1936 NFL Championship

Lore & Background

The Eastern Division champion Boston Redskins (7–5) were the home team, but their owner George Preston Marshall, the Packers and the league mutually agreed to move the game from Fenway Park to the Polo Grounds due to low ticket sales in Boston. Several days after the game, Marshall announced he would move the team to his hometown of Washington, D.C. for the following season. This was the first championship game for both the Redskins and the Western Division champion Green Bay Packers (10–1–1), who were favored. The Packers won 21–6 for their fourth NFL title, all under longtime head coach Curly Lambeau, having previously won league championships awarded by league standing in 1929, 1930, and 1931. 61 years later, the Packers would then defeat the Boston team that replaced the Redskins, the New England Patriots, in Super Bowl XXXI.

In Their Own Story

The wind howled off the Hudson River, biting through the wool coats of spectators at the Polo Grounds. Inside the tunnel, the air hung heavy with the smell of wet grass and leather as Arnie Herber tightened his laces. He looked up at Curly Lambeau, whose face was a mask of stoic determination. 'They expect us to fold,' Curly murmured, clapping a gloved hand on Herber's shoulder pad. 'Show them why they fear Green Bay.' As the team burst onto the frozen field, the roar of the crowd faded into a singular focus: the ball, the gridiron, and the first step toward immortality.

Reader's Guide

The Green Bay Packers went 10–1–1 during the regular season to secure the Western Division title, while the Boston Redskins went 7–5 to win the Eastern Division. Players played both ways, offensively and defensively, in 1936. Thus, there were only these eleven starters for each squad. The NFL had only four game officials in 1936; the back judge was added in 1947, the line judge in 1965, and the side judge in 1978. The following were the four officials who called the 1936 championship game: Referee: Jordie Jordan, Umpire: Bobby Cahn, Head linesman: Maurice J. Meyer, Field judge: William Halloran.

Did You Know?

• The 1936 NFL Championship Game was the first NFL title game held on a neutral field.
• The game was moved from Fenway Park to the Polo Grounds due to low ticket sales in Boston.
• The Packers won 21–6 for their fourth NFL title, all under head coach Curly Lambeau.
• The Redskins moved to Washington, D.C. shortly after the game.