1944 NFL Championship Game

Lore & Background

The Packers were led by longtime head coach Curly Lambeau and its stars were running back Ted Fritsch, end Don Hutson, and quarterback Irv Comp. The Giants were led by head coach Steve Owen, running back Bill Paschal, former Packers quarterback Arnie Herber, and a dominant defense. The Packers were slight favorites, despite the Giants' 24–0 shutout win four weeks earlier. Prior to the game, the Packers had spent over a week preparing in Charlottesville, Virginia; they had completed their regular season on November 26, while the Giants finished on December 10. If the title game ended in a tie, the teams would share the championship.

In Their Own Story

The wind at Milwaukee County Stadium didn't just blow; it howled, whipping snow into the faces of men clad in thin wool socks and battered leather helmets. The air hung heavy with the tension of a tied game in the fourth quarter when the Giants' quarterback, visibly shivering and desperate, launched a pass that was swatted down by a Green Bay linebacker. As the ball skittered across the icy turf, a roar erupted from the sparse crowd, cutting through the cold. The Packers' offense didn't celebrate; they marched. One bruising run after another, grinding forward against frozen legs and stiff defenses, until they finally crossed the goal line to seal a 14-6 victory in the biting December air.

Reader's Guide

Green Bay scored two touchdowns in the second quarter then yielded one early in the fourth to win 14–7 for their sixth and final league title under Lambeau, their first since 1939. The Packers did not return to the championship game for sixteen years, and won the following year in 1961, the first of five titles in seven seasons in the 1960s under head coach Vince Lombardi. Scoring summary: Sunday, December 17, 1944, Kickoff: 2 p.m. EWT (EDT). First quarter: no scoring. Second quarter: GB – Ted Fritsch 1 run (Don Hutson kick), 7–0 GB; GB – Fritsch 28 pass from Irv Comp (Hutson kick), 14–0 GB. Third quarter: no scoring. Fourth quarter: NY – Ward Cuff 1 run (Ken Strong kick), 14–7 GB. Officials: Referee: Ronald Gibbs; Umpire: Carl Brubaker; Head linesman: Charlie Berry; Field judge: Eugene Miller. The NFL had only four game officials in 1944; the back judge was added in 1947, the line judge in 1965, and the side judge in 1978. Players' shares: each Packer player received about $1,500 while each Giant saw about $900.

Did You Know?

• The game was played at the Polo Grounds in New York City, not at Milwaukee County Stadium.
• The final score was 14–7, not 14–6.
• The Packers won their sixth NFL championship under Lambeau, not their fifth.
• The Giants scored a touchdown (Ward Cuff 1 run), not a field goal.