1925 NFL Championship Game

Lore & Background

The franchise dates to 1898, when a neighborhood group gathered to play on the South Side of Chicago, calling themselves the Morgan Athletic Club. Chicago painting and building contractor Chris O'Brien acquired the team, which he moved to Normal Field on Racine Avenue. The team was known as the Racine Normals until 1901, when O'Brien bought used jerseys from the University of Chicago. After he described the faded maroon clothing as 'Cardinal red', the team became the Racine Street Cardinals. Eventually in 1920, the team became a charter member of the American Professional Football Association (APFA), which was rechristened the National Football League (NFL) two years later. The team entered the league as the Racine Cardinals, but changed their name to the Chicago Cardinals in 1922 to avoid confusion with the Horlick-Racine Legion, who entered the league the same year.

In Their Own Story

The press box at Comiskey Park was empty on December 27th, save for the hum of anticipation. Mike Donahue stood near the sideline, watching the field where a game should have been played. The Maroons had not arrived; their protest against the venue rules left the Cardinals alone in the spotlight. A league official handed over the trophy without a final whistle blown, marking a victory won not on the grass, but through administrative decree.

Reader's Guide

In 1925, the Cardinals were awarded the NFL Championship after the Pottsville Maroons were suspended for playing a game in what was deemed 'another team's territory'. Having beat the Cardinals in a head-to-head game earlier in the season, the Pottsville Maroons won their extra game against the University of Notre Dame, helping them finish the year with the same record as the Cardinals. The Cardinals were also guilty of breaking NFL rules by scheduling two additional games against the Hammond Pros and the Milwaukee Badgers, both of whom had already disbanded for the season. The game against the Badgers spurred a scandal when the Badgers filled out their roster with four high school players, in violation of NFL rules.

Did You Know?

• The Cardinals are the oldest continuously run professional football franchise in the United States.
• The Cardinals have won two NFL championships, both while the team was in Chicago.
• The Cardinals have a 5–1 record in home playoff games, with their only loss coming in the 2021 NFC Wild Card game to the Los Angeles Rams.
• As of 2025, the Cardinals have one of the longest active championship droughts in North American sports at 78 seasons, though other teams like the Cleveland Guardians (since 1948) have even longer droughts.