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1947 NFL Championship Game

Coordinates: 41°49′55″N 87°38′02″W / 41.832°N 87.634°W / 41.832; -87.634
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1947 NFL Championship Game
DateDecember 28, 1947
StadiumComiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois
FavoriteChicago by 12 points
Attendance30,759
Radio in the United States
NetworkABC
AnnouncersHarry Wismer, Red Grange
Comiskey Park is located in the United States
Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park
class=notpageimage|
Location in the United States
See also: 1947 NFL playoffs

The 1947 NFL Championship Game (formally: the 1947 World Professional Football Championship Game[1]) was the 15th annual end-of-season title contest held by the National Football League (NFL). The game took place in icy conditions on December 28 at Comiskey Park in Chicago before an audience of 30,759 — well below stadium capacity.[2]

Background

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The game featured the Western Division champion Chicago Cardinals (9–3) and the Eastern Division champion Philadelphia Eagles (8–4). A week earlier, the Eagles defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 21–0 in a tiebreaker playoff to determine the Eastern winner.[3][4] Both the Eagles and Cardinals were making their first appearances in the championship game. The Cardinals had won the regular season meeting in Philadelphia three weeks earlier by 24 points and after a week off, were 12-point favorites to win the title game at home.[5]

This was the second NFL title game played after Christmas Day, and the latest to date. Scheduled for December 21, it was pushed back a week due to the Eastern division playoff. The temperature at kickoff was 29 °F (−2 °C).[6] On a frozen field, the Cardinals elected to wear sneakers.[7] The decision paid off handsomely, as Chicago outgained Philadelphia on the ground 280 yards to just 60 for the day.[8]

The Cardinals built a 14–0 lead in the second quarter, then the teams traded touchdowns. The Eagles closed the gap to 28–21 with five minutes to go, but the Cardinals controlled the ball the rest of the game on an extended drive to win the title.[2]

This was the only NFL title game played at Comiskey Park and is one of two Cardinals NFL Championship victories. The two teams returned for a rematch in 1948 in Philadelphia, but the Eagles won in a snowstorm. The Cardinals have not won a league championship since this one, over seven decades ago, the longest drought in the NFL. They made it to Super Bowl XLIII in the 2008 season representing Arizona, but they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Cardinals' win kept the NFL title within the city of Chicago; the North Side's Bears had won the previous season. The team did not receive championship rings until the 50th anniversary of their win in 1997.[9]

This was the Cardinals' last playoff win as a franchise until January 1999; at 51 years and five days, it was the longest post-season win drought in NFL history, and still holds the current record for the longest title drought in North American sports. The team moved to St. Louis as the St. Louis Cardinals in 1960 and Arizona as the Phoenix Cardinals in 1988 (changing to Arizona Cardinals in 1994).

Starting lineups

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Despite the fact that free substitution was part of the NFL in 1947,[10] in keeping with the one-platoon system tradition only eleven starters for each team were named.[11] A total of 26 members of the Cardinals and 27 members of the Eagles saw game action, however.[11] The starters were as follows:

Scoring summary

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Sunday, December 28, 1947[12]
Kickoff: 1:05 p.m. CST

  • First quarter
    • Cardinals – Charley Trippi ran inside left tackle for a 44 yard touchdown. Pat Harder converted the point-after: Chicago 7, Philadelphia 0
  • Second quarter
    • Cardinals – Elmer Angsman broke a 70 yard touchdown run. Harder converted: Chicago 14, Philadelphia 0
    • Eagles – Tommy Thompson passed the ball to Pat McHugh, who caught the ball on the 17 and ran it in to finish a 53 yard touchdown play. Cliff Patton converted the extra-point: Chicago 14, Philadelphia 7
  • Third quarter
    • Cardinals – Trippi fielded a punt on his own 25 yard line and ran it back 75 yards for a touchdown. Harder converted: Chicago 21, Philadelphia 7
    • Eagles – Cashing in a 73 yard scoring drive, Steve Van Buren ran the ball in from the 1-yard line for a touchdown. Patton converted: Chicago 21, Philadelphia 4
  • Fourth quarter
    • Cardinals – Angsman broke through a hole at left tackle and ran 70 yards for a touchdown. Harder converted: Chicago 28, Philadelphia 14
    • Eagles – Russ Craft finished a 48 yard drive with a 1 run for a touchdown. Patton kicked the PAT: Chicago 28, Philadelphia 21

Officials

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The following five officials were used in the game.[11] The NFL added a fifth official, the back judge, for the first time during the 1947 season[13]

  • Referee: Thomas Dowd
  • Umpire: Harry Robb
  • Head Linesman: Dan Tehan
  • Back Judge: Carl Rebele
  • Field Judge: Henry Haines
  • Alternate: Carl Brubaker

Players' shares

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The player compensation pool was set at 70% of net revenue — that is, total gross receipts, including paid gate and radio and motion picture rights, less costs for stadium rental and taxes.[11] Total receipts were just under $160,000 and expenses nearly $40,000, for a net receipts pool of about $120,000.[11] This generated a team pool of about $45,300 for the winning Cardinals, divided into 40 shares of $1,132.[11] The losing Eagles similarly were allotted a pool of $30,200, split into 40 shares of $754.[11]

A pool of about $8,400 for each of the divisional second place clubs — the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers — was also established.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Joseph T. Labrum (ed.), The National Football League Record and Rules Manual 1948: 29th Season. Philadelphia: National Football League, 1948; p. 58.
  2. ^ a b Jerry Liska (Associated Press, "Sensational Runs Give Cardinals 28-21 Decision Over Eagles for N.L. Crown," Youngstown Vindicator, Dec. 29, 1947, p. 10.
  3. ^ Biederman, Les (December 22, 1947). "Steelers disappoint in grid playoff". Pittsburgh Press. p. 28.
  4. ^ Prell, Edward (December 22, 1947). "Eagles whip Steelers in playoff". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 49.
  5. ^ "Cardinals Rule 12-point Favorites to Beat Eagles," Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 28, 1947, sports p. 1.
  6. ^ "The weather". Chicago Daily Tribune. December 29, 1947. p. 1, part 1.
  7. ^ "Cardinals Hall Of Famer Charley Trippi Dies At 100". www.azcardinals.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Charles Chamberlain (Associated Press), "Chicago Cardinals Defeat Eagles, 28–21, to Cop 1947 National Pro Grid Loop: Trippi and Angsman Aces in Card Victory Before 30,759; Thompson Set Aerial Marks," Hazelton Standard-Speaker, Dec. 29, 1947, p. 10.
  9. ^ Branch, John (January 15, 2009). "Memories of the Cardinals' Last N.F.L. Championship". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  10. ^ Hugh L. Ray, The Official Playing Rules as Devised, Amended, and Authenticated for Professional Football by the National Football League, 1948. Rule 5, Section 1, Article 3. In 1948 Official National League Football Pro Record and Rule Book. St. Louis, MO: Charles C. Spink & Son, 1948; p. 27.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g 1948 Official National League Football Pro Record and Rule Book. St. Louis, MO: Charles C. Spink & Son, 1948; p. 111.
  12. ^ Source: National Football League Record and Rules Manual, 1948. Philadelphia: NFL, 1948, p. 59.
  13. ^ Associated Press, 'National League Officials to Work in Crews of Six (sic.)," Milwaukee Journal, Aug. 19, 1947, part 2, p. 6.

41°49′55″N 87°38′02″W / 41.832°N 87.634°W / 41.832; -87.634

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