1932 Portsmouth Spartans season

1932 Portsmouth Spartans season
Head coach George Clark
Home field Universal Stadium
Portsmouth, Ohio
Results
Record 6–2–4
League place 3rd NFL
Playoff finish NFL Championship Game,
lost 9–0

In 1932, the Portsmouth Spartans appeared in the league championship game, the first playoff game in NFL history, losing to the Chicago Bears 9–0.[1] With a record of 6–1–4 in 1932, the Spartans finished in a tie for the NFL title with the Chicago Bears.[2] It was the first time in history that the season ended with two teams atop the league's standings. (Ties were omitted in calculating winning percentage.) Both games during the season between Portsmouth and Chicago had ended in ties. To determine a sole champion, the league office arranged for the first playoff game in NFL history.[2]

The game was originally scheduled to be played at Wrigley Field, the Bears' home stadium. Due to severe blizzards and sub-zero wind chill throughout the week, the game was moved indoors to Chicago Stadium.[3] The arena allowed only an 80-yard field (end lines) that came right to the walls, and the goal posts were moved from the end lines to the goal.[4] The Bears won 9–0, scoring the winning touchdown on a two-yard pass from Bronko Nagurski to Red Grange in the fourth quarter.[5][2] Attendance for the game was 11,198.[6]

With the loss, Portsmouth dropped to third in the final league standings.

Season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result
1 September 25, 1932 New York Giants W 7–0
2 October 2, 1932 Chicago Cardinals T 7–7
3 October 9, 1932 at Green Bay Packers L 15–10
4 October 16, 1932 at Staten Island Stapletons T 7–7
5 October 20, 1932 at Staten Island Stapletons W 13–6
6 October 30, 1932 at New York Giants W 6–0
7 November 6, 1932 at Brooklyn Dodgers W 17–7
8 November 13, 1932 at Chicago Bears T 13–13
9 November 20, 1932 Boston Braves W 10–0
10 November 27, 1932 Chicago Bears T 7–7
11 December 4, 1932 Green Bay Packers W 19–0
12 December 18, 1932 at Chicago Bears ^ L 9–0

^ playoff game

Standings

NFL standings
W L T PCT PF PA STK
Chicago Bears 1 7 1 6 .875 160 44 W3
Green Bay Packers 10 3 1 .769 152 63 L2
Portsmouth Spartans 1 6 2 4 .750 116 71 L1
Boston Braves 4 4 2 .500 55 79 W2
New York Giants 4 6 2 .400 93 113 L1
Brooklyn Dodgers 3 9 0 .250 63 131 L4
Chicago Cardinals 2 6 2 .250 72 114 L5
Staten Island Stapletons 2 7 3 .222 93 113 L1

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
1 The Bears and Spartans records include the result of the 1932 NFL Playoff Game. Thus, the Spartans are ranked third with a lower winning percentage than the Packers.

Roster

Portsmouth Spartans roster
Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

 Offensive Linemen

Defensive Linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive Backs

Special Teams

 Reserve Lists
  • Currently vacant

Rookies in italics

Playoff Game

For more details on this topic, see 1932 NFL Playoff Game.

Chicago Bears 9, Portsmouth Spartans 0

References

  1. ↑ http://www.ohiohistorycentral.com/entry.php?rec=2354&nm=Portsmouth-Spartans
  2. 1 2 3 http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/portsmouthoh/spartans.html
  3. ↑ Dunkley, Charles W. (December 19, 1932). "Bears beat Spartans, 9-0; win pro title". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. p. 13.
  4. ↑ Kuechele, Oliver E. (December 19, 1932). "The Bears won 9-0, but what was it all about?". Milwaukee Journal. p. 6, part 2.
  5. ↑ "Chicago Bears pro champions". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. (Chicago Tribune). December 19, 1932. p. 14.
  6. ↑ http://www.nflhistory.org/museum/1932.html

External links

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