Ever wonder why this weekend's round of the NFL playoffs is the "Divisional" round? It dates back to the days of two divisions, when a tie for first would be broken by having the two teams play an extra game. In 1947, the Steelers and Eagles played one of those games at Forbes Field.
The Steelers finished their 1947 regular season at home with the Boston Yanks on Dec. 7. The rain and chill held the crowd down to 31,398, the smallest of the season; it was the first game where there were no standing-room customers on the field.
The Yanks had just gotten the ball back late in the third quarter, with Pittsburgh hanging on to a 10-7 lead.
Public address announcer Ray Downey told the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Cardinals are now leading the Eagles, 10-7." A roar went up, and the Steelers' defense held. After the punt, Pittsburgh drove for the touchdown that led to the 17-7 final score.
In Philadelphia, the Chicago Cardinals came back from a 7-3 halftime deficit to win, 45-21. The Cards were tied with the Bears at 8-3, and those teams would meet at Wrigley Field in the last regular-season game to decide the Western Division.
The Eagles fell to 7-4, a half-game behind the Steelers' 8-4 record. They had to win a home game with Green Bay to tie Pittsburgh and force a playoff; otherwise, the Steelers would win their first-ever division title and play the winner of the battle between the two Chicago teams for the NFL championship.
(The Steelers, who were originally scheduled to play Bill Dudley and the Lions the last week of the season, moved that game to a week before the rest of the league began for fear of bad December weather. So Pittsburgh and Detroit were both done a week earlier than everyone else.)
In those days, officials could speak to the press. Pittsburgher Yans Wallace was the head linesman in Philadelphia, and described what he saw to The Pittsburgh Press. "It was bruising for both teams," he said. "The line play was fierce and the blocking and tackling shook a lot of teeth loose. The Eagles had three long passes intercepted and that proved to be a turning point. They were a well battered crew when the game was over."
Coach Jock Sutherland gave his players a couple of days off. Starting Wednesday, the Steelers practiced while waiting to see who they would play next. Both papers needed to inform fans that if a playoff game ended in a tie, it would go to sudden death overtime.
WWSW sent Joe Tucker to Philadelphia to broadcast the Eagles-Packers game back to Pittsburgh.
Although they were 6-point underdogs, Philadelphia beat Green Bay for the first time in their history, 28-14. Steve Van Buren ran for 96 yards and three touchdowns, setting a new season rushing record with 1,008 yards.
Steeler assistants Muggsy Skladany and Tiger Walton scouted the game. Skladany told The Press that "The Eagles played their best game of the season against the Packers, and they were certainly inspired for this one. They had everything to win; the Packers were merely playing out the last game on their schedule.
"I've watched the Eagles in about five or six games and this certainly was their peak performance. The players wanted Steve Van Buren to win the ball carrying title and they went all out for him. I never saw such blocking when Van Buren carried the ball. He finally cracked the record when he made three yards off tackle one play. The Packers had been offside and the Eagles could have refused the gain and taken the penalty. But they wanted the gain. They knew Steve had broken the mark and they were satisfied. Van Buren played a terrific game on offense."
In Chicago, the Cardinals beat the Bears, 30-21, to win the West and earned the right to host the championship game, which would now be on Dec. 28.
Back in November, the Steelers won a coin flip, so they would host the East Division playoff. They announced that they would distribute tickets to season ticketholders Monday and Tuesday at their 521 Grant Street office, then put the remainder on sale to the general public Wednesday. As Jack Sell put it in the Post-Gazette, "Pennant-hungry fans have stormed the local ticket offices for pasteboards for the playoff affair." Demand was so strong that on Tuesday, season ticket accounts from M to Z could pick up their tickets at the Rooney-McGinley Boxing Club office in the Fort Pitt Hotel. Seats were gone by noon Wednesday, but $3 standing room was available. A crowd of 39,000 was expected.
Art Rooney was happy about the state of the franchise. After signing Dr. Sutherland to a five-year contract, "I figured in about three or four years we'd be up there battling those other eastern teams for the title, but here we are a year or so ahead of schedule.
"We did so much better than we expected last year and now look at us. Playing the Eagles here Sunday for the Eastern title and looking back on 11 straight sellouts at Forbes Field. It never was like this in the old days. I got so used to losing, sometimes I find it strange to act like a winner this season. But I love it. It's a great feeling. I don't have to duck down the side streets anymore."
The draft meeting would take place in Pittsburgh at the Fort Pitt Hotel on Friday, the 19th, instead of the traditional day after the championship game. It was moved up because of the competition with the All-America Football Conference, and clubs would have the option of whether or not to announce their picks. The Steelers chose not to. (Their first choice turned out to be Bobby Layne, whose rights were traded to the Bears when he refused to play in the single wing.)
The Steelers and Eagles had each won their home game during the season. Pittsburgh won at Forbes Field, 35-24, but the Eagles returned the favor at Shibe Park, 21-0. Both teams gained more yardage rushing than passing, two of four teams in the ten-club league to do so. Philadelphia was a 3-point favorite.
The Steelers were able to use the extra time to recuperate. Star left halfback Johnny (Zero) Clement would return from a dislocated left elbow. The Eagles were more banged-up, but expected everybody but halfback Noble Doss to be available.
On game day, the weather was 38 degrees and clear. The Steelers received the kickoff, and picked up a first down on their third play. But they stalled. The Eagles' first serious threat ended when Allie Sherman tried a pass on a fake field goal from the 28 that fell incomplete.
Later, the Steelers punted from their own 20, but Pete Pihos blocked it, and Philadelphia took over on the 14. After two runs lost a yard, Tommy Thompson passed to Van Buren for a 15-yard touchdown late in the first quarter.
At 6:32 of the second quarter, Thompson threw a 25-yard TD pass to Jack Ferrante. Cliff Patton's extra point made the score 14-0. After the ensuing kickoff, Clement ran 27 yards to the Eagle 45. That was Pittsburgh's second, and last, first down of the half. They got no farther, though, and the halftime score was 14-0.
At 4:40 into the third quarter, Bosh Pritchard returned a punt 79 yards for Philadelphia's third touchdown. Once again, Patton's kick was good.
Late in the third, the Steelers put together their best drive of the game. They got to the 9-yard line, but a fourth down jump pass by Clement failed. The Eagles were able to run out the clock, and won by a final score of 21-0.
Philadelphia outgained Pittsburgh, 255-154. While Clement's 59 yards rushing exceeded Van Buren's 45 (on 18 carries), his 4 of 18 passes for 52 yards was worse than Thompson's 11 of 17 for 131.
Eagles coach Greasy Neale said, "I could see them getting sharper and sharper against Green Bay the week before and they didn't lose it."
According to the Post-Gazette's Al Abrams, "the Steelers put up what was generally agreed to be their worst performance of the year."
"Most of the disappointing crowd of 35,729 left early," wrote Les Biederman in The Press, "and those who stuck it out to the bitter end sat through the last half in a deathlike silence. The Steelers gave their loyal supporters few chances to yodel."
It was the Eagles' first division championship. The next week, they went to Comiskey Park and lost to the Cardinals, 28-21. In 1948 and 1949, though, Philadelphia did win back-to-back NFL championships.
On April 7, 1948, during his annual scouting tour of colleges, Dr. Sutherland was found, "dazed and mumbling, in a Western Kentucky swamp." He was taken to a hospital in Cairo, Ill., where he was diagnosed with "mental exhaustion." The president of Weirton Steel, the coach's close friend, sent his private plane to bring Dr. Sutherland back to Pittsburgh on April 9. The Steelers' station wagon took him to West Penn Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent surgery. Unfortunately, the procedure was unsuccessful, and Jock Sutherland died the morning of April 11.
John Michelosen, Dr. Sutherland's chief assistant, became head coach, but the 1948 Steelers went 4-8. It ended up being 25 years between Steeler playoff games, although there was finally some yodeling in 1972.
All quotes are from the original newspaper coverage.
