Highlighted Year: Beattie Feathers, 1934

Halfback/Defensive Back, Chicago Bears

Age: 25

1^st season in pro football

College: Tennessee

Height: 5’10” Weight: 185

Prelude:

In college, Feathers starred as a halfback and punter, rushing for 1888 yards and scoring 32 touchdowns, and was a consensus first-team All-American selection in 1933. Both fast and elusive, he signed with the Bears in 1934 and had a sensational rookie season, benefiting from an outstanding supporting cast that notably included FB Bronko Nagurski, whose blocking often helped to spring Feathers on long gains.

1934 Season Summary

Appeared in 11 of 13 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 119 [9]

Yards – 1004 [1]

Yards per attempt – 8.4 [1]

TDs – 8 [1, tied with Dutch Clark]

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 6

Yards – 174 [6]

Yards per catch – 29.0

TDs – 1 [14, tied with many others]

Passing

Attempts – 12

Completions – 4

Yards – 41

TD passes – 2 [6, tied with nine others]

Interceptions – 2

All-Purpose yards – 1178 [1]

Scoring

TDs – 9 [1]    

PATs – 1

Points – 55 [5]

Missed postseason game due to injury

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: League, UPI, Chicago Daily News, Collyers Eye, Green Bay Press-Gazette

Bears went 13-0 to finish first in the NFL Western Division while leading the league in total yards (3802), rushing yards (2847), touchdowns (37), and scoring (286 points). Lost NFL Championship to New York Giants (30-13).

Aftermath:

Feathers, who suffered a shoulder injury that affected the remainder of his career, never came close to duplicating the success of his rookie year. In his three remaining seasons with the Bears, he gained a total of 842 rushing yards. His best single season during that period came in 1936, when he totaled 350 yards on 97 carries (3.6 avg.) and scored two touchdowns. Feathers spent two years with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1938 and ’39, running for 115 yards in a part-time role, and ended his career with Green Bay in 1940. Overall, Feathers rushed for 1980 yards on 378 attempts (5.2 avg.) and caught 15 passes for 243 yards, scoring a total of 17 touchdowns. He holds the distinction of being the NFL’s first thousand-yard rusher and his 1934 yardage total remained the league record until 1947. Feathers went on to become a college football head coach at Appalachian State and North Carolina State and was also a baseball coach at the collegiate level.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

Highlighted Year: Joe Carter, 1934

End, Philadelphia Eagles

Age: 24

2^nd season in pro football & with Eagles

College: Southern Methodist

Height: 6’1”   Weight: 203

Prelude:

Carter, who played baseball and basketball as well as football in college, joined the first-year Eagles in 1933 and moved into the starting lineup at right end, catching five passes, good for 109 yards (21.8 avg.) and two touchdowns.

1934 Season Summary

Appeared in all 11 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 16 [1, tied with Red Badgro]         

Yards – 238 [2]

Average gain – 14.9 [5]

TDs – 4 [2]

Scoring

TDs – 4 [11, tied with Harry Newman & Roger Grove]

Points – 24 [18]

Eagles went 4-7 to finish third in the NFL Eastern Division (tied with the Brooklyn Dodgers).

Aftermath:

Carter spent another six seasons with the Eagles. He received second-team All-NFL recognition from Collyers Eye and the Chicago Daily News in 1936 and reached the apex of his career in 1938, when he caught 27 passes for 386 yards (14.3 avg.) and 7 TDs and was named to the Pro All-Star Game (predecessor to the Pro Bowl) as well as garnering second-team All-NFL honors from the Pro Football Writers and New York Daily News. Carter had another All-Star season in 1939, with 24 receptions for 292 yards (12.2 avg.) and two touchdowns. He later saw action with Green Bay in 1942, spent ’43 in the military, and then was with Brooklyn in 1944 and the Chicago Cardinals in 1945, his final season. Overall, Carter caught 132 passes for 1989 yards (15.1 avg.) and 22 touchdowns. Of those totals, 114 receptions for 1810 yards and 21 TDs came with the Eagles. Carter twice received second-team All-NFL recognition and was chosen to two Pro/NFL All-Star Games. 

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

Highlighted Year: Red Badgro, 1934

End, New York Giants

Age:  32 (Dec. 1)

7^th season in pro football, 5^th with Giants

College: Southern California

Height: 6’0”   Weight: 190

Prelude:

Badgro started his NFL career with the New York Yankees in 1927 and stayed for two seasons in which he scored one touchdown. He switched over to baseball, playing as an outfielder for the St. Louis Browns and batting .257 in 143 games before returning to football, now with the Giants, in 1930. Outstanding as a blocker and on defense, he was also noteworthy as a pass receiver although the team rarely went to the air. He scored three touchdowns in ’30 and was a second-team All-NFL selection of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, and in 1931 gained first-team recognition from the NFL. Pass receiving statistics were first compiled in ’32 and Badgro had six catches for 106 yards that year and 9 receptions for 176 yards and two TDs in 1933, when he received first-team All-NFL honors from the league and the Press-Gazette and scored the first touchdown in the NFL Championship game loss to the Bears.

1934 Season Summary

Appeared in all 13 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 16 [1, tied with Joe Carter]

Yards – 206 [5]

Average gain – 12.9 [8]

TDs – 1 [14, tied with twenty-one others]

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points – 6

Postseason: 1 G (NFL Championship vs. Chicago Bears)

Pass receptions – 0

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: League, Chicago Daily News

Giants went 8-5 to finish first in the NFL Eastern Division. Won NFL Championship over Chicago Bears (30-13).

Aftermath:

Badgro played one more season with the Giants in 1935, but was limited to five games and one catch. Hired as a player/coach for the Syracuse Braves of the AFL for 1936, the team failed to last the season and Badgro finished up back in the NFL as a player with the Brooklyn Dodgers in his final year. Officially, he caught 35 passes for 560 yards (16.0 avg.) and seven touchdowns. Badgro received first-team All-NFL recognition after three seasons and, 45 years after he last played, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1981.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

1934: First College All-Star Game Ends in Scoreless Tie

August 31, 1934 marked the first installment of an annual preseason football event that lasted until 1976 when the reigning NFL Champions, the Chicago Bears, took on a team of College All-Stars at Soldier Field in Chicago. The All-Stars were chosen in a poll conducted by the Chicago Tribune with the assistance of 105 other newspapers.

The contest was the idea of sportswriter Arch Ward, creator of major league baseball’s All-Star game the previous year (and later a prime mover of a significant rival to the NFL, the All-America Football Conference) and was played on behalf of Chicago Charities. While it was anticipated that the pro champions would dominate the All-Stars, it was a great publicity vehicle for the National Football League at a point when college football was still dominant and the professional game sought wider acceptance.

There were 79,432 fans in attendance for the Friday night contest. College rules were used for the most part, although the goal posts were on the goal line, as was the case in the NFL at that time. An impressive ceremony opened the proceedings as the lights were turned off and each All-Star was introduced while running in a single spotlight onto the field, accompanied by his college team’s fight song.


The All-Stars, coached by Noble Kizer of Purdue, got off to a fast start in the first quarter when Iowa HB Joe Laws (pictured at left) intercepted a pass by Bears QB Carl Brumbaugh and returned it to the Chicago 38 yard line. Laws ran twice around left end to get the ball to the 21. HB Beattie Feathers from Tennessee got inside the 20 but, on his next carry, fumbled and LB Ookie Miller recovered for Chicago on the 16, ending the scoring threat.

In the second quarter, it was the turn of the Bears to move into scoring position as they completed consecutive passes that brought them to the All-Star nine yard line and also brought the spectators to their feet. However, star end Bill Hewitt fumbled a lateral from HB Gene Ronzani and Notre Dame tackle Ed Krause recovered.

The All-Stars once again threatened as Michigan HB Herman Everhardus guided them to the Chicago 27, but once more they fumbled it away when back Fred Hecker of Purdue lost the ball and the Bears recovered.

The All-Stars had the longest gain of the game when FB Mike Mikulak of Oregon returned the kickoff to open the second half 45 yards. They again came close to getting on the board, but Washington end Bill Smith barely missed a 40-yard field goal attempt.

In the fourth quarter, the Bears intercepted a pass and had good field position at their own 45. HB Johnny Sisk ran for six yards to take the NFL champs into All-Star territory. HB Red Grange then threw a pass to Sisk that covered 25 yards, but the drive stalled and the Bears again came up empty.

Later in the final period, Chicago end Wayland Becker blocked a punt and the Bears took over at the All-Star 19. However, when the Bears attempted to go for a quick scoring strike, Laws intercepted HB George Corbett’s pass on his goal line. Everhardus (pictured below) punted the ball 50 yards to again pin the pro champs back.


With time running out, Nebraska HB George Sauer intercepted a pass and returned it 20 yards to the Chicago 36. Smith attempted another field goal, this time from 42 yards, but missed and the 0-0 duel came to an end.

The All-Stars outgained the Bears on the ground (136 yards to 62) and also had more first downs (6 to 3). Joe Laws was the most consistent runner for the All-Stars while Michigan center Chuck Bernard played notably well on the line.

“They were better than we thought they would be,” said Chicago’s Head Coach George Halas. “You can't beat that Notre Dame running attack.”

As would be the case throughout the series, several of the players who had notable performances for the All-Stars went on to play pro football. The Bears benefited from the presence of Beattie Feathers, who became the NFL’s first thousand-yard rusher with 1004 in an impressive rookie season. Joe Laws played 12 seasons and George Sauer three for the Green Bay Packers.

While the games were often competitive in the early years, gradually the pro teams tended to dominate the contests. They won 31 times, to 9 for the All-Stars, and there were two ties. Eventually, the College All-Star Game fell victim to pro teams complaining about their top prospects missing time in training camp and being exposed to injury, athletes themselves becoming less willing to jeopardize big contracts through potential injury, and the predictable domination of the pro clubs. But for many years, it served as the annual kickoff to the preseason and a vehicle for the top players coming out of college to show what they could do against pro competition.

1934: Bears Edge Lions in Thanksgiving Showdown

A Thanksgiving tradition began on November 29, 1934 when the Detroit Lions hosted the Chicago Bears at the University of Detroit’s Titan Stadium. The Lions, transplanted from Portsmouth, Ohio, where they played as the Spartans from 1930-33, were 10-1 entering the contest, having run off a record seven straight shutouts to start the season. They had lost to Green Bay for the first time the previous Sunday, by a score of 3-0, and had given up a total of 30 points in all.

Star tailback Dutch Clark had come out of a year’s retirement to lead a talented backfield for Head Coach George “Potsy” Clark’s club that included FB Ace Gutowsky, wingback Ernie Caddel, and tailback Glenn Presnell. End Buster Mitchell and guard Ox Emerson were All-Pro-calibre players.

The Bears were the defending NFL champions and came into the contest undefeated at 11-0. Under the direction of George Halas, the owner and head coach, Chicago typically dominated opponents and had only allowed two teams to score in double figures all season.

There was a sellout crowd of 25,000 fans in attendance for the Western Division showdown, and the game was broadcast nationally on radio (new Lions owner George Richards was a radio executive). Detroit got the first break of the day, with a defensive play that set up the first touchdown. With the Bears at their own 36, Mitchell intercepted a deflected pass by QB Carl Brumbaugh and returned it to the Chicago four yard line. Gutowsky ran for a touchdown from there and Clark drop-kicked the extra point.

The Bears tied the game thanks to HB Gene Ronzani scoring on a 14-yard pass into the end zone from QB Keith Molesworth early in the second quarter, with Jack Manders (pictured at top) adding the extra point on a placekick. The play was set up on a long completion by the same combination of Molesworth to Ronzani that put Chicago in scoring position.


The Lions regained the lead when Presnell kicked a 42-yard field goal. Gutowsky (pictured at left) powered over again for another touchdown shortly thereafter, capping a drive that began at the Detroit 35, but Clark’s extra point attempt was blocked. The Lions were up by 16-7 at the half. In the third quarter, Manders kicked field goals of 21 and 42 yards, cutting Detroit’s lead to 16-13.

The key play of the game occurred in the fourth quarter when G Joe Zeller intercepted a Gutowsky pass at his own 46 and returned it to the Detroit four yard line, where Gutowsky himself finally pulled him down. Two plunges into the line gained two yards, but then FB Bronko Nagurski, faking another run, instead reared up and floated a pass to end Bill Hewitt in the end zone for what proved to be the winning touchdown. Nagurski’s PAT attempt was blocked.

The Lions drove from their own 20 to the Chicago 14 yard line but gave up the ball on downs with less than a minute to play, clinching the 19-16 win for the Bears.

Detroit outrushed the Bears with 201 yards to 116 and led in first downs, 14 to 6, but Chicago’s passing attack and the kicking of Manders made the difference.

The win clinched the Western Division title for the Bears, and they emphasized the point by beating the Lions again in the season finale the following week in Chicago. Thus, they ended the season with a perfect 13-0 record, but were upset by the Giants in the NFL Championship game. Detroit finished second at 10-3.

Bill Hewitt’s game-winning touchdown reception was one of a league-leading five TD catches, out of a total of 11 receptions (Hewitt pictured below, #56 without helmet).

Jack Manders led the NFL with 10 field goals (by comparison, the five runners-up, which included Glenn Presnell and Dutch Clark, had four apiece), 28 extra points, and 76 points (Clark was the runner-up in both categories with 13 PATs and 73 points), showing why he earned the nickname “Automatic Jack”.

The Thanksgiving Day game was considered a success and, except for a brief hiatus during World War II, the Lions have continued to host a game every Thanksgiving.

1934: Eagles Roll Up 64-0 Win Over Cincinnati Reds

Two teams that had entered the NFL in 1933, the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Reds, met on November 6, 1934 on a muddy field at Philadelphia’s Temple Stadium. Neither club had been very successful thus far. The Eagles, coached by Lud Wray, had gone 3-5-1 in their inaugural season and carried a 1-5 record into the game against the Reds. Moreover, they had been shut out in each of their last three contests.

The situation was even worse with Cincinnati, which debuted at 3-6-1 in 1933 and was 0-7 thus far in ’34. Led by player/coach Algy Clark, they had scored a grand total of 10 points in the seven games. The team was on financially shaky ground and on the brink of being disbanded.

There were approximately 2000 fans present for one of only two Eagles home games played at Temple Stadium (they typically played at the Baker Bowl). It didn’t take long for the tone of the contest to be set. On the fifth play, back Ed Storm ran 36 yards for a touchdown. By the end of the first quarter, the Eagles had a 26-0 lead on their way to a 64-0 shellacking of the Reds.

Star HB Swede Hanson (pictured above), an outstanding open-field runner who was provided with plenty of opportunities to show off his talent, scored three touchdowns (two rushing, one on an interception return) and gained 190 yards rushing on 18 carries. End Joe Carter also scored three TDs, all on pass receptions. Hanson, Carter, and tailback Ed Matesic each had scoring plays of over 40 yards. The Eagles were effective both running the ball and passing - of their ten touchdowns, four came on runs, five on passes, and one on an interception.

While the records are sketchy (Hanson’s rushing total may include pass receptions or kick returns, as there are discrepancies in some accounts), Philadelphia did set a league record for most points by the winner of a shutout in which both teams were NFL members (the Rochester Jeffersons defeated a non-league-affiliated Fort Porter team 66-0 in 1920). No Eagles team since has run up as many points in a game, shutout or otherwise.

The disastrous defeat marked the end for the Cincinnati franchise, which promptly folded. It was replaced by a team called the St. Louis Gunners that completed the season – and won its first game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-0. Six players from the Reds played for the Gunners, a club made up of local talent and castoffs from other NFL teams. St. Louis went 1-2; the combined Reds/Gunners record was 1-10 for a last-place finish in the Western Division. The Gunners did not return for the 1935 season.

Oddly enough, Cincinnati’s player/coach Clark joined the Eagles (as a player only) for the remainder of the season. Philadelphia returned to earth the following week, losing to Brooklyn by a 10-7 score, although they won their last two games and were 4-7 for the year, tying with the Dodgers for third in the Eastern Division. They scored a total of 63 points in their other ten contests, but all four of their wins were shutouts.

The big game against Cincinnati helped Swede Hanson put together his best of eight seasons in the NFL (five with the Eagles). He ranked second in rushing (805 yards) on a league-leading 146 carries (tied with Detroit’s Ace Gutowsky) and his 5.5 yards per attempt ranked fourth. His eight touchdowns (7 rushing, one on the INT return) put Hanson in a tie for second with Dutch Clark of the Lions (one behind leader Beattie Feathers of the Bears). The 190-yard (or so) rushing performance was one of three that he had in 1934 – the first three in franchise history – and Hanson was a 2nd-team All-NFL selection by the league and the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

Joe Carter also had a notable season, co-leading the NFL in pass receiving with 16 catches (along with Red Badgro of the Giants). His 238 receiving yards ranked second, as did his four receiving touchdowns.

1934: Giants Upset Bears for NFL Title in “Sneakers Game”

The pairing for the NFL Championship game on December 9, 1934 at New York’s Polo Grounds was a rematch of the participants in the first official title game the year before, but also appeared to be a classic mismatch.

The visiting Chicago Bears, champions of the Western Division, had gone undefeated through the regular season at 13-0. Under Owner/Head Coach George Halas, they had allowed only three opponents to score as many as 10 points in a game, with Detroit (arguably the second best team in the league) achieving a high of 16 in a tough Thanksgiving Day encounter. The Bears boasted the first thousand-yard rusher in league history, rookie HB Beattie Feathers, who had compiled 1004 yards on just 119 carries (his season ended early due to injury) for a record 8.4-yard average gain. They still benefited from the power running of veteran FB Bronko Nagurski, who ranked fourth in league rushing with 586 yards and also helped Feathers with his excellent blocking. With HB Gene Ronzani contributing 485 yards at a 5.8 per carry clip, the Bears could rely on the strongest running game in the league (2847 yards and a 5.0 team average gain).

The Giants, coached by Steve Owen, had won the weaker Eastern Division with an 8-5 record. Tailback Harry Newman primarily ran the offense, behind a line led by All-Pros Mel Hein at center, G Butch Gibson, and T Bill Morgan. End Red Badgro tied for the league lead in receiving with Philadelphia’s Joe Carter (16 receptions). FB Ken Strong provided strong running and placekicking. New York had also come closest to beating the Bears during the regular season, losing just 10-9 at the same venue four weeks earlier.

On this day, the Bears were without Feathers and G Joe Kopcha due to injury, while Giants casualties included Newman and Badgro.

There were 35,059 fans present on a bitterly cold day in New York. The Polo Grounds turf was frozen, making footing difficult in many spots (particularly the half of the field that was shaded). The key to the game actually occurred when end Ray Flaherty suggested wearing sneakers to get better traction. Shortly before the opening kickoff, clubhouse attendant Abe Cohen was dispatched to Manhattan College to get sneakers.

In the meantime, the game proceeded with the Giants taking a 3-0 first quarter lead on a 38-yard field goal by Strong. However, the Bears proceeded to score 13 unanswered points. Nagurski (pictured above) plowed over for a touchdown from a yard out in the second quarter and placekicker “Automatic Jack” Manders booted field goals of 17 and 24 yards (although the usually reliable Manders missed a couple during the course of the game). Leading 13-3 after three quarters, it appeared that the Bears would successfully cap their undefeated season.

However, during the third quarter Abe Cohen finally arrived with a sack of sneakers. During a time out, the Giants players, amid much confusion, began changing into them. Halas complained to the officials, but was told that what was occurring on the opposite sideline was within the rules.


The Giants exploded in the fourth quarter thanks to the advantage of better footing. First, backup tailback Ed Danowski (pictured at left) hit end Ike Frankian with a 28-yard TD pass that Frankian had to pull away from a Bears defender as he fell into the end zone, which cut the Chicago margin to 13-10. The Bears did nothing on their next series and after a 20-yard punt, the Giants took the lead, 17-13, thanks to a straight-ahead 42-yard run by Strong.

On the ensuing series, the Giants stopped Nagurski on fourth and two at midfield and again took advantage. With momentum on their side (not to mention better mobility), New York drove downfield, with Strong scoring on an 11-yard reverse to increase the lead to 23-13 (he missed the ensuing extra point attempt).

Chicago attempted a desperation pass on first down, but Giants back Bo Molenda intercepted to set up the final New York touchdown on a 9-yard run by Danowski. The extra point was good, and the final score was 30-13 in favor of the underdog Giants. They had scored 27 points in a span of 10 minutes.

The Giants accumulated 282 total yards to Chicago’s 169 on the icy field. While both teams passed 13 times apiece, the Bears intercepted two while the Giants picked off three. Danowski had the only TD throw of the day. While individual statistics aren’t available, it was Danowski and Strong (pictured kicking below) keying the win – with some help from Manhattan College’s sneakers.

1934: Detroit’s Consecutive Game Shutout Streak Comes to an End After 7 Games

The November 3, 1934 game between the Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Pirates at University of Detroit Stadium wasn’t a close contest; the Lions won convincingly, 40-7. However, when Pittsburgh tailback Harp Vaughan completed a 62-yard TD pass to end Muggsy Skladany on a fake punt (the only pass completion of the day for the Pirates), it was the first time the Lions had been scored upon all season after a total of seven consecutive shutouts.

The Lions were in their first season in Detroit after a group headed by a radio executive, George Richards, bought the Portsmouth Spartans (of Portsmouth, Ohio) and relocated the four-year-old franchise. Coached by the no-nonsense George “Potsy” Clark, the team featured a group of single-platoon players who were equally adept at playing defense as well as offense such as Dutch Clark (pictured; the biggest star and a charter Pro Football Hall of Famer) and Glenn Presnell at tailback; wingback Ernie Caddell; Ace Gutowsky, solid at fullback on offense and linebacker on defense; and Roy “Father” Lumpkin, an offensive blocking back and defensive linebacker. Linemen included George “Tarzan” Christensen, a tackle and, at 240 pounds, the biggest player on the team; guard Ox Emerson; tackle “Cowboy Jack” Jackson; center and linebacker Chuck Bernard; and ends “Wild Bill” McKalip and “Big John” Schneller. Harry Ebding was both a two-way end and wingback.

There was nothing unique about the Detroit defense – they played the standard 6-2-2-1 alignment of that era and the linemen were no bigger than average. They simply outplayed their opponents from week to week, starting with the New York Giants in the 9-0 season-opening win. From there, they won 6-0 over the Chicago Cardinals, 3-0 on the road over the Green Bay Packers (thanks to a then-league record 54-yard field goal by Presnell), 10-0 over the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-0 over the Boston Redskins (intercepting 4 passes and holding the Redskins to 112 total yards), 28-0 over the Brooklyn Dodgers (the first team to penetrate as close as the Detroit 20 yard line, thanks to a fumble recovery), and 38-0 over the hapless Cincinnati Reds (who never got beyond midfield; the franchise folded before the end of the season).

During the streak, the Lions allowed their opponents a total of 835 yards (119.3 per game) and intercepted at least 19 passes (statistics for interceptions in the 1930s are a bit inexact).

While the 1920-21 Akron Pros had recorded 13 straight shutouts and the 1926 Pottsville Maroons had also put together a seven-game streak, these came before the football had been slimmed down and passing rules relaxed. Detroit’s streak remains unique, and no team since has come close to duplicating the feat (or is likely to).

The Lions won two more games after the streak ended before losing the last three games of the season – including a 19-16 defeat in a Thanksgiving showdown with the Chicago Bears – to end up 10-3 and in second place behind the Bears in the Western Division. They outscored their opponents 238-59, allowing just seven touchdowns all season (two of them by rushing, another still-standing league record).