1937 Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL) season
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1a/371024-Pittsburgh-Chicago-program.jpg/260px-371024-Pittsburgh-Chicago-program.jpg)
1937 Pittsburgh Pirates season | |
---|---|
Owner | Art Rooney |
Head coach | John McNally |
Home field | Forbes Field |
Results | |
Record | 4–7 |
Division place | 3rd NFL Eastern |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The 1937 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the team's fifth season as a professional sports club in the National Football League (NFL). The team hired John McNally as head coach after John Bach stepped down during the offseason. McNally was a former player, who played halfback for the Pirates during the 1934 season. His team finished with another 4–7 record however, McNally was welcomed back the next season.
Offseason
Draft
1937 Pittsburgh Pirates draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Mike Basrak | C | Duquesne | |
2 | 15 | Bob Finley | B | SMU | Played pro baseball |
3 | 25 | Bill Breeden | B | Oklahoma | |
4 | 35 | Elmo "Bo" Hewes | B | Oklahoma | |
5 | 45 | Jack Frye | B | Missouri | |
6 | 55 | Walt Roach | E | TCU | |
7 | 65 | Byron Haines | HB | Washington | |
8 | 75 | Marty Kordich | G | Saint Mary's (CA) | |
9 | 85 | Matt Patanelli | E | Michigan | |
10 | 95 | Stan Nevers | T | Kentucky | |
Made roster |
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 5 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 27–14 | 1–0 | Forbes Field | Recap |
2 | Bye | |||||
3 | September 19 | at Brooklyn Dodgers | W 21–0 | 2–0 | Ebbets Field | Recap |
4 | September 26 | New York Giants | L 7–10 | 2–1 | Forbes Field | Recap |
5 | October 4 | Chicago Bears | L 0–7 | 2–2 | Forbes Field | Recap |
6 | October 10 | at Detroit Lions | L 3–7 | 2–3 | University of Detroit Stadium | Recap |
7 | October 17 | at Washington Redskins | L 20–34 | 2–4 | Griffith Stadium | Recap |
8 | October 24 | Chicago Cardinals | L 7–13 | 2–5 | Forbes Field | Recap |
9 | October 31 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 16–7 | 3–5 | Forbes Field | Recap |
10 | November 7 | at New York Giants | L 0–17 | 3–6 | Polo Grounds | Recap |
11 | November 14 | Washington Redskins | W 21–13 | 4–6 | Forbes Field | Recap |
12 | November 21 | Brooklyn Dodgers | L 0–23 | 4–7 | Forbes Field | Recap |
13 | Bye | |||||
14 | Bye |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1 (Sunday September 5, 1937): Philadelphia Eagles
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eagles | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Pirates | 7 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 27 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 8,588
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Pittsburgh – Brett 39 pass from Thompson (Weinstock kick)
- Philadelphia – Hanson 3 run (Smukler kick)
- Pittsburgh – Davidson 19 pass from Gildea (Niccolai kick)
- Philadelphia – Hewitt 7 pass from Smukler (Smukler kick)
- Pittsburgh – McNally 92 kick return (Breeden kick)
- Pittsburgh – McNally 44 pass from Fiske (kick failed)
Week 2 (Sunday September 19, 1937): Brooklyn Dodgers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pirates | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 18,000
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Pittsburgh – Karcis 3 run (Kakasic kick)
- Pittsburgh – Gildea 1 run (Kakasic kick)
- Pittsburgh – McNally 6 pass from Fiske (Niccolai kick)
Week 3 (Sunday September 26, 1937): New York Giants
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giants | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
Pirates | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 33,095
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- New York – Richards 13 pass from Danowski (Manton kick)
- Pittsburgh – Karcis 4 run (Niccolai kick)
- New York – FG Manton 13
Week 4 (Monday October 4, 1937): Chicago Bears
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 22,511
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Chicago Bears – Nolting 13 run (Manders kick)
Week 5 (Sunday October 10, 1937): Detroit Lions
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pirates | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Lions | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
at Titan Stadium, Detroit, Michigan
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 16,000
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Pittsburgh – FG Niccolai 11
- Detroit – Caddel 2 run (Clark kick)
Week 6 (Sunday October 17, 1937): Washington Redskins
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pirates | 0 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
Redskins | 7 | 0 | 13 | 14 | 34 |
at Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 12,835
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Washington – Battles 65 interception (Smith kick)
- Pittsburgh – McNally 43 pass from Fiske (Weinstock kick)
- Pittsburgh – Thompson 55 pass from McNally (kick blocked)
- Washington – Malone 7 pass from Baugh
- Washington – Justice 3 pass from Smith (Smith kick)
- Washington – Battles 60 run (Smith kick)
- Washington – Battles 62 run (Smith kick)
- Pittsburgh – McNally 2 pass from Karcis (Niccolai kick)
Week 7 (Sunday October 24, 1937): Chicago Cardinals
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 8,963
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Chicago Cardinals – Deskin 18 pass from Coffee (May kick)
- Chicago Cardinals – Lawrence 2 run (kick failed)
- Pittsburgh – Davidson 65 pass from Fiske (Weinstock kick)
Week 8 (Sunday October 31, 1937): Philadelphia Eagles
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eagles | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Pirates | 6 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 16 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 2,772
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Philadelphia – Pilconis 22 fumble run (Smukler kick)
- Pittsburgh – Davidson 87 interception (kick failed)
- Pittsburgh – FG Niccolai 27
- Pittsburgh – Sortet 26 pass from Gildea (Niccolai kick)
Week 9 (Sunday November 7, 1937): New York Giants
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Giants | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 21,447
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- New York – Burnett 5 pass from Danowski (Manton kick)
- New York – FG Cuf 35
- New York – Soar 25 interception
Week 10 (Sunday November 14, 1937): Washington Redskins
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Redskins | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
Pirates | 7 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 21 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 12,000
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Washington – Pinckert 3 pass from Smith (kick failed)
- Pittsburgh – Davidson 68 run (Weinstock kick)
- Pittsburgh – Safety, Baugh tackled in end zone by Mayhew
- Pittsburgh – FG Niccolai 21
- Washington – Justice 40 pass from Baugh (Smith kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Niccolai 41
- Pittsburgh – Karcis 21 run (kick failed)
Week 11 (Sunday November 21, 1937): Brooklyn Dodgers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 13 | 10 | 23 |
Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 3,706
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Brooklyn – Parker 2 run (Parker kick)
- Brooklyn – Parker 44 punt return (kick failed)
- Brooklyn – FG Maniaci 29
- Brooklyn – Mitchell 15 pass from Parker (Maniaci kick)
Standings
NFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
Washington Redskins | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 6–2 | 195 | 120 | W3 | |
New York Giants | 6 | 3 | 2 | .667 | 5–2–1 | 128 | 109 | L1 | |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 | 4–4 | 122 | 145 | L1 | |
Brooklyn Dodgers | 3 | 7 | 1 | .300 | 2–5–1 | 82 | 174 | T1 | |
Philadelphia Eagles | 2 | 8 | 1 | .200 | 2–6 | 86 | 177 | L1 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
References
- ^ "1937 Pittsburgh Pirates Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 20, 2022.