1935 NFL Championship Game

American football game November 2013 nflc File:1935 NFL Championship.jpg 1935 New York Giants NYG Detroit Lions DET Steve Owen Potsy Clark Eastern Western 9–3 7–3–2 7 26 0 7 0 0 13 0 0 13 December 15, 1935 University of Detroit Stadium Detroit, Michigan 15,000 Giants: Tim Mara (owner/founder), Steve Owen (coach), Red Badgro, Ray Flaherty, Mel Hein, Ken Strong Lions: Dutch Clark USA 1 Detroit 42.416 -83.137 Location in the United States right 5 290 The 1935 NFL Championship game was the third National Football League (NFL) title game, held on December 15 at University of Detroit Stadium (Titan Stadium) in Detroit, Michigan.http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1935/12/16/page/21/article/detroit-beats-new-york-for-pro-title-26-7 Chicago Tribune Smith Wilfrid Detroit beats New York for pro title, 26-7 December 16, 1935 21https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xU0bAAAAIBAJ&sjid=H0wEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3956%2C4789674 Pittsburgh Press United Press McIlrath William F. New York, Detroit clash in pro grid title battle December 15, 1935 3, sportshttps://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fqBQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PSIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6804%2C2966814 Milwaukee Journal Detroit Lions defeat New York for pro football crown, 26 to 7 December 16, 1935 2, part 2 The 1935 champion of the Western Division was the Detroit Lions (7–3–2) and the champion of the Eastern Division was the New York Giants (9–3).https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=d6BQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PSIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4971%2C851230 Milwaukee Journal Pro standings December 9, 1935 6, part 2 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=faBQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PSIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6779%2C2316905 Milwaukee Journal United Press Giants, Lions play for pro title Sunday December 15, 1935 3, sports The Giants, coached by Steve Owen, were in their third straight title game and were defending champions, while the Lions (coached by George "Potsy" Clark) were in their first title game, three years removed from their nailbiting loss in the indoor 1932 NFL Playoff Game as the Portsmouth Spartans. With an estimated 15,000 fans in attendance, it was the least attended peacetime championship game in league history. Game summary The weather in Detroit for the game was gray, wet, and windy, and the field at the University of Detroit's Titan Stadium was sloppy.Associated Press, "Detroit Lions win pro championship," Ludington Daily News, Dec. 16, 1935, p. 6. The Lions took the opening kickoff and marched 61 yards down the field for a touchdown, with fullback Ace Gutowsky doing the honors on a 2-yard run.Tom Bennett, et al. (eds.), The Official Encyclopedic History of Professional Football. Revised and expanded edition. New York: Macmillan, 1977; p. 294. The Lions scored another first quarter touchdown on a twisting 40-yard run by star halfback Dutch Clark, giving Detroit a 13–0 lead. Midway through the second quarter the Giants fought back with a 42-yard scoring pass from Ed Danowski to Ken Strong, with Detroit's Gutowsky managing to get a hand on the ball on defense but failing to break up the play. The 13–7 halftime score managed to hold until late in the fourth quarter, when a low Giants punt hit one of the team's linemen and became a live ball, which was recovered by Detroit on the New York 26 yard line. A sweep by Ernie Caddel found the end zone, essentially icing the game for the home team. A pass interception by future Lions coach Buddy Parker gave the ball back to the Lions on the 10, leading to a final 4-yard touchdown run by Parker in the game's final seconds. Starting lineups Players played both offensively and defensively until replaced by a substitute in this era. The startersJoseph S. Page, Pro Football Championships Before the Super Bowl: A Year-by-Year History, 1926–1965. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2011; pp. 34–35. included: New York Giants — Detroit Lions Ike Frankian LE Ed Klewicki Bill Morgan LT John Johnson Potsy Jones LG Regis Monahan Mel Hein C Clare Randolph Steve Owen RG Ox Emerson Len Grant RT George Christensen Tod Goodwin RE John Schneller Ed Danowski QB Glenn Presnell Ken Strong LHB Frank Christensen Kink Richards RHB Ernie Caddel Les Corzine FB Ace Gutowsky Substitutes Giants Ends: Walt Singer, Gran Mitchell; Tackles: Tex Irvin, Jess Quatse; Guards: Bob Bellinger, Johnny Isola, Bernard Kaplan; Backs: Harry Newman, Leland Shaffer, Max Krause. Lions Ends: Ray Morse, Harry Ebding; Tackles: Jim Steen, Jim Stacey; Guards: Sam Knox, Tom Hupke; Center Elmer Ward; Backs: Dutch Clark, Bill Shepherd, Buddy Parker, Pug Vaughan, Tony Kaska. Scoring summary Sunday, December 15, 1935 Kickoff: 2 p.m. EST First quarter DET – Ace Gutowsky 2-yard run (Glenn Presnell kick) Lions 7–0 DET – Dutch Clark 40-yard run (kick failed) Lions 13–0 Second quarter NYG – Ken Strong 42-yard pass from Ed Danowski (Strong kick) Lions 13–7 Third quarter no scoring Fourth quarter DET – Ernie Caddel 4-yard run (Clark kick) Lions 20–7 DET – Buddy Parker 4-yard run (kick failed) Lions 26–7 Officials Referee: Tommy Hughitt Umpire: Bobby Cahn Head linesman: Maurice J. Meyer Field judge: Harry Robb The NFL had only four game officials in 1935; the back judge was added in 1947, the line judge in 1965, and the side judge in 1978. Legacy When asked about the game over 70 years later, Glenn Presnell (who was also the last surviving member of the Detroit Lions inaugural 1934 team) said about the game: https://web.archive.org/web/20140220103533/http://blog.detroitathletic.com/2010/12/29/75-years-ago-the-detroit-lions-won-their-first-world-championship/ February 20, 2014 "I remember that it was a snowy day, very cold, and there were far less fans there than the '34 Thanksgiving Day game. In those days, people didn’t go very often when it wasn’t nice weather. "I was the starting quarterback that game and for most of the season. Potsy liked to start me and see what was going on before sending in Dutch Clark. The one thing that stands out to me is that we scored in the first two minutes. I had thrown a flat pass to our blocking back on a fake for a 60-yard play to about their four-yard line. Ace Gutowsky punched it over for the score and I kicked the extra point. If we celebrated when we made a touchdown like the way they do today we would have been hooted off the field. "For winning the championship, we each received $300. We never got a championship ring like they do now, but it was certainly one of my proudest moments. Remember, professional football was not nearly as popular as college football and baseball. It was much more exciting to play college football at Nebraska in front of 40,000 people. It was a way to make a living during the Depression." Detroit: "City of Champions" When the Lions won the 1935 NFL Championship, the city of Detroit was mired in the Great Depression, which had hit Detroit and its industries particularly hard. But with the success of the Lions and other Detroit teams and athletes in 1935–1936, their luck appeared to be changing, as the city was dubbed the "City of Champions." The Detroit Tigers started the winning streak by capturing the 1935 World Series. The Lions continued the streak by winning the 1935 NFL Championship. They were followed by the Detroit Red Wings winning the 1935–36 Stanley Cup. With the Stanley Cup win on April 11, 1936, Detroit reigned as triple major league champions for nearly six months, until the Yankees clinched the 1936 World Series on October 6. No city has ruled as champions of three major sports simultaneously since.The closest any city has come since then was New York; the Jets won Super Bowl III in January 1969 and the Mets took the World Series that October. The Knicks added an NBA crown in May 1970, but by that point the Jets had been dethroned by Kansas City's victory in Super Bowl IV. But the Tigers, Lions and Wings were not the Motor City's only champions: Detroit's "Brown Bomber," Joe Louis, was the heavyweight boxing titlist; Detroiter Gar Wood, the first man to go 100 miles per hour on water, reigned as the world's top unlimited powerboat racer; and black Detroiter Eddie "the Midnight Express" Tolan had won gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter races at the 1932 Summer Olympics. References 35em External links blog.detroitathletic.com https://web.archive.org/web/20140220103533/http://blog.detroitathletic.com/2010/12/29/75-years-ago-the-detroit-lions-won-their-first-world-championship/ February 20, 2014 42.416 -83.137 type:event title Category:Detroit Lions postseason 1935 NFL Championship Game Category:New York Giants postseason Championship Game NFL Championship Game NFL Championship Game NFL Championship Game Category:American football competitions in Detroit