Another Look at the 1947 NFL Championship Game

As we approach the 2022 Super Bowl, one old and familiar name will be missing from the participants: the Cardinals. Again. After a promising start to the 2021 season that sputtered and then ground to a halt in the first round of the playoffs, the Cardinals have ensured that the longest streak without a championship in any professional sport will now stretch into its 75th year. 75 years!

While many fans of the team certainly hoped that the impressive start this year signaled the imminent end of the team’s title drought, fate interceded and crushed those hopes with nary a look back. Very few are still around who personally witnessed the Cardinals’ last championship in 1947 yet we can always dip into the history books to experience the heroes and highlights of that long-ago victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on December 28, 1947.

In a past episode of “When Football Was Football,” we covered that title contest but as we near the conclusion of still another NFL season without a Cardinals’ championship, we’ll peek behind the curtain from another direction and share the Philadelphia side of that famous battle.

The result of that long ago contest will remain the same: the Cardinals survived the Eagles 28-21 behind two touchdowns each from Charley Trippi and Elmer Angsman. It was a tough game, played on the frozen surface of Comiskey Park in Chicago and the weather played a prominent role in the outcome, at least early in the game!

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Packers Have Nothing Tangible

But first, let’s look at the path the Eagles took to reach the championship battle in 1947. In order to qualify to meet the Cardinals in the final game, the Eagles first needed to capture the Eastern Division of the NFL. This was not an easy task as Philadelphia (7-4) was a win behind the Steelers (8-4) on the last day (December 14) of the regular season. Pittsburgh was idle that week, forcing the team to wait hopefully for positive results when the Eagles met the Packers in the closing contest.

The Eagles were wary of the visible confidence exuded by the visitors from Wisconsin, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer which said: “The Eagles have one major factor going for them. That is the mental attitude of the Packers who consider themselves the uncrowned champions of the league, but have nothing tangible to gain by a triumph.” Ouch!

The Eagles ended up ripping the Packers 28-14 in a victory that served a dual purpose: securing the right to meet the Steelers in a playoff for the Eastern Division crown and helping talented running back Steve Van Buren to capture the NFL rushing title. In fact, Van Buren eased past Beattie Feathers of the Bears for the most yards gained in one season with 1,008 (Feathers had 1,004 in 1934) and also established a new mark for most rushing attempts in a season with 217.

On this same day, the Cardinals edged the Bears 30-21 to win the Western Division title. Quarterback Paul Christman connected with halfback Babe Dimancheff on the very first play of the game with an 80-yard TD strike to set up the Cards’ victory. The winners finished 9-3 and now were forced to wait for the Eastern Division playoff game to determine which team would journey to Chicago for the NFL title bout on December 28.

Bring on the Beer!

Immediately after the conclusion of the Eagles’ win over the Packers, ticket offices in Pittsburgh were mobbed as fans sought seats for the upcoming playoff battle. The Pittsburgh Press newspaper predicted that 39,000 would attend and “the winner of this battle will face the dubious honor of running into the powerful Chicago Cardinals.”

However, the Eagles exploded Pittsburgh’s hopes of reaching its first championship contest by blasting the Steelers 21-0 behind quarterback Tommy Thompson’s two scoring passes. Eagles coach Greasy Neale was impressed with Thompson’s performance, telling the Philadelphia Inquirer: “That Tommy Thompson played a great game. His signal calling was just about perfect.”

In the victor’s locker room, the Eagles shouted out the expected chants, such as “Champs at last,” and “Bring on the Cardinals.” But it was a third refrain that caught the eye, or shall we say—the ear, of Coach Neale when the players gleefully yelled “Bring on the beer!” The Philadelphia Inquirer thought this simple request was important enough to share with its readers:

“The first shout of ‘Bring on the beer,’ brought orders from Coach Neale not to break training. ‘Please coach, can’t we have just one bottle?’ asked big Alex Wojciechowicz, the Eagles veteran center, good-naturedly. “All right, but on your word of honor not more than two bottles each,’ said Neale. And, at the request of Wojie, every man on the team raised his hand in a pledge that he would not drink more than two bottles!”

With the citizens of Philadelphia thus relieved of the worry that their favorite players might indulge in more than two adult beverages a week before the title game, the Eagles were off to Chicago. There were initial reports that the Cardinals were favorites in the title game, due to previous wins that year over the Eagles during the pre and regular season.

However, New York Giants coach Steve Owens concluded that the contest would be a toss-up owing to the Philadelphia club having a psychological edge: “The Cardinals hold two decisions over the Eagles this year, but they’re liable to act chesty and think this game is a cinch. If the field is slippery, the Eagles should profit, because quarterback Tommy Thompson is more adept at handling a wet ball.”

We Can Give The Cardinals A Worse Jolt

After a two-hour practice on Christmas Day, Eagles coach Greasy Neale was happy with the club’s effort. Neale chose to focus on his defensive strategy, which was intended to counteract the gifted Cardinals receivers, Billy Dewell and Mal Kutner. The latter topped the NFL with 944 receiving yards in 1947, so the focus was on negating the passing effectiveness of quarterback Paul Christman.

Neale worked the squad for over two hours in preparation for the Cards. He told his players: “I’ll give you A-plus on your brainwork. If you are as alert in Chicago, we can give them a worse jolt.” Of course, the Eagles would also need to be aware of the talented backfield of the Cardinals including Charley Trippi, Elmer Angsman, Marshall Goldberg, and Pat Harder. Harder, who was also an excellent placekicker, led the NFL in scoring in 1947 with 102 points.

As winter set in, the field at Comiskey Park was protected under 18 tons of hay and canvas according to Cardinals’ president Ray Benningsen, who pronounced that the gridiron would be in suitable condition for the championship battle. Back in Philadelphia, the Eagles announced that the game would be broadcast over radio station WFIL with Harry Wismer doing the announcing.

Finally, on Friday, December 26, the Eagles party departed for Chicago at 6:09 pm from the North Philadelphia Station. Arriving in Chicago at 8:20 am on Saturday, December 27, the team then went through a practice session that same morning at Comiskey Park.

Despite this game being for the NFL title, the Eagles remained quite strict regarding travel requirements for the players with the following information distributed to the players: “Buses will meet the train upon arrival in Chicago to transfer the team to the hotel. All players must use this method of transportation.

DO NOT TAKE TAXICABS!

The Club will not be responsible for any of your expenses except room and meals. Any other expenses which you may incur will be charged to your account and will be deducted from your next paycheck. Your time is your own after the game, and the Road Secretary will give each of you $2.00 for your evening meal.” Back then, teams in NFL were aware of all expenses, no matter how limited, even for players participating in an NFL title game!

The Eagles Are The Class of the East

Although most favored the Cardinals to win the crown owing to the two previous victories in 1947, Coach Jimmy Conzelman was taking nothing for granted. The Cardinals practiced each day (including Christmas) in the week leading up to the game and Conzelman shared his concern about the opposition: “No doubt about it, the Eagles are the class of the East.

They’re a rough, tough ball club and now that they’ve ended their jinx of never reaching the title game, they’ll be hard to stop. There’s no doubt about our job—we’ve got to play our best to win. A letdown against guys like Van Buren and Thompson would be fatal. They’ll murder you.”

The most vivid and lasting memory to emerge from the game was not the excitement of the contest, nor the amazing running game displayed by the Cardinals. Rather, a pair of five-yard penalties against the Eagles early in the game have left a resounding imprint in the mystique surrounding the battle.

The visitors were penalized twice by referee Tom Dowd for using “illegal equipment.” In this case, it was the status of the sharpened cleats used by the Eagles to gain traction on the frozen turf. The Cardinals, meanwhile, opened the game wearing gym shoes, thus securing much better traction on the field. The Eagles scurried to locate gym shoes of their own, but the penalties, along with the lack of proper footwear, certainly impacted the effort of Philadelphia.

As for the game itself, the Cardinals wisely attacked the Eagles’ unusual eight-man line that was designed to harass quarterback Paul Christman and his passing efforts. That part of the plan worked well, but the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the downside of that defensive alignment:

“Greasy Neale’s Eagles cooked their own goose by throwing up an eight-man line against the Cards most of the way. They didn’t think much of Paul Christman’s passing ability, and as it turned out they were right, but that eight-man line against the “T” formation was nothing short of suicide.”

Coach Jimmy Conzelman agreed that the Cardinals’ success running the ball vs. that overloaded front-line defense was crucial to the outcome: “I knew sooner or later we’d get somebody through there to go all the way. Plays that should gain four or five yards at a time were netting touchdowns.”

While Christman was virtually ineffective, completing only 3-14 passes for 54 yards, Angsman established a new title game record by rushing for 159 yards in just ten carries. Three huge running plays boosted the Cards to victory as Angsman twice scored from 70 yards out, while Trippi tallied from 44 yards and also scored on a magical 75-yard punt return.

They Couldn't Recover on the Slippery Field

Not to be forgotten, Eagles quarterback Tommy Thompson was unstoppable through the air, going 27-44 for 297 yards, setting NFL championship game records for attempts and completions as the Eagles fell on the short end of the final 28-21 count.

Coach Neale blamed the frozen field for his defensive woes: “We had our defensive men all set, but they couldn’t recover on the slippery field when Angsman and Trippi set sail. Our secondary was just helpless on that footing once ball carriers broke through.”

Despite the loss, Greasy Neale was happy with his team’s effort stating: “The boys played the grittiest game of any team I ever coached. It was heartwarming the way they fought back after disappointments that would have taken the starch out of many so-called great teams,” he told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I hope the Cardinals win the Western title next year so that we can have the pleasure of knocking them off in Philadelphia. Nobody will beat us in ’48 if the boys play like they did today!”

Greasy Neale became a prophet that night after that chilling loss to the Cardinals. Both teams met once again in the 1948 championship game, and in a blinding snowstorm in Philadelphia, the Eagles survived 7-0 for their first NFL crown.

Everyone thought the Cardinals would be back in the race in 1949, but you already know that part of the story as the Cards will now seek to end their championship woes by finally winning the Super Bowl in 2023—ending a 75-year drought, the longest in any professional sport.

Thank you for joining us tonight for this episode of “When Football Was Football.” We hope our next program will be of interest as we check out some of the greatest “nicknames” in pro football history. What were the secrets behind guys nicknamed Gob, Jeep, Muscles, Night Train, and many others? Find out right here on the Sports History Network!

Author and Host - Joe Ziemba

Joe Ziemba is the host of this show, and he is an author of early football history in the city of Chicago. Here, you can learn more about Joe and When Football Was Football, including all of the episodes of the podcast.