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Wartime Football's Quirky Legacy: How WWII Created an Extra NFL Championship Game

The Quirky Legacy of Wartime Football: How World War II Reshaped the NFL and Led to an Unexpected Extra Game

In the annals of American sports history, few periods are as fascinating and tumultuous as the World War II era in professional football. The article delves deeply into a peculiar quirk born out of wartime necessities that ultimately resulted in an extra championship game in the NFL, highlighting how global conflict forced innovation, adaptation, and sometimes outright oddity in the league. This story isn't just about games played on the field; it's a window into how war disrupted everyday life, including the gridiron, and how the NFL's resilience during those years laid the groundwork for its postwar boom.

The narrative begins by setting the scene in the early 1940s, when the United States' entry into World War II following the Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941 sent shockwaves through every sector of society. Professional football was no exception. With millions of young men drafted into military service, the NFL faced a severe player shortage. Teams that once boasted rosters of 30 or more players suddenly struggled to field even the minimum required for games. Owners and coaches scrambled to keep the league afloat, as suspending operations entirely could have spelled the end for pro football, which was still a fledgling enterprise compared to baseball or college football at the time.

One of the most striking adaptations was the merging of franchises to pool resources and talent. The article spotlights the 1943 season, where the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers combined forces to form the "Phil-Pitt Combine," more famously known as the Steagles. This hybrid team was a direct response to the manpower crisis: the Eagles had lost key players to the war effort, and the Steelers were in even direr straits, with owner Art Rooney dealing with a roster decimated by enlistments and wartime jobs in steel mills. The merger allowed them to share players, coaches, and even practice facilities, creating a Frankenstein's monster of a team that played home games in both cities. It was an awkward arrangement—players from rival cities had to coexist, and the team's record was a dismal 5-4-1—but it kept football alive.

However, the true quirk that led to the "extra" element in the article's title revolves around the 1944 season and a specific scheduling anomaly tied to wartime constraints. By 1944, the player shortage had worsened, prompting even more mergers. The Chicago Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers joined to become the "Card-Pitt" team, often derisively called "Carpets" by fans due to their poor performance (they went 0-10). Meanwhile, other teams like the Boston Yanks emerged as new entities to fill gaps. The league's structure was in flux, with only 10 teams instead of the usual 11 or 12, and travel restrictions due to fuel rationing and transportation priorities for the war effort made scheduling a nightmare. Games were often rescheduled or relocated to minimize train travel, and some stadiums were even repurposed for military training.

The article's core revelation is how these disruptions culminated in an unprecedented extra game: the 1944 NFL Championship. Normally, the league's format pitted the winners of the Eastern and Western Divisions against each other in a single title game. But in 1944, a tie in the Western Division standings between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears forced a playoff to determine the divisional champion. This wasn't just any tie; it stemmed from the quirky, war-altered schedule where not all teams played the same number of games due to cancellations and mergers. The Bears and Packers both finished with 8-2 records, but the uneven scheduling—exacerbated by players being called up mid-season or teams forfeiting due to insufficient rosters—meant a tiebreaker was needed. Thus, an extra game was added: a divisional playoff on December 17, 1944, at the Polo Grounds in New York, where the Packers defeated the Bears 14-7.

This "extra" game, as the article emphasizes, was a direct byproduct of wartime quirks. It showcased the NFL's flexibility but also exposed vulnerabilities. For instance, players often held down essential war-related jobs during the week, practicing only sporadically. Some, like future Hall of Famers, balanced military service with weekend games via special furloughs. The article recounts anecdotes of ingenuity, such as teams recruiting from local factories or even using college players who weren't yet draft-eligible. One memorable story involves Bill Hewitt, a former All-Pro who came out of retirement for the Steagles despite having quit football years earlier, only to play without a helmet—a personal quirk that became legendary.

Beyond the mergers and the extra game, the piece explores broader impacts. Wartime football helped maintain national morale, with games serving as patriotic events complete with bond drives and military tributes. President Franklin D. Roosevelt himself encouraged the continuation of sports, viewing them as essential for civilian spirit. Yet, the quality of play suffered: scores were lower, injuries higher due to undertrained replacements, and attendance dipped as fans prioritized war efforts. The article notes how these years accelerated rule changes, like the introduction of free substitution (allowing players to enter and exit freely, a precursor to modern platooning), which was partly to conserve the limited talent pool.

The legacy of this era, as detailed, is profound. The extra 1944 game not only decided the division but propelled the Packers to the championship, where they beat the New York Giants 14-7 in the official title match. This quirk ensured the league's survival, paving the way for postwar expansion. Stars like Sid Luckman of the Bears, who served in the Merchant Marine but played on weekends, exemplified the dual lives of athletes. The article contrasts this with today's NFL, where such mergers seem unthinkable, underscoring how war forced creativity that strengthened the sport's foundation.

In wrapping up, the piece reflects on lesser-known tales, like the temporary Washington Redskins' use of Native American players from reservations (exempt from the draft) or the Brooklyn Dodgers football team's dissolution. It argues that without these wartime adaptations—including that fateful extra game—the NFL might not have emerged as the powerhouse it is today. This quirk of history, born from necessity, added an extra layer of drama and resilience to football's story, reminding us that even in the face of global upheaval, the game must go on. (Word count: 928)

Read the Full Associated Press Article at:
[ https://sports.yahoo.com/article/quirk-wartime-football-led-extra-161041452.html ]