1934 NFL Championship Game

The 1934 National Football League Championship Game, also known as the Sneakers Game,[2] was the second scheduled National Football League (NFL) championship game. Played at the Polo Grounds in New York City on December 9,[3] it was the first title game for the newly created Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy. With a remarkable fourth quarter, the New York Giants defeated the Chicago Bears 30–13.[1][4][5][6]

1934 NFL Championship Game
Chicago Bears New York Giants
13 30
1234 Total
CHI 01030 13
NYG 30027 30
DateDecember 9, 1934
StadiumPolo Grounds, New York City
Attendance35,039 [1]
Polo 
Grounds
Location in the United States
1934 New York Giants, NFL champions

The defending champion Bears entered the game undefeated at 13–0, with an 18-game winning streak. The Giants (8–5) won consecutive division titles, but had lost their final regular season game at Philadelphia. The Bears were favored to repeat as champions.[7][8][9]

A freezing rain the night before the game froze the Polo Grounds field.[10] After Giants end Ray Flaherty remarked to head coach Steve Owen that sneakers would provide better footing on the frozen playing surface,[11] Owen sent his friend Abe Cohen, a tailor who assisted on the Giants sideline, to Manhattan College to get some sneakers.[2][12] There, Brother Jasper, the athletic director (and the later namesake of the Manhattan Jaspers) emptied the lockers of the school's basketball team. Cohen arrived in the third quarter with nine pairs of basketball sneakers from the college.[13]

The Bears led 10–3 at the half when the Giants switched to the basketball sneakers.[14] A Chicago field goal was the only score in the third quarter, extending the lead to ten points. Early in the fourth, Giants quarterback Ed Danowski threw a touchdown pass to Ike Frankian to close the score to 13–10. (The pass was initially intercepted at the Bears' 2-yard line, but Frankian then grabbed the ball out of the defender's hands.) On the next New York drive, running back Ken Strong scored on a 42-yard touchdown run. Later an 11-yard run by Strong was turned into another touchdown for the Giants, and they scored for a final time on Danowski's 9-yard run, a fourth unanswered touchdown. New York outscored the Bears 27–0 in the fourth quarter to win 30–13.[15]

Many of the participants have been interviewed since the game took place, most notably Bronko Nagurski of the Bears and Mel Hein of the Giants. Generally, players from both sides have attributed the Giants' second-half dominance to their selection of footwear. As Nagurski put it later, "We immediately said something was wrong because they suddenly had good footing and we didn't...they just out-smarted us." A mini-documentary of the game, narrated by Pat Summerall, can be seen in the 1987 video "Giants Among Men." NFL Films named the game the #8 bad weather game of all time, and in 2019, it was named the #62 greatest game in NFL history.

Scoring summary

Sunday, December 9, 1934
Kickoff: 2 p.m. EST[9]

  • First quarter
  • Second quarter
  • Third quarter
    • CHI – FG Manders 22, 13–3 CHI
  • Fourth quarter
    • NYG – Ike Frankian 28 pass from Ed Danowski (Strong kick), 13–10 CHI
    • NYG – Strong 42 run (Strong kick), 17–13 NYG
    • NYG – Strong 11 run (kick failed), 23–13 NYG
    • NYG – Danowski 9 run (Bo Molenda kick), 30–13 NYG

Officials
  • Referee: Bobby Cahn
  • Umpire: George Lowe
  • Head Linesman: George Vergara
  • Field Judge: M.J. Meyer [3]

The NFL had only four game officials in 1934; the back judge was added in 1947, the line judge in 1965, and the side judge in 1978.

Players' shares

The projected attendance of 55,000 was not reached,[7] as the week's weather kept it under 36,000. Each player on the winning Giants team received $621 (equivalent to $11,900 in 2019), while the Bears received $414 (equivalent to $7,900 in 2019) each.[1][5][6]

References
  1. Gannon, Pat (December 10, 1934). "Giants make spectacular finish to beat Bears for pro grid title". Milwaukee Journal. p. 2, part 2.
  2. Canavan, Tom (January 5, 1986). "Sneakers game is most famous episode in Bears-Giants rivalry". Gainesville Sun. Florida. Associated Press. p. 4F.
  3. Smith, Wilfrid (December 9, 1934). "Bears battle Giants today before 50,000". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, part 2.
  4. Smith, Wilfrid (December 10, 1934). "Giants whip Bears for pro title, 30-13". Chicago Tribune. p. 23.
  5. "Giants rally crushes Bears, 30-13". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. December 10, 1934. p. 18.
  6. "Giants win pro football title in thriller, 30-13". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. December 10, 1934. p. 29.
  7. "Bears, with 13 straight victories, 3 to 1 favorites over Giants today". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. December 9, 1934. p. 1, sports.
  8. "Feathers, Kopcha out, Bears still picked to beat Giants today". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. December 9, 1934. p. 1, sports.
  9. "Favor Bears over Giants". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. December 9, 1934. p. 1B.
  10. Pervin, 2009, pp. 9–10.
  11. "Flaherty's idea wins title for Giant team". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. December 10, 1934. p. 14.
  12. Anderson, Dave (January 2, 1986). "Giants' owner looks back". Wilmington Morning Star. North Carolina. New York Times. p. 1B.
  13. Cavanaugh, 2008 pg. 111
  14. "Giants stage amazing rally to beat Chicago Bears 30-13". Miami News. Associated Press. December 10, 1934. p. 10.
  15. Neil, Edward J. (December 10, 1934). "Giants rally and upset Bears". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. p. 13.
  • Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
  • The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995 (ISBN 0-89204-523-X)
  • Strange But True Football Stories (ISBN 0-394-80198-9)
  • Cavanaugh, Jack (2008), Giants Among Men. New York:Random House. ISBN 978-1-58836-697-9
  • Pervin, Lawrence A. (2009). Football's New York Giants. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4268-3

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