View source for 1947 NFL Championship Game

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox NFL game
| type = nflc
| name = 1947
| image = 471228-Cards-Eagles-program.jpg
| caption = <small>Program for the 1947 Championship Game</small>
| visitor = [[1947 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]]
| visitor_abbr = PHI
| home = [[1947 Chicago Cardinals season|Chicago Cardinals]]
| home_abbr = CHC
| visitor_coach = [[Greasy Neale]]
| home_coach = [[Jimmy Conzelman]]
| visitor_conf = Eastern
| home_conf = Western
| visitor_record = 8–4
| home_record = 9–3
| visitor_qtr1 = 0
| visitor_qtr2 = 7
| visitor_qtr3 = 7
| visitor_qtr4 = 7
| visitor_total = 21
| home_qtr1 = 7
| home_qtr2 = 7
| home_qtr3 = 7
| home_qtr4 = 7
| home_total = 28
| date = December 28, {{nfly|1947}}
| stadium = [[Comiskey Park]]
| city = [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]]
| odds=Chicago by 12 points
| attendance = 30,759
| radio = [[Cumulus Media Networks<!--American Broadcasting Company-->|ABC]]
| radioannouncers = [[Harry Wismer]], [[Red Grange]]
| HOFers = '''Eagles:''' [[Greasy Neale]] (coach), [[Pete Pihos]],<br>[[Steve Van Buren]], [[Alex Wojciechowicz]]<br> '''Cardinals:''' [[Jimmy Conzelman]] (coach), [[Charley Trippi]]
}}
{{Location map
|USA
|relief     = 1
|label      = <small>Comiskey Park</small>
|lat        = 41.832
|long       = -87.634
|caption    = Location in the [[United States]]
|position   = bottom
|marksize   = 5
|float      = 
|background = 
|width      = 270
}}
The '''1947 NFL Championship Game''' (formally: the '''1947 World Professional Football Championship Game'''<ref>Joseph T. Labrum (ed.), ''The National Football League Record and Rules Manual 1948: 29th Season.'' Philadelphia: National Football League, 1948; p. 58.</ref>) was the 15th annual end-of-season title contest held by the [[National Football League]] (NFL). The game took place in icy conditions on December 28 at [[Comiskey Park]] in [[Chicago]] before an audience of 30,759 — well below stadium capacity.<ref name=srgcd>Jerry Liska (Associated Press, [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=J41IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yYMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5063%2C4803537  "Sensational Runs Give Cardinals 28-21 Decision Over Eagles for N.L. Crown,"] ''Youngstown Vindicator,'' Dec. 29, 1947, p. 10.</ref>

==Background==

The game featured the Western Division champion [[1947 Chicago Cardinals season|Chicago Cardinals]] {{nowrap|(9–3)}} and the Eastern Division champion [[1947 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]] {{nowrap|(8–4).}} A week earlier, the Eagles defeated the [[1947 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]] {{nowrap|21–0}} in a [[1947 NFL playoffs|tiebreaker playoff]] to determine the Eastern winner.<ref name=sdigpo>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=E10bAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IU4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6242%2C2691814 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |last=Biederman |first=Les |title=Steelers disappoint in grid playoff |date=December 22, 1947 |page=28}}</ref><ref name=ewsipo>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1947/12/22/page/49/ |newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune |last=Prell |first=Edward |title=Eagles whip Steelers in playoff |date=December 22, 1947 |page=49}}</ref> Both the Eagles and Cardinals were making their first appearances in the championship game. The Cardinals had won the regular season meeting in Philadelphia three weeks earlier by 24 points and after a week off, were 12-point favorites to win the title game at home.<ref name=crdrule>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eTAaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GSUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5155%2C2603249 "Cardinals Rule 12-point Favorites to Beat Eagles,"] ''Milwaukee Journal'', Dec. 28, 1947, sports p. 1.</ref>

This was the [[1943 NFL Championship Game|second]] NFL title game played after Christmas Day, and the latest to date. Scheduled for December 21, it was pushed back a week due to the Eastern division playoff. The temperature at kickoff {{nowrap|was {{convert|29|F}}.<ref name=thwx>{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1947/12/29/page/1/article/4-chicagoans-drown-in-georgia-as-their-car-goes-into-creek |newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune |title=The weather |date=December 29, 1947 |page=1, part 1}}</ref>}} On a frozen field, the Cardinals elected to wear sneakers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cardinals Hall Of Famer Charley Trippi Dies At 100 |url=https://www.azcardinals.com/news/cardinals-hall-of-famer-charley-trippi-dies-at-100 |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=www.azcardinals.com |language=en-US}}</ref> The decision paid off handsomely, as Chicago outgained Philadelphia on the ground 280 yards to just 60 for the day.<ref name=Chamberlain>Charles Chamberlain (Associated Press), [https://www.newspapers.com/article/standard-speaker-chicago-cardinals-defea/160190827/ "Chicago Cardinals Defeat Eagles, 28–21, to Cop 1947 National Pro Grid Loop: Trippi and Angsman Aces in Card Victory Before 30,759; Thompson Set Aerial Marks,"] ''Hazelton Standard-Speaker,'' Dec. 29, 1947, p. 10.</ref>

The Cardinals built a 14–0 lead in the second quarter, then the teams traded touchdowns. The Eagles closed the gap to 28–21 with five minutes to go, but the Cardinals controlled the ball the rest of the game on an extended drive to win the title.<ref name=srgcd/>

This was the only NFL title game played at Comiskey Park and is one of two Cardinals NFL Championship victories. The two teams returned for a rematch in [[1948 NFL Championship Game|1948]] in [[Philadelphia]], but the [[1948 Philadelphia Eagles season|Eagles]] won in a snowstorm. The Cardinals have not won a league championship since this one, over seven decades ago, the longest drought in the NFL. They made it to [[Super Bowl XLIII]] in the [[2008 Arizona Cardinals season|2008]] season representing [[Arizona]], but they lost to the [[2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]].

The Cardinals' win kept the NFL title within the city of Chicago; the North Side's [[1946 Chicago Bears season|Bears]] had won the [[1946 NFL Championship Game|previous season]]. The team did not receive championship rings until the 50th anniversary of their win in 1997.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Branch |first=John |date=2009-01-15 |title=Memories of the Cardinals' Last N.F.L. Championship |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/sports/football/15cardinals.html |access-date=2024-01-31 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

This was the Cardinals' last playoff win as a franchise until January 2, [[1998–99 NFL playoffs|1999]]; at 51 years and five days, it was the longest post-season win drought in NFL history, and still holds the current record for the longest title drought in North American sports. The team moved to [[St. Louis]] as the [[History of the St. Louis Cardinals (NFL)|St. Louis Cardinals]] in [[1960 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season|1960]] and Arizona as the [[Arizona Cardinals|Phoenix Cardinals]] in [[1988 Phoenix Cardinals season|1988]] (changing<!-- their name--> to Arizona Cardinals in [[1994 Arizona Cardinals season|1994]]).

==Starting lineups==

Despite the fact that free substitution was part of the NFL in 1947,<ref>Hugh L. Ray, ''The Official Playing Rules as Devised, Amended, and Authenticated for Professional Football by the National Football League, 1948.'' Rule 5, Section 1, Article 3. In ''1948 Official National League Football Pro Record and Rule Book.'' St. Louis, MO: Charles C. Spink & Son, 1948; p. 27.</ref> in keeping with the [[one-platoon system|single-platoon]] tradition only eleven starters for each team were named.<ref name=Spink>''1948 Official National League Football Pro Record and Rule Book.'' St. Louis, MO: Charles C. Spink & Son, 1948; p. 111.</ref> A total of 26 members of the Cardinals and 27 members of the Eagles saw game action, however.<ref name=Spink /> The starters were as follows:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-style="background:#ffc"
|colspan="1"|'''Philadelphia Eagles''' ||colspan="1"| — ||colspan="1"|'''Chicago Cardinals'''
|-
! ''Name''
! ''Position''
! ''Name''
|-
| [[Jack Ferrante]]
! Left End
| [[Bill Blackburn]]
|-
| [[Vic Sears]]
! Left Tackle
| [[Dick Plasman]]
|-
| [[Cliff Patton]]
! Left Guard
| [[Loyd Arms|Loyd "Pig" Arms]]
|-
| [[Alex Wojciechowicz]]
! Center
| [[Hamilton Nichols]]
|-
| [[Bucko Kilroy]]
! Right Guard
| [[Vince Banonis]]
|-
| [[Al Wistert]]
! Right Tackle
| [[Stan Mauldin]]
|-
| [[Pete Pihos]]
! Right End
| [[Jack Doolan (American football)|Jack Doolan]]
|-
| [[Pat McHugh]]
! Quarterback
| [[Bill Campbell (gridiron football)|Bill Campbell]]
|-
| [[Steve Van Buren]]
! Left Halfback
| [[Red Cochran]]
|-
| [[Bosh Pritchard]]
! Right Halfback
| [[Marshall Goldberg]]
|-
| [[Joe Muha]]
! Fullback
| [[Walt Rankin]]
|}

==Scoring summary==

''Sunday, December 28, 1947''<ref>Source: ''National Football League Record and Rules Manual, 1948.'' Philadelphia: NFL, 1948, p. 59.</ref><br>
Kickoff: 1:05 p.m. [[Central Time Zone|CST]]

*'''First quarter'''
**Cardinals – [[Charley Trippi]] ran inside left tackle for a 44 yard touchdown. [[Pat Harder]] converted the point-after: ''Chicago 7, Philadelphia 0''

*'''Second quarter'''
**Cardinals – [[Elmer Angsman]] broke a 70 yard touchdown run. Harder converted: ''Chicago 14, Philadelphia 0''
**Eagles – [[Tommy Thompson (quarterback)|Tommy Thompson]] passed the ball to [[Pat McHugh]], who caught the ball on the 17 and ran it in to finish a 53 yard touchdown play. [[Cliff Patton]] converted the extra-point: ''Chicago 14, Philadelphia 7''

*'''Third quarter'''
**Cardinals – Trippi fielded a punt on his own 25 yard line and ran it back 75 yards for a touchdown. Harder converted: ''Chicago 21, Philadelphia 7''
**Eagles – Cashing in a 73 yard scoring drive, [[Steve Van Buren]] ran the ball in from the 1-yard line for a touchdown. Patton converted: ''Chicago 21, Philadelphia 14''

*'''Fourth quarter'''
**Cardinals – Angsman broke through a hole at left tackle and ran 70 yards for a touchdown. Harder converted: ''Chicago 28, Philadelphia 14''
**Eagles – [[Russ Craft]] finished a 48 yard drive with a 1 run for a touchdown. Patton kicked the PAT: ''Chicago 28, Philadelphia 21''

==Officials==
[[File:Old comiskey park.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Now-defunct [[Comiskey Park]] in [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]], site of the 1947 NFL Championship Game.]]
The following five officials were used in the game.<ref name=Spink /> The NFL added a fifth [[Official (American football)|official]], the back judge, for the first time during the [[1947 NFL season|1947 season]]<ref name=nlotwicos>Associated Press, [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uH4hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RYsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2674%2C1861090 'National League Officials to Work in Crews of Six (sic.),"] ''Milwaukee Journal,'' Aug. 19, 1947, part 2, p. 6.</ref>

*'''Referee:''' Thomas Dowd
*'''Umpire:''' Harry Robb
*'''Head linesman:''' Dan Tehan
*'''Back judge:''' Carl Rebele 
*'''Field judge:''' Henry Haines

* Alternate: Carl Brubaker

==Players' shares==

The player compensation pool was set at 70% of net revenue — that is, total gross receipts, including paid gate and radio and motion picture rights, less costs for stadium rental and taxes.<ref name=Spink /> Total receipts were just under $160,000 and expenses nearly $40,000, for a net receipts pool of about $120,000.<ref name=Spink /> This generated a team pool of about $45,300 for the winning Cardinals, divided into 40 shares of $1,132.<ref name=Spink /> The losing Eagles similarly were allotted a pool of $30,200, split into 40 shares of $754.<ref name=Spink />

A pool of about $8,400 for each of the divisional second place clubs — the [[Chicago Bears]] and [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] — was also established.<ref name=Chamberlain />

==See also==
*[[1947 NFL playoffs]]

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

{{coord|41.832|-87.634|type:event|display=title}}

{{1947 NFL season by team}}
{{1947 Chicago Cardinals}}
{{Arizona Cardinals}}
{{Philadelphia Eagles}}
{{NFLC-SuperBowl}}

[[Category:1947 NFL season|Champ]]
[[Category:NFL Championship games|1947 NFL Championship Game]]
[[Category:Chicago Cardinals postseason]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Eagles postseason]]
[[Category:December 1947 sports events in the United States]]
[[Category:1940s in Chicago]]
[[Category:American football competitions in Chicago]]
[[Category:American football in Chicago]]
[[Category:Events at Comiskey Park]]