Bears Triumph in First NFL Championship Showdown

On December 17th, 1933, the Chicago Bears faced off against the New York Giants in the first ever NFL Championship Game. The game was played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, in front of a crowd of 26,000 spectators.

The Bears, coached by George Halas, were led by future Hall of Famers Red Grange and Bronko Nagurski. They had finished the regular season with a record of 10-2-1 and were heavily favored to win the championship. The Giants, on the other hand, were coached by Steve Owen and had finished the season with a record of 11-3.

The game was a defensive battle from the start, with both teams struggling to move the ball. The Bears took an early lead on a field goal by Jack Manders, but the Giants responded with a touchdown pass from Harry Newman to Red Badgro to take a 7-3 lead.

The Bears regained the lead in the second quarter on a touchdown run by Nagurski, but the Giants once again responded with a touchdown of their own to take a 14-10 lead into halftime.

In the second half, the Bears' defense took over. They held the Giants scoreless and added two more touchdowns of their own, one on a fumble recovery by George Musso and another on a pass from Keith Molesworth to Bill Hewitt.

The final score was Bears 23, Giants 21, giving the Bears their first ever NFL Championship. The game was a thrilling contest from start to finish and set the stage for the NFL to become one of the most popular sports leagues in the world.

Red Grange, who had been a star at the University of Illinois before joining the Bears, was the game's leading rusher with 84 yards on 11 carries. Bronko Nagurski added 65 yards on 15 carries and scored a touchdown.

The game also featured a number of future Hall of Famers, including the Bears' George Musso and the Giants' Mel Hein and Ray Flaherty.

The 1933 NFL Championship Game was a seminal moment in the history of professional football. It was the first time that the league had a true championship game, and it helped to establish the NFL as a legitimate sports league. The game also showcased the talents of some of the greatest players in the history of the sport, including Red Grange and Bronko Nagurski.

Today, the NFL Championship Game is known as the Super Bowl and is one of the biggest sporting events in the world. But it all started on December 17th, 1933, when the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants in a thrilling contest at Wrigley Field.

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI