1933 NFL Championship Game
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| Date | December 17, 1933 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Tommy Hughitt | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 25,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1933 National Football League Championship game was the first scheduled championship game since the NFL's founding in 1920. It was played on December 17 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and the attendance was estimated at 25,000.
The game was between the champions of the league's newly created divisions: the Chicago Bears (10–2–1) of the Western Division and the New York Giants (11–3) of the Eastern Division. Chicago gained the home field due to a better winning percentage in the regular season; after this year the home field alternated, with the Eastern Division champion hosting in even-numbered years and the Western in odd.
Chicago scored the winning touchdown with less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter, capping a 23–21 victory. It was the Bears' second consecutive championship and third under founder and head coach George Halas.
Before the 1933 season, new Boston Redskins owner George Preston Marshall suggested to the NFL's owners that the league make some rule changes to increase the excitement of the game, including allowing passing from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage, and returning the goal posts to the goal line. Marshall then made another proposal a couple of months later: splitting the ten-team league into two divisions of five teams each, and having the winners of each division play each other in a championship game. Although the owners were hesitant at first that this brash new owner thought their game needed overhauling, the logic of his arguments won out, and they were implemented before the season.
Before the season, the Giants acquired University of Michigan All-American quarterback Harry Newman, and versatile free agent halfback Ken Strong. The Giants finished the regular season 11–3, first in the new "Eastern Division", and Newman, center Mel Hein, and Red Badgro were named first team All-NFL. Newman led the NFL in passes completed (53), passing yards (973), touchdown passes (11), and longest pass completion (78 yards), with his passing yards total setting an NFL record.
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