1941 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1941 Philadelphia Eagles season was their ninth in the league. The team improved on their previous output of 1–10, winning two games.[1] The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season.
| 1941 Philadelphia Eagles season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Greasy Neale |
| Home field | Municipal Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 2–8–1 |
| Division place | 4th NFL Eastern |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Off Season
Eagle make move back to larger Municipal Stadium from Shibe Park where they played in 1940.
In late 1940, the football Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney bought half interest in the Eagles and sold the Pirates to Alexis Thompson. Before the start of the 1941 season Rooney and Thompson swap city and NFL rights for Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Pirates players of 1940 and before are now Philadelphia Eagles and the Philadelphia Eagles players are now members of the renamed Pittsburgh Steelers.
Coach Greasy Neal has the Eagles hold training camp in the High School Bowl, in Two Rivers, Wisconsin about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Green Bay, Wisconsin and 90 miles north of Milwaukeeon Lake Michigan.
NFL Draft
The 1941 NFL Draft was held on December 10, 1940. The Eagles would get the 1st pick in the 22 rounds of the draft. Because these player were drafted before the Eagles and Steelers franchise swap of cities, these players ended up playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1941. The Pittsburgh draft picks would come to Philadelphia.
The Chicago Bears (From Philadelphia Eagles) had the number one pick in the draft. They choose Tom Harmon, the 1940 Heisman Trophy winner, a Halfback out of the University of Michigan
Player selections
The table shows the Eagles selections and what picks they had that were traded away and the team that ended up with that pick. It is possible the Eagles' pick ended up with this team via another team that the Eagles made a trade with. Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away. These picks were the players that the Pittsburgh Pirates made before the team swap between owners.
| = Pro Bowler[2] | = Hall of Famer | = Picks made by Pittsburgh Pirates that became Eagles in 1941 |
| Rd | Pick | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | PICK WAS TAKEN BY THE | CHICAGO BEARS | |
| 2 | 11 | Art Jones | Back | Richmond |
| 3 | 16 | Marion Pugh | Back | Texas A&M |
| 4 | 26 | Al Ghesquiere | Back | University of Detroit |
| 5 | 31 | Royal Kahler | Tackle | University of Nebraska |
| Pitt 33 | Vic Sears | Tackle | Oregon State | |
| 6 | 41 | Howard "Red" Hickey | End | University of Arkansas |
| Pitt 42 | Bob Suffridge | Guard | Tennessee | |
| 7 | 51 | Julius "Mush" Battista | Guard | Florida |
| 8 | 61 | PICK WAS TAKEN BY THE | CHICAGO BEARS | |
| 9 | 71 | P. K. Rogers | Back | East Texas State |
| 10 | 81 | Don Williams | Tackle | Texas |
| Pitt 82 | Ralph Fritz | Guard | Michigan | |
| 11 | 91 | Marshall Stenstrom | Back | Oregon |
| 12 | 101 | John Patrick | Back | Penn State |
| 13 | 111 | Joe Hoague | Back | Colgate |
| 14 | 121 | Les Dodson | Back | Mississippi |
| 15 | 131 | Alex Lukachick | End | Boston College |
| 16 | 141 | Bill Conatser | Back | Texas A&M |
| 17 | 151 | John Yauckoes | Tackle | Boston College |
| 18 | 161 | Joe McFadden | Back | Georgetown (DC) |
| 19 | 171 | John Shonk | End | West Virginia |
| Pitt 173 | George Kerr | Guard | Boston College | |
| 20 | 181 | L. B. Russell | Back | Hardin–Simmons |
| 21 | 201 | Charley Henke(From Washington) | Guard | Texas A&M |
| Pitt 202 | Jim Castiglia | Back | Georgetown (DC) | |
| 22 | 203 | Mike Fernella(From Chicago Bears) | Tackle | Akron |
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 13, 1941 | New York Giants | L 24–0 | |
| 2 | September 21, 1941 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 10–7 | |
| 3 | September 27, 1941 | Brooklyn Dodgers | L 24–13 | |
| 4 | October 12, 1941 | at New York Giants | L 16–0 | |
| 5 | October 19, 1941 | Washington Redskins | L 21–17 | |
| 6 | October 26, 1941 | Chicago Cardinals | W 21–14 | |
| 7 | November 2, 1941 | at Brooklyn Dodgers | L 15–6 | |
| 8 | November 9, 1941 | Pittsburgh Steelers | T 7–7 | |
| 9 | November 16, 1941 | at Detroit Lions | L 21–17 | |
| 10 | November 30, 1941 | Chicago Bears | L 49–14 | |
| 11 | December 7, 1941 | at Washington Redskins | L 20–14 |
Game recaps
The Eagles played 11 games over an NFL season that was 14 weeks long. The season started Sunday, September 7 and ended Sunday, December 7, 1941.
Week 1 Bye
The Eagles had the week off as the NFL only scheduled 1 game this week end, Pittsburgh at Cleveland Rams.
Week 3 at Steelers
The Eagles travel across the state of Pennsylvania to play the renamed Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time since the franchises swapped cities.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
at Forbes Field on Grass,
- Date: September 21, 1941
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: degrees, wind mph
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 5 Bye
The Eagles were not scheduled to play this weekend.
Week 7 vs Redskins
The defending 1940 NFL Eastern Division Champions, Washington Redskins make a visit to Philadelphia to play the Eagles. Washington lost the 1940 NFL Championship Game to the Chicago Bears 73–0. The Eagles will host the Bears in week 12 and travel to Washington, D.C. to re-play the Redskins in week 14 to close out the 1941 season.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Eagles | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
at Phila. Municipal Stadium on Grass,
- Date: October 19, 1941
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: degrees, wind mph
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 10 vs Steelers
The Eagles' across state rivals return to Philadelphia for a rematch of a game of game won by the Eagles played in week 3. The Eagles enter the game with 2 wins and the Steelers are winless.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Eagles | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Phila. Municipal Stadium on Grass,
- Date: November 9, 1941
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: degrees, wind mph
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 12 Bye
The Eagles were not scheduled to play this weekend.
Week 14 at Redskins
At the Eagles – Washington Redskins game in Washington, D.C. military personnel and US Gov't officials were getting paged concerning the attack on Pearl Harbor, in the US territory of Hawaii. The attack started about time of kickoff for game.
Standings
| NFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| New York Giants | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 6–2 | 238 | 114 | L1 | |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 7 | 4 | 0 | .636 | 6–2 | 158 | 127 | W2 | |
| Washington Redskins | 6 | 5 | 0 | .545 | 5–3 | 176 | 174 | W1 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2 | 8 | 1 | .200 | 1–6–1 | 119 | 218 | L3 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 | 9 | 1 | .100 | 1–6–1 | 103 | 276 | L2 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Roster
(All time List of Philadelphia Eagles players in franchise history)
The 1941 Philadelphia Eagles roster is made up of 39 players which 32 are rookies. The average years in NFL is 1/2 a year.
| = 1941 Pro Bowl Pro All-Star[3] |
| NO. | Player | AGE | POS | GP | GS | WT | HT | YRS | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greasy Neale | 50 | Coach | 1941 record 2–8–1 | NFL-Eagles Lifetime 2–8–1 | 1st | West Virginia Wesleyan | |||
| Jack Banta | 24 | HB | 6 | 5 | 191 | 5–11 | Rookie | USC | |
| Len Barnum | 29 | B-P-PK | 11 | 8 | 200 | 6–0 | 3 | West Virginia Wesleyan | |
| Sam Bartholomew | 24 | FB | 9 | 2 | 188 | 5–11 | Rookie | Tennessee | |
| Nick Basca | 25 | HB-PK | 11 | 0 | 170 | 5–8 | Rookie | Villanova | |
| Frank Bausch | 33 | C | 4 | 4 | 220 | 6–3 | 7 | Kansas | |
| Bob Bjorklund | 23 | C-LB-E | 7 | 0 | 225 | 6–2 | Rookie | Minnesota | |
| Larry Cabrelli | 24 | E-DB | 7 | 2 | 194 | 5–11 | Rookie | Colgate | |
| Jim Castiglia | 23 | FB | 11 | 6 | 208 | 5–11 | Rookie | Georgetown (DC) | |
| Tony Cemore | 24 | G | 10 | 1 | 210 | 6–0 | Rookie | Creighton | |
| Enio Conti | 28 | G | 9 | 8 | 204 | 5–11 | Rookie | Arkansas, Bucknell | |
| Dan DeSantis | 23 | HB | 11 | 4 | 180 | 6–0 | Rookie | Niagara | |
| Dave DiFilippo | 25 | G | 5 | 2 | 210 | 5–10 | Rookie | Villanova | |
| John Eibner | 27 | T | 11 | 9 | 228 | 6–2 | Rookie | Kentucky | |
| Bernie Feibish | 22 | C | 3 | 0 | 223 | 6–2 | Rookie | NYU | |
| Jack Ferrante | 25 | E-DE | 3 | 0 | 197 | 6–1 | Rookie | none | |
| Terry Fox | 23 | FB-LB | 11 | 2 | 208 | 6–1 | Rookie | Miami (FL) | |
| Joe Frank | 26 | T | 11 | 0 | 217 | 6–1 | Rookie | Georgetown (DC) | |
| Ralph Fritz | 24 | G | 10 | 1 | 202 | 5–9 | Rookie | Michigan | |
| Woody Gerber | 21 | G | 5 | 1 | 223 | 6–0 | Rookie | Alabama | |
| Lou Ghecas | 23 | HB | 8 | 0 | 175 | 5–9 | Rookie | Georgetown (DC) | |
| Fred Gloden | 23 | HB | 6 | 0 | 187 | 5–10 | Rookie | Tulane | |
| Lyle Graham | 26 | C | 11 | 7 | 210 | 6–3 | Rookie | Richmond | |
| Gran Harrison | 24 | E | 1 | 0 | 211 | 6–3 | Rookie | Mississippi State | |
| Kirk Hershey | 23 | E | 6 | 0 | 215 | 6–2 | Rookie | Carroll (WI), Cornell | |
| Jack Hinkle | 24 | B | 1 | 0 | 195 | 6–0 | 1 | Syracuse | |
| Dick Humbert* | 23 | E-DE | 11 | 8 | 179 | 6–1 | Rookie | Richmond | |
| Bob Krieger | 23 | E | 11 | 11 | 190 | 6–1 | Rookie | Dartmouth | |
| Mort Landsberg | 22 | HB | 11 | 7 | 180 | 5–11 | Rookie | Cornell | |
| Wes McAfee | 23 | HB | 8 | 1 | 175 | 5–11 | Rookie | Duke | |
| Rupert Pate | 24 | G | 1 | 0 | 205 | 6–1 | 1 | Wake Forest | |
| Hank Piro | 24 | E | 10 | 1 | 186 | 6–0 | Rookie | Syracuse | |
| Phil Ragazzo | 26 | T-G | 10 | 10 | 216 | 6–0 | 3 | Case Western Reserve | |
| Vic Sears | 23 | T-DT | 11 | 2 | 223 | 6–3 | Rookie | Oregon State | |
| John Shonk | 23 | E | 10 | 0 | 190 | 6–1 | Rookie | West Virginia | |
| Cecil Sturgeon | 22 | T | 6 | 0 | 254 | 6–2 | Rookie | North Dakota State | |
| Bob Suffridge | 25 | G | 10 | 9 | 205 | 6–0 | Rookie | Tennessee | |
| Tommy Thompson | 25 | QB | 11 | 5 | 192 | 6–1 | 1 | Tulsa | |
| Lou Tomasetti | 25 | FB-HB | 6 | 3 | 198 | 6–0 | 2 | Bucknell | |
| Foster Watkins | 24 | QB-HB | 11 | 1 | 163 | 5–9 | 1 | West Texas A&M | |
| Burr West | 23 | T | 10 | 1 | 220 | 6–1 | Rookie | Tennessee | |
| 39 Players Team Average | 24.3 | 11 | 201.7 | 6–0.2 | 0.5 |
- Link to all time List of Philadelphia Eagles players in franchise history
Honors and Rewards
- Dick Humbert finishes 2nd in Receptions with 29. NFL Leader had twice as many
- Dick Humbert a rookie End – Defensive end makes the All-Star team.
References
- 1941 Philadelphia Eagles
- Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.
- Players are identified as a 1940 Pro All-Star.