On This Date in Sports December 5, 1943: Steagles
The season ends for the "Phil-Pitt Steagles," a one-year merger between the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. In their finale, the Steagles are beaten by the Green Bay Packers 38-28. The teams were merged due to a lack of players available due to World War II. The NFL had reduced the schedule to ten games, as finding players proved difficult, with rosters decimated by players being drafted or enlisting into the war effort. The Cleveland Rams suspended operations for the season, while the two teams from Pennsylvania merged and posted a respectable record of 5-4-1.
The nation was thrown into World War II on December 7, 1941, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. The season was ending for the NFL when the attack occurred, but along with baseball and hockey, the question about playing was a significant subject of debate. The question was settled by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt when he gave Major League Baseball the go-ahead to play in 1942, stating that sports provided a vital escape and feeling of normalcy for people working on the war on the homefront. Many players worked full-time jobs at defense plants, making weapons and vehicles for war.
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The NFL was able to muddle through the 1942 season, but in 1943, with the war effort increasing, the availability of players became limited. The Cleveland Rams were granted permission to suspend operations for the season, while the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers merged into a joint operation. The NFL also reduced its schedule to ten games after playing 11 in 1942 and changed its substitution rules to allow players to enter and exit the game anytime.
Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles entered the NFL in 1933. Neither team had any success, with the Steelers initially carrying the name Pirates in connection with the city's baseball team. In their first ten seasons, the Eagles failed to post a winning record, finishing last or next-to-last in each season. The Steelers had similar struggles before posting a 7-4 record in 1942.
The two merged teams, officially called Phil-Pitt, were called Steagles by the press, adopting an unofficial nickname. Greasy Neale of the Eagles and Walt Keilsing of the Steelers acted as co-coaches, while the team split games between Shibe Park in Philadelphia and Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. The teams had discussed a merger before the war, as their lack of success had owners Bert Bell of the Eagles and Art Rooney of the Steelers looking for solutions on how to turn around their teams' fortunes.
The merged teams started off strong, winning their first two games at Shibe Park against the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants. Following road losses to the Chicago Bears and Giants, the Steagles returned home and defeated the Chicago Cardinals. As they hovered near .500 all season. The Steagles handed the defending champion Washington Redskins a 14-14 tie at Shibe Park and later won their only road game at Washington's Griffith Stadium. The Redskins would win the Eastern Division before losing to the Bears in the NFL Championship Game.
Commissioner Elmer Layden had hoped the combined teams would take the field again in 1944, with the NFL adding a team in Boston and the return of the Cleveland Rams, bringing the number of teams to 11. However, the refused to continue the partnership due to having success at signing a full roster. Art Rooney was unhappy with the arraignment but needed it to keep the Steelers afloat, as they could not sign a full roster.
The NFL got the Steelers into a partnership with the Chicago Cardinals. The Cardinals had gone winless in 1943 and had a 13-game losing streak. The Steelers-Cardinals partnership was known as Card-Pitt but was jokingly referred to as carpet as they failed to win a game in 1944.
The war ended before the 1945 season. The Steelers continued to struggle but had their finest season in 1947, finishing tied for first place in the Eastern Division with the Eagles. The Eagles won the Divisional Playoff but lost the NFL Championship Game against the Chicago Cardinals. The Steelers would not appear in another playoff game until 1972. The Eagles rebounded and won the NFL Championship in 1948 and 1949. The Cardinals, who lost to the Eagles 7-0 in a blizzard, would not win another playoff game until 1998.