The Browns won the game handily, with a 56 yard, 7 play drive finished by Edgar (Special Delivery) Jones' 2 yard run; a 68 yard TD run by Marion Motley  (H), and an 11 play, 69 yard drive finished by a 4 yard run by Dub Jones. Each team ran the same number of plays, but two factors contributed to the Browns win. On offense the Browns rushers out gained the 49ers 217-122 (5.29 yards per carry to 3.70). On defense the Browns held Frankie Albert to 9-24 for 108 yards passing and 1 TD. Alyn Beals, who led or tied for the AAFC lead in TD passes in each of its four seasons, was held to 3 catches for 26 yards. And for the fourth consecutive year, Motley had a big game in the most important game. Just look at these cumulative numbers:

1946: 13-98-1 TD. Longest run: 50 yards. Avg. yards per carry: 7.54
1947: 13-109. Longest run: 51 yards. Avg. yards per carry: 8.38
1948: 14-133-3 TDs. Longest run: 31 yard TD. Avg. yards per carry: 9.50
1949: 8-75-1 TD. Longest run: 63 yard TD. Avg. yards per carry: 9.38

Total: 48-415-5 TDs. Avg. yards per carry: 8.65!

And so, at the end of the game, the AAFC passed into history.

Final cumulative standings (including post season games). Note percentages are for wins and losses only. Ties are excluded, as per the rules at the time.

Cleveland Browns 59 games: 52-4-3: .929. Four Championships: Post season: 5-0-0: 1.000

San Francisco 49ers: 56 games: 39-15-2: .722. Post Season 1-1-0 .500
New York Yankees: 57 games: 35-20-2: .636. Post Season: 0-3-0: .000
Los Angeles Dons: 54 games: 25-27-2: .481
Buffalo Bisons-Bills: 57 games: 24-28-5: .462. Post Season: 1-2-0: .333
Baltimore Colts: 3 seasons: 41 games: 10-30-1: .250. Post Season: 0-1-0: .000
Chicago Rockets-Hornets: 54 games: 11-40-3: .216
Miami Seahawks: 1 season: 14 games: 3-11-0: .214
Brooklyn Dodgers: 3 seasons: 42 games: 8-32-2: .200

Related information: 

Pro Football Researchers article 1949 AAFC Championship: Finishing in Style in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Why the AAFC Cleveland Browns Were the Best Team in Football from 1946 Through1949, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article The All America Football Conference,Coffin Corner

Summaries of each AAFC season (1946-1949).

Hall of Fame all 1940s Team (includes NFL and AAFC players).

------------------------------

1950

NFL:

Attendance: 2,117,747

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information:  Click on team and then scroll to roster. Draft and Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page. 

Major rules changes   Free substitution was permanently restored, which eventually led to the platoon football system that exists today.

1950 was a seminal year in the NFL. It was also, arguably, the most exciting year in terms of competition in the history of the league. For the only time in this era, both Conference races ended deadlocked, necessitating two playoffs. A great deal of the story of 1950 is told in Pro Football Researchers article 1950--A Landmark Year, in Coffin Corner.

With the demise of the AAFC, three of its teams (Browns, 49ers, and Colts) were added to the NFL (originally the name of the league had been changed from National to National-American Football League, but the "American" part of the name was dropped before the season started). The addition of the Colts rather than the Bills was an unfortunate mistake. The Colts folded at the end of the 1950 season.  Baltimore would get another NFL team in 1953. The Bills would have been a much better choice as they were a much better team (11 Bills were taken by original NFL teams, five by the Colts, and three by the Browns--only the Yankees, with 25, had more AAFC players go into the NFL) in a much more successful market, which would also have provided geographic rivalries with the Browns and Giants. Buffalo would have to wait ten years for another professional team.

The Conference names were changed to American (the old Eastern) and National (Western). The Browns joined the American Conference and the Cardinals moved from the Western to the American. The Colts and 49ers joined the National Conference. The unbalanced 13 team league was set up with a 12 game schedule.  Each team except the Colts would play two  games against each team  in its conference, one inter-conference game, and a game against the Colts. The Colts would play each team (except the Bears) in the league  once. They would play the Redskins twice. The fact that the Bears played the Cardinals twice while the Rams had a game with the Colts was one of the factors that cost the Bears the outright Conference championship.

The New York Bulldogs were renamed Yanks and moved to the National Conference. They were reconstituted with 24 new players, 16 from the AAFC Yankees. The Giants also got seven players from the Yankees, including five starters. They rebuilt their defense around these ex-AAFC players.

A "dispersal draft" was held to allocate AAFC players to the NFL. (Address changed to archive.org address December 6, 2019).

The new league alignment 

American Conference: Browns, Cardinals, Eagles, Giants, Redskins, and Steelers
National Conference:  49ers, Bears, Colts, Lions, Packers, Rams, and Yanks

There were three factors that made this season so important.

1. The influence of the AAFC on the quality of the NFL. A great deal of NFL propaganda ink was spilled from 1946-49 implying the AAFC was a minor league. Piascik's Coffin Corner article (see above under 1949 related information) and Chapter 9 of The Best Show in Football thoroughly bury this point of view under a mountain of evidence. The Browns, Giants, and Yanks performances on the field demolished it in 1950 (the 49ers and Colts were decidedly less successful). Piascik points out that the number of AAFC players picked up by NFL teams supports the assertion that the AAFC was a major league. I did a little research to find out more about the AAFC NFL players. Here is what I found.

Yanks: 25 AAFC players (16 from the Yankees), 17 starters (10 from the Yankees--1-10-1 in 1949, 7-5-0 in 1950); Packers: 8 players, 5 starters (2-10-0 in 1949, 3-9-0 in 1950); Giants: 7 players, 5 starters (6-6-0 in 1949, 10-3-0 in 1950);  Bears: 5 players, 2 starters (9-3-0 in 1949, 9-4-0 in 1950); Lions: 4 players, 2 starters (4-8-0 in 1949, 6-6-0 in 1950); Rams: 3 players, 2 starters (8-2-2 in 1949, 10-3-0 in 1950); Cardinals: 2 players, 1 starter (6-5-1 in 1949, 5-7-0 in 1950); Steelers: 1 player, 1 starter (6-5-1 in 1949, 6-6-0 in 1950); Eagles: 1 player, 1 starter (11-1-0 in 1949, 6-6-0 in 1950); Redskins: 1 player (4-7-1 in 1949, 3-9-0 in 1950). Total: 57 players, of whom 36 were starters. In addition to their entire roster of AAFC players, the Browns added 5 other AAFC players, of whom 3 were starters (9-1-2 in 1949, 11-2-0 in 1950). (Source: 1950 allocation draft and rosters rosters Pro Football Archives (see link above). Note: I considered anyone who started more than half the team's games--and played in at least six or more games--to be a starter).

2. 1950 saw a large increase in the number of African American players in the NFL. In 1949, as far as I can tell, there were five African American players in the NFL. In 1950, there were 18. Of these, the two conference champions (Rams and Browns) had 5 each. The Yanks had 3 (2 from the AAFC Yankees and 1 from the AAFC Dons). The Giants had 2, the Lions 1, the Packers 1, and the 49ers 1. For a listing of each NFL team's first African American signing and the year of the signing, see the article at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

3. The 1950s marked the "arrival" of television in the NFL.  For more on this development see Pro Football Researchers article A Chronology of Pro Football on Television: Part 1,  in Coffin Corner. In 1950 the Rams televised all their games locally, leading to a drop off in home attendance, and they were the first to introduce a home black out rule in 1951. For the third consecutive year, the 1950 Championship game was televised by ABC.

Conference Races:

Weekly schedule:

American (Eastern) Conference Race Graph:

As noted above, the Browns season can be followed, game by game via Wikipedia. Click on the game of interest, and then on the footnote. Click on "archived" for available Cleveland Plain Dealer game stories.

The American Conference race was a two team affair between the Browns and Giants. One was an AAFC team and the other had its defense largely rebuilt with AAFC players (the Giants had been 12-22-2 from 1947-49 and 6-6-0 in 1949). It was a thee team race until the Eagles lost their last four games, their offense collapsing with only 27 points in those games. The biggest game in the league's history to date was the opening game between the two time defending champion Eagles and the four time AAFC champion Browns. For four years the AAFC had been asking for a true World Championship game with the NFL champions. The NFL always refused.

In 1950, NFL Commissioner Bert Bell (H), who also made out the schedule, had the Browns open in Philadelphia against the Eagles on Sep. 16, the Saturday night before the first Sunday of the season.  In a sense, it was the first Super Bowl. The game was moved from Shibe Park to Philadelphia Municipal  Stadium, a 100,000 seat venue which hosted the annual Army-Navy game from 1936-79. According to the interpretation of Video 1 below, Bell's intention was to teach the upstart "minor league" Browns a lesson in front of the largest possible crowd, to humiliate them and show which league was the best. Piascik's Chapter 8 in The Best Show in Football treats Bell more kindly, saying it was a shrewd move to increase overall fan interest in the expanded league. In any case, the Browns crushed the Eagles 35-10 in front of over 71,000 fans, the largest home crowd in Eagles history. Otto Graham was 21-38 for 346 yards and 3 TDs. The Browns' constant use of backs in motion befuddled the Eagle defense and enabled their great receivers to work against single coverage. The result was that Mac Speedie caught 7 passes for 109 yards and a TD, Dante Lavelli (H), 4 for 76 and a TD, and Dub Jones, out of the backfield, 5 for 98 and a 59 yard TD that gave the Browns  an early lead. After the game Bell said the Browns were "the greatest team to ever play the game."  Eagles receiver Pete Pihos (H) explained to his wife: "Honey, we met a team from the big league." Later, Russ Craft, excellent Eagles defensive back said "We never played against a team that threw to a spot as well as Cleveland. We would be on top of their receivers but they caught the ball anyway because it was so well-timed." Chuck Bednarik (H) said "They dominated us, there's no question about it. I was impressed." (all quotes, Piascik, P. 169). Eagles coach Earle (Greasy) Neale (H) (1) (Sports Illustrated, Aug. 24, 1964 ); (2) (who had played for the Reds in the 1919 World Series) complemented the Browns as well. But he also damned them with faint praise, saying they were more a basketball than football team (Piascik, P. 169). That comment would come back to haunt him later in the season (see below).

Video 1: (3:14)
Video 2: (6:23-8:29 of Browns documentary)
Video 3: (4:31)

Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sep. 17--covers the game only up to the 4th quarter, with the Browns leading 21-10, as the game ended too late for a full game story to make the early morning edition of the paper.
Pittsburgh Press, Sep 17.
Brooklyn Eagle, Sep. 17, (P. 26, P. 27, Col. 5).

Other games of interest:

Oct. 1. Giants (1-0-0) 6 Browns* (2-0-0) 0 (Municipal Stadium). (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct. 2; Brooklyn Eagle, Oct. 2, Col. 2, bottom of page; Today in Pro Football History blog game account). The Giants handed the Browns their first ever shutout in front of a disappointing crowd of 37,647. The Giants scored early in the game on a 52 yard drive culminated by a 3 yard TD run by Eddie Price, and made that lead stand up. Great play by defensive backs Otto Schnellbacher, Harmon Rowe, Tom Landry (H), (who were AAFC imports from the Yankees), and future Hall of Famer Emlen Tunnell (video: 3:53) completely stymied the Browns passing attack, holding Mac Speedie and Dante Lavelli (H)  to 4 catches apiece, while intercepting 4 passes. Graham was 12-30 with 3 interceptions. He didn't complete a pass in the first half and the Browns didn't get into Giants territory until the second half. The Giants used a revolutionary 6-1-2-2 or 6-1-4 defense that came to be known as the umbrella defense (Today in Pro Football History blog), which emphasized the two defensive ends dropping back to stop the short sideline pass or staying up on running plays. When they dropped back, the defense turned into a precursor of the modern 4-3-4 defense. This was the first game in a rivalry that would last for 14 seasons during which the Browns won seven Conference titles and the Giants six.

Oct. 22. Giants* (3-1-0) 17, Browns (4-1-0) 13 (Polo Grounds) (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct. 23; Brooklyn Eagle, Oct. 23).

Video: (32:37--silent with musical accompaniment, mostly complete coaches film)

Three weeks later the teams met in front of 41,734. In this game the Giants eschewed the umbrella defense for a ferocious pass rush that sacked Graham 8 times for 71 yards in losses. The Giants also intercepted three passes, including 2 by Schnellbacher (one that he returned 37 yards to set up the winning TD drive and the other on the Giants 2 yard line with 12 seconds left in the game). The Giants out rushed the Browns 211-83 and ran 78 non-kicking plays to the Browns 50. In spite of all that, the Browns had a 13-3 halftime lead. They recovered a fumble and turned a 46 yard drive into a 17 yard Lou (the Toe) Groza (H) field goal to take a 6-3 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, with less than 30 seconds left in the half, the Giants' Jim Ostendarp  let the ball roll to the Giants 1 yard line and it was pounced on by the Browns Ken Carpenter. From there Graham scored the TD on a sneak. The Giants' two victories were the only games the Browns lost all season.

The Giants, inexplicably, lost to the Steelers (1-3-0 going into the game and 6-6-0 for the season) 17-6 (Brooklyn Eagle, Oct. 16, Col. 2) on Oct. 15 at the Polo Grounds. They also lost to the  Cardinals (2-3-0 going into the game, 5-7-0 for the season) 17-3 (Brooklyn Eagle, Oct. 30, Col. 2, halfway down the page) on Oct. 29 at Comiskey Park. The second loss dropped them into third place, behind the Eagles and Browns. The Browns and Giants each won their last six games in a row to tie for the championship at 10-2-0.

Oct. 29. Browns* (4-2-0) 45 Steelers (2-4-0) 7 (Municipal Stadium) Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct. 29).

Video: (36:03) silent, with musical accompaniment.

Led by fullback Marion Motley's (H) 11 rushes for 188 yards, including a 69 yard TD, and one catch for a 33 yard TD, the Browns racked up 533 yards of offense, including 388 yards of rushing offense, as they smashed the Steelers. It was Motley's career rushing game. The Browns were so effective on the ground that they shelved their high octane passing game, throwing only 10 passes. But three of them went for TDs (Motley's, and 80 and 38 yard TD passes to halfback Dub Jones and end Horace Gillom respectively). Their 6 completions went for an average of 32.5 yards. They rushed for 7.7 yards per carry. They averaged 10.7 yards per offensive play. If you want to see  Motley at his best, watch the video. He is #76. The iconic video of Motley scoring a TD dancing down the sideline and getting his helmet knocked off comes from this game (11:18-11:39 on the video).

Nov. 12. Browns (6-2-0) 34* 49ers (2-6-0) 14 (Municipal Stadium) (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Nov. 13)

Video: 36:40 (silent with musical accompaniment)

In spite of the final score and the fact that the 49ers were in the midst of a terrible season, this was a typical Browns v 49ers contest, much closer than the score indicated. The game was tied at 14 with 4 minutes to play, but then three 49ers turnovers led to 17 unanswered points and victory. The 49ers out gained the Browns 291-229, but nine turnovers (6 lost fumbles and 3 interceptions) did them in. All in all the Browns scored 27 of their 34 points after 49ers turnovers. Joe Perry (H) had a particularly difficult day with five fumbles. For the Browns, Marion Motley led the way with 21 carries for 114 yards and a TD.

Nov. 19. Browns* (7-2-0) 20 Redskins (1-7-0) 14 (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Nov. 20, 1950). (Municipal Stadium).

Video: (41:51, silent with musical accompaniment).

The Browns nearly stumbled in this game, which could have cost them the Conference championship. After breaking out to a 10-0 lead, they trailed 14-13 in the 4th quarter when a Redskins drive ended with a missed field goal by Bill Dudley (H). From their own 20, Otto Graham (H) led a 12 play 80 yard drive for the wining TD. He threw only two passes on this drive, but one was a crucial 16 yard pass to Mac Speedie (his only catch of the game) on a 3rd and 8 from the Browns 42. It seemed the Browns were home after that, until Eddie Saenz ran the kickoff back 71 yards to the Browns 31. But the Redskins couldn't put a final drive together and the Browns ran the clock out. Marion Motley (H) was the star of the game with 27 carries for 127 yards, including 21 yards on the first two plays of the winning drive.

Dec. 3. Browns* (8-2-0) 13 Eagles (6-4-0) 7 (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dec. 4) (Municipal Stadium).

Video: (34:31, silent with selected musical accompaniment).

Both the Browns and Giants were 8-2-0 when the Browns played the Eagles for the second time, before 37,490. The Eagles were still barely  alive in the Conference race and so this game was crucial for both teams. It was one of the strangest games in NFL history. Paul Brown (H) was still angry about Greasy Neale's (H) remark saying the Browns were a basketball team (see above--Sep. 16). The terrible weather on this day (rain throughout the game made the field a muddy mess) allowed Brown to use a game plan that was, to say the least, different. According to Piasick (P. 175) the Browns Alex Agase later said "Coach Brown said, 'As long as the game is tied or we're ahead, we're not going to throw a pass.' And we didn't." With 1 minute and 20 seconds gone in the game, the Browns met the coach's second condition on a 30 yard pick 6 by Warren Lahr.  Lou (the Toe) Groza (H) added a 35 yard field goal in the second quarter and a 43 yarder in the third quarter for all the points the Browns would need. They played field position offense ("constantly" kicking on 3rd down, according to the Plain Dealer account) to keep themselves out of poor field position. With right side linebacker Hal Herring  (who the Browns acquired from the AAFC Bills)  personally shadowing Steve Van Buren (H), the great Eagle halfback had 10 carries for -2 yards. The Eagles finally put together a 54 yard drive for their only TD, but it came with only 1:20 left in the game. Groza's second field goal was his 12th of the year, breaking the 25 year old record of 11 set by the Cardinals' Paddy Driscoll (H) (all on drop kicks). With the win, the Eagles were eliminated. This was the last time an NFL team did not throw a pass in a game. For the other four times during this era, see the article at the Pro Football Hall of Fame (see 1941 above for one of them). Later Brown admitted that the strategy was a "silly grandstand play" (Piascik, P. 175). But the Browns made it work. And showed they could beat the the now ex-defending NFL champions with a "stone age" (Piascik, P. 175) as well as an ultra modern passing attack .

Playoff:

Cleveland Browns (10-2-0) 8* New York Giants (10-2-0) 3 (Municipal Stadium) Weather conditions.

Box score, statistical recaps, starting lineups

Video 1: (8:55-9:30 of Browns documentary)
Video 2: (34:22) Silent with musical accompaniment.

Game story (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dec. 18).
Game story (Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 18).
Pro Football Researchers article Eight Tries at the End Zone, in Coffin Corner

Today in Pro Football History blog game story

According to the Plain Dealer story, three names stood out in this, the third meeting between the Browns and Giants. The Browns won a coin toss earlier, meaning the game would be played at Municipal Stadium. 33,054 attended. Weather conditions were awful, the field resembling an ice rink. Both teams wore basketball sneakers for better traction.

The names were Bill Willis (H--#30), the Browns middle guard and first African American to play professional football since 1933, quarterback Otto Graham (H--#60), and lineman/kicker Lou (the Toe) Groza (H--#46). 8 of the 11 points were scored in the 4th quarter. Neither team could manage 200 total yards of total offense (Gene "Choo Choo" Roberts (#35) had 12 carries for 76 yards for the Giants. Graham had 8 for 70.). Neither team had 50 yards of passing offense. Both teams together had 6 completions in 23 attempts.

The Browns took the opening kickoff and drove to the Giants 4 yard line, where the drive stalled. Graham completed two of his three for the day on this drive, including a 35 yard pass to Dante Lavelli (H--#56), the biggest play of the drive. From there Groza gave the Browns a 3-0 lead with an 11 yard field goal. It stayed that way until the 4th quarter. With about 10 minutes to play, Roberts broke loose for a 32 yard run and was finally chased down by Willis at the Browns 4 (28:00-28:12 of the long video). According to Piascik (P. 177), Roberts went around right end and Willis pursued, making up 5 yards before making the tackle. " 'All I could think of was that number on Roberts's [sic] back represented the championship running away from me,' Willis said later." It was one of the most important plays in Browns history, as well as one of the best. From the 4 the story of the Browns epic eight play goal line stand is told in the Coffin Corner article above.  During this stand there were penalties on each side, one costing the Giants a TD, the other costing the Browns an interception. When all was said and done, the Giants had two 1st downs on the Browns 4 yard line. Willis assisted on two tackles during the stand. The crucial play was on second down, after a Giants penalty on center John Rapacz (#53--whom the Giants picked up from the AAFC Hornets) moved the ball back to the 9.  Joe Scott (#30) took the ball on a sweep around the right side. Guard Joe Sulaitis (#21) was pulling on the play. However, Browns guard Abe Gibron (#34)

(acquired from the AAFC Bills along with halfback Rex Bumgardner (#90) and tackle John Kissell (#45) in return for a 25% ownership share in the Browns for Bills owner James Breuil (buffalobills.com)--salve for the Bills being excluded from the NFL)

crashed through the line and blocked Sulaitis into Scott, knocking him down. Before he could get up Marion Motley (H--#76--playing linebacker) made sure he didn't. (Note: the Coffin Corner article above mis-identifies Sulaitis as Rapacz). The Giants lost 5 yards on the play (play is at 29:26-29:36 of the long video). After an incomplete pass, Randy Clay (#12) (substituting for the injured Ray Poole) kicked a 20 yard field goal to tie the game 3-3. The Browns took the kickoff and began their winning drive from their own 35 with a little over six minutes left. Because of the conditions and the fact that their rushing game had been throttled by the Giants defense (right linebacker John Cannady (#52) was Motley's (H) personal shadow--he had 12 yards on 7 carries), the Browns entrusted Graham to bring them home. With his legs rather than his arm. Piascik (p. 177) explains that Brown went to a strategy of quarterback draws and bootlegs to try to catch the Giants in a moment of indecision. The strategy worked to perfection as Graham runs of 9, 15, and 12 yards helped the Browns reach the Giants 22, in spite of two  penalties. With 58 seconds left, from 29 yards away, Groza calmly booted the Browns to a 6-3 lead. In the dying seconds of the game, end Jim Martin (#50) sacked Giants quarterback Charlie Conerly (#42) (as the first Marlboro Man, video: 1:02) in the end zone for the final two points of the game. (Note that both Willis and Len Ford (H) (see also the Pro Football Journal blogpost) (H--#53) have been credited for this sack, but it is #50, Martin, who made the tackle. The Giants were left with the consolation that the Browns were unable to launch a TD drive against them in three games. The Browns moved on to their first of six consecutive (and seven of eight) NFL Championship games.

National (Western) Conference Race Graph:

The Rams had the most prolific offense in the history of pro football, averaging 38.83 points per game (466 points in 12 games). They are still the only team to have scored 60 or more points twice (70 in one of those) in a season. They scored 50-59 points once,  and 40-49 points three times. They had almost 800 more total yards than the second place team, and almost 900 more passing yards. They finished eighth in the league in rushing yards, but led the league in rushing TDs. They led the league in seven passing/receiving categories. Tom Fears (H) had a monster year, leading the league in receptions and reception yards. He had 32 more receptions (84 total for 1116 yards and 93 yards per game--all league leading figures) than the Yanks' Dan Edwards (an AAFC import from the Hornets), who finished second).

The National Conference featured a thee team race involving the Rams, Bears, and surprising Yanks (who were for all practical purposes the AAFC Yankees in disguise (see above)). As late as Nov. 7, the Yanks led the conference at 6-1-0, with the Rams 2nd at 6-2-0, and the Bears 3rd at 5-2-0. The Yanks then went into a four game tailspin, leaving the Rams and Bears to fight it out. There were similarities to the way the American Conference played out in that the Rams lost two games to the Bears and one to the defending champion Eagles (the Eagles third consecutive win over the Rams going back to 1949). The Bears, meanwhile, lost their three games to the Packers early in the season, the Yanks in the middle of the season, and the Cardinals near the end of the season. A win in that game would have given the Bears a chance to close out the Conference on the last day of the season. As it was, both teams won their final games to force a playoff.

Games of interest:

Sep. 17. Bears (0-0-0) 24 Rams* (0-0-0) 20. (Milwaukee Journal, Sep. 18). (LA Coliseum). Over the course of the three games these two teams played against each other, the Bears held the Rams to about 1/2 their average score per game. In 1949 the same two teams had played before 86,080, the largest crowd in NFL history at the time. In this year's opener (before a disappointing crowd of a little over 18,000--due to rainy weather and the fact the game was televised in Los Angeles--both were mentioned as factors in the above game story and in the Los Angeles Times game story--proprietary) the Bears overcame a 7-3 half time deficit to win.  Led by George Gulyanics' 26 carries for 126 yards and a TD, the Bears out rushed the Rams by 201-54. They ran 79 non-kicking plays to the Rams 61. This was also the first game that Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch (H) played at the Flankerback position (he was the first true Flanker). He caught 3 passes for 53 yards and a TD.

Sep. 22. Rams* (0-1-0) 45 Yanks (1-0-0) 28  (Pro-football Reference.com--no full free electronic newspaper availability) (LA Coliseum). The league's two best offenses fought it out on a Saturday night. They amassed over 1,040 yards of offense, an NFL record that stood until the two teams met again in November (see below). The Rams 21 point second quarter broke the game open. Down 35-14 in the third quarter, the Yanks battled back to 38-28 before a 43 yard TD pass from Norm Van Brocklin (H) to Glenn Davis finally put the game away. 69 passes were thrown during the game. It was the first of four games in which the Yanks gave up 40 or more points. They scored more than 40 points three times.

October 1. Packers* (1-1-0) 31 Bears (2-0-0) 21 (Chicago Tribune via Packershistory.net) (City Stadium 1). The Packers would win only three games in 1950, but this one arguably cost the Bears the Conference title. The Bears owned the game statistically (402-223 total yards, 23-8 first downs). But the Packer defense (2 pick sixes, including one of 94 yards by Rebel Steiner--a Packer record that stood for 34 years until broken by Tim Lewis) and special team (64 yard punt return TD by Billy Grimes--an AAFC acquisition from the Dons) accounted for 2/3 of their points. Grimes also returned a missed field goal by George Blanda 47 yards which led to their field goal. The Packers would go on to lose eight of their last nine games. Note that at the packershistory.net site, about 2/3 of the way down the page, there is information including photos promoting their next home game, against the Yanks. The photos include action shots of George Ratterman and the Yanks "colored cohort" of Buddy Young, Sherman Howard, and George Taliaferro (also video: 0:59) (misspelled in the advert), the first African American drafted by the NFL (1949) (though he signed with the AAFC Dons and didn't play in the NFL until 1950).

Oct. 7. Eagles* (1-1-0) 56 Rams (2-1-0) 20  (Milwaukee Sentinel, Oct. 8) (Shibe Park). The defending Champion Eagles smashed the Rams behind three Tommie Thompson TD passes and a 103 yard kickoff return by Russ Craft at the beginning of the second half. It was, at the time, the second longest kickoff return in NFL history behind only Frank Seno's 105 yard TD return for the Cardinals against the Giants in 1946. It was the Eagles third consecutive victory over the Rams going back to 1949.

Oct. 29. Yanks* (5-1-0) 38 Bears (4-1-0) 27 (Brooklyn Eagle, Oct. 30). (Yankee Stadium).  The largest crowd of the season in New York (and third largest in the league--50,178) watched the Yanks reach their apex. The win put them in first place by one game over the Rams and one and 1/2 games over the Bears. AAFC fans began to fantasize about an NFL Championship game between two AAFC teams--the Browns and the Yanks (17 AAFC starters, 25 AAFC players). The Bears had a tremendous passing attack, with 22 completions (mostly by Johnny Lujack) for 364 yards and a TD. But they also threw six interceptions. The Yanks stymied the Bears vaunted running game, holding them to 106 yards. The Bears jumped off to a 13-0 lead (a 66 yard TD pass from Lujack to Ken Kavenaugh--who led all receivers with 8 catches for 177 yards--on the first offensive play of the game), silencing the big crowd. But the Yanks answered with 28 straight points--a 7 play 80 yard drive highlighted by a 36 yard pass from George Ratterman (AAFC Bills) to Jack Russell (AAFC Yankees); a 10 play 75 yard drive highlighted by a 37 yard run by Sherman Howard; a 59 yard TD pass to Art Weiner; and a 47 Yard TD pass to Barney Poole (AAFC Yankees). The Bears then fought back with 2 TDs, the second after the Yanks went for a first down deep in their own territory and were stuffed late in the game. The score was 28-27, but the Yanks learned a valuable lesson. Rather than again trying to run out the clock, they replied with a 4 play 68 yard drive highlighted by yet another big pass play of 57 yards from Ratterman to Weiner. A few plays later, Howard scored the clincher on a 5 yard run. After their final interception, the Yanks added a field goal to finish the scoring. For Ratterman, four big passing plays yielded 199 yards. Yanks Head Coach Red Strader (AAFC Yankees), when asked after the game "Do you think it's a breeze now?", answered "What do you mean, a breeze? There are no soft spots in this league." Little did he know just how prophetic his words would be over the course of the next four games. (Other sources used were the Oct. 30 New York Times (P. 31) and Chicago Tribune (Sports, P. 1, P. 4) game stories--proprietary.)

Oct. 29. Rams* (4-2-0) 65 Lions (3-3-0) 24 (Milwaukee Sentinel, Oct. 30, 1950) (LA Coliseum). This game marked the second highest season scoring output for the Rams. It also featured a few other amazing things. The Rams scored 41 points in the third quarter. 41. It tied an NFL record for points in a quarter set by the Packers in 1945 (see above). They scored 6 TDs in fifteen minutes. A TD every 2 and 1/2 minutes. Norm Van Brocklin (H) completed 13 passes for 293 yards and 5 TDs in the game. He had a quarterback rating of 157.5.

The Lions' Wally Triplett (1) (2--mlive.com) (3--Detroit News),

the first African American drafted by the NFL who then played in the NFL (as opposed to George Taliaferro, the first African American NFL draft choice, who decided to play in the AAFC), had four kickoff returns that totaled 294 yards (including one for 97 yards and a TD). That yardage was an NFL record that stood for 44 years until broken by Tyrone Hughes of the Saints. Triplett's average yards per return (73.5) set a record that still stands. The third quarter also featured a 95 yard kickoff return by the Rams Verda "Vitamin T." Smith.

Video: (2:23) Hold on to your hats, this video contains both the kickoff returns (though Triplett's did not occur in the third quarter) and two other scoring plays from that quarter.

November 12. Bears* (5-2-0) 28 Yanks (6-1-0) 20 (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 13, 1950, Col. 5, about halfway down the page; Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 13). (Wrigley Field). This was the game where it all started going pear shaped for the Yanks. The fourth largest crowd of the season (50,102) came to see the Bears even the series. This game mirrored the first in that the losing team jumped off to 7-0 and 14-7 leads. Once again, the Yanks used long passes by George Ratterman to fashion the lead. First he finished  a 5 play 81 yard drive with a 49 yard TD pass to Jack Russell. Then a 1 play drive--a 44 yard TD pass to Dan Edwards.  Sandwiched between these two drives, the Bears scored on an 8 play (all rushing plays), 80 yard drive spearheaded by a 45 yard run by Chuck Hunsinger. The Bears came out in the second half, blocked a Yanks punt and recovered it on the 3 yard line. But George Gulyanics' fumble on the 1 was recovered by Martin Ruby (AAFC Yankees). George Taliaferro (AAFC Dons) juggled a Ratterman pass and lost control of it. Red O'Quinn, intercepted and returned it 5 yards for a TD. The Bears then took the lead on a 7 play 69 yard drive highlighted by a 21 yard pass from Lujack to George Connor (H) on a tackle eligible play. The Bears then salted the game away with an 11 play, 44 yard drive culminated by Huntsinger's 2 yard TD run. The Yanks countered with a 9 play 56 yard drive ending in a Taliaferro 7 yard TD run. There were still 7 minutes left to play, but that TD ended the scoring. The Yanks inability to stop the Bears rushing attack (54-236 yards and 3 TDs v 30-108 yards and 3 TDs in the first game) was an important factor in the defeat. A win might have knocked the Bears out of the race. As it was, the Rams, with a 45-14 shellacking of the Packers (Milwaukee Sentinel via packershistory.net), took over the Conference lead by 1/2 game over the Bears and Yanks. (Rams 7-2-0, Bears 6-2-0, Yanks 6-2-0).  (Other sources used were the Oct. 30 New York Times (P. 31) and Chicago Tribune (Sports, P. 1, P, 4) game stories--proprietary.)

 Nov. 19. Rams (7-2-0) 43 Yanks* (6-2-0) 35 (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 20). (Yankee Stadium). The second game between these two teams was similar to the first (see above), only more so. The two teams combined for 1,133 total yards, breaking the NFL record of 1,044 set in their first game. This was an NFL record for 68 years before being eclipsed by the Eagles and Patriots in Super Bowl LII. They combined for 55 first downs, a record at the time. The combined 88 passes tied the record the Rams had set along with the Redskins in 1949. 1.3 points, 1.46 passes and 18.83 yards were accumulated every minute (Los Angeles Times, Nov. 20, P. A1, P, A2--proprietary). 38 points were scored in the fourth quarter. In the end, 3 field goals by Bob Waterfield and the Rams rushing attack made the difference. Lester (Dick) Hoerner (who would be traded after the 1951 season to the Dallas Texans for 11 players) had a career day with 14 carries for 129 yards and 3 TDs. The Rams scored 4 of their 5 TDs on the ground (including 64 and 32 yard runs by Hoerner and an 18 yard run by Glenn Davis (on a Statue of Liberty play). All that firepower led the Rams to a 33-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. Later in the quarter they led 40-21. The Yanks then score twice in 1 and 1/2 minutes to cut the lead to 40-35. A George Ratterman to Dan Edwards 16 yard pass and an option pass from George Taliaferro to Art Weiner got them back in the game. But with the Yanks driving again, Tom Keane made a crucial interception, which led to Waterfield's final field goal. With this victory, the top 3 teams in the National Conference were Rams 8-2-0, Bears 7-2-0, Yanks 6-3-0. The Yanks did not recover, losing their next two games to the Lions 49-14 on Thanksgiving Day and Giants 51-7 before finishing with a meaningless win over the Colts. A final word about the Yanks. One of the players they got form the AAFC Yankees was Spec Sanders, the great all purpose back. Due to the injury that kept him out the entire 1949 season, he specialized on defense in this, his final year. He equaled an NFL record with 13 interceptions, which has only been bettered once (Dick "Night Train" Lane--more on him below--intercepted 14 passes for the 1952 Rams) and equaled twice, by Dan Sandifer of the 1948 Redskins and Lester Hayes of the 1980 Raiders.  

Nov. 26. Bears* (7-2-0) 24 Rams (8-2-0) 14 (Pittsburgh Press, Nov. 27). (Wrigley Field). For the second time in 1950, the Bears stymied the Rams offensive machine and were rewarded with an easy road (victories over the Cardinals at Comiskey Park and Lions at home) to an undisputed Conference championship no matter what the Rams did in their final game against the Packers. The Bears held the Rams to their lowest point total of the season, and the two TDs the Rams scored came in the 4th quarter, with the Bears already ahead 24-0. They held the Rams to -9 yards rushing in the first half and 67 in the game. The Rams quarterback platoon of Bob Waterfield (H) and Norm Van Brocklin (H) threw 50 passes, to little avail. The tone for the game was set early, when the Rams, on the opening drive of the game, marched 68 yards on three passes to Dick Hoerner and a short run by Glenn Davis, to the Bears 5. Waterfield next hit Tom Fears (H), but he fumbled when hit by John Hoffman at the 2. George McAfee (H) recovered and a golden opportunity was missed. The Rams never recovered. Another fumble recovery and interception led to 10 Bears points. In the third quarter a fake punt by Van Brocklin failed and the Bears marched 44 yards, the big play being a 42 yard TD pass from Lujack to Don Kindt. They scored their final TD on a 15 yard run by Fred (Curly) Morrison.  It seemed the Bears were home free. (Other sources used were Los Angeles Times, P. A1 and Chicago Tribune P. E1, P. E4--proprietary).

Dec. 3. Cardinals* (4-6-0) 20 Bears (8-2-0) 10  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 4). (Comiskey Park). Nothing proved Yanks coach Red Strader's comment about "no soft spots" in the league (see above--Oct. 29) more than this game. With nothing to play for except pride and the intrinsic importance of any game between the oldest rivals in the NFL, the Cardinals put a large crimp in the Bears Conference championship aspirations. They out gained the Bears 375-252 and Jim Hardy out passed Johnny Lujack with 19-33 for 255 yards and a TD. The Cardinals jumped off to a 10-0 lead but the Bears tied the game going into the fourth quarter. The Cardinals then put together the winning TD drive. The drive was culminated by a perfect 35 yard TD pass from Hardy to Don Paul, who was triple covered on the play but was able to leap and make the catch (a photo in the Dec. 4 Chicago Tribune--P. E1--proprietary-- shows the play). Later the Cardinals added a field goal to finish the scoring. In the meantime the Rams finished their season with a 51-14 hammering of the Packers (Milwaukee Sentinel via packershistory.net). The Sentinel game story catalogs the ten team and four individual NFL records set by the Rams during the season. The offense was responsible for all but one of those records. When the Bears defeated the Lions in Chicago the next week by a 6-3 margin, it set up a playoff game in Los Angeles the following week. Interestingly, the Cardinals also handed the Giants one of their two losses, forcing a playoff in the American Conference. Not bad for a 5-7-0 team on a downward slide that would last throughout the 1950s and lead to the Cardinals moving to St. Louis in 1960. Oh, and did I mention that they beat the Bears to knock them out of and win the Conference and NFL championship in 1947 and the Conference championship in 1948, as well as helping to destroy their 1950 season? No one was happier to get rid of the Cardinals than George S. Halas (H).

There was one other development in the National Conference to take note of. That was the improvement of the Lions. From 1946-49 they had a record of  10-37-0 and finished in last place three times. After the 1949 season they acquired  quarterback Bobby Layne (H) and the draft rights to halfback Ewell (Doak) Walker (H) from the New York Bulldogs (renamed Yanks in 1950). The Lions immediately improved to 6-6-0. Walker led the league in scoring and Layne led quarterbacks in five statistical categories. Although they beat only one team with a winning record, the improvement was still a sign of a bright future for the team.

Playoff Game:

Los Angeles Rams* (9-3-0) 24 Chicago Bears (9-3-0) 14 (LA Coliseum) Weather conditions.

Video 1: (1:09). In this Tom Fears (H) video highlight package, Fears' 27 yard TD (0:29-0:40) (his 3rd TD) and 68 yard TD (0:46-0:51) (his 1st TD) are available.

Video 2: (5:45) Fears 27 yard TD (1:22-1:44) is available in slow motion in this Rams highlight film.

Box score, statistical recaps, starting lineups

Game story: Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 19)

Game story: Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Dec. 19) (Note: while these are both Associated Press stories, they are not identical.

Game story: Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 19, Col. 3).
Game story: Los Angeles Times, Dec. 19. P. C1, P. C4--proprietary)
Game story: Chicago Tribune, Dec. 19. P. E. 1, P. E.4--proprietary)

Today in Pro Football History blog game story

The Rams got the good weather post-season game they had been denied in 1949 (clear skies, a bit warm at 92 degrees at kickoff, according to the LA Times, but see weather conditions above for a less extreme story) and their fans took advantage. In spite of the fact that the game was televised locally (though not in Chicago), 83,501 attended, the largest NFL crowd of the year. They were not disappointed. Bob Waterfield (H) had the flu and a 103 degree temperature on the Friday before the game. Norm Van Brocklin (H) started but was ineffective (2-10 for 17 yards--he also suffered a rib injury) and was replaced by Waterfield, who proceeded to have a career game, accounting for all of the Rams' points, with three TD passes, a 43 yard field goal (which hit the inside of the goal post before going over), and three extra points. He also punted 7 times for a 42.4 yard average (one punt went 67 yards). The other star for the Rams was Tom Fears (H), who caught all three TD passes (68, 43, and 27 yards) and had 7 catches for 198 yards (including a 42 yard reception which set up the field goal that opened the scoring). Watch the Fears 27 yard TD in the above videos. He breaks at least 4 tackles, including a clothesline tackle, turning a 4 yard pass into a TD. The offense was great, but it was the Rams defense that was crucial. They stopped the Bears three times in the red zone without giving up a point, including one at the 17 yard line and one at the 2 with the score 24-14 in the fourth quarter.  Defensive  ends Larry Brink and Jack Zilly, along with tackles Dick Huffman, Bob Reinhard, and Stan West, pressured Johnny Lujack all day, leading to 6 sacks for 52 yards in losses. Defensive backs Tom Keane, Woodley Lewis, and Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch (H) each intercepted a pass. (Hirsch also caught 2 passes for 46 yards, not including a 60 yard catch that was nullified by a penalty). The Bears took a 7-3 lead on a 65 yard drive finished by Al Campana's 22 yard TD run. The Rams then answered with their three TDs (two in the second quarter and one in the third) before the Bears cut the gap to 10 points with a 74 yard drive at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter. Fred (Curly) Morrison finished it with a 4 yard run. After that, the Rams defense stopped the two dangerous drives. The failures were a bit too much for the Bears and shortly before the end of the game, there was a fight between the teams. Once the dust settled, the Rams were on their way to Cleveland for the championship game against the Browns.

Longest winning streak: Browns 7; Longest losing streak: Redskins 8

Highest regular season attendance: Sep. 16: Browns (0-0-0) 35, Eagles* (0-0-0) 10 at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium: 71,237

Most Valuable Player: None awarded.

Rookie of the Year: None awarded between 1950-1957

All Pros (all columns are sortable)

Pro Bowlers (all columns are sortable): Game info, including links to newspaper stories

Statistical leaders

Championship Game:

Cleveland Browns (11-2-0) 30* Los Angeles Rams (10-3-0) 28 (Municipal Stadium) Attendance: 29,751. Browns roster. Rams roster. Weather conditions.

Box score, statistical recaps, starting lineups

Video 1: (5:13) with interviews from surviving players on both teams and Paul Brown (H)

Video 2: (27:47) The Way It Was: 1950 Championship game. 1975 documentary featuring three Browns and three Rams, five of whom are in the Hall of Fame, as well as Bob Neal, the Browns radio and TV announcer, who simulcasted the game on both media at the time, and did the narration for this show.  Contains footage not available on Video 4 below. Also lists the starting lineups and their numbers. Narration identifies the players. Game film quality is excellent. Use in conjunction with Video 4 for the best experience of the "whole game". 

Video 3: (9:30-11:02)  on the Browns history documentary.

Video 4: (23:14) "Coaches film", extended silent highlights with musical accompaniment.

Video 5 : (2:02) Browns first TD drive, 1st quarter. Silent.

Game story: Cleveland Plain Dealer (Dec. 24)
Game story: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Dec. 25,  P. 32, P. 34)
Game story:  Pro Football Researchers article 50 years ago... December 24, 1950, Los Angeles Rams vs Cleveland Browns in Coffin Corner (from Pro Football's Ten Greatest Games, by John Thorn

Game story: Los Angeles Times (Dec. 25, P. C1, P. C4)--propietary
Game story: New York Herald-Tribune (Dec. 25, P. 18, P. 20)--proprietary
Game story: New York Times (Dec. 25, P. 16)--proprietary
Game story: Chicago Tribune (Dec. 25, P. B1, B3)--proprietary.
Game story: The Best Show in Football, Piascik, P. 182-190.

Feature story: Milwaukee Sentinel (Dec. 25)
Feature story: Brooklyn Eagle (Dec. 26)
Feature story: Chicago Tribune (Dec. 25, P. B3)--proprietary.

Today in Pro Football History blog game story.

Interestingly, there are discrepancies in the game stories. I have tried to put together the summary from all of them (as well as the videos), as best I could. The best place to start is the Thorn article and Piascik book chapter.

The 1950 Season saved the best for last. In one of the most exciting Championship games of the era (see 1933, 1937, and 1938 above, as well as  1953, 1958, 1960, 1966, and 1967 below for others) the Browns came back from a two score deficit in the fourth quarter (the second on a 6 play 1:48 drive to a Lou (the Toe) Groza (H) 20 yard field goal that was the final margin) to beat the Rams 30-28 in front of a little less than 30,000 on a frozen, windy day that made life difficult. Statistically the game was a draw, four total yards and no first downs separating the teams. That these two teams could produce 832 yards (780 net yards) of offense in these conditions was a testament to both. Five offensive records for a Championship game were set. Three more were tied. And yet with all of this firepower, both defenses also played a crucial role in the outcome. The Rams defense put great pressure on Otto Graham (H) and sacked him five times for 46 yards in losses. They completely throttled the Browns running game (except for Graham--12 rushes for 99 yards). Marion Motley (H) had 6 for 9 yards, Dub Jones 2 for 4. The Browns intercepted four Bob Waterfield (H) passes and Norm Van Brocklin's (H) "hail mary" at the end of the game. They also stopped the Rams cold when they were trying to run out the clock. Which gave them just enough time.

The game started with a bang. On the first offensive play, Waterfield , from the Rams 18,  hit Glenn Davis (#41) with a 27 yard pass, but Davis got behind the defense and scored on what ended up as an 82 yard TD pass, a record for a Championship game that lasted for 53 years. (7-0) (0:27). The Browns answered immediately with a 6 play, 70 yard drive ending in a Graham (#60) to Dub Jones (#86) 27 yard TD pass. (7-7) (3:50). And the Rams in  turn answered with an 8 play, 80 yard drive highlighted by a 44 yard pass from Waterfield to Tom Fears (H--#55) (9 catches for 136 yards) and a 15 yard run by Vitamin T. Smith (#77) (who, as an aside, set an NFL record in 1950 with three kickoff returns for TDs, which lasted for 17 years until broken by the Packers' Travis Williams) (14-7) (7:05).

In the second quarter the Browns put together an 8 play, 65 yard drive (which began on the last play of the first quarter) culminated by a 35 yard TD pass from Graham to Dante Lavelli (H--#56) (11 catches for 126 yards, the 11 catches a single game Championship record that would be broken eight years later by Raymond Berry (H) (see below under 1958)). However, the extra point (to be kicked into a strong wind) was altered when the wind blew the ball away from holder Tommy James (#82), who recovered and threw a perfect extra point pass to that was dropped by linebacker Tony Adamle (#74). 14-13. (2:20). The Rams controlled the rest of the quarter but had nothing to show for it. Two drives into the red zone were stopped. The first was stopped after the Rams, reaching the Browns 7, were penalized back to the 26. Then safety Ken Gorgal  (#85) intercepted a Waterfield pass at the 16. Late in the quarter the Rams drove to the Browns 8 but Waterfield was wide with a 16 yard field goal attempt (the difference in the game, as it turned out). (12:30).

The third quarter started as had the first. Only this time it was the Browns who struck. They received the kickoff and manufactured a 5 play, 70 yard TD drive highlighted by a 29 yard screen pass from Graham to punter/end Horace Gillom (#59) and a perfect 39 yard TD pass from Graham to Lavelli. Lavelli was well covered by cornerback Tom Keane (#10), who reached for the ball and barely missed. (20-14) (4:00). The Rams answered with a 71 yard 5 and a half minute drive punctuated by a 38 yard pass from Waterfield to Smith. The drive ended with 7 consecutive rushes by Dick Hoerner (#31), the last a 1 yard TD plunge. (21-20) (9:20). On the first play after the ensuing kickoff,  Motley (H--#76) ran left to the 25 yard line and then reversed direction and retreated to the 14 before being stopped by Rams ends Larry Brink (#63) and Jack Zilly (#56) (see above--playoff game). Motley fumbled, and Brink recovered and scored (28-20) (9:41). The Rams then held the Browns to a three and out, got the ball back and drove to the Browns 35. With one minute left in the quarter Warren Lahr (#80) intercepted a Waterfield pass on the 21 and returned it to the 35.

From there (fourth quarter) the Browns began a crucial 5 minute drive highlighted by 5 consecutive completions from Graham to Lavelli that covered only 22 yards. At the Rams 41, on 4th and 1, Graham rushed for 3. Five rushes (one of which was a 3 yard rollout by Graham on 4th and 3) and 3 passes to Lavelli (one for 7 yards on 4th and 4) took the ball to the Rams 14. Then halfback Rex Bumgardner (#90) made a great diving play on a TD catch just before going out of bounds on the left side of the end zone. (28-27). (4:30). An exchange of punts followed. Waterfield kicked a 61 yarder with the wind that was aided by a tremendous bounce (he punted 4 times for 203 yards, a 50.8 average--an NFL record for a Championship game that still stands). Gillom then boomed a high 68 yarder into the wind). The Rams were then stopped  on their 47 by a diving interception on a tipped pass by linebacker Tommy Thompson (#36). The Browns started their drive with about three and a half minutes to play with a 22 yard pass from Graham to Jones. On the next play Graham tried a bootleg but was hit hard on a great tackle by safety Jerry Williams (#33) and linebacker Don Paul (#57), and fumbled. Rams linebacker Milan (Sherriff) Lazetich (#27) recovered the fumble on the 19 with a little over 3 minutes to play for what would surely guarantee a Rams victory. They tried to run out the clock but had to punt after three and out. The Browns got the ball back on their 32 yard line with a minute and 48 seconds left. Graham started the 6 play drive with a 14 yard scramble, going out of bounds at the Browns 46. He then hit Bumgardner, who went out of bounds on the Rams 39. Then Graham went for the big one, a long pass to Jones. But the pass hung and Rams linebacker Fred Naumetz (#22) had a chance to intercept it, but couldn't hold on. Then Graham hit Jones for 17 to the Rams 22. On the next play he connected with Bumgardner again on a z-out pattern for 11 yards, with Bumgardner stepping out of bounds. The next play was a keeper that gained a yard and, more importantly, moved the ball to the center of the field, making the field goal as easy as possible. Groza (#46) came in to kick it, an easy kick, but still 16 yards into the wind. Groza was more confident than his coach (one kick had already gone awry) and the kick was perfect. (30-28) (14:40). Surely the game was now over. Surely. Groza kicked deep and Williams almost broke the return all the way. He was stopped on the Rams 47 by Groza. There was time for one play, maybe two if the Rams could get out of bounds. But it wasn't Waterfield quarterbacking. Van Brocklin (#25) came in for this play. The rib injury suffered in the playoff against the Bears had kept him out of the game. But now the Rams needed a stronger arm, and Van Brocklin had all winter to recover. He threw the ball 45 yards, looking for Davis, who was guarded by Lahr at the sideline. The pass was off and Lahr intercepted at the 10. Davis grabbed him and pushed him into the end zone, hoping for a safety which would send the game to overtime. But the officials ruled forward progress ended before the safety and the game ended on that play.

Graham had brought the Browns from 2 scores down in the last nine and a half minutes, and from 1 score down in less than two minutes after an incredibly deflating turnover. And the Browns had, for all time, proved to everyone that the league they came from was anything but "minor". Commissioner Bert Bell (H) at the time called the Browns "the greatest team ever to play football". 30 years later, Paul Brown (H) said "It was the greatest game I ever saw." (both quotes, Piascik, P. 189). It was the Browns fifth consecutive championship. The closest any other team has come to that record is the Packers with three (1929-31, 1965-67).

Related information:

Pro Football Researchers article Bob Waterfield vs Bill Willis: A Single Frame From the 1950 Championship Testifies to Their Hall of Fame Credentials, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Too Many Guns: The 1950 Browns/Eagles "World Series", in Coffin Corner

Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside (Sports Illustrated, Nov. 21, 1988)

Today in Pro Football History blog features a capsule summary of Dan Edwards' (Yanks) great season and a 1950 College All-Star game account. In addition the blog has game accounts for six regular season games not covered above. I will give two links for each, one for the Pro Football Reference box score and one for the TPFH blog direct link.

Sep. 17: Giants beat Steelers 18-7: Box Score ; TPFH game account
Sep. 24: Lions beat Steelers 10-7: Box Score; TPFH game account (Ewell (Doak Walker (H) scores all Lions' points)

Sep. 29: Yanks beat Lions 44-21: Box Score; TPFH game account
Oct. 8: Giants beat Redskins 21-17: Box Score; TPFH game account
Oct. 29: Browns beat Steelers 45-7: Box Score; TPFH game account (Marion Motley (H) ran 11 times for 188 yards, a 17.09 yards/carry average. This was an NFL record YPC game average that was unbroken for 52 years).

Nov. 19: Lions beat Packers 24-21: Box Score; TPFH game account (Doak Walker (H) scored all 24 Lions' points).

------------------------------

1951

NFL:

Attendance: 2,096,834

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information: Click on team and then scroll to roster. Draft and Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.

Major rules changes

The "new" NFL was still in flux in 1951. The Baltimore Colts (one of the three AAFC teams added in 1950) folded due to a financial crisis. Their owner sold the team and its player contracts back to the NFL. Thus the AAFC team originally in Miami which moved to Baltimore in 1947, ceased to exist. Its players were incorporated into the 1951 NFL Draft and 25 were chosen, including quarterback Y.A. Tittle (H) by the 49ers, defensive tackle Art Donovan (H) by the Browns (he was then traded to the Yanks for two draft choices) (Piascik, The Best Show in Football, P. 223), defensive tackle Don Colo (who would eventually play for four Conference and two League Champion Browns teams) by the Yanks, quarterback Adrian Burk (who would equal the record for TD passes in a game--7--see below under 1954), by the Redskins (who traded him to the Eagles), and linebacker Hardy Brown by the 49ers. Colo and Donovan both played for three teams that folded (the Colts in 1950, the Yanks in 1951, and the Texans in 1952). Brown was one of only two players (the other was Ben Agajanian) who played in three leagues (NFL, AAFC, and American Football League IV). He was also one of the most devastating hitters in the history of pro football. (13:00-19:01 of NFL 1950s documentary).

The NFL then settled into the two Conference, twelve team league that lasted until the round of expansion that began in 1960. After adjusting the Bears-Cardinals two game a year rivalry, the schedule had each team playing two intra-conference games against each opponent, and a rotating schedule against two inter-conference teams. However, in 1951 George Halas (H), Bears Owner-Coach and co-founder of the League,  made a couple of money saving demands on the NFL regarding his team's road itinerary. The NFL bowed to those demands, which had a large effect on the outcome of the National Conference race (see below).

But this was only one of the oddities of the NC schedule. The Bears ended up playing four American Conference games, (Cardinals twice, the Redskins, and the Browns). They lost three of these games, including two to the 3-9-0 Cardinals. They only had to play the 49ers and Rams once, both at home, and the Lions twice (they split these four games). The 49ers played four AC teams (Browns, Redskins, Eagles, and Cardinals). They lost two of these games, to the 4-8-0 Eagles on the road, and the 3-9-0 Cardinals at home. They had to play the Bears once (in Chicago), and the Lions and Rams twice. They won three of these five games. The Rams had to play three AC games (Browns, Cardinals, and Redskins). They lost two of these games, including one to the 5-7-0 Redskins. They had to play the 49ers and Lions twice, and the Bears once (in Chicago). They won three of these five games. And the Lions played a normal schedule with only two AC games  (Redskins at home and Eagles on the road). They played the Bears, 49ers, and Rams twice, winning two and losing four of these games.  The Browns, incidentally,  played the NC three times (49ers, Rams, and Bears--a combined 22-13-1) and won two, beating the Rams on the road and Bears at home by a combined 80-44. They missed out on a second AC game against the Redskins. 

Conference Races:

Weekly schedule:

American (Eastern) Conference Race Graph:

The Browns defense of their League championship got off to a rocky start, with a 24-10 loss to the 49ers in front of over 52,000 at Kezar Stadium. But that was the only game they lost all year as they cruised home with an 11 game winning streak, including two victories over the Giants (the Giants' only losses). After the second loss to the Browns the Giants fell behind by 1 and 1/2 games, and even a four game winning streak at the end of the season was to no avail. The Browns would equal their 11-1-0 record in 1953 but never better it, and only their 1947 and 1948 AAFC teams had better records. They scored the third most points in the League and gave up the fewest. They pitched four shutouts and only two of their victories were by less than 10 points. Outside of their two losses to the Browns, the Giants were nearly as dominant, finishing 9-2-1. They had only one close victory. In 1950-51 the Giants were 19-5-1, with only a playoff  loss to the Browns to show for it. The Eagles, in Steve Van Buren's (H) final year, fell off sharply to 4-8-0. And the lowly Cardinals finished dead last at 3-9-0. But the three upticks on the race graph were very significant. The first and last were wins over  the Bears, sweeping them right out of the National Conference race. The second was against of the 49ers, which also helped ruin their championship hopes. (See National Conference race below).

Games of interest:

Sep. 30: 49ers* (0-0-0) 24, Browns (0-0-0) 10 at Kezar Stadium (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 1, 1951; also Today in Pro Football History blog).

The Browns scored first on an 81 yard TD pass from Otto Graham (H) to Dub Jones very early in the game. But the 49ers, led by a career game from halfback Verl Lillywhite (17 rushes for 145 yards) scored the next 17 points and cruised to an easy victory. One of the keys was the 49er defense, which held the Browns rushing game to 19 for 55 yards. The 49ers ran 58 offensive plays to the Browns 37. In front of over 52,000 fans, the 49ers got off to the best possible start, helping to erase the bad taste of the 1950 season. They would contend in the wild National (Western) Conference race (see below).

Oct. 7: Browns (0-1-0) 38 Rams (1-0-0)* 23 at LA Coliseum (video: 43:22-- note: all regular season videos for 1951 are silent (with musical acccompaniments), unless otherwise specifically stated; (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 8, 1951; Los Angeles Times, Oct. 8, 1951, P. C1, P. C3--proprietary.).

In a rematch of the 1950 Championship thriller, played in a baking Coliseum (the LA Times account claims the temperature on the field was as high as 114 degrees F) in front of over 67,000 fans, the Rams took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. The Browns answered with 28 straight points for their first win. The running game got off the mark with two 100 yard rushers (Dub Jones with 15 for 113 and Marion Motley (H) with 13 for 106). The third quarter was crucial for the Browns as they scored the last three TDs of their streak on a 57 yard drive, an interception that set up a 20 yard drive (both TDs came on runs by halfback Ken Carpenter) and a 23 yard pick six by Warren Lahr. Here is what Frank Finch, Rams beat writer for the LA Times said about this effort.

"There was nothing wrong with Paul Brown's celebrated 'cripples' Marion Motley and  [linebacker] Tony Adamle that a little shot of novocain [sic] couldn't fix. The club doc harpooned 'em with a couple of shots of the dope and the way they played you'd have thought he'd mixed his signals and slipped 'em some marijuana. They were that high."

For the Rams, Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch (H) and Tom Fears (H) had a combined 9 catches for 114 yards, with Hirsch scoring on a 34 yard TD pass from Norm Van Brocklin (H) for the first Rams points. The Browns overcame 18 penalties for 145 yards (to the Rams 6-40).  In the first half (see video above) they look like a bad high school team, seemingly penalized on almost every play, with an amazing number of offside and procedure penalties. Not subtle either. They are easy to see. No matter.  I wonder what it must have been like in the Browns locker room at halftime.

Oct. 28: Browns* (3-1-0) 14 Giants (3-0-1) 13 at Municipal Stadium (video: 33:30, silent with musical accompaniment); (Milwaukee Journal, Oct.29; Brooklyn Eagle, Oct. 29;  New York Herald Tribune, Oct. 29, P. 19--proprietary; New York Times, Oct.29,  P. 27--proprietary; New York Times Feature article by Red Smith, Oct. 29, P. 27--proprietary)

In yet another defensive struggle between the two best teams in the Conference, all the points were scored in the first half. A botched extra point (10:38-10:41 on the video) was the difference as the Browns handed the Giants their first defeat and took over the lead in the Conference race. They would never give it back. From a historical point of view, this game is interesting to watch in that it pits two excellent teams, one running a T formation, the other a single wing.

On the first play from scrimmage Otto Graham (H) threw a short pass to Dub Jones, who then outran the Giants defense for a 62 yard TD (0:19-0:42 on the video). 49 seconds had elapsed in the first quarter. The Giants answered with a TD on a 20 yard pick 6 by Safety Tom Landry (H) when a pass from Graham to Emerson Cole (#70--the Browns first African American draft pick as an NFL team) bounced off his hands and was caught by Landry (4:53-5:01). Later in the quarter Graham connected with Dante Lavelli (H) on a 26 yard TD pass (7:17-7:36). The short drive commenced after a muffed punt by Emlen Tunnell (H). The Giants answered with a 73 yard 9 play drive in the second quarter that ended with a 29 yard TD pass from Charlie Conerly to end Bob McChesney. But the conversion was botched, either by the pass from center John Rapacz to holder Conerly, by Conerly, or by both, forcing kicker Ray Poole to change his footwork, losing his momentum and kicking the ball under the crossbar (10:25-10:47 for the TD pass and missed conversion).

After that the two teams' defense took over the game. The Giants had a chance to win at the end but an attempted Poole 42 yard field goal missed in the swirling wind at the open end of the stadium (29:00-29:18). The Giants defense held the Browns rushing attack to 51 yards in 33 carries. Though Eddie Price (#31--league leading rusher in 1951 with 971 yards) and Joe Scott (#30) combined for 36 carries for 113 yards, it wasn't enough. Jones and Lavelli combined for 13 catches for 184 yards for the Browns. The two teams had, by this date, played four games in the NFL. Each won two. The total score was 39-35 Giants. Three weeks later, the two teams would meet again.

Nov. 18: Browns (6-1-0) 10 Giants (5-1-1) 0 at the Polo Grounds (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 19; New York Times, Nov. 19,  P. 37--proprietary; New York Herald-Tribune, Nov. 19, P.18--proprietary; New York Herald Tribune feature story by Leonard Koppett, P. 18--proprietary)

This game was best summed up by Arthur Daley, writing in the New York Times:

"This was an extraordinary game in several respects. The New Yorkers had three chances and capitalized on none of them. The Clevelanders had no chances whatsoever and capitalized on two of them, which almost sounds as if they did it with mirrors. But in a close-to-the-vest battle of this sort, where the defense strangled the offense almost completely, the ability to grasp Opportunity's forelock had to be the determining factor".

With a packed house of over 52,000 looking on (according to Leonard Koppett's  feature story in the Herald-Tribune, standing room only tickets were $3 and three time defending World Champion Yankee catcher Lawrence Peter Berra stood like any other SRO fan except that he stood in an aisle of the Press Box--did he pay $3?), the Browns scored 10 points in the first 7:35 of the game. A 34 yard field goal by Lou (the Toe) Groza (H) after an interception by Cliff Lewis, and a simple screen pass from Otto Graham (H) to Dub Jones that ended up as a 68 yard TD was all there was. The Giants had two chances that came to nothing in the second quarter, due to a missed 30 yard field goal by Ray Poole and a fumble. Near the end of the game, Charlie Conerly threw a 50 yard pass to end Bob Hudson to set the Giants up on the Browns 9 yard line. But the Browns stopped the Giants on downs (including twice inside the 1 foot line) to preserve the shutout. Once again the Giants stopped the Browns running game cold (29 carries for 56 yards), to no avail. The win put the Browns 1 1/2 games ahead with four to play. Their next game would be against the Bears at home.

Nov. 25: Browns* (7-1-0) 42 Bears (6-2-0) 21 at Municipal Stadium. (Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 25)

Video 1: (2:17, Pro Football Hall of Fame)

Video 2: (1:02). While this video (edited from the one below, shows only four of the Dub Jones TDs, it shows the last TD in its entirety).

Video 3: (41:56)

This was the first meeting between the Browns and Bears (Paul Brown (H) and George Halas (H)), and was an important game for both teams. The Browns needed to keep winning to stay ahead of the Giants. The Bears were locked in a three team (at the time--it would soon change to four) race in the National (Western) Conference and needed to win every game. Given the importance of the game, the pre-game statement made by Bears assistant coach Heartley (Hunk) Anderson was perhaps a mistake. He should have talked to Eagles Coach Earle (Greasy) Neale (H) (see above--1950) before he made it.

"I don't get all this calculus stuff. If the boys hit with a little more enthusiasm than usual and get fined, we have a jackpot ready to take care of that for them. Trouble with our boys is that they've been worried about fines. They don't need to worry Sunday."

Later, Browns center Frank Gatski (H) (eight League Championships in 12 years with the Browns and Lions) replied, "They thought if they pushed us a little bit, we'd quit." And linebacker Tony Adamle added, "They spent all their time trying to beat us up and they weren't watching Dub" (all quotes: Piascik, The Best Show in Football, P. 228).

Weren't watching Dub indeed. In this game Dub Jones tied an NFL record with six touchdowns. He touched the ball 12 times. The last five times he touched the ball he scored. He had a fairly good day: 9 rushes for 116 yards, 4 TDs; 3 catches for 80 yards, 2 TDs. After a scoreless first quarter, Jones scored two TDs in each of the last three quarters as the Browns buried the Bears. They had a 42-7 lead before the Bears scored two consolation TDs. What Anderson said after the game is unknown.

Jones tied the record set by Ernie Nevers (H) (1) (2) (Sports Illustrated, Nov. 28, 1994) of the Cardinals in 1929 and later tied by Gayle Sayers (H) of the Bears in 1965 (see below). Jones scored 36 points in his six TD game, tied for second in history with Sayers. Nevers was a "triple threat" (passing, running, kicking) who scored all 40 points in his six TD game against the Bears (video: 2:12, Pro Football Hall of Fame), after scoring all 19 points in a Cardinal win the week before. 59 points in two consecutive games is an NFL record that will most likely last as long as there is an NFL. Jones had five TDs and the Browns had the ball, with the game in hand. Paul Brown sent in a play and Browns guard Abe Gibron said something to the effect of "to hell with that, lets get Dub the record." Jones tied the record on the play.

The game was (in)famous for another reason. Partly due to that fact that the Browns refused to back down from the Bears rough play, it was the most penalized game in NFL history. A total of 37 penalties were called for an almost unbelievable 374 yards. More penalties may have been called in possibly the worst game in NFL history, the 1976 "battle" between expansion teams Seahawks and Buccaneers (si.com) (39, but four were declined--it is unknown if or how many penalties in this game were declined), but the 374 yards in penalties are far and away the most ever in an NFL game. The Bears and Browns would go on to be the two most penalized teams in the league. 118-1,107 yards for the Bears and 117-1,017 yards for the Browns. The third most penalized team was the Rams, 94-817 yards. Otto Graham (H) had his nose broken and Don Shula (H) had a 94 yard pick six called back due to a roughing the passer penalty. The Browns had now proved they could play the passing game, the stone age game (see 1950 above for each) and the roughhouse game, and be effective at all three.   

Extended highlights of other Browns games.

There are, at present, eight 1951 Browns games with extensive video highlights. Three are linked to above. The other five are linked to below, along with links to rosters (with player numbers) and newspaper accounts. I will not otherwise comment on these games  These videos cast light on a great team having one of its greatest seasons.

Oct. 14: Browns* (1-1-0) 45 Redskins (0-2-0) 0 at Municipal Stadium
Browns roster; Redskins roster;  Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct. 15)

Video: (1:02:44--two videos from different angles--1st from side, second from end zone)

Oct. 21: Browns* (2-1-0) 17 Steelers (0-2-1) 0 at Municipal Stadium
Browns roster; Steelers roster; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette game story P. 19, P. 20; Al Abrams Sidelights on Sports column: in defense of the Single Wing

Video: (34:05)

Dec. 2: Browns* (8-1-0) 49 Cardinals (2-7-0) 28 at Municipal Stadium
Browns roster; Cardinals roster; (Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 3)

Video: (37:10)

Dec. 9: Browns (9-1-0) 28 Steelers* (3-6-1) 0 at Forbes Field
Browns roster; Steelers roster; (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dec. 10); (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 10)

Video: (33:35)

Dec. 16: Browns (10-1-0) 24 Eagles* (4-7-0) 9 at Shibe Park
Browns roster; Eagles roster; (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dec. 16)

Video: (32:54) Unfortunately, much of this video is run at the wrong speed.

Sadly, Steve Van Buren's (H) great career ended with a whimper. Ravaged by injuries, he started only half of the games and carried the ball only 112 times for 337 yards and 6 TDs. He finished his career with the most career yards in NFL history at the time, 5,860, and was the first runner to reach 1,000 yards in two different seasons. During his eight year career (1944-51), the Eagles were 58-30-3, with three Conference and two NFL championships. In his final game he carried the ball twice for 6 yards.

National (West) Conference Race Graph:

This was a wild four team race that finished with two teams within 1/2 game and three teams with one game of the Rams. Coming into the last day of the season, there was a distinct possibility of three outright win and five playoff scenarios; two team , three team, and four team playoff scenarios were all possible. As had often happened, two teams with a combined record of 4-18-2 (Cardinals and Yanks) had a crucial role to play in the proceedings, helping knock out all three of the runners up in the race. The Rams beat the Bears, and split with the Lions and 49ers (3-2-0). The Lions split with the Rams and Bears, and lost to the 49ers twice (2-4-0). The 49ers split with the Rams, lost to the Bears, and beat the Lions twice (3-2-0). The Bears lost to the Rams, beat the 49ers, and split with the Lions (2-2-0). The extra games that the Bears did not play against the Rams and 49ers were replaced by games against the Browns and Cardinals (who knocked the Bears out of the race the last game of the season, extending their streak of eliminating the Bears from title contention to four in the last five years). The 49ers, Rams, and Bears each played a game against the Browns. The 49ers won handily. The Rams and Bears were hammered. The Yanks' two ties were crucial, as they helped knock out the Lions and 49ers.

Games of interest.

Sep. 28: Rams* (0-0-0) 54 Yanks (0-0-0) 14 at LA Coliseum (Milwaukee Journal, Sep. 29; Today in Pro Football History blog;  Los Angeles Times, Sep. 29,  P.  B1, P.  B3--proprietary).

The Rams began the season exactly the way they had played in 1950. Their supercharged offense set two NFL records that still stand 68 years later. 1) Norm Van Brocklin (H) (who only started because Bob Waterfield (H) was injured) passed 27 times for 554 yards. The 554 yards broke a record set by Johnny Lujack of the Bears (468) in 1949. In the pass happy offenses of today's game, 500 yards has been surpassed several times. But Van Brocklin's record still stands. 2) The Rams churned out 735 (722 net) yards of offense, breaking the Bears record of 684 set in 1943. The Rams also had 34 first downs, setting a record at the time. Van Brocklin threw five TD passes, four to Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch (H). Hirsch's TDs went for 41, 47, 26, and 1 yards. This game foreshadowed his career season, possibly the greatest season a receiver has ever had. More on that below. The Yanks' only highlight was a 79 yard punt return by Buddy Young for their first TD. After a very good season in 1950 (see above) they lost their starting quarterback George Ratterman to the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Interprovincial Rugby Football Union, later to become the Eastern Division of the Canadian Football League. They never recovered from this loss (although, ironically, Ratterman returned to the Yanks after the IRFU season ended). The Yanks 1951 debacle led to their dissolution at the end of the season. Even so, they were to play a crucial role in the outcome of the National Conference race.

I have found no video of this game, but a short (2:58) video that puts Van Brocklin's performance in context is available here (NFL).

Sep. 30: 49ers* (0-0-0) 24 Browns (0-0-0) 10 at Kezar Stadium (see American Conference above)

Oct. 6: Eagles* (1-0-0) 21 49ers (1-0-0) 14 at Shibe Park (Milwaukee Sentinel, Oct. 7).

The 49ers, after upsetting the Browns last week, were themselves upset by the Eagles. The 49ers took an early 7-0 lead on a 60 TD run by Verl Lillywhite. The Eagles scored the next three TDs in the game on a 4 yard run by Jim Parmer (espn.com obituary) (who later, as a Bears scout, played a major role in assembling the 1985 Championship team), and two TD passes from Adrian Burk to Clyde Scott (49 (the Sentinel story says 39, it is incorrect) and 28 yards). Lillywhite finished the game's scoring on an 11 yard TD pass from Y.A. Tittle (H). Scott, who also was a track star who won a silver medal at the 1948 London Olympics, had a career day with three catches for 85 yards and two rushes for 34.  The Eagles' second win would be half their season's total. For the 49ers, it was the beginning of a pattern of bad games against poor teams (see their loss to the Cardinals--Nov. 18 below, and tie against the Yanks--Nov. 25, below) that ultimately torpedoed their Conference championship hopes. Losing to or tying teams with a total record of 8-26-2 is never a recipe for success.

Oct. 7: Cardinals* (0-1-0) 28 Bears (1-0-0) 14 at Comiskey Park (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 8; Chicago Tribune, Oct. 8, P. E1, P. E4--proprietary)

The Cardinals put a pipe wrench into the Bears' engine early as pint sized rookie halfback Billy Cross (5'6", 165 pounds) scored two TDs, one through the air and one on the ground, to help build a 28-0 lead. Two late Bear TDs made the score respectable. The Cardinals defense completely throttled the Bears in the first half, out rushing them 123 to 9, and out passing them 8-16 for 105 yards to 3-21 for 65. Inexplicably, George Halas (H) started Steve Romanik instead of Johnny Lujack at QB. Cross had 11 carries for 71 yards. Cardinal quarterback Frank Tripucka was knocked out of the game by a "vicious tackle" (according to CT Cardinals beat writer Harry Warren) by Bears end Ed (the Claw) Sprinkle (video: 5:09--this play is not on the video). Sprinkle was a vicious (though he stayed within the legal rules of the game, according to the video) but very talented undersized defensive end. His signature tackle was the clothesline, also made famous later by Dick (Night Train) Lane (H) (see below).

Tripucka was knocked out for the season as result of a shoulder separation administered by Giants' end Ray Poole the next week. Tripucka later played several years in the Canadian Football League before ending his career with an excellent stint (1960-63) with the Denver Broncos of the AFL IV. Those years were good enough to earn a number retirement and ring of honor notice for Tripucka (he wore #18 and consented to having his number un-retired when Payton Manning became the Broncos' quarterback--it was re-retired when Manning retired). Tripucka was the father of NBA basketball player Kelly Tripucka. Two of his grandsons have played in the NFL and one other has played professional lacrosse. As far as Sprinkle is concerned, the Cardinals paid him back with interest in their second encounter with the Bears (see below).

A final note regarding Sprinkle. If you watch and listen to the video above closely you will see and hear Sprinkle revel in how he intimidated Rams' African American fullback (Deacon) Dan Towler, who would lead the NFL in rushing in 1952, be selected to the Pro Bowl each year from 1951-54, was in the top four rushers in the league each year from 1951-54, and was their leading rusher in the 1951 and 1955 NFL Championship games, scoring a TD in the 1951 game. I find it difficult to believe that Towler was intimidated by anyone he played against.  Sprinkle also speaks of an "end for the Packers who played at Michigan and wore a mustache", which Sprinkle supposedly tore hairs out of to collect a $5 bounty offered by Head Coach and Owner George Halas (H) for every mustache hair collected. I researched the Packers' roster from 1950-54 and the only end from Michigan on their team was Bob Mann. Bob Mann was an African American receiver who integrated two NFL teams, the Lions and the Packers. In 1949 he led the NFL in receiving yardage and yards per reception. For his achievements he was asked to take a 20% pay cut. He held out and was traded to the Yanks, who released him. The story of how he was out of football (blackballed?) until the Packers signed him at the end of the 1950 season is exhaustively told in the Wikipedia article. Mann led the Packers in receiving in 1951. He played with the Packers through 1954 and was enshrined in the Packer Hall of Fame in 1988.  After doing this research I find it difficult to believe either of Sprinkle's stories. Indeed, the stories seem to tell a more sinister tale about Sprinkle than any of his clothesline tackles do.

Oct. 7, Browns (1-0-0) 38 Rams* (1-0-0) 23 at LA Coliseum (see above under American Conference).

Oct. 14: Rams (1-1-0) 27 Lions* (2-0-0) 21 at Briggs Stadium (Milwaukee Sentinel, Oct. 15, 1951; Detroit Free Press partial article, Oct. 15, 1951; Los Angeles Times, Oct. 15, 1951, P. C1., P. C2.--proprietary).

The largest crowd in Lions history to that time, 52,907, went home disappointed as the Rams built a 17-0 first half lead and held on for a victory that helped create a five team logjam at the top of the Conference (the Rams, Bears, 49ers, Lions, and Packers were all 2-1-0 at the end of the day). The Rams scored all their TDs through the air, two by Bob Waterfield (H), including a 12 yard pass to Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch (H) that he turned into a 70 (or 72, depending on the source) yard TD. Waterfield's other TD pass was for 20 yards to rookie end Norb Hecker (substituting for the injured Tom Fears (H) after Fears had caught the other TD pass--a 43 yarder from Norm Van Brocklin (H)). Two field goals by Waterfield that started and finished the Rams' scoring (37 and 47 yards respectively) were the difference in the game. The Lions, down 17-0, scored their first TD on a 36 yard pass from Bobby Layne (H) to wide receiver Dorne Dibble (who would go on to play on three Conference and two NFL Champion Lions teams). The way they scored their last two TDs was historic. Defensive back and punt returner Jack Christiansen (H) (who played on four Conference and three NFL Champion Lions teams) returned two punts for TDs, one for 68 (or 69 depending on the source) yards, and one for 47 (or 48 depending on the source). The second return made the score 27-21. With 2 and 1/2 minutes to play, Hecker stopped a Lions drive with an interception at the Rams 25 yard line. The Lions had one last chance when, on the final play of the game, Van Brocklin  punted to Christiansen again. But this time the Rams ran him out of bounds as the final gun went off. Two punt returns for TDs set an NFL game record that has been duplicated on several occasions. Later, against the Packers (see Nov. 22 below) Christiansen duplicated the feat. Two TD punt returns twice in a season has never been accomplished since, and Christiansen's four TD returns set a season record that has been duplicated but never bettered. As for Hecker, he went on to have great success in the coaching ranks, assisting six Conference and five NFL Champions with the Packers and 49ers.

Oct. 21: Bears* (2-1-0) 13 49ers (2-1-0) 7 at Wrigley Field. (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 22; Chicago Tribune, Oct. 22, P.  C1, P. C4--proprietary).

Led by a career day from rookie John (Kayo) Dottley (16 rushes for 112 yards and 1 catch for 77 yards and a TD), and some great defense that smothered the 49ers running game (31 rushes for 70 yards), the Bears withstood a 49er rally in the fourth quarter to win a brutal, hotly contested game (Bears quarterback Johnny Lujack and running back Wilford (Whizzer) White, as well as 49er running back Joe Perry (H), were knocked out of the game with injuries). In the first quarter Dottley took a 12 yard pass from Lujack at the Bears 35, and with the help of a great block by halfback Chuck Hunsinger, who obliterated ("bowled over", according to the CT account) middle guard Visco Grgich (who outweighed Hunsinger by 30 pounds), scored standing up. The Bears scored their other TD after a fumble recovery on the 49ers 35 yard line. Lujack snuck in from the 1. The 49ers hurt their own cause with seven turnovers. They finally scored on a 41 yard pass from Y.A. Tittle (H) to Gordie Soltau. With four minutes left in the game quarterback Frankie Albert's magnificent 66 yard quick kick buried the Bears at their own 7 yard line. All the 49ers needed was a stop. They never got it as the Bears, after a delay of game penalty backed them up to the 3 and 1/2, ground out the game with a seven play 91 yard drive, highlighted by a 50 yard run by halfback Julie Rykovich, who broke three tackles along the way. The final gun sounded with the Bears on the 49er 6 yard line. The game, played on a beautiful autumn day ("perfect football weather", according to the CT account), was attended by over 43,000.

Oct. 21: Yanks (0-3-0) 24 Lions* (2-1-0) 24 at Briggs Stadium (Brooklyn Eagle, Oct. 22 (Col. 4); New York Herald-Tribune, Oct. 22, P. 18--proprietary).

The Yanks, playing their fourth consecutive road game due to the use of Yankee Stadium for yet another baseball World Series, overcame four Lion leads to fight them to a tie that was ultimately devastating to the Lions' Conference championship hopes. Due to the loss of George Ratterman to Canada, the Yanks used rookie Bob Celeri at quarterback and employed a  formation with Celeri in (quick) "kick" position (ancestor to the shotgun formation we know today), according to HT Yanks beat writer Roger Kahn. Celeri was 13-30 for 223 yards and a TD. Bobby Layne (H) was 20-44 for 306 yards and a TD for the Lions. Though the Lions out gained the Yanks 407-242, they could never shake loose from them. The Yanks scored on drives of 74 yards in seven plays, highlighted by a 49 yard TD pass from Celeri to Buddy Young; 73 yards in nine plays, highlighted by a 58 yard pass from Celeri to running back Sherman Howard, and a long drive highlighted by a 46 yard pass from Celeri to Howard. The Lions scored on a 90 yard drive featuring three completions from Layne to end Leon Hart, including a 21 yard pass for the TD; a five play 73 yard drive in the first two minutes of the second half, culminated by a 10 yard TD run by Pat Harder; and a long drive finished by a Layne to Hart 7 yard TD pass. The Lions were led by Dorne Dibble's 7 catches for 125 yards and Hart's 6 for 110. The Yanks were led by Howard's 3 for 96. The Yanks had a chance to win the game on the final play, but Harvey Johnson's attempted 50 yard field goal came up short. 

Oct. 28: Bears (3-1-0) 28 Lions* (2-1-1) 23 at Briggs Stadium (Milwaukee Journal, Oct.29; Chicago Tribune, Oct. 29, P. C1, P. C5--proprietary).

There was no scoring in the first quarter and then the game was tied in every quarter (7-7, 14-14, 21-21). Finally the Bears went ahead for good via a blocked punt by end Ed Sprinkle deep in Lions territory, which was recovered by lineman Bill Wightkin at the 1 (or 3, depending on the source) yard line. Wightkin then took the ball over the line to put the Bears up 28-21. The Bears had two unlikely heroes in rookie running back John (Kayo) Dottley and substitute quarterback Steve Romanick. Dottley, for the second consecutive week (see above, Oct. 21) rushed for over 100 yards (17-105 and 2 TDs--the entire Lions team was 27-119). Romanick, substituting for the injured Johnny Lujack, was 9-17 for 205 yards and 2 TDs. On the Bears three TD drives (80, 76, and 57 yards), 48 yard passes (to wide receiver Gene Schroeder, Wightkin (who played end on offense), and running back John Hoffman, highlighted each drive. Coincidentally, on the Lions drive that tied the game at 14, Bobby Layne (H) connected with Jim Doran (who, two years later would catch the pass that culminated one of the great comeback Championship game  drives in NFL history) (see below under 1953) for 48 yards, the biggest play in that drive. The Lions, trailing 28-21, scored a safety when defensive tackle Ed Berrang (whom the Lions acquired early in the season from the Redskins) tackled Romanick in the Bears end zone. There were 10 minutes left in the game and  the Lions suddenly got the ball within one score of victory. After an exchange of punts the Lions got the ball on their 47 yard line. Layne, who would become famous for his late comeback wins, threw a 23 yard pass to end Leon Hart. But his next pass was intercepted by defensive back Don Kindt at the Bears 13. Kindt ran the ball back to the Bears 18, and then the Bears moved the ball to their 41. They then punted and stopped the Lions on downs at their own 24. After the punt, the Bears held the ball for the rest of the game and  were on the Lions 9 when the final gun sounded. Layne had a brilliant game (15-31, 299 yards, 3 TDs, but also 3 crucial intercpetions). Doran had 5 receptions for 140 yards and a TD. The Lions suddenly found themselves in trouble.

Oct. 28: 49ers* (2-2-0) 44 Rams (3-1-0) 17 at Kezar Stadium (Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 29; Los Angeles Times, Oct. 29, P. C1, P. C2--proprietary).

 The Rams, finishing up a three game road trip after beating the Lions (see Oct. 14 above) and shutting out the Packers (packershistory.net), were a bit overconfident and more than a bit flat at Kezar Stadium. The 49ers buried them under a four TD second quarter onslaught, taking a 38-10 halftime lead on their way to an easy win. End Gordie Soltau and the 49er defense starred. Soltau caught three TD passes, and kicked a field goal and five extra points, personally outscoring the Rams 26-17. On defense, the 49ers intercepted six Rams passes (five by Norm Van Brocklin (H) and one by Bob Waterfield (H)), and defensive tackle Leo (The Lion) Nomellini (H) (1) (video: 0:59-1:32 of NFL Films 49ers top five players of all time video); (2) (Nomellini at the Hall of Fame) (3) (New York Times Obituary) blocked a punt and returned it 20 yards for a TD.

(Parenthetically, like several other players, including Bronko Nagurski (H), Ernie (The Big Cat) Ladd, and Dick (The Bruiser) Afflis, Nomellini also had a very successful professional wrestling career, winning National Wrestling Alliance regional (San Francisco and Minneapolis) World Tag Team Championships six times and once defeating the legendary Lou Thesz).

Not only did the 49ers beat the Rams, they also beat them up. Linebacker Hardy Brown (see above) had quite a game, according to LA Times beat writer Frank Finch. "Their ferocious 193 pound linebacker Hardy Brown personally flattened Glen Davis and Dick Hoerner with two of the most lethal tackles this reporter ever saw." The Rams' only consolation was a 79 yard TD pass from Van Brocklin to Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch (H). By their fifth game, the 49ers had beaten both contestants in last year's Championship game. Rams Head Coach Joe Stydahar (H) fumed after the game, "We were outfought, outplayed, out everything. By the time the Rams woke up to the fact that they were meeting a team that wanted to play football, it was too late." Hirsch simply said: "You can't win if you're not up. We weren't". (Quotes from LA Times feature story about the game--P. C1). The Rams would have a week to think about things, as the rematch at the Coliseum was scheduled for the following Sunday.

Nov. 4: Rams* (3-2-0) 23 49ers (3-2-0) 16 at LA Coliseum (Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 5; Los Angeles Times, Nov. 5, P. C1,  P. C4)--proprietary).

Video 1: (22:19-27:18) of Highlights of all games of Nov. 4. This segment has highlights of the 49ers-Rams game. Features Hirsch and Perry TDs (see below for context.

Video 2: (1:25-1:33) of Elroy Hirsch best NFL 100 player NFL Films highlight video shows the winning TD pass in this game (see below for context).

Video 3: (6:41-7) of  NFL greatest touchdowns film, shows another view of the Perry TD run.

The Rams, in front of 55,569, "wanted to play football", according to LA Times beat writer Frank Finch. They came from behind (16-13) to take the lead on a magnificent 74 yard TD pass from Bob Waterfield (H) to Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch (H) in the fourth quarter. They added a field goal to complete the crucial victory. Their defense forced five turnovers and held the 49ers passing attack of Frankie Albert and Y.A. Tittle (H) to 5-16 for 33 yards and two interceptions. Waterfield duplicated Gordie Soltau's scoring feat from last week by outscoring the entire 49ers team (one TD, three field goals--tying his own team record--and two extra points) 17-16. The 49ers had come back from an early 10-0 deficit to take a 16-13 lead with a great 58 yard TD run by Joe Perry (H) and a 1 yard bootleg by Albert. Perry's run was described (and accompanied by an 11 photo sequence) in the Times account:

"(Perry) took a handoff from Tittle on the 49er 42 yard line, wiggled free from a mess of linemen and headed down the sidelines. He shook off (Paul (Tank)) Younger near midfield and then changed direction twice in swerving past (Woodley) Lewis and Norb Hecker to go over standing up."

In an interesting interview by Cal Whorton in the Times feature story on the game, Rams Head Coach Joe Stydahar (H) said:

"Last week a series of tough breaks cost us the game. The players wanted to win, but things went against us. Mentally the boys were about the same today but the breaks were more evenly distributed." Compare that to what he said to the press after last week's game! (See above).

Hirsch was the least impressed of anyone in the Coliseum by his catch:

"As far as I'm concerned it was just a routine catch... I ran fast, looked over my shoulder, stuck up my hands and Waterfield laid the ball right in place. They tell me there were a couple of 49ers around me (Rex Berry--#83 and Jim Powers--#62), but I didn't see them."

The Rams also introduced a feature to their offense that they would use for the rest of the season. They used their three fullbacks (Younger, (Deacon) Dan Towler, and Dick Hoerner, "some 660 pounds of brawn and speed," according to Finch), together. This backfield became known as the "Bull Elephant Backfield".
Stydahar's thinking on this change was succinct. "In Hoerner, Towler, and Younger, we have a lot of power. We can now make those short gains that we often needed for a first down that would have given us an opportunity to control the ball."

Video (27:18) narrated highlights of all Nov. 4 games.

American Conference:
Browns 34 Cardinals* 17; Eagles 34 Steelers* 13

National Conference:
Lions 24  Packers* 17; Rams* 23 49ers 16

Inter-conference:
Giants (A)* 37 Yanks (N) 31; Bears (N) 27 Redskins (A)* 0

National Conference Standings at the close of play Nov. 4:

Bears 5-1-0
Rams  4-2-0
Lions 3-2-1
49ers 3-3-0

Nov. 11: Lions (3-2-1) 41 Bears* (5-1-0) 28 at Wrigley Field (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 12;  Chicago Tribune, Nov. 12, P. C1, P. C4--proprietary; Today in Pro Football History blog).

The Lions beat the Bears for the first time since Nov. 11, 1945 (after 11 consecutive losses) in a game they couldn't afford to lose. Bobby Layne (H) a Bear reject, led the way with four TD passes. The Lions showed their intent on the first play from scrimmage. Layne completed a 47 yard pass to end Dorne Dibble. Those two finished the drive a few plays later with a 26 yard TD pass. The Lions, on the crest of a 17 point second quarter, took a 24-7 lead and coasted home from there. The Lions defense dominated and helped cause six Bear turnovers that led to 24 points. They held the Bears league leading rushing attack to 94 yards in 33 carries. Layne was 16-30 for 259 yards. Leon Hart caught two TD passes and fullback Pat Harder one. Doak Walker (H) had an excellent game with six rushes for 55 yards and three catches for 39. The win not only helped the Lions back into the race, but tightened it considerably.

Standings at the close of play Nov. 11:

Bears 5-2-0
Rams  5-2-0
Lions 4-2-1
49ers 4-3-0

Nov. 18: Cardinals (1-6-0) 27 49ers* (4-3-0) 21 at Kezar Stadium (Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 19; Chicago Tribune, Nov. 19, P. C1, P. C4--proprietary)

The Cardinals' second win of the season broke a five game losing streak. More importantly, it put a huge dent in the 49ers Conference chances. CT's Harry Warren went so far as to say the loss knocked the 49ers out of contention. It was the last game the 49ers lost all season. The win was fashioned out of great all round play from quarterback Charlie Trippi (H) (8-16 passing for 189 yards and a TD; 16 rushes for 81 yards and a TD--almost 65% of total yards the Cardinals amassed). Halfback Elmer Angsman caught a 10 yard pass on his own 30 and outran the defense for an 80 yard TD. The Cardinals built a 24-7 halftime lead and then, with the help of some great defense (two interceptions and a fumble led to 17 points and the Cardinals stopped a 49er drive on the 1 yard line) they built the lead and then held on. For the 49ers, end Gordie Soltau caught 8 passes for 110 yards and the rushing attack ground out 231 yards in 43 rushes, and scored all three of their TDs. They scored on drives of 75 yards in 18 plays, 80 yards in eight plays, and a 71 yard drive in the fourth quarter. This game was the first time that Trippi would stamp his name on the Conference race. There would be a second.

Standings at the close of play Nov. 18:

Bears 6-2-0
Rams  6-2-0
Lions 5-2-1
49ers 4-4-0

Week of Nov. 22-25

Nov. 22: Lions* (5-2-1) 52 Packers (3-5-0) 35 at Briggs Stadium (Milwaukee Journal game article and Milwaukee Sentinel analysis via packershistory.net; Today in Pro Football History blog; Detroit Free Press, partial game article.

This Thanksgiving Day contest was one of those amazing games that made the NFL in the 1950s so entertaining. Led by a magnificent day from quarterback Tobin Rote (8-23 passing for 223 yards, 3 TDs, 2 interceptions; 15 rushes for 131 yards and a TD, accounting for 354 of the team's 471 yards of total offense (458 net)), he led the Packers to a 21-10 lead in the second quarter. The Lions then answered, over the rest of the second and third quarters, with 28 consecutive points on three Bobby Layne (H) TD passes--33 and 19 yards to end Leon Hart, sandwiched around a 35 yard TD to halfback Doak Walker (H)--and an 85 yard TD run by halfback Bob (Hunchy) Hoernschemeyer (whom the Lions received in the 1950 AAFC dispersal draft--he had played for the Rockets, Dodgers, and Hornets). The Packers then scored a TD to make the score 38-28. The Lions then answered again and put the game out of reach,courtesy of two punt return TDs by Jack Christiansen (H) (71 and 89 yards). This was the second time Christiansen had scored on two punt returns in the same game this season (see above, Oct. 14), a record which has never been equaled. Layne was 20-36 passing for 296 yards, 4 TDs and 1 interception. He had multiple completions to six different receivers. Hoernschemeyer led the Lions in rushing with 7-99. Statistically, the game was much closer than the final score indicated. Only one first down separated the teams, and the Lions had only eight more total yards. The two teams racked up 949 yards of offense. The Packers played this game without six injured players. It was their fourth consecutive loss on the way to a seven game losing streak that ended their season. Interestingly, Lloyd Larson's feature article in the Milwaukee Sentinel discussed the power of TV to bring the game into fans' living rooms (it is how he watched the game), as well as its threat to cut into attendance.

Nov. 25: Yanks* (0-7-1) 10 49ers (4-4-0) 10 at Yankee Stadium (Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 26; New York Herald Tribune, Nov. 26,  P. 20--proprietary; New York Times, Nov. 26,  P. 38--proprietary).

The 49ers couldn't hold a 10-0 lead and the Yanks scored 10 points in the fourth quarter in front of a little less than 11,000 paying fans. The tie  dealt the 49ers what looked to be a death blow to their Conference championship hopes. It was their third consecutive game without a win. In the last two games they managed to lose and tie against two teams with a combined record of 1-13-1. They scored within the first six minutes and added a field goal to increase the lead to 10 at halftime. Their troubles began with a partially blocked Verl Lillywhite punt that set the Yanks up on the 49er 23. Then rookie quarterback Bob Celeri (replacing George Ratterman, who had rejoined the Yanks after the end of the Montreal Alouettes Inter-Provincial Rugby Football Union season (see above, Sep. 28), and been booed off the field after passing for a miserable 4-10, 16 yards, and 2 interceptions with a passer rating of 8.3) completed a 12 yard pass to halfback Buddy Young. Young and fullback Sherman Howard then finished the drive. With two minutes to play the Yanks stopped the 49ers on downs on the 49ers 47 yard line. Why the 49ers didn't punt is anyone's guess. They must have thought the gamble was worth it, as it would have won the game. They might have lost confidence in Lillywhite's kicking ability. There was nothing said about the strategy in any of the three referenced newspaper accounts. Celeri then hit Young on the 49ers 17 behind the defense but smack dab in the middle of the Yankees infield. As he was tucking the ball in he slipped and fell and was tackled. Young said: "I'm used to running on grass. When my cleats hit the dirt I lost my balance." (Brooklyn Eagle). The drive stopped there and Harvey Johnson kicked the tying field goal. The Yanks then failed on an onside kick and the 49ers had the ball near midfield with about one minute left. They worked the ball into easy field goal range, but tried one rush too many. Halfback Pete Schabarum  (who later became a member of the California State Assembly) fumbled on the 14 yard line, and the Yanks recovered. Earlier in the game the Yanks stopped a 49er drive in the red zone. The 49ers also stopped themselves once in the red zone due to a penalty. After all the mistakes made in this game, the 49ers were well and truly dead. Everyone in pro football knew that. Everyone except the 49ers.

Nov. 25: Browns* (7-1-0) 42 Bears (6-2-0) 21 at Municipal Stadium. (See above under American Conference).

Nov. 25: Redskins* (3-5-0 31 Rams (6-2-0) 21 at Griffith Stadium (Milwaukee Sentinel, Nov. 26; Los Angeles Times, Nov 26, P.  C1, P.  C2--proprietary).

The Rams, with a great chance to take over first place, slipped on a banana peel and were thrashed by the lowly Redskins. The difference in the game was the Redskins powerful running attack, led by fullback Rob Goode's 23 rushes for 148 yards and two TDs. On the other side of the line, Redskins defensive ends Bob Hendren and Walt Yowarsky (who had a six year career with four NFL teams, followed by a 47 year career as an NFL coach and scout--including 26 years as a Cowboys scout) pressured the Rams passers all day. Yowarski knocked Norm Van Brocklin (H) out of the game. The Redskins defense also held the "Bull Elephant" backfield to 26 rushes for 57 yards. The game was not as close as the score indicated, the Rams picking up much of their passing yardage after being behind 31-7 in the fourth quarter. After the Rams took an early 7-0 lead on a Jerry Williams 7 yard pick six of a Sammy Baugh pass (Baugh ran the team all day from both T and double wing formations and went 7-12 for 112 yards, 2 TDs and a 96.2 passer rating), the Redskins answered with 31 consecutive points, including TD drives of 68, 64, 80, and 46 yards. The silver lining for the Rams was Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch's (H) 7 receptions for 104 yards and a TD. The TD kept alive Hirsch's scoring streak of nine consecutive games. The next week, the Rams would play the Bears at Wrigley Field, while the Lions would entertain the 49ers at Briggs Stadium.

Standings at the close of play Nov. 25:

Lions 6-2-1
Rams  6-3-0
Bears 6-3-0
49ers 4-4-1

Dec. 2: 49ers (4-4-1) 20 Lions* (6-2-1) 10 at Briggs Stadium (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 3).

The 49ers (still viewed as out of the race--"assumed the role of giant killers" according to the Milwaukee Journal Associated Press account) took their first step at getting back into the race by dominating the first place Lions in front of 52,024 hostile fans. The Lions did not score a TD until around two minutes remained in the third quarter. By that time the 49ers had a 13-3 lead. Quarterbacks Frankie Albert and Y.A. Tittle (H) spread the ball around to eight different receivers and Tittle passed for two TDs. Their defense held Bobby Layne (H) to 11-32 for 112 yards, one TD, and one interception. Lions halfback Bob Hoernschemeyer was knocked out of the game in the first quarter with a concussion after 1 rush for 0 yards and 1 incomplete pass. The Lions rushing attack was held to 23 rushes for 78 yards while the 49ers attack rushed 52 times for 200 yards and one TD (scored by halfback Johnny Strzykalski on a one yard run at the end of a 90 yard drive the first time the 49ers had the ball), with fullback Joe Perry (H) leading the way with 22 rushes for 126 yards. The 49ers dominated possession with 74 non-kicking plays to 59 for the Lions. The loss cost the Lions the Conference lead.

Dec. 2: Rams (6-3-0) 42 Bears* (6-3-0) 17 at Wrigley Field (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 3; Chicago Tribune, Dec. 3, P.  E1,  P. E2 --proprietary; Los Angeles Times, Dec. 3, P.  C1,  P. C4--proprietary).

This was the only game the Bears played against the Rams. The Bears had played both the Rams and 49ers on the Coast in exhibition games played within four days in August, and owner-coach George Halas (H) insisted this was the only West Coast trip he was going to make. So they only played the Rams and 49ers once. This was the second of four games the contenders would play against each other in the last three weeks of the season. The Bears got off to a great start and led 14-0 with 8 minutes 45 seconds gone in the first quarter. The crowd of 50,286 was no doubt delirious with joy. This was going to be easy. Then from the Rams 9 yard line Bob Waterfield (H) dropped back almost to the end zone and hit Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch (H) on the dead run at the Rams 46. He was being covered by defensive backs Don Kindt (#5) and Billy Stone (#6) but he beat them both and then outraced them the rest of the way for a 91 yard TD (longest of the season in the NFL). The TD kept Hirsch's touchdown in every game of the 1951 season streak in tact. It also allowed him to break Don Hutson's (H) season passing yardage record, set in 1942. The play can be viewed on a short compilation of Hirsch highlghts (3:16-3:30 on the video). It also completely deflated the Bears. They scored a field goal and led 17-7 at the end of the first quarter, but then the Rams crushed them under five unanswered TDs on drives of 89 yards in eight plays, three 80 yard drives, two in seven plays and one in eight, and a 28 yard drive in two plays after a blocked punt. As the game went on, the Bears played it in their usual collegial, sportsmanlike fashion that helped them lead the league in penalty yards with 1,107. Here is what Frank Finch, Rams beat reporter for the Los Angeles Times said:

"The Bears decided to play rough. On three consecutive plays, (defensive tackle) Fred Davis piled on (Dick Hoerner--fullback and 1/3 of the Rams "Bull Elephant" backfield) long after the play was stopped, Billy Stone took a punch at end Tom Fears (H), and (defensive end and well known tough guy) Ed Sprinkle roughed up Hirsch."

And this from Edward Prell, Bears beat writer for the Chicago Tribune.

"Late in the game Ray Bray, veteran Bear guard added a hilarious touch by rushing onto the field from the sidelines to grab (defensive back) Jerry Williams, who was threatening to break into the clear after intercepting  (Bears third string quarterback) Bob Williams' pass on [the Rams 7 yard line]."

The Rams later added insult to injury by sacking Williams 3 straight times, leaving the Bears with a tidy 4th and 41. At that point,what was left of the biggest Bears crowd of the year booed the team off the field as they left the park. The Ram's "Bull Elephant" backfield had 26 rushes for 203 yards and four TDs. Four Rams receivers had multiple catches, with Hirsch leading the way with thee for 106 yards. Fears (H) had five for 68 yards and a TD. Paul (Tank) Younger led the Rams in all purpose yards with 146 (7 rushes for 71 yards and a TD, 2 catches for 75 yards). He also had a great game at linebacker on defense. According to the LA Times account, Younger was applauded off the field by the crowd the few times he was taken out of the game.

Standings at the close of play Dec. 2:

Rams  7-3-0
Lions 6-3-1
Bears 6-4-0
49ers 5-4-1

Dec. 9: Lions (6-3-1) 24 Rams* (7-3-0) 22 at LA Coliseum (Milwaukee Journal, Dec.10; Los Angeles Times, Dec. 10, P. C1, P. C4--proprietary).

With a chance to clinch the Conference title, the Rams stumbled to one of the most frustrating losses imaginable. The game was terrifically exciting, as the lead changed hands five times. Bob Waterfield's (H) record breaking five field goals (breaking the Cardinals Paddy Driscoll's (H) record of 4 (drop kicks--including one of 50 yards) set in 1925) were not enough, as Bobby Layne (H) engineered the winning drive with three minutes left in the game. The drive consumed five plays and 78 yards and was highlighted by three completions for 31 yards and a Layne keeper for 25 yards. This set up the Lions with a first down on the Rams 22 yard line. On the final play of the drive Layne handed off to tailback Doak Walker (H), who ran to his right and then stopped and threw a perfect pass to end Leon Hart, who beat Rams defensive back Jerry Williams in the end zone. The five field goals were a great achievement but also an indictment of the Rams  inability to finish drives. The tone for this was set on the their first drive of the game, a 16 play 88 yard, 2 and 1/2 foot drive that was stopped when Waterfield fumbled. After a penalty he kicked a short field goal. Rams Line Coach Ray Richards said  "If we'd made a touchdown then, I believe we'd have won going away. We never did fully recover from that bobble." The Rams were stopped two other times in the red zone, each leading to Waterfield field goals. Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch (H) had 6 catches for 81 yards but was held without a TD for the first and only time during the season. The Lions' Don Doll (who had 10 or more interceptions in three different seasons and also tied the record of four interceptions in a game (1949)--originally set by Sammy Baugh (H) (see 1943 above)) was given credit for helping to contain Hirsch. When the dust had settled the silence of the Rams dressing room (according to Cal Whorton's feature article in the LA Times) reflected the fact that they were well aware of the opportunity they missed. They lost control of their fate as the Conference lead changed hands for the third consecutive week.

In other relevant games:

49ers* (5-4-1) 31 Packers (3-7-0) 19 at Kezar Stadium (Milwaukee Sentinel via Packershistory.net)

Bears (6-4-0) 45  Yanks* (1-7-2) 21 at Yankee Stadium (Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 10; Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 10)

Standings at the close of play Dec. 9

Lions 7-3-1
Rams  7-4-0
Bears 7-4-0
49ers 6-4-1

Going into the final weekend of the season, there were numerous Conference championship possibilities. Three teams could win outright, the Lions by beating or tying the 49ers; the Bears, with a win against the Cardinals while the Rams lost to the Packers and Lions lost to the 49ers; the Rams, with a win while the Bears and Lions lost. The best the 49ers could do was a playoff, with a win over the Lions while the Bears and Rams lost. But there were also playoff possibilities too numerous to explain, but they included two, three, and four team playoffs. A four team playoff (49ers winning, Lions losing, and Bears and Rams tying) would have taken the season into the new year of 1952, something unprecedented in NFL history. The last day of the most competitive NFL Conference race in this era would be a barn burner.

Dec. 16: Cardinals (2-9-0) 24 Bears* (7-4-0) 14 at Wrigley Field (Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 17; Chicago Tribune, Dec. 17, P.  C1, P.  C5--Game story by Edward Prell, feature story by Harry Warren--proprietary). Weather conditions.

In a game played in bitterly cold weather (-1 degree F according to newspaper accounts, with wind chills between -14 and -17 according to the NOAA weather station reading about 12 miles away) that kept attendance down to a little over 15,000, a Cardinals half-time adjustment ended the Bears season. Curly Lambeau (H) had resigned as Cardinals Head Coach on Dec. 7--a contentious resignation chronicled in a Chicago Tribune article by Arch Ward (Dec. 8, P.  B1, P.  B3) and two others on Dec. 8 and 9 by Cardinals beat reporter Harry Warren (P.  B3 and A1 respectively). In his place was a triumvirate of coaches: Cecil Isbell (the old Packer passer--see 1939, 1941 and 1943 above), Phil Handler, and Gerrard (Buster) Ramsey.

After the Bears had taken a 7-0 halftime lead, the Cardinal coaches made a quarterback change (Jim Hardy had a miserable half running the T-formation, 4-12 for 29 yards, 2 interceptions and a rating of 2.8). They also made a formation change, bringing in Charlie Trippi (H) as tailback to run a double wing spread offense. While the Bears were chasing five receivers all over the field Trippi took them apart, running for two TDs and passing for another. He ended up with one of the best days of his career, 13 rushes for 145 yards and 9-19 passing for 106 yards. He produced more than half of the Cardinals' total yards, as they outscored the Bears 24-7 in the second half. They had a six play 71 yard drive to tie the game. Trippi had 38 yards rushing in that drive. After a Cardinal field goal and Johnny Lujack's second TD pass to rookie end Gene Schroeder (nwi.com, Aug. 13, 2014) (a 46 yarder, the first TD had been a 75 yard TD pass to open the scoring--Schroeder's 4 catches for 150 yards were 37.5 yards per catch, still the 3rd best YPC in a game in Bears history).  On the following kickoff, Trippi led a 33 yard drive after a 57 yard return by defensive back and kick returner Don Paul at the beginning of the fourth quarter. This was the final lead change in the game. Trippi had a 16 yard run and then hit rookie halfback Billy Cross (hero of the Cardinals earlier victory over the Bears--see Oct. 7 above) with a 6 yard TD pass. Then about half way through the quarter Trippi culminated a 54 yard drive with a great 26 yard broken field TD run after he made a 12 yard run and completed a 16 yard pass to Paul (who made a great catch on the crucial 3rd and 10 play).

For the Bears, the game and season were ruined. But that wasn't quite the end of it. Earlier (see Oct. 7 above), Ed (The Claw) Sprinkle had knocked out the Cardinals original starting quarterback Frank Tripucka. In this game Sprinkle did something to Trippi that incensed him so much that, with a single punch, he knocked Sprinkle cold. Here we pick up the story with the Tribune's Cardinals beat reporter Harry Warren in their dressing room after the game.

"The Cardinal dressing room represented the scene of a minor riot after the game. The south siders were happy over their victory and heaped congratulations on Trippi, not only for his great one man show, but from the knockout punch he landed on Ed Sprinkle, Bear end. A movement was started by the Cardinals for a "Five Dollar Club." The dues, of course, would be turned over to Trippi to pay the $50 fine, automatic for an athlete who strikes an opposing player and is thrown out of the game."

And in case anyone on the North Side needed to be reminded, Ed Prell, the Tribune's Bears beat writer, wrote it out in black and white, one of the most beautiful paragraphs to ever adorn a Chicago newspaper:

"It was the fourth time in five years that the Cardinals had sabotaged the Bears playoff ambitions. They did it in 1947 and 1948 by beating out the Bears for the divisional title. And last year they whipped the Bears in December to force them into a losing playoff with the Los Angeles Rams." The Bears would continue to fail to win the Conference title until 1956 (with the Cardinals denying them again in 1955), when they were shellacked 47-7 by the Giants in the title game (see below).     

Dec. 16: Rams* (7-4-0) 42 Packers (3-8-0) 14 at LA Coliseum (Milwaukee Sentinel via packershistory.net; Los Angeles Times, Dec. 17, game story by Frank Finch, feature story by Cal Whorton, both P. C1, P. C4--proprietary).

This game was a little closer than the score indicated as the Rams, with one eye on the 49ers-Lions game, pulled away from a halftime stalemate of 14-14 with four unanswered TDs to finish as the first NFL National (Western) Conference champion with four losses in this era. Bob Waterfield (H) threw a club record tying 5 TD passes (10-18, 204 yards). Three of the TDs were caught by Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch (H) (72,  (video: 1:08-1:18 of Elroy Hirsch highlight film--also shown in a 6 panel photo shoot originally in the LA Times, but also available at the Packershistory.net site) 37, and 19 yards (video: 3:35-3:43 of Elroy Hirsch highlight film). The Rams also scored on a 99 yard TD return of a missed field goal by Jerry Williams. For the Packers, a promising season (3-2-0 start) had been destroyed by a seven game losing streak. But this loss couldn't be laid at the feet of their great quarterback Tobin Rote. In this game he was 20-40 for 335 yards and 2 TDs (also 3 interceptions), and ran 8 times for 24 yards. He was responsible for 359 of their 424 total yards. Rote had a stellar season in 1951, with 106-256 for 1,540 yards and 15 TDs (also 20 interceptions). He also rushed 76-523 (6.9 yards per carry) for 3 TDs. For the season, he was responsible for 56% of the team's total yards and 53% of their TDs. Rote played on poor Packer teams for seven years (1950-1956--28-55-1, 0 winning seasons). He led the league in pass completions twice, in passing yards once, in TDs twice, and yards per carry once. He went to the Lions in 1957 and played on their Championship team that year. He was the quarterback in the Lions famous comeback (from a 27-7 deficit) win against the 49ers in the Western Conference playoff at Kezar Stadium. In that game he was 16-30 passing for 214 yards and a TD (also 1 interception). In the Championship game that year against the Browns (a 59-14 Lions win) he was 12-19 for 280 yards and 4 TDs (see below for both games). He retired after the 1959 season but then returned in 1963 with the Chargers in the AFL IV. He was a first team AFL All Pro and AFL Pro-Bowler. He also quarterbacked the Chargers to a 51-10 win over the Patriots in the 1963 AFL Championship game (see below).

The Rams, according to Cal Whorton's feature story in the LA Times, were delirious with joy in their locker room after the game. They also had nothing but good words to say about the 49ers. They had one eye on the press box during the later stages of the game, waiting for notification of the 49ers-Lions score. They were even flagged for a delay of game penalty for celebrating too long on the sidelines when notified the 49ers had scored the TD that soon won the game (see below). Part owner Bob Hope later said: "This is the first game I ever attended where I watched the Press Box more than the playing field." The only disappointment was the attendance: 23,698.

A final word about Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch's (H) 1951 season. It was, arguably, the greatest season by a receiver in NFL history. Hirsch broke one and tied one  NFL record held by Don Hutson (H). His 1,495 yards smashed Hudson's 1942 record of 1,211. He also tied Hudson's mark of 17 TDs, also achieved in 1942. He led the league in 9 offensive categories (receptions, receiving yards, receiving TDs, longest reception, yards per reception, receiving yards per game, points scored, total yards from scrimmage, and all purpose yards). His 1,495 receiving yards came on 66 catchers. Gordie Soltau of the 49ers had the second most receiving yards and catches, 826 and 59 respectively. Leon Hart of the Lions was second in TDs with 12. I have done a preliminary search of NFL statistics and have found no one who even came near leading in six purely reception categories. Possibly the most dominating statistical fact is that Hirsch had almost 50 more yards receiving per game than his teammate Tom Fears (H) who was second in the league. Hirsch's numbers may seem pedestrian compared with the numbers receivers commonly rack up in today's game. He played 12 game seasons and if you index his numbers to a 16 game season, they would look like this: 88 catches, 1,988 yards, 23 TDs.

Perhaps more importantly, Hirsch was the first true flankerback, and shined a bright light, along with the rest of the Rams offense, pointing to the modern NFL game.

Dec. 16: 49ers* (6-4-1) 21 Lions (7-3-1) 17 at Kezar Stadium (Milwaukee Sentinel, Dec. 17, Part 2, P. 4, P. 5; Santa Cruz Sentinel, Dec. 17, P. 6--proprietary).

The 49ers were the team with the most unlikely chance to play post season football. The Lions had the best chance. Ultimately, neither would make it. The Lions needed only a tie or win. The 49ers needed a win and help in Chicago and Los Angeles. They got their win and help in Chicago. There was no help in Los Angeles. This was an exciting game, with three lead changes. The Lions dominated statistically, 353 total yards to 269, but four errant Bobby Layne (H) passes (two of which led to first half 49er TDs, and a third which stopped a Lions drive in the fourth quarter, all by cornerback Lowell Wagner), helped the 49ers considerably. Only a few minutes separated the Lions (with a 17-14 lead) from their first Conference championship in 16 years. We pick up the story as told by Russ Newland of the Associated Press in the Santa Cruz Sentinel:

"Rookie Halfback Joe Arenas [who led the league in return yards in 1951], a swift 180-pounder from Omaha university [sic] set the stage for the 49ers upset victory. Taking a Lion punt, he dodged and weaved 51 yards down the field to the Detroit 18 yard line. Five plays later Quarterback Y.A. Tittle [H], former Louisiana State star, outmaneuvered the bulky Lions by skirting their left end for one yard on a bootleg touchdown run."

Three minutes were left and the Lions had no answer. Their time would come, very soon (see below). But they had a very long off season ahead of them. Their thoughts would be dominated by figuring out a way to beat the 49ers, who beat them twice in the last three weeks of the season. They could also ruminate on that tie with the Yanks (1-9-2) that literally cost them a shot at a playoff with the Rams for the Conference championship  (a playoff they would get in 1952). For the 49ers, it would also be a long winter, where they would think about losses to the Eagles and Cardinals and a tie against the Yanks (three teams that were collectively 8-26-2), and what might have been.

Final National Conference Standings

Rams  8-4-0

Lions 7-4-1

49ers 7-4-1

Bears 7-5-0

For the fourth and final time in the last four weeks, there was a change in the Conference leader.

Longest winning streak: Browns 11; Longest losing streak: Packers 7

Highest regular season attendance: Dec. 9: Lions (6-3-1) 24, Rams* (7-3-0) 22 at LA Coliseum: 67,892

Most Valuable Player: United Press International: Otto Graham (H) (quarterback, Browns).

Rookie of the Year: None awarded between 1950-1956

All Pros (all columns are sortable)

Pro Bowlers (all columns are sortable) Game info, including links to newspaper stories

Statistical leaders

Championship Game:

Los Angeles Rams* (8-4-0) 24 Cleveland Browns (11-1-0) 17 (LA Coliseum) Attendance: 59,475.  Browns roster. Rams roster. Weather conditions.

Video 1: (48:18) This is a condensed game film narrated by Harry Wismer, who would later be the first owner of the AFL IV Titans.

Video 2: (0:26-0:36) of Norm Van Brocklin highlight film. Shows the winning TD pass, narrated and in color.

Video 3: (0:14-0:19) of Rams 1950s receivers highlight film. Also shows the winning TD pass.

Box score, statistical recaps, starting lineups

Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page)

Also see:

Game story: Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dec. 24 (Harold Sauerbrei)
Game story: Los Angeles Times, Dec. 24, P. C1, P. C2--proprietary (Frank Finch)
Game story: Chicago Tribune, Dec. 24, P. A1, P. A2--proprietary (Wilfrid Smith)
Game story: This day in Pro Football History blog
Game story: The Best Show in Football, P. 233-237 (Andy Piascik)

Feature article: Los Angeles Times, Dec. 24, P. C1, P. C2, proprietary (Braven Dyre).

In front of the largest Championship game crowd to that time, 59,475, the Rams evened the score with the Browns (their first ever win against the Browns) with an exciting win that wasn't decided until the last two minutes of the game. Two big plays by the Rams negated two tough goal line stands by the Browns defense to give the Rams their second Championship in six years. The win gave home teams the advantage in these games by a 13-5-1 (the 1936 Championship game was played at a neutral field--see above) count. By contrast, the team with the better regular season record had a 9-9-1 record in these games.

The Browns' problem in this game was foreshadowed as much as a week before the game. According to Piascik the Browns were delayed getting back to Cleveland from their last game against the Eagles by a blizzard and Korean War restrictions. Then they were forced to make a second trip to the West Coast (though the Rams had no sympathy for this hardship, as they and the 49ers flew far more miles than any other team during the course of the season). Their equipment and uniforms were delayed on another plane. So their weekly routine was interrupted. Still they had beaten the Rams three straight times (1950 Championship game, an exhibition game in August 1951, and the second game of the 1951 season) without a loss since entering the NFL.

This game was much more defense oriented than last year's.

First Quarter: The Browns began the game with a 53 yard drive that included three double digit yard passes from Otto Graham (H) to Mac Speedie and Dante Lavelli (H), sandwiched around a 10 yard Graham run. From there the drive stalled and Lou (The Toe) Groza (H) uncharacteristically missed a chip shot field goal from 19 yards. That was the only threat in the first quarter.

Second Quarter: At the beginning of the quarter, Bob Waterfield (H) directed a 56 yard 13 play TD drive. The drive was kept alive by a controversial pass interference call against linebacker Tommy Thompson (who this year was #24) at the Browns 12 yard line (12:23-12:54 of Video 1). From there four consecutive running plays (two to Dick Hoerner sandwiched around runs by Vitamin Smith (who had replaced the injured Paul (Tank) Younger) and (Deacon) Dan Towler) gave the Rams a 7-0 lead. A Browns drive was stopped by successive sacks by ends Andy Robustelli (H) (New York
Giants) and Larry Brink. After a Warren Lahr interception set the Browns up at their own 45, their drive stalled (due to two dropped passes by halfback Ken Carpenter) and Groza hit a 52 yard field goal (18:12-18:20), an NFL Championship game record that stood for 42 years until broken by the Bills' Steve Christie in Super Bowl XXVIII. 7-3. The Browns then stopped the Rams and regained possession. There followed a lightening three play, 54 yard scoring drive featuring passes to Mac Speedie for 14 yards, Marion Motley (H) for 23, and Dub Jones for 17 and the TD (19:22-20:26). 10-7. A final Rams drive deep into Browns territory was stopped by defensive back Tommie James' interception at the Browns one yard line as the half ended.

Third Quarter: The Rams first drive was stopped by a (Deacon) Dan Towler fumble, recovered by linebacker Hal Herring.on the Browns 41. On second down Brink crashed in from right end and sacked Graham, knocking the ball loose. It was recovered by  Robustelli who (in spite of losing the ball himself) returned it all the way to the Browns 1 (24:58-25:30). Three plays later, Towler crashed through for a TD. 14-10. A Graham 51 yard TD pass to Mac Speedie was nullified by a holding penalty, denying the Browns the lead. On the Rams next drive, after Elroy (Crazy Legs) Hirsch (H) dropped a long pass from Norm Van Brocklin (H), who had replaced Waterfield, Fears caught a Van Brocklin pass for 48 yards to the Browns 1. The Browns then stopped Towler and Hoerner cold to end the quarter.

Fourth Quarter. On the first play of the quarter the Rams faked a field goal but holder Glen Davis was stopped by a great tackle by defensive end Derrell Palmer , assisted by Herring. (33:54-34:49). On the Browns next drive Graham was intercepted by safety Marvin Johnson on the Browns 36. Johnson returned all the way to the Browns 1. Two line plunges by Hoerner failed, and the Rams were penalized 5 yards on 3rd down. Then Van Brocklin threw a short pass to Davis, who was tackled by linebacker Tommie Thompson and defensive end George Young. For the second time in less than three minutes, brilliant Browns goal line stands (reminiscent of their titanic goal line stand against the Giants in the 1950 playoff game and two great stands in the second Giants game this year--see above) had stopped the Rams. (35:16-36:59). The Rams then took a delay of game penalty to give Waterfield a little more room to make an easy 17 yard field goal. 17-10.

The Browns then answered with a 10 play 70 yard drive to tie the score (37:06-40:42). The drive was highlighted by a 34 yard scramble by Graham on 3rd and 10  and finished by a 2 yard run by Carpenter. 17-17. 7 minutes and 50 seconds remained. Groza kicked off, out of the end zone. On 3rd and three from the Rams 27, Van Brocklin hit Fears (who had beaten defensive backs Warren Lahr and Cliff Lewis) in stride at midfield and he raced in for the TD. (41:20-42:11). 24-17.  25 seconds after the Browns had tied the game, the Rams went ahead again. Graham was then intercepted by linebacker Don Paul, but the Browns blocked Waterfield's subsequent field goal attempt. On the next drive, the Browns got the ball to the Rams' 43. On a 4th and 1, Graham handed off to Dub Jones on a sweep. Defensive back Norb Hecker blew through the interference and stopped Jones for a 1 yard loss with a great tackle to end the drive, and with it the Browns chances (44:53-45:06). A few plays later, the Browns incredible 5 championship streak came to an end.

The Rams' "Bull Elephant" backfield was held to 25 rushes for 61 yards. Younger (4-20 before his injury) was replaced by Smith and Davis' (15-9). And it was the Browns' ability to stop Towler and Hoerner on the two goal line stands that kept them in the game. The Rams defense, particularly Brink and the rookie Robustelli, shined, harassing Graham all day long and sacking him 5 times for 47 yards in losses. One of the sacks led to a turnover and almost immediate TD. Hirsch, by his standards, had a mediocre day with 4 catches for 66 yards (and a crucial dropped catch). Fears (who had missed six regular season games due to injury) had a tremendous day, immediately picking up Hirsch with a 48 yard catch that led to the first goal line stand, and later catching the winning TD (2 catches for 111 yards). Dropped catches by Carpenter hurt the Browns, as did three Graham interceptions. But their defense was tough as nails when they had to be to keep them in the game. In fact, according to Piascik (The Best Show in Football, P. 237) linebacker and defensive captain Tony Adamle was so angered by the postgame remarks of Paul Brown (H) blaming the defense for the loss "that they contributed to his decision to retire."

For Waterfield (H), it was the fourth championship game in seven seasons. For Fears (H), Hirsch (H), and Van Brocklin (H), it was their third consecutive championship game. Hall of Fame Browns competing in their sixth consecutive championship game were Gatski, Graham, Groza, Lavelli, Motley and Willis. After two magnificent championship games, each decided in the last two minutes, one in the last 20 seconds, 5 points separated the teams.

Frank Finch, Rams beat reporter for the LA Times, began his story:

"They beat the Browns!

In their finest hour, the Los Angeles Rams abruptly ended football's longest reign of terror by conquering mighty Cleveland 24 to 17, to capture the National Football League Championship yesterday. ...

Thus finis was written to a proud dynasty built up over the past five years by Paul Brown....

The king is dead. Long live the king. For it was a great team the Rams beat yesterday. Make no mistake of that."

He ended it:

"Certainly they'll have a Merry Christmas, but just how happy the new year will be remains to be seen... the Pro Bowl, the Chicago All-star tilt, and the Ram-Redskin charity game, y'know.

But they can wait... Let's celebrate."

Related Information:

Mr. Hollywood and the Dutchman: Two Legends, Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin, Shared a Job at Quarterback for the Great Postwar Ram Teams, by Ron Fimrite (Sports Illustrated, Oct. 6, 1995).

Today in Pro Football History Blog features Highlights from the great seasons of Lynn Chadnois and Horace Gillom, an MVP profile of Otto Graham, and an account of the 1951 College All-Star Game.

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1952

NFL

Attendance: 2,235,477

Sortable draft information (HOF=Hall of Fame)

Roster information: Click on team and then scroll to roster. Draft and Player number information is provided.  Link to roster position key is available on the page.

Major rules changes



Weekly Schedule

American (Eastern) Conference Race Graph

Playoff: Detroit Lions 31* Los Angeles Rams 21 (Briggs Stadium)

No video or audio available at this time

Playoff (Wikipedia) Article

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (AP) Article

Pat Harder (Wisconsin), who had played on the Cardinals' great teams in 1947-48, plays the game of his life, scoring 19 of the Lions 31 points.

Championship Game: Detroit Lions 17 Cleveland Browns 7* (Municipal Stadium)  Weather conditions

Video 1: (27:05) narrated and in color

Video 2: (1:08) (mistitled as 1953 Championship game, this is 1952 Championship game).

Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page)

Pro Football Researchers article 1952: The Dawning of Motown's Gridiron Empire, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article The Chris Crew, in Coffin Corner (Story of the Detroit Lions defensive backfield from 1951-58 (part of Lions Golden Age--4 conference and 3 NFL championships).

Pro Football Researchers article The Steelers' Greatest Victory in Coffin Corner 

(A nine year old's 1st game, with his father. He sees a mediocre Steelers team annihilate the Giants and help knock them out of contention). Amazingly, video highlights of the game are available in a compilation film about the 1950's (30:17-34:19 on the video).

Pro Football Researchers article A Disgrace: The 1952 Dallas Texans, in Coffin Corner

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1953: Detroit Lions 17* Cleveland Browns 16 (27:01, narrated and in color) (Briggs Stadium)

Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page)

Pro Football Researchers article When the NFL Had Character, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Willie Thrower: The First Black QB in the NFL, in Coffin Corner

With 4 minutes and 10 seconds left in the game, Bobby Layne leads a brilliant 80 yard 8 play drive for the winning touchdown. The 1953 Lions were the last all white team to win an NFL championship.

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1954: Cleveland Browns 56* Detroit Lions 10 (Municipal Stadium)

Complete game radio broadcast (2:54:44)

Dumont TV audio (1:05:32)

Video 1: (28:20) Color and narrated.

Video 2: (1 hour 24 minutes 24 seconds) Radio Broadcast synchronized with color video. Might be the whole game.

Video 3: (8:12-9:20) on 1954 Sports Highlights film.



Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page)

Ray Renfro Biography in Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner.

9 Detroit turnovers. In the season's final regular season game, also at Cleveland, the Lions had broken an eight game Browns winning streak, winning 14-10.

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1955: Cleveland Browns 38 Los Angeles Rams 14* (LA Coliseum) (28:06), narrated and in color.

Game and Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page)

Pro Football Researchers article 1955: That Wonderful Year, in Coffin Corner

Final game for Otto Graham and Elroy Hirsch. 10 year Browns championship game appearance streak ends with this game. Browns go 8-2 in the 10 years and WIN  5 CONSECUTIVE CHAMPIONSHIPS (1946-1950).

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1956: New York Giants 47* Chicago Bears 7 (Yankee Stadium)  Silent. Click on "Show More" under description of game for complete listing of highlighted plays. 5 Giants TDs and 2 FGs as well as the only Bears TD are on the video.

Radio broadcast (1:08:18), condensed game broadcast.

Video 1: (27:50) narrated in color.

Video 2: (2:09) Silent.

Video 3: (11:52-12:29) of Giants Chronicles Early History documentary.

Game and Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page)

Pro Football Researchers article Glory Days: Andy Robustelli and the Giants Popularized the "D", in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article The Mugging of Bobby Layne, in Coffin Corner

See 1934 and 1947 (NFL) game descriptions above and note how many Giants are wearing sneakers in this game.

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1957:

Playoff : Detroit Lions 31 San Francisco 49ers 27* (Kezar Stadium)

Video 1: (2:19) Narrated
Video 2: (2:57) Narrated, in color

Playoff (Wikipedia) Article

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (AP) article.

Detroit Free Press article: "When the walls talked. Inside the Detroit Lions improbable 1957 title run". Great article on 60th anniversary. Chronicles whole season and tells the "locker room" story that inspired Lions to come back from a 24-7 deficit to win.

Pro Football Researchers article R.C. Owens--Alley Oop, in Coffin Corner. The Hail Mary as a regular play. From 1957-1961 it was part of the 49ers playbook with Y.A Tittle (H) and then John Brody throwing the pass to R.C. Owens. This article chronicles its greatest success in 1957 against the Lions' great Chris Crew defense in a regular season win.

Pro Football Researchers article They Left Broke Their Heart in San Francisco, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Good Year -- Bad Day by the Bay, in Coffin Corner

Championship Game:

Detroit Lions 59* Cleveland Browns 14 (Briggs Stadium) 

Video 1 (27:41) Championship game highlight film split into three parts. Narrated and in color.
Part 1: (8:13)
Part 2: (9:26)
Part 3: (10:02)

Video 2: (27:24) color--audio video merge of highlights.

 Complete game radio broadcast (3:03:58)

Game and Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page)

Last championship for the Lions. Theirs is the 2nd longest championship drought in Professional Football History. Only the Cardinals have waited longer (see 1947). Some say this is the Bobby Layne curse. Lane, traded in 1958, said the Lions wouldn't win again for 50 years. Its now 60 and counting.

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1958:

Background: Going into the last game of the season, the Browns held a one game lead over the Giants. In a game played in a snowstorm at Yankee Stadium, Pat Summerall kicked a 49 yard field goal with 2:17 to play to win the game 13-10 and force a  playoff the next week, also at Yankee Stadium. He had kicked a 46 yarder earlier in the game.

Video 1: (1:40) Narrated

Video 2:  (2:17). Silent. Click on "show more" under description of game for complete listing of highlighted plays.

Video 3: (24:14-26:06) of History of Giants documentary

Playoff: New York Giants 10* Cleveland Browns 0 (Yankee Stadium) (1:49) 

Video 1: (1:49) Silent. Click on "show more" under description of game for complete listing of highlighted plays.

Video 2: (26:07-26:47) of History of Giants documentary.

Video 3: (6:58-7:08) of Chronicle of Giants Early History documentary. The Conerly-Gifford-Conerly lateral play that scored the Giants TD.

Video 4: (14:26-16:26) of Chronicle of Giants Early History documentary. This shows highlights from both the final game of the regular season and the playoff game


Playoff (Wikipedia) Article.

Milwaukee Journal article on 13-10 game. 

Milwaukee Sentinel article on the 10-0 game.

Championship Game:

Baltimore Colts 23 New York Giants 17* (overtime). (Yankee Stadium)

Complete game radio broadcast: (2:35:16) There is some synchronized video.

Video 1:  Video radio merge (1:29:45)

Video 2: Another video radio merge (12:51)

Video 3: (8:51-9:40 of NFL greatest goal line stands shows the game turning goal line stand)

Video 4: (22:20) Silent.  From the Weeb Eubank collection at the NFL Hall of Fame. 15:34-22:20 shows the game tying and winning drives by the Colts.

Video 5: (1:32:17). Colorized documentary.

Game and Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

The Greatest Game Ever Played, by Tex Maule (Sports Illustrated, January 1959)

Pro Football Researchers article The Greatest Game Ever in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article The Greatest Game Ever Played in Coffin 
Corner (a poem).

Lenny Moore Bio in Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner

Talking Football in an Interview More Than Two Decades After His Last Game, the Old Pro Showed the Passion of an All-Pro Still in His Prime (Sports Illustrated, Sep. 23, 2002)

Greatest game of all time? Maybe. First overtime game. Game that put pro-football "on the map." And except for a questionable call in the 13-10 game, it might have been a Browns v Colts game. Beginning of a 5 championship game losing streak for the Giants (58-59, 61-63).

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Hall of Fame all 1950s Team

1959 Championship Game: 1959: Baltimore Colts 31* New York Giants 16 (Memorial Stadium)

1st Half radio broadcast (1:29:27)

Video 1. Complete 1st half. (30:02) Narrated

Video 2. (29:55). Narrated

Video 3: (1:49) Narrated

Video 4: (1:15) Silent

Video 5: (42:52) Silent, in color. From the Weeb Eubanks coaches film collection at the Hall of Fame. Condensed game. A few plays are missing but the quality of the film is fantastic.

Video 6: (38:51) Silent. From the Weeb Eubanks coaches film collection at the Hall of Fame.

Game and Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

24 consecutive 4th quarter points (spearheaded by 3 interceptions--Johnny Sample had two of them, including a pick 6) turn a 9-7 deficit into a 31-9 Colts lead.

Pro Football Researchers article Rough Play in the 1950s, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Black Hats in a Golden Age, in Coffin Corner

The 1950s have come to be known as the roughest period in the history of the game. The above articles, as well as the 1956 article about Bobby Layne are examples. But the 50's also contained many eccentricities and much entertaintment. The best video I have seen about the 50s is called:

Fabulous 50's (Part 1) (Part II)

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1960:

NFL:

Philadelphia Eagles 17* Green Bay Packers 13 (Franklin Field)

Complete game radio broadcast (2:38:22)

Video 1:  (1:16:15) Synchronized video-audio

Video 2: (49:36) another synchronized video-audio

Video 3: (26:11-39:00) of the Eagles 50th Anniversary documentary

Game and Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

Pro Football Researchers article Chuck Bednarik in Coffin Corner

Bednarik levels Frank Gifford in a 1960 Eagles-Giants game. (video: 1:01).  Gifford misses the entire 1961 season.

Pro Football Researchers article The 1960 NFL Conference Races: THE BEST EVER?, in Coffin Corner

Packers only Championship Game loss under Lombardi. Bednarik plays both ways, stops Taylor near goal line on last play of game.

AFL:

Houston Oilers 24* Los Angeles Chargers 16 (Jeppesen Stadium)

Video 1: (17:35--21:52) on Oilers 1960 highlights video.

Video 2: (28:23--30:26) on Chargers 1960 highlights video.

Video 3: (24:35-25:08) Blanda's 88 yard TD pass to Cannon that clinched the game is available in Part 1 of Full Color Football 

Game Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

Jack Kemp is SD Quarterback in his 1st AFL Championship game. He will play one more for SD and three for Buffalo during his AFL career.

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1961:

NFL:

Green Bay Packers 37* New York Giants 0 (City Stadium)

Complete game radio broadcast (2:38:56)

Video 1: (1:07:08--1:32:25) Highlights from a video of miscellaneous highlights. Narrated and in color

Video 2:  (2:48:40) Full game TV broadcast



Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

After a scoreless 1st Quarter (Kyle Rote dropping a Y.A. Tittle pass deep in Packer territory) 2 touchdowns each by Ron Kramer and Paul Hornung shred the Giants.  Hornung scores 19 points.

AFL:

Houston Oilers 10 San Diego Chargers 3* (Balboa Stadium)

Video 1: (9:20-9:33) of Chargers history documentary shows Blanda's 35 yard TD pass to Cannon that was the margin of victory.

Game Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

Eugene (Oregon) Register-Gard AP game article

Pro Football Researchers article When Houston Struck Oil, in Coffin Corner (Story of the AFL's 1st "Dynasty")

Pro Football Researchers article The 1961 San Diego Chargers: The AFL's First Dominating Defense, in Coffin Corner

Official possibly shoved to the ground by unhappy Chargers player after game ends.

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1962:

NFL:

Green Bay Packers 16 New York Giants 7* (Yankee Stadium)

Complete game radio broadcast (2:58:54)

Video 1: (0:00-3:50) of Giants 1962 Highlights

Video 2:  Game introduction (1:47) Narrated

Video 3: Game conclusion (3:45) Narrated

Video 4: (0:00-3:48) on NFL documentary.

Video 5: (45:12-48:14) of Dave Volsky's Classic NFL Radio/TV calls with music (added October 12, 2019).

Game and Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

Pro Football Researchers 11-3 and Forever 2nd, in Coffin Corner

Ice Bowl before the Ice Bowl. 17 degrees F. 35-40 mph winds.

AFL:

Dallas Texans 20 Houston Oilers 17* (double overtime) (Jeppesen Stadium)

Video 1: (1:55:01) Version 1: Mostly complete game TV broadcast

Video 2: (3:41) Excerpt from Full Color Football Part 1

Video 3: (22:12-26:44) of 1962 Oilers highlight film.

Game Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

Pro Football Researchers The Longest Football Game Ever Played, in Coffin Corner

Longest professional championship game. Texans become second team (after 1945 Rams) to win a championship and then move the next year. Texans win OT toss and Abner Haynes mistakenly chooses to kick, but Texans win anyway. The game that put the AFL "on the map."

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1963:

NFL:

Players are not just people: The NFL Suspends its 'Golden Boy', by Tex Maule (Sports Illustrated, Apr. 29, 1963).

Chicago Bears 14* New York Giants 10 (Wrigley Field)

Complete game radio broadcast:  (2:54:26)

Video 1: (50:24). Color and narrated.

Video 2: (25:59-1:02:48) of Bears 1963 highlight film. Two game highlight films are available.

Video 3: (42:55-45:59) of Bears History documentary. Color and narrated.

Video 4: (3:58). Color and narrated.

Video 4: (2:12): Narrated

Video 5: (0:45-4:02) on Giants 1963 Highlight film.

Video 6: (6:05). Y.A. Tittle as a Pindarian hero in the eyes of his poet daughter Dianne Tittle de Laet. Note in this video the bittersweet image of Tittle's longtime backfield partner with the 49ers Hugh McElhenny (H) helping him off the field (2:50-3:15; 4:35-4:40) after suffering torn knee ligaments. Tittle was injected with a pain killer and played the entire second half.

Game and Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

Pro Football Researchers article The 1963 Championship Game: Irresistible Force vs Immovable Object , in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers article Papa Bear's Season, in Coffin Corner

Bears season game by game (chicagobears.com) Includes game articles on nine of the 14 regular season games and the Championship game by Chicago sports media personality Chet Coppick.

This is the game I most remember growing up. Because the NFL had a home blackout rule, the game wasn't on TV and I had to listen to it on the radio. It was decades before I saw any of it. . The Giants failed to score sure touchdowns at least 3 times, Del Shofner's drop in the end zone being the most egregious. But the Bears won the game. It was the last Giants championship appearance for 23 years and the last Bears appearance for 22 years. If Paul Hornung (Packers) and and Alex Karras (Lions) hadn't been suspended for gambling chances are the Bears wouldn't have won the Conference. As it was, they barely won over the Packers (11-1-2 to 11-2-1). Both Packer losses came to the Bears, including a 26-7 shellacking that was the most fun I ever had listening to a football game... Until this game. And speaking of the reliability of Youtube videos, the actual game highlight video of this game was taken down during the production of this blog post. When it reappears on Youtube (which often happens), I will link to it.

AFL:

Playoff:

Boston Patriots 26 Buffalo Bills 8* (War Memorial Stadium) (video: 9:30-11:49 of Part 2 of Buffalo Bills 1963 Highlights.

Playoff (Wikipedia) article

Milwaukee Journal (AP) article

1963: San Diego Chargers 51* Boston Patriots 10 (Balboa Stadium)

Video 1: (3:58). Narrated

Video 2: (28:19-30:57) of Full Color Football Part 2

Video 3: (3:00) from NFL Films

Game Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

Pro Football Researchers article: The AFL's 1st Super Team, in Coffin Corner.

Lance Alworth Bio in Pro Football Researchers Coffin Corner

Keith Lincoln compiles 329 passing and rushing yards as Chargers crush Patriots. How would the Chargers have done against the Bears if there had been a Super Bowl. The Coffin Corner article and Full Color Football segments above discuss this issue. Hmm...

------------------------------

1964:

NFL:

Cleveland Browns 27* Baltimore Colts 0 (Cleveland Stadium)

Complete game radio broadcast. (1:42:20)

Video 1 : (3:50)

Video 2 :  (26:40) narrated and in color.

Video 3 : (50:21) Silent

Video 4: (0:58-3:37) of the Colts 1964 Highlights film

Video 5: (1:26:53) 2004 Cleveland Browns 40 year anniversary appreciation. About 10 minutes of highlights followed by extensive interviews with the team.

Untold Stories: The Other Color of Winning: (45:19) 12 African Americans played for the 1964 Browns. This documentary discusses racial issues in the league and the country during this period. Several long interviews with Browns players in this game.

Game and Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

After a scoreless 1st half, 3 Ryan to Gary Collins TD passes (2 over 40 yards) sink the favored Colts.

AFL:

Buffalo Bills 20* San Diego Chargers 7 (War Memorial Stadium)

Video 1: (22:45). Silent with a musical accompaniment.

Video 2: (0:00-4:52) of San Diego Chargers 1964 Highlights

Video 3: (48:03-49:51) of Full Color Football Part 2

Mike Stratton: The Hit Heard Round the World (2:17). The hit occurs at around 1:30 on the video

Game Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

With the Chargers missing Lance Alworth to injury before the game began, last year's hero, Keith Lincoln rushed for 47 yards and caught a pass for 11 as the they took an early 7-0 lead. Then came the "tackle heard round the world," a bone jarring tackle by Linebacker Mike Stratton that fractured three of Lincoln's ribs and put him out of the game. The Chargers did nothing for the rest of the game against the great Bills defense and Buffalo dominated. The tackle is featured and discussed at length in the above videos.

------------------------------

1965:

NFL:

Playoff: Green Bay Packers 13* Baltimore Colts 10 (Overtime) (Lambeau Field)

Video 1: (41:18) Silent with musical accompaniment

Video 2: (24:53) shortened version of Video

Video 3: (17:33-19:54) of Packers 1965 Highlight film.

Video 4: (1:26-5:38) of Colts 1965 Highlight film

Video 5: (3:15-6:53) of Dave Volsky's audio video merge of Packers' Glory Years highlight film--overtime period highlights only

Playoff (Wikipedia) Article.

Milwaukee Sentinel game story

What a game. Colts quarterback was Tom Matte, due to injuries to their other QBs. Starr knocked out of the game Packers' 1st play, on which Colts scored their TD on a Don Shinnick fumble recovery. Not to beat a dead horse, but watch Chandler's tying field goal closely. Was it good? It was one of the factors that caused the goalposts to be built with higher uprights. A brutal, incredible game that the Packers somehow managed to win.

Championship Game: Green Bay Packers 23* Cleveland Browns 12 (Lambeau Field)

Video 1: (40:46) Color and narrated

Video 2: (2:08:28) video is mis-titled) full game radio-film merge

Video 3: (1:00:19) radio film merge

Video 4: (6:54-11:38)  of Dave Volsky's audio video merge of Packers' Glory Years highlight film


Game and Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

Why Jim Brown Matters (Sports Illustrated)

Jim Brown Highlight Reel (1:03:29) Black and white and color, silent, musical accompaniment.

Paul Hornung in the snow and mud. Packers grind Browns into dust.  Several Cleveland near misses hurt.

AFL:

Buffalo Bills 23 San Diego Chargers 0* (Balboa Stadium)

Video 1: (52:07) Narrated, in color.

Video 2: (4:36) Narrated, in color.

Video 3:  (49:52-50:38) of Full Color Football Part 2

Game Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

Pro Football Researchers article: The 1965 AFL Championship Game, in Coffin Corner.

Pro Football Researchers article: When the Buffalo Bills Rode High, in Coffin Corner. (Story of the AFL's last dynasty).

The Chargers, who had scored 51 points in 1963, are limited to 7 points in two games in 1964 and 1965. First championship game shutout since 1949.

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1965 marked the last of the Championship games before the Super Bowl. But, just for fun, I will also cover the 1966-67 championship games (but not Superbowls), as they marked the 2nd and 3rd consecutive NFL championships for the Packers, a feat never before achieved in the NFL during this era.


1966:

NFL:

The Sweet Life of Swinging Joe, by Dan Jenkins (Sports Illustrated, 1966)

Green Bay Packers 34 Dallas Cowboys 27* (Cotton Bowl)

Video 1: (7:20) Narrated and in color

Video 2: (2:29) Silent, in color with musical accompaniment. All TDs and last play of game.

Video 3: (27:06--32:29) in 1966 Packer Highlight film.

Video 4: (24:13-26:19) of NFL's greatest goal line stands video shows the great stand that preserved the Packers victory.

Video 5: (3:20-4:47) of NFL 1966 highlights film.

Video 6: (11:43-17:01) of Dave Volsky's audio video merge of Packers' Glory Years highlight film. Highlights from 21-20 GB until end of game.

Game and Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

Cowboys denied victory by Packer interception in the end zone the last play of the game. Packers had 14-0 lead before Cowboys' 1st play. Great game.

AFL:

Kansas City Chiefs 31 Buffalo Bills 7* (War Memorial Stadium)

Video 1: (22:29-25:08 of Chiefs 1966 Highlight film. Narrated. Parts in color.

Video 2: (0:55)

Game Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

Chiefs dominate, ending Buffalo era and setting stage for Super Bowl I.

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1967:

NFL:

Green Bay Packers 21* Dallas Cowboys 17 (Lambeau Field)

Radio Broadcast (39:11) 4th quarter only. Dallas Cowboys broadcast.

Video 1: (1:47:59) This masterpiece is the result of tremendous work by Dave Volsky (see above--NFL Symphony) in synchronizing a full game Milwaukee WTMJ radio broadcast of the game to all of the available game film from NFL Films programs (particularly from the NFL "Greatest Games" series in the 1990s) as well as surviving actual video from the TV broadcast. Every play is available on the radio broadcast and 90% of the video (more than in the "greatest game") is also available. Down and distances are given. Partial pre-game and post-game video is available. Video highlights from the last drive of the 1966 Championship game are woven in at the relevant time. Most interesting, Volsky has "uncovered" the fact that video from the last two plays of the game were merged into one play for previous videos. This video is about as close as you can get to actually having been there.

Video 2 : (1:13:44) Mostly full game video. Color.

Video 3: (24:42) Narrated and in color.

Video 4: (0:00-3:16) of Dave Volsky's audio video merge of Packers' Glory Years highlight film. Final plays of Packers game winning drive.

Game and Scoring Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

Pro Football Researchers The Lombardi Sweep, in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers Landry and Lombardi, Legendary Coaches,  in Coffin Corner

Pro Football Researchers The Packers' Greatest Game, in Coffin Corner. 1967 was the first year of divisional playoffs in the NFL. Before the Packers won the Ice Bowl, they beat the favored Rams 28-7 in Milwaukee. This is the story of that game.

Video  of 28-7 victory (18:10-19:16) Packers 1967 Highlites. Narrated and in color.

Pro Football Researchers Green Bay's Defensive Genius, in Coffin Corner (Phil Bengtson)

Ice Bowl. This time Dallas has the 14-0 lead.

AFL:

Oakland Raiders 40* Houston Oilers 7 (Oakland Coliseum) (video: 25:23). Narrated and in color.

Game Summary: (includes game story links at the bottom of the page).

Hall of Fame all 1960s Team

Raiders offense dominates Houston defense.