From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1937 National Football League season
NFL teams:
West,
East
The
1937 NFL season
was the 18th
regular season
of the
National Football League
. The
Cleveland Rams
joined the league as an
expansion team
. Meanwhile, the
Redskins
relocated from
Boston
to Washington, D.C.
The season ended when the Redskins, led by rookie quarterback
Sammy Baugh
, defeated the
Chicago Bears
in the NFL Championship Game.
Draft
[
edit
]
The
1937 NFL Draft
was held on December 12, 1936 at
New York City
's
Hotel Lincoln
. With the first pick, the
Philadelphia Eagles
selected runningback Sam Francis from the
University of Nebraska?Lincoln
.
Major rule changes
[
edit
]
- All players are required to wear numerals on their jerseys whose color must be in sharp contrast with the jersey color. The numbers on the front must be at least 6 inches (150 mm) while the ones on the back must be at least 8 inches (200 mm).
- If a kickoff goes out of bounds, the ball is put in play either on the opponent's 35-yard line or 10 yards from the spot where it crossed the sideline.
- The penalty for an illegal forward pass that is thrown beyond the line of scrimmage is a loss of down and five yards from the spot of the foul.
Division races
[
edit
]
Midway through the NFL's 11-game season, the Bears were unbeaten (5?0) in the Western Division, while the Giants were leaders in the Eastern (4?1), and they played to a 3?3 tie. The Giants and Bears continued to stay in the lead in their divisions, and the Bears clinched a spot in the title game with its 13?0 win over Detroit. On December 5, 1937, the final game of the season had Washington (7?3 and .700) traveling to New York (6?2?2 and .750). A win or a tie would give the Giants the Eastern title; the Redskins triumphed, 49?14, and got the division crown and the trip to face Chicago in the 1937 championship game.
Final standings
[
edit
]
Note:
Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
NFL Championship Game
[
edit
]
Washington 28, Chi. Bears 21, at
Wrigley Field
,
Chicago
, December 12, 1937
League leaders
[
edit
]
Coaching changes
[
edit
]
Stadium changes
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
|
---|
Early era
(1920?1969)
| |
---|
Modern era
(1970?present)
| |
---|
Italics
indicate future seasons
|