This Week in Sports History: Bears Win First NFL Championship Game

From the launching of the National Football League in 1920 – called the American Professional Football Association for the first two years – until the 1933 season, the league champion was determined by winning percentage. That changed in 1933 when the league divided into Eastern and Western divisions, both featuring five teams.

The New York Giants captured the Eastern Division title in 1933 with an 11-3 record, while the Chicago Bears topped the Western Division with a 10-2-1 mark. The Giants and Bears, who split their regular-season meetings, squared off on December 17 at Chicago’s Wrigley Field for what would prove to be one of the most exciting NFL championship games ever.

In front of approximately 25,000 fans, the Giants took a 7-6 lead into halftime on a 29-yard pass play from tailback Harry Newman to end Red Badgro. The Bears had scored the game’s first six points on field goals of 16 and 40 yards by Jack Manders. In the third quarter, Manders booted another field goal, this time from 28 yards, for a 9-7 lead, but the Giants went back ahead, 14-9, on a one-yard TD run by back Max Krause.

Later in the third stanza, Chicago scored its first touchdown of the game on an eight-yard pass to end Bill Karr from  fullback Bronko Nagurski for a 16-14 advantage. In yet another lead change, New York tallied on an eight-yard TD toss from Newman to Ken Strong for a 21-16 fourth-quarter lead.

But the Bears used some razzle-dazzle to grab the lead for good, 23-21, with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. While Giants defenders converged on end Bill Hewitt after he caught a jump pass from Nagurski, Hewitt lateraled the ball to Karr, who raced into the end zone for the winning score and the Bears’ second consecutive NFL crown.

December 17, 2022 – Trailing the Indianapolis Colts 33-0 at halftime, the Minnesota Vikings pulled off the biggest comeback in NFL history, winning 39-36 in overtime at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

December 20, 1926 – Two eventual Hall of Fame second basemen were traded for each other when Rogers Hornsby of the St. Louis Cardinals was swapped for Frankie Frisch of the New York Giants. Pitcher Jimmy Ring accompanied Frisch to St. Louis.

December 21, 1891 – In what is considered the first-ever game of basketball, 18 students in Springfield, Massachusetts competed in the sport invented by Canadian-American physical educator James Naismith.

December 22, 1997 – Scotty Bowman became the first NHL head coach to record 200 wins with three different teams (Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, and Detroit Red Wings) when the Wings defeated the Boston Bruins 4-2.

December 22, 1996 – St. Louis Blues right wing Brett Hull and former Chicago Blackhawks left wing Bobby Hull became the first father-son duo to each tally 500 NHL goals when Brett scored a hat trick in a 7-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

December 22, 2020 – Lionel Messi of Argentina scored his 644th goal for FC Barcelona in a 3-0 triumph over Real Valladolid, breaking Pele’s record for most goals with one club. Pele scored 643 goals for Santos from 1956 to 1974.

December 23, 1972 – In one of the most remarkable plays in NFL history, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris snagged a broken-up pass moments before it hit the ground and raced 44 yards for a touchdown. The “Immaculate Reception” on a fourth-down play in the final minute of regulation gave the Steelers a 13-7 divisional playoff win over the Oakland Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium.

Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. Feel free to check out my sports books on the Books page of this website.