NFL's First All-Star Game (1939) at Wrigley Field
On December 28, 1939, Wrigley Field became the unlikely birthplace of professional football's first All-Star game. In a bold gamble against biting Chicago winter winds, the reigning Chicago Bears champions squared off not just for glory, but to support a vital cause—proving that an independent charity exhibition could draw massive crowds and generate revenue during the Great Depression's lingering shadow.
Quick Facts
- Organizer role
- Chicago Relief Fund (Private charity initiative organized by George Halas and the Chicago Tribune)
Lore & Background
While conceived by George Halas amidst the economic stagnation of the late 1930s, this game was a private charity exhibition organized independently by Halas and the Chicago Tribune to raise funds for the Chicago Relief Fund, rather than serving as a formal league mandate or benefiting the Chicago Relief Administration. Halas leveraged Wrigley Field's intimate brick bowl to create an electric atmosphere where the league's elite converged. The All-Star squad wasn't just a collection of names; it was a tactical showcase composed exclusively of players from franchises other than the Chicago Bears, blending holiday cheer with the bruising reality of 1930s football while the reigning champions stood alone on the opposing sideline.
Reader's Guide
This inaugural NFL-sanctioned All-Star game, played on New Year's Eve 1939 at Wrigley Field, pitted the Green Bay Packers against an assembled squad of league-wide talent orchestrated by Chicago Bears owner George Halas. Though the Packers secured the victory, the true triumph was commercial: it proved a post-season showcase could thrive financially and competitively, planting the seed for the modern Pro Bowl tradition that would follow over a decade later. For Bears fans, the game remains a definitive moment of franchise influence, highlighting how Chicago served as the league's innovation hub even when its own stars donned the All-Star jersey.
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