1934 NFL season: Difference between revisions
→Teams: adds detail |
→Teams: adds detail |
||
Line 49: | Line 49: | ||
|[[Philadelphia Eagles]] * || [[Lud Wray]] || [[Baker Bowl]] |
|[[Philadelphia Eagles]] * || [[Lud Wray]] || [[Baker Bowl]] |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|[[Pittsburgh Steelers|Pittsburgh Pirates]] * || [[ |
|[[Pittsburgh Steelers|Pittsburgh Pirates]] * || [[Luby DiMeolo]] || [[Forbes Field]] |
||
|-style="background-color:#FFC40C |
|-style="background-color:#FFC40C |
||
| [[St. Louis Gunners]] † || [[Chile Walsh]] || [[Sportsman's Park]] |
| [[St. Louis Gunners]] † || [[Chile Walsh]] || [[Sportsman's Park]] |
Revision as of 00:25, 28 March 2024
Regular season | |
---|---|
Duration | September 9 – December 9, 1934 |
East Champions | New York Giants |
West Champions | Chicago Bears |
Championship Game | |
Champions | New York Giants |
The 1934 NFL season was the 15th regular season of the National Football League (NFL). Before the season, the Portsmouth Spartans moved from Ohio to Detroit, Michigan, and were renamed the Detroit Lions.
The season ended on December 9 with the NFL Championship Game played for the new Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy. In this final game the New York Giants defeated the Chicago Bears 30–13 at the Polo Grounds in what has become known as the "Sneakers Game".
Overview
The 1934 season reflected the maturation of the NFL, with a split of the league's 10 teams into Eastern and Western divisions for the first time and their "play-off" for a national title and championship trophy.[1] The modern passing game was also born with the elimination of the draconian five yard penalty for an incomplete forward pass, thereby shifting offensive strategic calculations dramatically.
Teams
The league again included 10 teams during the 1934 season. However, the Cincinnati Reds franchise folded mid-season, with its final three games picked up by the St. Louis Gunners.
First season in NFL * | Last active season † |
Major rule changes
- A hand-to-hand forward pass made behind the line of scrimmage that becomes incomplete (hits the ground before it is caught) is to be ruled as a fumble.
- Incomplete passes no longer result in a five-yard penalty[2]
Suspension of the Cincinnati franchise
The Cincinnati Reds lost their first eight games, then were suspended for not paying league dues. The St. Louis Gunners, an independent team, played the last three games of the Reds' 1934 schedule in their stead.
Final standings
NFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
New York Giants | 8 | 5 | 0 | .615 | 7–1 | 147 | 107 | L1 | |
Boston Redskins | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | 5–3 | 107 | 94 | W1 | |
Brooklyn Dodgers | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 | 4–4 | 61 | 153 | L3 | |
Philadelphia Eagles | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 | 3–5 | 127 | 85 | W2 | |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | 1–7 | 51 | 206 | L7 |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
NFL Western Division | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
Chicago Bears | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 8–0 | 286 | 86 | W13 | |
Detroit Lions | 10 | 3 | 0 | .769 | 5–3 | 238 | 59 | L3 | |
Green Bay Packers | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 4–5 | 156 | 112 | W1 | |
Chicago Cardinals | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 | 4–5 | 80 | 84 | W1 | |
St. Louis Gunners | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 0–2 | 27 | 61 | L2 | |
Cincinnati Reds | 0 | 8 | 0 | .000 | 0–6 | 10 | 243 | L8 |
NFL Championship Game
N.Y. Giants 30, Chi. Bears 13 at Polo Grounds, New York City, December 9, 1934
Statistical leaders
The 1934 season marked the third year in which official statistics were tracked and retained by the NFL.[3] Certain statistics later regarded as staples were not maintained, including interceptions, punting average, kickoff return yardage and average, and field goal percentage, among others.[4]
Halfback Beattie Feathers of the Chicago Bears rushed for more than 1,000 yards for the first time in league history.[5] This shattered the previous league record by nearly 300 yards.[5] In the table below, ‡ denotes a new NFL record.
Name | Team | Yards | |
---|---|---|---|
Passing | 1. Arnie "Flash" Heber | Green Bay Packers | 799 |
2. Warren Heller | Pittsburgh Pirates | 511 | |
3. Harry Newman | New York Giants | 391 | |
Rushing | 1. Beattie Feathers | Chicago Bears | 1,004 ‡ |
2. Swede Hanson | Philadelphia Eagles | 805 | |
3. Dutch Clark | Detroit Lions | 763 | |
Receiving | 1. Harry Ebding | Detroit Lions | 264 |
2. Joe Carter | Philadelphia Eagles | 238 | |
3. Joe Skladany | Pittsburgh Pirates | 222 | |
Touchdowns | 1. Beattie Feathers | Chicago Bears | 9 ‡ |
2. Swede Hanson | Philadelphia Eagles | 8 | |
2. Dutch Clark | Detroit Lions | 8 |
Source: Pete Palmer, et al. (eds.), The ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia. First Edition. New York: Sterling Publishing, 2006; p. 1042.
Coaching changes
- Cincinnati Reds: Algy Clark served as head coach, replacing Al Jolley and Mike Palm (who served three and seven games of the previous season, respectively).
- Pittsburgh Pirates: Forrest Douds was replaced by Luby DiMeolo.
- St. Louis Gunners: The team entered the league with Chile Walsh as head coach.
Stadium changes
- The Cincinnati Reds played each of the four home games at different stadiums: Cincinnati's Crosley Field, Dayton's Triangle Park, Portsmouth's Universal Stadium, and Xavier University's Corcoran Stadium.[6]
- The relocated Detroit Lions moved from Portsmouth's Universal Stadium to University of Detroit Stadium
- The Green Bay Packers home games in Milwaukee moved from Borchert Field to Wisconsin State Fair Park
- The St. Louis Gunners played their home games at Sportsman's Park
Awards
The Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy was established as the league's award for the NFL champion, and was awarded through 1967. The host team for the NFL Championship Game would now alternate between the two divisions, with the Eastern Division champion hosting in even-numbered years, and the Western champion hosting in odd-numbered years.[7]
References
- ^ Joe F. Carr (ed.), Official Guide of the National Football League. New York: American Sports Publishing Co., 1935; pp. 40-41.
- ^ Schultz, Mark. "NFL100: 90-year old rules made for a different game". Football Zebras. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ Pete Palmer, et al. (eds.), The ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia. First Edition. New York: Sterling Publishing, 2006; p. 1040.
- ^ Palmer, et al. (eds.), The ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia, p. 1042.
- ^ a b Ned Irish, "National Football League Statistics," in Joe F. Carr (ed.) Official Guide of the National Football League 1935. New York: American Sports Publishing Co., 1935; pp. 43–44.
- ^ "Cincinnati Football Reds". Cincy Sports History. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
- ^ "Thorp memorial trophy for pro football champs". The Day. New London, Connecticut. Associated Press. July 2, 1934. p. 14.
Further reading
- NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
- NFL History 1931–1940 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
- [1]
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)