1940 NFL Championship Game

none November 2013 nflc 1940 File:1940NFLChampionshipGameProgram.jpg Chicago Bears Washington Redskins George Halas Ray Flaherty Western Eastern CHI WAS 8–3 9–2 21 7 26 19 73 0 0 0 0 0 December 8, 1940 Griffith Stadium Washington, D.C. 36,034 Mutual Red Barber Bears: George Halas (owner/coach), Dan Fortmann, Sid Luckman, George McAfee, George Musso, Joe Stydahar, Bulldog Turner Redskins: George Preston Marshall (owner/founder), Ray Flaherty (coach), Sammy Baugh, Turk Edwards, Wayne Millner USA 1 Griffith   Stadium 38.9175 -77.020 Location in the United States 5 290 The 1940 NFL Championship Game, sometimes referred to simply as 73–0, was the eighth title game of the National Football League (NFL). It was played at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C., on December 8, with a sellout capacity attendance of 36,034.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=W54aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mA0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6407%2C1989944 Milwaukee Sentinel Associated Press Feder Sid Chicago Bears crush Redskins, 73-0 December 9, 1940 15 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=waxQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kCIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4262%2C4762467 Milwaukee Journal Bears overwhelm Washington, 73 to 0; game draws record gate of $102,000 December 9, 1940 6, section 2 The Chicago Bears (8–3) of the Western Division met the Washington Redskins (9–2), champions of the Eastern Division.http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1940/12/08/page/39/article/bears-meet-redskins-today-for-pro-football-title Chicago Tribune Strickler George Bears meet Redskins today for pro football title December 8, 1940 1, part 2 Neither team had played in the title game since 1937, when the Redskins won a close game at Chicago's Wrigley Field. For this game in Washington, the Bears entered as slight favorites.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=v6xQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kCIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3490%2C3294964 Milwaukee Journal Associated Press Pro league title game Sunday to draw record $100,000 gate December 7, 1940 8https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cGIbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aUwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5999%2C3691243 Pittsburgh Press United Press Kirksey George Grid 'World Series' stirs Capitol fans December 8, 1940 15, section 3 The Bears scored eleven touchdowns and won 73–0, the most one-sided victory in NFL history.http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1940/12/09/page/21/article/bears-win-world-football-title-73-to-0 Chicago Tribune Strickler George Bears win world football title, 73 to 0 December 9, 1940 21 The game was broadcast on radio by Mutual Broadcasting System, the first NFL title game broadcast nationwide. Background Washington had defeated Chicago 7–3 in a regular season game three weeks earlier in Washington.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=l1kbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_0wEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3854%2C2875354 Pittsburgh Press United Press Kirksey George 'Skins, Bears move toward pro finale November 18, 1940 18 After the contest, Redskins owner George Preston Marshall told reporters that the Bears were crybabies and quitters when the going got tough. As the Bears prepared for the rematch, Chicago head coach George Halas fired up his team by showing them newspaper articles containing Marshall's comments, then said, "Gentlemen, this is what George Preston Marshall thinks of you. Well, I think you're a GREAT football team! Now, go out there and prove it!" Before the game, Halas's friend Clark Shaughnessy, who was concurrently coaching the undefeated Stanford Indians, helped the Bears' gameplan. Shaughnessy devised several counters for linebacker shifts that he had noted the Redskins using.Douglas A. Noverr, The Games They Played: Sports in American History, 1865–1980, p. 143, Rowman & Littlefield, 1983, 0-88229-819-4. Game summary The Bears controlled the game right from the start, using the T formation as their primary offensive strategy. On their second play from scrimmage, running back Bill Osmanski ran 68 yards for a touchdown. Washington then marched to the Chicago 26-yard line on their ensuing drive, but wide receiver Charlie Malone dropped a sure touchdown pass in the end zone that would have tied the game. The field goal attempt on 4th down was missed as well. Later in the first quarter, Bears quarterback Sid Luckman scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to increase the lead 14–0. On their third drive, Joe Maniaci ran 42 yards for the Bears' third touchdown of the game. The Bears held a 28–0 halftime lead and then continued to crush the Redskins, scoring 45 points during the second half. After Halas took the team's starters out, the backup players continued to pile on the points. The Bears ended up recording 501 total yards on offense, 382 total rushing yards, and 8 interceptions, returning 3 for touchdowns, all in the third quarter. So many footballs were kicked into the stands after touchdowns that officials asked Halas to run or pass for the point after touchdown on the last two touchdowns.http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PLAYER_ID=21 Hall of Famers » SAMMY BAUGH Profootballhof.com September 22, 2012 This game also marked the last time that an NFL player (Bears end Dick Plasman) played without a helmet. Reportedly, after the final gun went off, a sports writer jokingly yelled, "Marshall just shot himself!" Marshall's only statement to the press was, "We needed a 50-man line against their power." Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh was interviewed after the game, and a sportswriter asked him whether the game would have been different had Malone not dropped the tying touchdown pass. Baugh reportedly quipped, "Sure. The final score would have been 73–7." Legacy As of 2026, Chicago's 73 points is the most scored by one team in any NFL game, regular season or postseason.Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single game, from 1940 to 2021, in the regular season and playoffs, sorted by descending Points For. Since 1940, three NFL teams have scored at least 70 points in regular season games.Murphy Bryan Most points in an NFL game: Where Raiders' 63-point thrashing of Chargers ranks on all-time list Sporting News 2023-12-15 https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/most-points-nfl-game-raiders-chargers/ea72bc1c7cb019e1a125bb56 2024-12-07 The regular-season record holder is the Redskins, who defeated the New York Giants 72–41 in 1966. The most recent team to reach 70 points was the Miami Dolphins, who beat the Denver Broncos 70–20 in 2023. Notably, the Dolphins had a clear opportunity to at least tie the Bears' record with 33 seconds remaining, but the Dolphins offense instead opted to effectively end the game at that point with a quarterback kneel (which was not an accepted way of ending a game in 1940). The margin of victory is not only the largest ever in the NFL, but also remains the largest in the four major American professional team sports. On December 2, 2021, the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies matched this feat with a 73-point victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder (Memphis led by as many as 78 points in that game)Bailey Clay GRIZZLIES THROTTLE THUNDER BY NBA-RECORD 73-POINT MARGIN https://www.nba.com/game/0022100330 Associated Press NBA Media Ventures, LLC NBA.com December 3, 2021 June 17, 2024 with a final score of 152–79. The First Fifty Years, a 1969 book that chronicles the first half century of the NFL, listed the game as one of "Ten Games That Mattered" to the growth of pro football in the United States.The First Fifty Years: A Celebration of the National Football League in its Fiftieth Season, Simon and Schuster, Inc., Copyright 1969, ASIN: B0018NJUO0 "On a Sunday in the 1940 December," the book states, "the Chicago Bears played perfect football for a greater percentage of the official hour than any team before or since. In the championship game, as an underdog to the team which had just beaten them, the Bears made an eleven-touchdown pile and used it as a pedestal to raise the NFL to view in all corners of the country.... Pro football, the T-formation and the Chicago Bears were the sudden sports news of the year." Scoring summary text-align:center; background:#eee Chicago Bears 73, Washington Redskins 0 December 8, 1940 1:30 p.m. EST Bears 21 7 26 19 Redskins 0 0 0 0 Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C. Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter CHI – Bill Osmanski 68-yard run (Jack Manders kick). Bears 7–0 CHI – Sid Luckman 1-yard run (Bob Snyder kick). Bears 14–0 CHI – Joe Maniaci 42-yard run (Phil Martinovich kick). Bears 21–0 Second Quarter CHI – Ken Kavanaugh 30-yard pass from Luckman (Snyder kick). Bears 28–0 Third Quarter CHI – Hamp Pool 15-yard interception return (Dick Plasman kick). Bears 35–0 CHI – Ray Nolting 23-yard run (kick failed). Bears 41–0 CHI – George McAfee 35-yard interception return (Joe Stydahar kick). Bears 48–0 CHI – Bulldog Turner 20-yard interception return (kick failed). Bears 54–0 Fourth Quarter CHI – Harry Clarke 44-yard run (kick failed). Bears 60–0 CHI – Gary Famiglietti 2-yard run (Maniaci pass from Solly Sherman). Bears 67–0 CHI – Harry Clarke 1-yard run (pass failed). Bears 73–0 Officials Referee: William "Red" Friesall Umpire: Harry Robb Head linesman: Irv Kupcinet Field judge: Fred Young The NFL had only four game officials in 1940; the back judge was added in 1947, the line judge in 1965, and the side judge in 1978. Statistics Source: 3 Statistical comparison StatisticsChicago WashingtonFirst downs1717First downs rushing134First downs passing310First downs penalty13Total yards501245Passing yards119223Passing – Completions-attempts7–1020–51Passing – Yards per attempt11.94.4Interceptions-return yards8–1170–0Rushing yards38222Rushing attempts5714Yards per rush6.71.6Penalties-yards3–258–70Fumbles-lost2–14–1Punts-Average2–46.03–41.3 Individual statistics 48% Bears PassingC/ATT*YdsTDINT Sid Luckman 3/4 88 1 0 Bob Snyder 3/3 31 0 0Bears RushingCaraYdsTDLGb Bill Osmanski 10 109 1 68 Harry Clarke 8 73 2 44 Joe Maniaci 6 60 2 42 Ray Nolting 13 68 1 23Bears ReceivingReccYdsTDLGbJoe Maniaci3390n/aKen Kavanaugh232130 48% Redskins PassingC/ATT*YdsTDINTSammy Baugh10/1710202Frankie Filchock7/238705Redskins RushingCaraYdsTDLGbFrankie Filchock2200n/aBob Seymour4160n/aJimmy Johnston150n/aEd Justice110n/aRedskins ReceivingReccYdsTDLGbWayne Millner5840n/aBob Masterson3330n/a *Completions/Attempts aCarries bLong play cReceptions Players' shares The net gate receipts from the sellout were over $102,000, a record; each Bears player received $874 while each Redskins player saw $606. References 2 Notes Nash, Bruce, and Allen Zullo (1986). The Football Hall of Shame, 80–82, Pocket Books. 0-671-74551-4. The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995, 391, The Sporting News Publishing Co. 0-89204-523-X. 1Peterson, Robert. "Pigskin: The Early Years of Pro Football" (1997) p. 132 Oxford University Press 0195076079 2Taylor, Roy. "1940's Chicago Bears, Another Dynasty" (2004) http://www.bearshistory.com/seasons/1940schicagobears.aspx 3The NFL's Official Encyclopedic History of Professional Football, (1973), p. 105, Macmillan Publishing Co. New York, NY, LCCN No. 73-3862 38.9175 -77.020 type:event title Championship Game 1940 Category:Chicago Bears postseason Category:Washington Redskins postseason NFL Championship Game NFL Championship Game Category:American football competitions in Washington, D.C.