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First NFL Championship Game
Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL, December 17, 1933 – While the Cubs and the Wrigley Field get ready for their first World Series in 71 years, it’s a nice segue to another championship match eons ago, but this din’t take place on the diamond but the gridiron instead – the 1933 NFL Championship game .
The NFL was founded in 1920 and, up until 1933, championships were awarded to teams with the highest winning percentage. Then, under the leadership of Boston Redskins owner George Preston Marshall, it was divided into two divisions and declared that the winner of each division would meet in a title game for the championship.
The first two teams in this title game were the New York Giants (11-3) and the Chicago Bears (10-2-1). The Bears had home field advantage and the game took place at Wrigley Field. In this very rare photo we see Carl Brumbaugh of the Bears running the ball with Hall-of-Famer Ken Strong attempting to tackle him. The Bears defeated the Giants 23-21 behind legend Bronko Nagursk’s rushing (64 yards) and passing (two touchdown tosses).
The game also had some unusual quirks compared to today’s game. For example FIVE Bears passed the ball. Also, while the 23-21 score wouldn’t raise any eyebrows today, back then it was considered an unusually high score. The Associated Press described it as “probably the most spectacular game of the year,” and “a brilliant display of offensive power.” Also, the game was not a sellout, with a crowd of only 25,000 on hand.
