Card-Pitt
1944 Chicago-Pittsburgh Cardinals-Steelers season | |
---|---|
NFL Western | |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Card-Pitt was the team created by the temporary merger of two
Card-Pitt finished with a 0–10 record in the
History
Origins
This article is part of series of |
Arizona Cardinals history |
---|
Chicago Cardinals (1920–1943, 1945–1959) |
Card-Pitt (1944) |
St. Louis Cardinals (1960–1987) |
Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals (1988–present) |
List of seasons |
The Boston Yanks joined the NFL in 1944, while the Cleveland Rams, who had been unable to field a team in 1943, re-joined the league. This resulted in an 11-team league, and the NFL was unable to devise a schedule that was amenable to all registered teams. NFL commissioner Elmer Layden contacted Art Rooney and Bert Bell of the Steelers to request that their team again merge as a potential solution for the scheduling issue. Rooney agreed, on the condition that at least half of the team's home games would be played at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field.
The choice of a merger partner for the Steelers proved to be a challenging task. Rumors prior to the NFL's annual April meeting indicated that either Cleveland or the
Pre-season
Training camp for the merged team began in Waukesha, Wisconsin on August 15, 1944, under the direction of co-coaches Walt Kiesling of Pittsburgh and Phil Handler of Chicago. The coaching staff decided before the start of camp to implement a T formation offense. Some of the Steelers' players had been exposed to the 'T' with playing alongside Philadelphia Eagles players the previous year, but the Cardinals had used it very little. Card-Pitt lacked a dependable quarterback, but the team began the season with optimism.
During the team's first game, an exhibition at
1944 season
Card-Pitt opened the regular season portion of its schedule in front of 21,000 spectators at Forbes Field on September 24, 1944, against a Cleveland Rams team led by former Steelers head coach Aldo Donelli. Card-Pitt came back from a 16–0 deficit to take the lead, but a bad punt late in the fourth quarter allowed Cleveland to score the winning touchdown for a final score of 28–23. The team won an exhibition game the next week at Forbes Field, 17–16 over the New York Giants.
"Why don't they call themselves the Car-Pits? I think it's very appropriate as every team in the league walks over them."
Irate fan letter to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Quarterback
Card-Pitt then met the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports editor Al Abrams then quoted a disgusted fan as having written, "Why don't they call themselves the Car-Pits? I think it's very appropriate as every team in the league walks over them."[5] The team lost a rematch against the Giants. Midway through their next game against the Washington Redskins, a brawl between the two teams erupted and had to be broken up by police. Coaches Kiesling and Handler were in the middle of the fight, while Rooney, a former boxer, ran to join his team, until he realized that it would be a breach of protocol for an NFL owner to get into a fight with opposing players. The Redskins would go on to win the game, 42–20. Card-Pitt's Cliff Duggan was fined $200 for his role in the fight, however, Rooney paid his fine.
Losses then ensued against the Rams, Packers and Lions, and Grigas left the team to return home to
Aftermath
"The season couldn't have turned out any worse than this one."
Bert Bell, co-owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, reflecting on the 1944 season
The Card-Pitt punters averaged 32.7 yards per attempt,[6] which, as of 2021[update], is still the worst mark in NFL history. The team was 0–2 in field goal attempts, while Conway Baker missed four of his 15 extra point tries.
Card-Pitt passers had a 31% completion rate, and threw for just eight touchdowns; their total of 41 interceptions is still the third highest number in NFL history, even more remarkable given the season was incrementally lengthened to 12, 14, 16, and currently 17 games (the 1944 season had 10). McCarthy threw 13 interceptions, had no touchdown passes, and finished with a
Card-Pitt also had the worst run defense in the league, and were outscored 328–108 by opponents.
"The worst team in NFL history."
Art Rooney, founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers
Eberle Schultz went from a winless 1944 season to an
Tackle Chet Bulger and center Vince Banonis would be a part of the 1947 Chicago Cardinals Championship team, while Banonis also played for the Detroit Lions, winning League Championships in 1952 and 1953 (on teams coached by Card-Pitt assistant coach Buddy Parker).
The Cardinals did not win a game again until October 14, 1945 (nearly three years to the day of their last win), when they beat the Chicago Bears 23-14: while it was the Cardinals' only win of the 1945 season, this also ended a 29-game losing streak (an NFL record as of 2021). The Steelers, who had won their last game on November 28, 1943, ended a 14-game losing streak on October 21, 1945, beating the New York Giants 21–7.
In 1947, both teams rose to the top of the league: the Cardinals finished 9–3, beating the Bears in their last game to win the Western Division - their first title since 1925 - while the Steelers finished tied with the Eagles for the Eastern Division.
The Steelers lost a one-game playoff to the Eagles 21–0 in driving snow and rain, and the following week, the Championship Game saw the Cardinals beat the Eagles 28–21 to win their second NFL Championship (and most recent as of 2021).
In 2009, 65 years after merging for a season, the Steelers and the Cardinals (by then based in Glendale, Arizona) played each other in Super Bowl XLIII.
The last remaining active member of Card-Pitt was Vince Banonis, who played his final NFL game in the 1953 season, where he won the championship as a member of the Detroit Lions, although he missed the 1943 and 1945 seasons.
Preseason
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 12 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 0–22 | 0–1 |
2 | September 18 | Washington Redskins | L 0–3 | 0–2 |
3 | October 1 | at New York Giants | L 0–22 | 0–3 |
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bye | ||||||
2 | September 24 | Cleveland Rams | L 28–30 | 0–1 | Forbes Field | ||
3 | Bye | ||||||
4 | October 8 | at Green Bay Packers | L 7–34 | 0–2 | City Stadium | ||
5 | October 15 | at Chicago Bears | L 7–34 | 0–3 | Wrigley Field | ||
6 | October 22 | at New York Giants | L 0–23 | 0–4 | Polo Grounds | ||
7 | October 29 | at Washington Redskins | L 20–42 | 0–5 | Griffith Stadium | ||
8 | November 5 | Detroit Lions | L 6–27 | 0–6 | Forbes Field | ||
9 | November 12 | at Detroit Lions | L 7–21 | 0–7 | Briggs Stadium | ||
10 | November 19 | Cleveland Rams | L 6–33 | 0–8 | Comiskey Park | ||
11 | November 26 | Green Bay Packers | L 20–35 | 0–9 | Comiskey Park | ||
12 | December 3 | Chicago Bears | L 7–49 | 0–10 | Forbes Field | ||
13 | Bye | ||||||
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |
Standings
NFL Western Division
| |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
Green Bay Packers | 8 | 2 | 0 | .800 | 7–1 | 238 | 141 | W1 | |
Chicago Bears | 6 | 3 | 1 | .667 | 4–3–1 | 258 | 172 | W2 | |
Detroit Lions | 6 | 3 | 1 | .667 | 4–3–1 | 216 | 151 | W4 | |
Cleveland Rams | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 4–4 | 188 | 224 | L2 | |
Card-Pitt | 0 | 10 | 0 | .000 | 0–8 | 108 | 328 | L10 |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Game summaries
Week 1 (Saturday September 24, 1944): Cleveland Rams
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 3 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 30 |
Card-Pitt | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
at
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 20,968
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Cleveland – FG Zontini 27
- Cleveland – Kabealo 6 run (West kick)
- Cleveland – Benton 10 run (West kick)
- Chicago-Pittsburgh – Schutz 10 lateral from Thurbon after 52 kick return (Baker kick)
- Chicago-Pittsburgh – Rucinski 40 pass from McDonough (Baker kick)
- Chicago-Pittsburgh – Grigas 3 run (Baker kick)
- Cleveland – Benton 18 pass from Colella (West kick)
- Chicago-Pittsburgh – Butler 67 pass from McDonough (Baker kick)
- Cleveland – Benton 5 pass from Reisz (West kick)
Week 2 (Sunday, October 8, 1944): Green Bay Packers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Card-Pitt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Packers | 7 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 34 |
at
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 16,535
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Green Bay – Hutson 55 pass from Comp (Sorenson kick)
- Green Bay – Starreturn 2 run (Hutson kick)
- Green Bay – Hutson 7 pass from Comp (Hutson kick)
- Green Bay – Brock 30 run (kick failed)
- Chicago-Pittsburgh – Butler 33 pass from Grigas (Robbnett kick)
- Green Bay – Perkins 83 interception (Hutson kick)
Week 3 (Sunday October 15, 1944): Chicago Bears
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Card-Pitt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Bears | 7 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 34 |
at Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 29,940
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Chicago Bears – McLean 8 run (Gudauskas kick)
- Chicago Bears – Fordham 1 run (kick failed)
- Chicago Bears – Berry 51 pass from Long (Gudauskas kick)
- Chicago Bears – Berry 15 pass from Ronzani (Gudauskas kick)
- Chicago-Pittsburgh – Thurbon 25 run (Baker kick)
- Chicago Bears – Grygo 8 run (Gudauskas kick)
Week 4 (Sunday October 22, 1944): New York Giants
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Card-Pitt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Giants | 0 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 23 |
at
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 40,734
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- New York – Paschal 4 run (Strong kick)
- New York – Safety, McCarthy's punt blocked out of end zone by Cope
- New York – Paschal 3 run (Strong kick)
- New York – Paschal 45 run (Cuff kick)
Week 5 (Sunday October 29, 1944): Washington Redskins
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Card-Pitt | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 20 |
Redskins | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 42 |
at Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 35,540
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Washington – Aguirre 58 pass from Filchock (Aguirre kick)
- Washington – Aguirre 47 pass from Filchock (Aguirre kick)
- Chicago-Pittsburgh – Grigas 1 run (Baker kick)
- Washington – Moore 75 run (Weldon kick)
- Chicago-Pittsburgh – Grigas 8 run (kick failed)
- Chicago-Pittsburgh – Currivan 7 pass from Grigas (Baker kick)
- Washington – Seymour 3 run (Weldon kick)
- Washington – Seymour 23 pass from Filchock (Weldon kick)
- Washington – Turley 35 pass from Baugh (Weldon kick)
Week 6 (Sunday November 5, 1944): Detroit Lions
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lions | 21 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 27 |
Card-Pitt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
at
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 17,743
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Detroit – Van Tone 19 pass from Westfall (Sinkwich kick)
- Detroit – Westfall 15 pass from Sinkwich (Sinkwich kick)
- Detroit – Sinkwich 5 run (Sinkwich kick)
- Detroit – Van Tone 10 pass from Sinkwich (Sinkwich kick)
- Chicago-Pittsburgh – Bova 8 pass from Grigas (kick failed)
Week 7 (Sunday November 12, 1944): Detroit Lions
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Card-Pitt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Lions | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
at
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 13,239
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Detroit – Van Tone 1 yard run (Sinkwich kick)
- Detroit – Sinkwich 2 yard run (Sinkwich kick)
- Chicago-Pittsburgh – Thurbon 1 run (Baker kick)
- Detroit – Sinkwich 12 yard run (Sinkwich kick)
Week 8 (Sunday November 19, 1944): Cleveland Rams
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 6 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 33 |
Card-Pitt | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 14,732
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Cleveland – Colella 54 pass from Kabealo (kick failed)
- Cleveland – Zontini 1 run (kick failed)
- Cleveland – Pritko 35 pass from Reisz (Zontini kick)
- Chicago-Pittsburgh – Bova 46 pass from Grigas (kick failed)
- Cleveland – Gillette 58 run (Zontini kick)
- Cleveland – Petchel 43 pass from Reisz (Zontini kick)
Week 9 (Sunday November 26, 1944): Green Bay Packers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Packers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
Card-Pitt | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 7,158
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Chicago-Pittsburgh – Thurbon 1 run (Baker kick)
- Green Bay – Duhart 1 run (Hutson kick)
- Green Bay – Duhart 11 run (Hutson kick)
- Chicago-Pittsburgh – Thurbon 37 pass from Grigas (kick failed)
- Green Bay – Hutson 36 pass from Comp (Hutson kick)
- Green Bay – Hutson 6 pass from Comp (Hutson kick)
- Green Bay – Perkins 40 interception (Hutson kick)
- Chicago-Pittsburgh – Currivan 72 pass from Grigas (Baker kick)
Week 10 (Sunday December 3, 1944): Chicago Bears
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | 49 |
Card-Pitt | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 9,069
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Chicago Bears – Berry 9 pass from Ronzani (Gudauskas kick)
- Chicago Bears – Fordham 1 run (Gudauskas kick)
- Chicago-Pittsburgh – Thurbon 1 run (Baker kick)
- Chicago Bears – Famiglietti 23 pass from Ronzani (Gudauskas kick)
- Chicago Bears – Margarita 47 run (Gudauskas kick)
- Chicago Bears – Fordham 2 run (Gudauskas kick)
- Chicago Bears – McEnulty 5 pass from Ronzani (Gudauskas kick)
- Chicago Bears – Turner 48 run (Gudauskas kick)
Roster
- Conway Baker, G
- Vince Banonis, C
- Clarence Booth, OT
- Tony Bova, LE
- Chet Bulger, RT
- John Butler, HB
- Don Currivan, E
- Ted Doyle, OT
- Cliff Duggan, OT
- John Grigas, FB
- Walt Kichefski, E
- George Magulick, HB
- Lou Marotti, G
- Johnny Martin, WB
- Walt Masters, B
- John McCarthy, QB
- Coley McDonough, QB
- Elmer Merkovsky, G
- John Perko, G
- John Popovich, HB
- Walt Rankin, QB
- Marshall Robnett, C
- Eddie Rucinski, E
- Elbie Schultz, LG
- Bernie Semes, HB
- Bob Thurbon, HB
- Clint Wager, E
- Al Wukits, C
See also
- Defunct National Football League franchises
- National Football League franchise moves and mergers
References
- ^ Roberts, R. and Welky, D. (Eds.), "The Steelers Reader." University of Pittsburgh Press, 2001, p.61.
- ISBN 978-0-345-52012-8
- ^ 2005 Saint Francis University, Loretto, Pennsylvania Alumni Directory page 307 Class of 1942
- ^ Algeo, Matthew, "Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles--'The Steagles'--Saved Pro Football during World War II." Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2006, p. 207–208.
- ^ Abrams, Al (October 20, 1944). "Sidelights on Sports". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 15.
- ISBN 978-0-345-52012-8
- Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
External links
- Forr, James (2003). "Card-Pitt: The Carpits" (PDF). Coffin Corner. 25 (3). Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–8.