1939: Packers Dominate Giants to Win NFL Championship

The NFL Championship game on December 10, 1939 featured a rematch of the previous year’s participants. The Green Bay Packers, top team in the Western Division, hosted the Eastern Division’s New York Giants, who had beaten them to win the title in New York in ’38.

New York, coached by Steve Owen, was especially strong on defense, having given up just 85 points in compiling a 9-1-1 record. The offense featured the running of FB Tuffy Leemans which was supplemented by the passing of QB Ed Danowski. C/LB Mel Hein was outstanding on both sides of the ball and other top linemen included end Jim Poole and guards Johnny Dell Isola and Orville Tuttle.

The Packers, under the guidance of Head Coach Curly Lambeau, had gone 9-2. End Don Hutson was the league’s top receiver with 34 catches and 846 yards, and tailbacks Arnie Herber (pictured above) and Cecil Isbell were adept at getting the ball to him. Hutson benefited from being shifted to the defensive backfield rather than playing end on defense, thus reducing wear during games and making him an even more formidable weapon than he had been in his first four years.  

There were 32,279 fans in attendance at State Fair Park, referred to informally as the Dairy Bowl, located at the Wisconsin Fairgrounds in West Allis, near Milwaukee. There was a strong wind blowing from the north, gusting to 35 mph. In the first quarter, the Giants got a break when end Jim Poole blocked a punt by Clarke Hinkle to gain possession at the Green Bay 41. However, they were unable to advance in three plays and Ward Cuff’s 42-yard field goal attempt against the wind was both wide and low.

The Packers had to punt following their ensuing series and this time Hinkle’s wind-aided kick sailed 64 yards to the New York 16. The Giants had to punt in turn and Green Bay had good field position at the New York 46. The Packers moved the ball methodically on the ground to the 21 and tailback Arnie Herber threw to end Don Hutson for 15 yards to the six. Two plays later, and with the defense concentrating on Hutson, Herber passed to end Milt Gantenbein in the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown. Paul “Tiny” Engebretsen added the extra point.

Heading into the second quarter, the visitors now had the wind at their backs. They tried to take advantage early in the period when Len Barnum tried for a 53-yard field goal, but it fell way short of the mark. The Giants again were in Green Bay territory on their next series but HB Andy Uram intercepted a pass at his own 27 to blunt the threat. Once again it was the Packers who couldn’t move the ball and New York had another shot, but Cuff’s 42-yard field goal attempt missed to the right.

The Giants came close to scoring in the last minute of the first half, but after reaching the New York nine on a pass from Ed Danowski to Tuffy Leemans that gained 37 yards, LB Charley Brock, who tackled Leemans from behind on the previous play to prevent a score, intercepted a pass to end the threat. The score remained unchanged at 7-0 at halftime.

New York still had the wind advantage in the third quarter, but had even less success. After the Giants were unable to move the ball on their first series and punted, HB Joe Laws (pictured at left) returned it 15 yards to the Green Bay 45 and the Packers drove to the New York 21 with Isbell, Hinkle, and Laws handling the bulk of the running. Engebretsen kicked a 29-yard field goal into the wind to make it a 10-0 game.

Shortly thereafter, Gantenbein intercepted a pass at the New York 37 and, three plays later, Isbell faked a run and then threw to Laws, who was wide open, for a 31-yard TD. Engebretsen again converted for a commanding Green Bay lead of 17-0.

The Packers piled it on in the fourth quarter. Following an interception by Brock that erased an opportunity for the Giants on another blocked punt, Green Bay again had the ball near midfield and Herber threw to end Harry Jacunski, who made an outstanding shoestring catch for a 31-yard gain. The drive faltered there, but Ernie Smith kicked a 42-yard field goal.

On the third play following the kickoff, LB Bud Svendsen intercepted a pass at the New York 30 and returned it 15 yards. It took just four plays for the Packers to reach the end zone as FB Ed Jankowski plunged in for a touchdown from a yard out and Smith capped the scoring with the extra point.  Green Bay won by a final score of 27-0.

The Packers led in total yards (232 to 164) and first downs (13 to 9). New York turned the ball over six times, all on interceptions, to three by Green Bay, and failed on all three of its field goal attempts while the Packers hit on two.

Arnie Herber completed 5 of 8 passes for 62 yards and a touchdown, although giving up three interceptions, while Cecil Isbell was two of two for 37 yards and a TD and also ran for 27 yards on 13 carries. Andy Uram topped the Packers with 35 rushing yards on 10 attempts. Don Hutson, who was well-covered and used as a decoy for much of the contest, caught two passes as did back Larry Craig, for 21 and 9 yards, respectively. Joe Laws and Harry Jacunski each gained a team-leading 31 yards on their lone pass receptions, with Laws scoring a touchdown. Charley Brock (pictured below) accounted for two of the defense’s six interceptions and received praise for his overall performance.

For the Giants, Ed Danowski was successful on just four of 12 throws, three of which were intercepted. QB Eddie Miller was a bit better with three completions in six attempts for 40 yards and one picked off. Tuffy Leemans led the team’s rushers with 22 yards on 12 carries and also had a 37-yard pass reception. 

It was the fifth NFL Championship for the Packers, who finished second in the Western Division with a 6-4-1 record in 1940 and were blocked by the powerful Chicago Bears until winning their next title in 1944. New York also was 6-4-1 in placing third in the Eastern Division the next year but bounced back to reach the championship game in 1941, losing to the Bears.  

1939: Giants Use 3 Field Goals to Defeat College All-Stars

The New York Giants represented the NFL in the sixth installment of the College All-Star Game in Chicago on August 30, 1939. They faced an All-Star squad coached by Elmer Layden, head coach of Notre Dame and a former member of that school’s famed “Four Horsemen” backfield.

The Giants were coached by Steve Owen, who had guided the club to two NFL Championships in eight years, including the 1938 season. New York had an able passer in tailback Ed Danowski and could run the ball effectively, most notably with FB Tuffy Leemans carrying. C/LB Mel Hein was coming off of a season in which he had been named MVP by the league and the team allowed few points on defense. Returning to the club was Ken Strong (pictured above), a former star fullback and placekicker who had jumped leagues after the 1935 season but was back at age 33.

The All-Stars had won the previous two contests and this year’s roster included future pro stars in center Charley Brock from Nebraska, Pitt HB Marshall Goldberg, FB Bill Osmanski of Holy Cross, and the diminutive Heisman-winning QB Davey O’Brien from TCU.  

There were 81,456 fans in attendance for the Wednesday night game at Soldier Field. The All-Stars were in trouble early when Davey O’Brien fumbled the game’s first punt and end Jim Poole recovered for New York. However, the Giants were unable to capitalize when Ward Cuff missed a field goal from 41 yards by inches.

Following an exchange of punts, the Giants again moved into scoring territory thanks to good runs by FB John “Bull” Karcis and Cuff. Cuff kicked a 34-yard field goal late in the first quarter to put the Giants in front.

In the second quarter, New York put together a 56-yard series that led to another field goal, this time by Ken Strong from 22 yards, to take a 6-0 advantage. The All-Stars responded by driving from their 28 to the New York 39, with the big play a 15-yard run by Bill Osmanski. However, a second-down pass by Michigan State back Johnny Pingel was intercepted by LB Kayo Lunday to end the threat.

The Giants attempted to add to their advantage in the third quarter with a drive to the All-Star 13, but came up empty when O’Brien intercepted a pass. The pro champs mounted another strong possession to the All-Star two, but Cuff’s try for a field goal hit the upright and bounced away.

Following more punts which included a quick-kick by the Giants that pinned the All-Stars back at their 20, New York got another field goal, again by Strong, who connected from 41 yards.

The All-Stars finally mounted a threat in the fourth quarter with Baylor QB Bill Patterson in the game, who threw the ball effectively. But drives to the New York 11 and 17 were blunted by interceptions by DB Len Barnum and LB Doug Oldershaw, respectively. The Giants came away with a 9-0 win in which they were more dominant than the score indicated.

The Giants, who controlled the line of scrimmage and kept the collegians bottled up on their side of the field for most of the game, had the edge in total yards (199 to 166) although the All-Stars had more first downs (10 to 9). However, New York intercepted five passes. Bill Osmanski (pictured at left) and QB George Faust from Minnesota drew praise as the best of the All-Star rushers.

The win for the Giants tied the series, which was far more competitive at that point than it would be in the ensuing years of its existence, at two wins apiece, with two ties.  New York again topped the Eastern Division with a 9-1-1 record during the regular season but lost in a title rematch with the Green Bay Packers.

Bill Osmanski played seven years in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and led the league in rushing as a rookie in 1939. Davey O’Brien also had a fine first year with the Philadelphia Eagles, passing for a NFL-high 1324 yards in his first of two pro seasons before leaving to join the FBI.

1940: Isbell-to-Hutson is Highlight as Packers Win Pro All-Star Game

Predecessor to the Pro Bowl, the NFL’s all-star contest that came into being after the 1950 NFL season, was the Pro All-Star Game, which followed the 1938 thru ’42 seasons. Unlike the Pro Bowl, the Pro All-Star Game format matched the winner of the NFL Championship game against a squad of All-Stars representing the rest of the league. The second game was played on January 14, 1940 and featured the Green Bay Packers, NFL Champions of 1939, against an All-Star team coached by Steve Owen of the Giants.

The Packers, coached by Curly Lambeau, had gone 9-2 in winning the Western Division for the second straight year and handily defeated the Giants by a score of 27-0 in a Championship game rematch. Tailbacks Arnie Herber and Cecil Isbell (pictured above) were fine passers and they had the league’s best receiver in end Don Hutson as primary target. Behind an outstanding line, FB Clarke Hinkle led the running attack.

Among the players in the starting lineup for the All-Stars were center Mel Hein and end Jim Poole of the Giants, HB Parker Hall (the league MVP) and FB Johnny Drake of the Rams, Brooklyn end Perry Schwartz and guard Bruiser Kinard, and tackle Joe Stydahar of the Bears.

The game, played in Los Angeles, had been postponed a week due to rain and there was a near-capacity crowd of 18,000 in attendance under sunny skies at Gilmore Stadium. The All-Stars had worked together for three weeks and lacked coordination, neither running nor passing the ball effectively. The Packers struck first in the opening quarter with Clarke Hinkle kicking a 45-yard field goal.

In the second quarter, Green Bay drove to the All-Star 11 and Ernie Smith booted an 18-yard field goal that made the score 6-0. The All-Stars threatened later in the period when Washington tailback Frank Filchock threw to end Bill Smith of the Cardinals for a 62-yard gain to the Green Bay 12, where he was knocked out of bounds by Cecil Isbell. The Packers held for three downs and a fourth down pass by Filchock was intercepted by LB Ed Jankowski to end the threat.

With the ball at their eight yard line and the clock down to 38 seconds in the first half, the Packers pulled off the most spectacular play of the game. The All-Stars were anticipating a punt, but Isbell instead faded back into his end zone and threw long for Don Hutson (pictured at left). The pass went over 60 yards in the air before being gathered in by the streaking Hutson, who went the distance for a 92-yard touchdown. Smith kicked the extra point and the NFL champs took a 13-0 lead into halftime.

Early in the third quarter, the All-Stars got moving on offense, under the direction of diminutive QB Davey O’Brien of the Eagles. First, O’Brien gave the All-Stars good field position as he returned a punt 28 yards to the Green Bay 17. Two runs by Johnny Drake gave the All-Stars a first down at the six, and two plays later O’Brien threw to end Joe Carter, an Eagles teammate, in the end zone for a touchdown. Ward Cuff of the Giants added the extra point and the All-Stars were back in the game at 13-7.

Later in the period, runs of 24 yards by Hinkle and 19 yards by HB Andy Uram helped the Packers to reach the All-Star 16. The drive stalled, but Smith added a seven-yard field goal to put Green Bay ahead by nine.

That was it for the scoring, although late in the contest the Packers reached the All-Star three yard line thanks to passes by Arnie Herber to Hutson and end Carl “Moose” Mulleneaux. On fourth down, and having lost a yard, Ernie Smith lined up for a field goal attempt, but with the crowd shouting for a touchdown, the Packers tried a pass instead that fell incomplete. It was of no consequence as Green Bay came away the winner by a final score of 16-7. The game ended with the ball near midfield after O’Brien fired a pass to Bill Smith for a 25-yard gain.

The Packers easily outgained the All-Stars (330 yards to 130) and had the edge in first downs (11 to 8). Each team gave up two interceptions apiece. Davey O’Brien (pictured at right), Johnny Drake, and Parker Hall were the best of the backs for the All-Stars.

The win for the Packers gave the NFL champs a second win over the All-Stars in as many games. It would reach four straight before the All-Stars would win the fifth, and final, contest of the series. 

1939: Giants Beat Redskins for Eastern Title as Late FG Attempt Leads to Dispute

The New York Giants hosted the Washington Redskins on December 3, 1939 in a season-ending matchup to determine who would win the Eastern Division and advance to the NFL Championship game. Head Coach Steve Owen’s Giants were the defending league champions and had an 8-1-1 record, having played Washington to a scoreless tie early in the year. While the offense was effective with QB Ed Danowski throwing the ball and FB Tuffy Leemans (pictured above) running it, the defense was especially tough against both the run and the pass.

The Redskins, coached by Ray Flaherty, were also 8-1-1. A roster that contained outstanding talent in tailbacks Sammy Baugh and Frank Filchock, FB Andy Farkas, tackle Turk Edwards, and end Wayne Milner was supplemented by the addition of talented rookies that included backs Dick Todd and Wilbur Moore.  Even though the game was in New York and the Giants had reached the top the previous year, Washington was considered to be the favorite coming into the contest.

There were 62,404 fans at the Polo Grounds, which was the second largest crowd to see a NFL game up to that time. Many of the fans were from Washington, who had arrived by train and paraded to the stadium in colorful array.

There was occasional rain and the field was muddy. In the first series of the game, wingback Ward Cuff had a 26-yard run and nearly went the distance but stumbled and was caught by defenders at the Washington 40. FB Kink Richards ran twice for eight yards and, after an incomplete pass, Cuff kicked a 40-yard field goal. The Giants were up by 3-0 at three minutes into the first quarter.

The Redskins came right back and advanced to the New York 28. However, rookie Bo Russell missed a field goal attempt from 35 yards. Washington was further damaged by a rash of injuries that sidelined several key players in the early going, including Baugh, Farkas, and Edwards. The loss of Baugh not only had an effect on the team’s passing attack, but the punting as well.

In the second quarter, a poor punt by Jimmy Johnston gave the Giants good field position at their own 45. Two plays, one of which was a pass from Tuffy Leemans to end Will Walls for 19 yards, got the ball to the Washington 19. But another pass was intercepted by Dick Todd in his end zone and he got the ball out to the three.

The Redskins had to punt the ball back and Leemans returned it 12 yards to the Washington 33. Reaching the 22, Leemans then threw to back Len Barnum, who was hauled down at the five. The Giants lost yardage from there, however, due to a motion penalty and Leemans was dropped for a loss. That set up a field goal by 33-year-old veteran Ken Strong from 19 yards and the score remained 6-0 at the half.

Cuff missed a field goal attempt in the third quarter after the Giants drove from the Washington 40 to the 14 following another short punt by the Redskins. New York got the ball back in short order when DB Hank Soar intercepted a pass by tailback Jimmy German and returned it 29 yards to the Washington 19. The Giants, again hurting themselves with penalties, couldn’t move effectively on offense from there and Cuff booted a 15-yard field goal for a 9-0 lead.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Redskins advanced to the New York 26, but Leemans intercepted a pass to end the threat. The Giants pinned the Redskins back at their five with a punt. Washington moved to the 40 before LB Kayo Lunday intercepted a pass for the Giants. However, a sweep by Soar lost yardage and Barnum’s punt on third down was blocked by tackle Willie Wilkin. The ball bounced back 35 yards before being recovered by guard Clyde Shugart at the New York 19. The Redskins finally got on the board with about six minutes to go as Frank Filchock (pictured below) connected with end Bob Masterson for a 20-yard touchdown. Masterson added the extra point and it was a two-point game.

The Giants again had to punt and Todd returned the kick 30 yards to the New York 44. The Redskins were soon down to the eight, the big play being a pass from Filchock to end Jack Spirida for 21 yards. With the fans in tumult, the Redskins ran one more play and Filchock dove for two yards over tackle.

There were now 45 seconds left on the clock as rookie Bo Russell attempted a 15-yard field goal. The ball was kicked high and appeared to go over the crossbar, but referee Bill Halloran, who was standing behind Russell, signaled that the kick was no good. The ball had sailed above the uprights and that made it difficult to gauge, although it was clearly very close.

Bedlam broke out, as many observers thought the kick was good – in particular, those supporting the visitors. There were about 15,000 Redskins fans on hand, and many were seated in the end zone and ran onto the field. A furious Coach Ray Flaherty charged the referee. After fights and fury, the Giants were finally able to run out the clock with runs into the line and won the game by a final score of 9-7.

The officials sprinted for the club house, but that meant going a distance of over 100 yards. Along the way, Washington wingback Ed Justice took a swing at Halloran. There was some question as to whether Justice actually hit the referee, and he was pulled away before he could inflict any real damage (League President Carl Storck later investigated the incident and determined that Justice hit fans, not Halloran).

“I know it was good,” said an angry Coach Flaherty of the climactic field goal try. “The players know it was good. The other three officials know it was good. The Giants know it was good – Ed Danowski and Ed Widseth said so (Danowski denied the claim). The cops who were guarding the goal posts know it was good. If that fellow (Halloran) has any conscience, he’ll never have another good night’s sleep as long as he lives.”

The ugliness over the call on the field goal attempt aside, New York outplayed the Redskins for most of the game. While Washington led in total yards (202 to 164), much of that came late in the going. The Redskins had just four rushing yards in the first half and 38 for the game. They also turned the ball over four times, all on interceptions, while New York gave up two. The Giants had the edge in first downs (10 to 8).

The Giants, finishing at 9-1-1, went to play the Packers the next week for the league title and lost by a score of 27-0. Washington finished second with an 8-2-1 record but came back to win the division in 1940.

MVP Profile: Parker Hall, 1939

Tailback/Defensive Back, Cleveland Rams


Age: 23 (Dec. 10)
1st season in pro football
College: Mississippi
Height: 6’0” Weight: 205

Prelude:
An All-American at Mississippi in 1938, Hall was taken in the first round of the 1939 NFL draft by the Rams. He moved directly into the lineup in Cleveland’s single-wing offense.

1939 Season Summary
Appeared in all 11 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 208 [1]
Completions – 106 [1]
Yards – 1227 [2]
Completion percentage – 51.0 [1]
Yards per attempt – 5.9 [7]
TD passes – 9 [2]
Interceptions – 13 [2, tied with Ace Parker, Darrell Tully & Frank Patrick]
Passer rating – 57.5 [5] (Ranked 1st in system used at time)

Rushing
Attempts – 120 [6]
Yards – 458 [5]
Yards per attempt – 3.8 [8]
TDs – 2 [11, tied with sixteen others]

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 1
Yards – -16
TDs - 0

Punting
Punts – 58 [1]
Yards – 2369
Average – 40.8 [5]
Punts blocked – 0
Longest punt – 80 yards

Scoring
TDs – 2
Points – 12

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: Joe F. Carr Trophy
1st team All-NFL: UPI, PFWA, INS, Chicago Herald-American, NY Daily News
2nd team All-NFL: League, Collyers
NFL All-Star Game

Rams went 5-5-1 to finish fourth in the Western Division, their first .500 season.

Aftermath:
Hall’s subsequent performances never again approached his MVP rookie season. He passed for 1108 yards with 7 TDs and 16 interceptions in 1940 and led the league by tossing 19 interceptions in ’41. He was picked off 19 times again in 1942 while throwing just 140 passes. Hall went into the military for the next three years and played service football. In 1946 he joined the San Francisco 49ers of the new All-America Football Conference (AAFC) but saw scant action as a T-formation quarterback behind Frankie Albert and retired.

--

MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

[Updated 2/9/14]

1939: Dodgers Defeat Eagles in First Televised NFL Game

Today, pro football on television is big business and a very big draw. Bringing the game to the viewing public had a huge effect on its growth, especially from the 1960s on. It got its start at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York on October 22, 1939 in a game between the host Brooklyn Dodgers and visiting Philadelphia Eagles. While there were 13,051 fans in attendance at the stadium, there were also two cameras and a crew of eight for the first televised pro football game (as opposed to a minimum of six cameras and a crew of some 200 for a telecast today).

Station W2XBS, forerunner of the NBC network, televised the contest with Allen “Skip” Walz handling the broadcasting. The production was largely an experiment and followed up the first college football telecast, between Fordham and Waynesburg, three weeks earlier. There were only about 1000 television sets in New York City (the telecast could also be seen on monitors at the RCA Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair) and the resolution of the small black-and-white picture was grainy. When clouds rolled in and decreased the available light, the quality suffered accordingly – to the point that the crew had to revert to a radio broadcast when it became too dark.

The matchup of teams was nothing special. The Dodgers, under Head Coach George “Potsy” Clark, were 2-2-1, including 0-2-1 in their last three games (there was a scoreless tie at Philadelphia). The Eagles, with owner Bert Bell also acting as head coach, had yet to win a contest and were 0-3-1.

In the first quarter, HB Ralph Kercheval intercepted a pass and returned it to the Philadelphia 30 yard line. The Dodgers gained two first downs thanks to the running of FB Pug Manders and tailback Ace Parker. Parker threw to end Perry Schwartz, who reached the eight. Two plays later, Manders bulled in for a touchdown.

The Eagles came back to tie the score thanks to a 44-yard drive in the second quarter. Diminutive rookie tailback Davey O’Brien (5’7”, 150), newly inserted into the lineup following the opening period, threw three completions and was helped by two penalties on the Dodgers. Rookie HB Fran Murray ran around end for a one-yard touchdown and Hank Reese converted.

In the third quarter, Kercheval put the Dodgers back in front with a 44-yard field goal. Shortly thereafter, Parker connected with Schwartz again for a 47-yard touchdown. Kercheval kicked two more field goals in short order in the fourth quarter, from 38 and 44 yards.


O’Brien provided some excitement in the final period as he threw to end Bill Hewitt (pictured at left) for a 22-yard TD to close out the scoring, but the result was a 23-14 win for Brooklyn.

Three players (Parker, end Waddy Young, and tackle Bruiser Kinard) played a full 60 minutes for the Dodgers. Brooklyn outgained the Eagles, 268 yards to 170, while each team had 10 first downs. Ralph Kercheval kicked three field goals in five attempts and added two extra points for Brooklyn. Pug Manders, moving from blocking back to fullback for the Dodgers, ran for 113 yards on 29 carries. Ace Parker was successful on 8 of his 19 throws for 116 yards and a touchdown. For the Eagles, Davey O’Brien completed 11 of 25 passes for 140 yards with a TD and one intercepted.

All of this occurred with broadcaster Walz adding his commentary (and often correctly forecasting Coach Clark’s calls) while sitting in a mezzanine seat along the railing with an iconoscope camera over his shoulder (the other camera, placed at field-level at the 50 didn’t work well and was little-used in the telecast).

“I did my own spotting, and when the play moved up and down the field on punts and kickoffs, I’d point to tell the cameraman what I’d be talking about,” said Walz later. “We also used hand signals for communication. Producer Burke Crotty was in the mobile unit truck, and he’d tell me over the headphones which camera he was using.”

For the most part, the players were unaware that they were being televised (Brooklyn FB Sam Francis said he noticed “a big trailer thing” parked outside the stadium), and the newspaper accounts didn’t mention it at all. The significance would come in retrospect, once television became a far more important medium and its role in the development of the sport more apparent.

Brooklyn went on to finish third in the Eastern Division with a 4-6-1 record. The Eagles ended up tied with Pittsburgh at the bottom at 1-9-1. And from the modest beginning broadcasting in obscurity to some 1000 people, pro football on television was watched by nearly 208 million viewers in 2010, with an average of almost 18 million per game and some 162.9 million for Super Bowl XLV.