View source for 1945 NFL Championship Game

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox NFLChamp
| type = nflc
| image = 451216-Rams-Redskins-program.jpg
| caption = 
| name = 1945
| visitor = [[1945 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]]
| home = [[1945 Cleveland Rams season|Cleveland Rams]]
| visitor_coach = [[Dudley DeGroot]]
| home_coach = [[Adam Walsh (football coach)|Adam Walsh]]
| visitor_conf = Eastern
| home_conf = Western
| visitor_abbr = WAS
| home_abbr = CLE
| visitor_record = 8–2
| home_record = 9–1
| visitor_qtr1 = 0
| visitor_qtr2 = 7
| visitor_qtr3 = 7
| visitor_qtr4 = 0
| visitor_total = 14
| home_qtr1 = 2
| home_qtr2 = 7
| home_qtr3 = 6
| home_qtr4 = 0
| home_total = 15
| date = December 16, 1945
| stadium = [[Cleveland Stadium]]
| city = [[Cleveland|Cleveland, Ohio]]
| attendance = 32,178
| odds = Cleveland by 4 points<ref name=yvprmd>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=h-ZYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ooQMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5086%2C574437 |work=Youngstown Vindicator |location=(Ohio) |agency=Associated Press |last=Feder |first=Sid |title=Rams, Redskins are primed for pro grid title game |date=December 16, 1945 |page=D3}}</ref><ref name=lmtappre>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VL9eAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NjEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1411%2C5626729 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=Rams and Redskins set to battle for national pro gridiron title |date=December 16, 1946 |page=11}}</ref>
| referee = [[Ronald Gibbs]]
| radio = [[Blue Network|Blue]]
| radioannouncers = [[Harry Wismer]]
| HOFers = '''Redskins:''' [[George Preston Marshall]] (owner/founder), [[Sammy Baugh]], [[Wayne Millner]] <br> '''Rams:''' [[Dan Reeves (NFL owner)|Dan Reeves]] (owner), [[Bob Waterfield]]
}}

The '''1945 NFL Championship Game''' was the 13th [[National Football League]] (NFL) [[History of the National Football League championship|championship game]]. Held on December 16, the [[1945 Cleveland Rams season|Cleveland Rams]] defeated the [[1945 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]] 15–14 at [[Cleveland Stadium]] in [[Cleveland|Cleveland, Ohio]].<ref name=rbrfpti>{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1945/12/17/page/21/ |newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune |last=Prell |first=Edward |title=Rams beat Redskins, 15-14, for pro title |date=December 17, 1945 |page=21}}</ref><ref name=yvndr>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iOZYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ooQMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3652%2C730326
|newspaper=Youngstown Vindicator |location=Ohio |agency=Associated Press |title=32,178 fans see Cleveland win pro grid crown by downing Washington, 15-14 |date=December 17, 1945 |page=10 }}</ref><ref name=freak>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ulkbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=r0wEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5859%2C2491098 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |last=Hughes |first=Carl |title=Freak breaks win Rams pro title |date=December 17, 1945 |page=20}}</ref><ref name=crsqeak>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7EUaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MCMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5500%2C1272239 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |last=Kuechle |first=Oliver E. |title=Cleveland Rams squeak out 15-14 victory over Redskins |date=December 17, 1945 |page=6, part 2 }}</ref><ref name=fpbgct>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=h-ROAAAAIBAJ&sjid=z_8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7120%2C2524395 |newspaper=Toledo Blade |location=Ohio |agency=Associated Press |last=Feder |first=Sam |title=Freak play brings pro grid crown to Rams |date=December 17, 1945 |page=22 }}</ref> The Rams became the first expansion team to win an NFL championship.

This was the last game before the Rams moved west to [[Los Angeles]], [[California]].<ref name="The Cleveland Rams head West">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bigblueview.com/2017/11/4/16602256/the-cleveland-rams-head-west|title=The Cleveland Rams head West|date=November 4, 2017}}</ref> One&nbsp;play which provided the Rams' margin of victory led to a significant rule change in professional [[American football|football]]. If&nbsp;the title game had ended in a tie, the teams would have shared the championship.<ref name=yvprmd/>

It was the coldest NFL championship game up to that time, with a temperature of {{convert|−8|F}},<ref name="The Cleveland Rams head West"/><ref>
{{cite book
| author=Howard Roberts
| chapter= Cleveland Before Brown
| title=The Story of Pro Football
| url=https://archive.org/details/storyofprofootba010623mbp
| publisher=Rand McNally & Company 
| id=LCN 53-9336
| year=1953| pages=[https://archive.org/details/storyofprofootba010623mbp/page/n106 95]–96}}</ref>
which significantly curtailed the expected attendance and revenue.<ref name=yvprmd/><ref name=lmtappre/>

==The game==
In the first quarter, the Redskins had the ball at their own 5-yard line. Dropping back into the [[end zone]], [[quarterback]] [[Sammy Baugh]], playing his fifth championship game in nine years, threw the ball, but it hit the [[Goal (sports)#Gridiron football|goal post]] (which were on the goal line from {{nfly|1933}} through {{nfly|1973}}) and bounced back to the ground in the end zone. Under the rules at the time, this was a [[Safety (American football score)|safety]], which gave the Rams a 2–0 lead.<ref name="YouTube, a Google company">{{cite AV media|url-status = dead|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPcZncU_p3A|title = YouTube, a Google company|website = [[YouTube]]|access-date = November 8, 2017|archive-date = July 21, 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210721031426/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPcZncU_p3A}}</ref>

[[File:1945 NFL Championship Game.jpg|thumb|left|400px|The Rams trying to stay warm on the sideline during the 1945 NFL Championship Game.]]
In the second quarter, Baugh suffered bruised ribs and was replaced by [[Frank Filchock]], who threw a 38-yard [[touchdown]] pass to [[Steve Bagarus]] to give the Redskins a 7–2 lead. The Rams scored just before halftime when rookie quarterback [[Bob Waterfield]] completed a 37-yard touchdown pass to [[Jim Benton (American football)|Jim Benton]]. Waterfield's ensuing [[extra point]] was partially blocked, with the ball teetering on the crossbar, but it dropped over to give Cleveland a 9–7 lead.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPcZncU_p3A |title=YouTube video |website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=November 8, 2017 |archive-date=July 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721031426/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPcZncU_p3A |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Gillette-championshipgame-1945.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Halfback Jim Gillette of the Rams breaks free for a 44-yard touchdown.]]
In the third quarter, the Rams increased their lead to 15–7 when [[Jim Gillette (American football)|Jim Gillette]] scored on a 44-yard touchdown reception, but this time the extra point was missed.

The Redskins then came back to cut their deficit to 15–14 with [[Bob Seymour]]'s 8-yard touchdown catch from Filchock; in the fourth quarter, Washington kicker [[Joe Aguirre]] missed two field goals attempts, of 46 and 31 yards, that could have won the game.<ref name="YouTube, a Google company"/>

But it was the first quarter safety that proved to be the margin of victory. After the game, Redskins owner [[George Preston Marshall]] was so incensed at the outcome that he became a driving force in passing a major rule change after the season - a forward pass that strikes the goal posts is automatically ruled incomplete. This rule eventually became known as the "Baugh/Marshall Rule" and remained in effect until {{nfly|1974}}, when the goal posts returned to the end line and were impossible to hit with a legal forward pass, which made the rule [[wikt:dead letter|dead letter]].

[[File:1945-Rams-ticket.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Upper deck ticket for the 1945 "World's Professional Football Championship" game held in Cleveland. Printed ahead of the game, these tickets included neither the date or the name of the Eastern Conference opponent.]]

==Officials==
*'''Referee:''' [[Ronald Gibbs]]
*'''Umpire:''' [[Harry Robb]]
*'''Head linesman:''' [[Charlie Berry]]
*'''Field judge:''' Bill Downes <ref name=rbrfpti/>

The NFL had only four game [[Official (gridiron football)|officials]] in {{nfly|1945}}; the back judge was added in {{nfly|1947}}, the line judge in {{nfly|1965}}, and the side judge in {{nfly|1978}}.

==Player shares==
Total revenue generated by the championship game totaled [[United States dollar|$]]164,542, which included $15,081 for radio broadcast rights, a new record.<ref name=Golden>[http://goldenrankings.com/nflchampionshipgame1945.html "NFL Championship Games: 1945: Washington Redskins @ Cleveland Rams,"] Golden Football Magazine, http://goldenrankings.com/</ref> Of this total, $95,261 was allotted to the players, resulting in shares of about $1,409 per player for the victorious Rams and $902 per player for the losing Redskins.<ref name=Golden /><ref name=mrsiptg>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ulkbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=r0wEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6559%2C2491763 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |agency=United Press |title=Money records set in pro title game |date=December 17, 1945 |page=20}}</ref>

==Rams relocation to Los Angeles==
Despite winning the World Championship, Rams owner [[Dan Reeves (American football executive)|Dan Reeves]] lost $64,000 with his franchise during the [[1945 Cleveland Rams season|1945]] season.

These financial losses, combined with the Rams' poor home attendances and the awarding of a Cleveland franchise ([[1946 Cleveland Browns season|Browns]]) in the soon to be formed [[All-America Football Conference]] (AAFC), ensured the relocation of the Rams to [[Los Angeles]] in January [[1946 Los Angeles Rams season|1946]].<ref name="The Cleveland Rams head West"/>

==Game statistics==
===Scoring summary===
{{Americanfootballbox | bg=#eee
|Road=Redskins
|R1=0
|R2=7
|R3=7
|R4=0
|Home=Rams
|H1=2
|H2=7
|H3=6
|H4=0
|stadium=[[Cleveland Municipal Stadium]], [[Cleveland, Ohio]]
|date=December 16, 1945
|time=1:30 p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
|referee=[[Ronald Gibbs]]
|weather={{convert|-8|F|}}
|reference=
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Scoring Play
! Score
|-
|colspan="4" align="center"| '''1st Quarter'''
|-
| CLE – Safety, [[Sammy Baugh|Baugh]]'s pass from end zone hit goal post
| CLE 2–0
|-
|colspan="4" align="center"| '''2nd Quarter'''
|-
| WAS – [[Steve Bagarus|Bagarus]] 38 pass from [[Frank Filchock|Filchock]] ([[Joe Aguirre|Aguirre]] kick)
| WAS 7–2
|-
| CLE – [[Jim Benton (American football)|Benton]] 37 pass from [[Bob Waterfield|Waterfield]] (Waterfield kick)
| CLE 9–7
|-
|colspan="4" align="center"| '''3rd Quarter'''
|-
| CLE – [[Jim Gillette (American football)|Gillette]] 44 pass from Waterfield (kick failed)
| CLE 15–7
|-
| WAS – [[Bob Seymour|Seymour]] 8 pass from Filchock (Aguirre kick)
| CLE 15–14
|-
|colspan="4" align="center"| '''4th Quarter'''
|-
|align=center|''no scoring''
| CLE 15–14
|}

'''First downs:''' Rams 14, Redskins 8

'''Yards rushing:''' Rams 44 carries for 180 yards, Redskins 34 carries for 35 yards

'''Passing:''' Rams 11-for-27 for 192 yards (2 TDs), Redskins 9-for-20 for 179 yards (2 TDs)

'''Return yardage:''' Rams 131, Redskins 155

'''Fumbles-Lost:''' Rams 1-1, Redskins 1–0

'''Penalties:''' Rams 6 for 60 yards, Redskins 4 for 29 yards

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* Bruce Nash and Allen Zullo, ''The Football Hall of Shame.'' New York: Pocket Books, 1986; pp.&nbsp;68–69.
* ''The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995.'' St. Louis, MO: Sporting News Publishing Co., 1995; pp.&nbsp;395–396.

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{{1945 NFL season by team}}
{{1945 Cleveland Rams}}
{{Los Angeles Rams}}
{{Washington Redskins}}
{{NFL pre-sb}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nfl Championship Game, 1945}}
[[Category:1945 NFL season|Champ]]
[[Category:NFL Championship games|1945 NFL Championship Game]]
[[Category:Cleveland Rams postseason]]
[[Category:Washington Redskins postseason]]
[[Category:December 1945 sports events in the United States]]
[[Category:1945 in sports in Ohio]]
[[Category:1940s in Cleveland]]
[[Category:Sports competitions in Cleveland]]