Fullback Bronko Nagurski THE SUPER BOWL 1921 STYLE In 1921 the American Professional Football Association APFA was in just its second season The league had 21 teams Its members hadn’t yet decided how to determine the champion Some teams played as many as 12 games Others played just two There wasn’t even a set date to end the season Midway through the season only the Buffalo All-Americans and the Chicago Staleys remained undefeated Chicago hosted Buffalo on Thanksgiving Day The Staleys lost 6 7 Chicago player coach George Halas fumed at the defeat 9
He demanded a rematch Buffalo owner Frank McNeil agreed But he had one condition The game would be an exhibition It would not count in the league standings Buffalo defeated the Akron Pros the day before the rematch Then the tired team traveled to Chicago They endured a bumpy overnight train ride The Staleys were well-rested They were playing at home They pulled out a 10 7 victory Halas acted quickly He saw an opportunity for his team to snatch the championship He scheduled two more games with other teams The Staleys won one They tied the other Halas then went back on his word He said the rematch win would count As a result Buffalo finished with a 9 1 2 record Chicago was 9 1 1 Ties didn’t affect standings This meant both teams had the same record Halas talked to the league’s executive committee He asked them to PRICE 15 CENTS N.Y FOOTBALL GIANTS vs CHICAGO BEARS Sunday December 6 1925 Polo Grounds New York HAROLD Red GRANGE left 1925 game program 10
GRIDIRON GREATS THE GREAT INDOORS A blizzard forced the game indoors to Chicago Stadium It was much smaller than a standard football field Field goals were not allowed Passes sailed into the stands A punt bonked the organ player The stadium had just hosted a circus Lingering odors caused a Chicago player to throw up The floor was covered with bark Players found it hard to keep their footing Neither team scored during the first three quarters Chicago finally found the end zone on a controversial play Bronko Nagurski threw a short touchdown pass to Red Grange Portsmouth claimed it was illegal But the score stood The Bears added a safety They won 9 0 NFL Playoff Game Bears vs Portsmouth Spartans Chicago Illinois December 18 1932 11
