Historic Newspapers: National Football League

EVENING TRIBUNE, San Diego, May 19, 1917

• Elmer Oliphant - Army Cadets college football photo

Page 14 has a two column action photo of Elmer Oliphant with heading: "Oliphant Captain of Army Eleven"

CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE, Dec. 13, 1920

• First professional football championship game
• Akron Pros vs. Decatur Staleys - Wrigley Field
• Extremely rare item from the city were it happened

The top of page has

THE OMAHA DAILY NEWS, Nebraska, November 23, 1925

• Red Grange - Galloping Ghost
• Illinois Fighting Illini - College football
• Chicago Bears signing - NFL

The sport's section (page 7) has a two column

THE BETHLEHEM GLOBE-TIMES, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, December 7, 1925

• Red Grange - Chicago Bears
• Polo Grounds - professional football

This 20 page newspaper has two column headline on page 9 that

THE BETHLEHEM GLOBE-TIMES, from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, dated December 7, 1925

• Red Grange - Chicago Bears
• Polo Grounds - professional football

This 20 page newspaper has two column headline on page

SECTION TWO (sports) only of the Chicago Daily Tribune, Nov. 21, 1927

• Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers (rivalry)
• Early NFL National Football League
• Best publication to be had (very rare)

The front

THE NEW YORK TIMES, November 29, 1929

• Aviator Richard Evelyn Byrd
• South Pole flight begins
• Ernie Nevers makes NFL record in scoring

This 44 page newspaper has a great three line banner headline on the

CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE, Sept. 26, 1932

• Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers
• First game of the year (0-0 tie)
• Bronko Nagurski and Red Grange era
• 1st ever NFL football championship year
• Best publication to

THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 18, 1933

• (Washington) Boston Redskins
• 1st time nickname was used in franchise history
• First game of the 1933 NFL football season

The sport's section (page 26) has one

THE NEW YORK TIMES, New York, NY, November 6, 1933

• Chicago Bears 30 game win streak ends
• Bronko Nagurski
• NFL football

This 40 page newspaper has a two column headline on page 25: "Boston Checks

BOSTON EVENING TRANSCRIPT, December 18, 1933

• Chicago Bears vs. New York Giants
• First NFL football championship game

Page 6 has a one column heading: "Brilliant Play Features Game for Pro Title" with

CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE, September 1, 1934

• Chicago College All-Star Game
• Very 1st annual football game
• Chicago Bears NFL team
• Best title to be had (rare)

The front page has a five column headline:

NEW YORK TIMES, September 1, 1934

• Chicago College All-Star Game
• Very 1st annual football game
• Chicago Bears

The sport's section (page 8) has one column headings: "80,000 See Bears Tie All-Stars, 0-0"

CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE, Sept. 24, 1934

• Detroit Lions very 1st football game
• NFL - National Football League

Page 16 has a small and discrete one column heading: "Detroit, 9; Giants, 0" (see image)
I

THE BURLINGTON FREE PRESS, Vermont, December 10, 1934

• The famed "Sneakers Game"
• NFL football title championship

The top of page 13 has a one column heading: "Giants Capture Pro Grid Title; Beat Bears

ALBANY EVENING NEWS, New York, December 10, 1934

• The famed "Sneakers Game"
• NFL football title championship

The sport's section (page 15) has a two column heading: "Giants Upset Bears to Win Pro

FITCHBURG SENTINEL, Mass., December 10, 1934

• The famed "Sneakers Game"
• NFL football title championship

Page 8 under "Sport Chatter" is some brief reporting which includes: "The Giants wore basketball

THE DETROIT NEWS, December 15, 1935

• Detroit Lions NFL football championship game (1st time)
• vs. New York Giants (Day of) - Best title to be had ? (rare)

The front page of the sport's section (page

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, December 14, 1936

• Green Bay Packers victorious
• Boston Redskins (Washington)
• NFL football championship
• Jesse Owens wins best athlete award

Page 3 of section II has a two column

THE NEW YORK TIMES, November 11, 1937

• William "Pudge" Heffelfinger
• Yale University football star
• Best football player ever ?

This 52 page newspaper has two column headlines in the sport's section

THE TIMES-PICAYUNE, New Orleans, December 12, 1938

• NFL football championship game w/ photos
• New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers

The sport's section (page 18) has a three column heading: "New York

THE NEWS, Frederick, Maryland, January 16, 1939

• 1st Pro Bowl football game
• New York Giants
• All-Stars

This 10 page newspaper has a one column headline on page 6: "New York Giants Win Finale From All

THE NEW YORK TIMES, October 23, 1939

• Very 1st NFL football game on television
• Philadelphia Eagles vs. Brooklyn Dodgers

This 38 page newspaper has two column headlines on page 23 that include:

THE NEW YORK TIMES, New York, NY, November 18, 1940

• Green Bay Packers
• 1st to travel by airplane
• NFL football

This 38 page newspaper has a five column headline on page 24: "Early Touchdown by Giants

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, December 9, 1940

• Chicago Bears vs. Washington Redskins
• NFL Championship game
• Famous 73-0 rout by the Bears

The top of page 5B has a banner headline: "Records Fall as Bears

CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE, December 15, 1941

• 1st ever divisional playoff game...  NFL football
• Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers
• Ted Williams .406 batting average enters record books
• Boston Red Sox -

THE SPRINGFIELD UNION, Massachusetts, December 22, 1941

• Chicago Bears win NFL pro football championship
• New York Giants
• Just after the bombing of Pearl Harbor - WWII era

The sport's section (page 11)

NEW YORK WORLD-TELEGRAM, December 22, 1941

• Chicago Bears win NFL pro football championship
• Just after the bombing of Pearl Harbor - WWII era

The sport's section (page 21) has a six column headline:

CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE, January 5, 1942

• Chicago Bears vs. Pro football all-stars
• Post Pearl Harbor Pro Bowl
• Best title to be had ? (rare)

The front page of section 2 (sports) has a nice banner

THE NEW YORK TIMES, Dec. 9, 1942

• Frank Sinkwich wins Heisman Trophy
• Georgia Bulldogs - NCAA college football

The sport's section (top of page 40) has a seven column headline: "Heisman Trophy Scroll

THE TIMES PICAYUNE, New Orleans, Louisiana, December 14, 1942

• Washington Redskins win NFL title
• NFL football championship
• Chicago Bears upset

This 32 page newspaper has a six column headline on page

THE BOSTON POST, December 14, 1942

• Washington Redskins win NFL title
• NFL football championship game
• Chicago Bears upset (1st report)
• Sammy Baugh vs. Sid Luckman

The sport's section (page 16) has a two

THE NEW YORK TIMES, New York, NY, November 1, 1943

• Quarterback Sammy Baugh 6 TD's
• Washington Redskins
• NFL football

This 36 page newspaper has one column headlines on page 21: "BAUGH PASSES SINK

CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE, Sport's section only, November 1, 1943

• Sammy Baugh throws 6 TD's
• Washington Redskins quarterback
• NFL football

The front page has a four column heading: "Baugh Breaks Passing

THE TIMES-PICAYUNE, New Orleans, December 27, 1943

• Chicago Bears win NFL football championship
• Sid Luckman 5 touchdown passes
• Washington Redskins

The sport's section (page 8) has a one column heading:

THE SPRINGFIELD SUNDAY REPUBLICAN, Mass., April 23, 1944

• Pittsburgh Steelers & Chicago Cardinals merger
• "Card-Pitt" (Car-Pitts) - NFL football - World War II era

The front page of the sport's section

THE TOPEKA DAILY CAPITAL, Topeka, Kansas, December 17, 1945

• Cleveland Rams win NFL football championship
• (St. Louis)
• Washington Redskins

This 10 page newspaper has a six column headline on page 6:

FITCHBURG SENTINEL, Mass., December 17, 1945

• Cleveland Rams win NFL football championship
• (St. Louis) vs. Washington Redskins

The sport's section (page 8) has a two column heading: "Rams Win Before

THE NEW YORK TIMES, January 12, 1946

• Bert Bell - Co-founder of the Philadelphia eagles
• Becomes the new NFL football commissioner
• Early/formative meeting of The United Nations

The top of page 18 has

THE SPRINGFIELD UNION, January 13, 1946

• Cleveland Rams - NFL Football
• 1st move to Los Angeles, California

The front page of the sport's section has a two column heading: "Rams Quit Cleveland, Move to

THE NEW YORK TIMES, March 22, 1946

• Kenny Washington breaks the color barrier
• NFL football signs it's 1st African American player
• Los Angeles Rams

The sport's section (page 25) has a small and

THE NEW YORK TIMES, December 16, 1946

• Chicago Bears win NFL football championship
• Sid Luckman touchdown play photo
• New York Giants - players busted on 'Fix' scandal
• Nice to have from the city where

THE NEW YORK TIMES, Sept. 8, 1947

• Baltimore (Indianapolis) Colts 1st franchise game
• All-America Football Conference (AAFC) - pre-NFL

The top of page 29 has a banner heading: "Wrong-Way Run by

THE SPRINGFIELD UNION, Springfield, Massachusetts, December 2, 1947

• Johnny Lujack wins Heisman Trophy
• Notre Dame Fighting Irish - NCAA college football

This 30 page newspaper has two column headlines

FITCHBURG SENTINEL, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, December 29, 1947

• Chicago Cardinals vs. Philadelphia Eagles
• NFL championship title game

This 12 page newspaper has a small one column headline on page 8:

THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 6, 1948

• Y. A. Tittle sets passing records in game
• Baltimore Colts quarterback
• NFL Football

The sport's section (page 10) has a banner headline: "Tittle Sets Two Records

THE SPRINGFIELD UNION, Springfield, Massachusetts, December 8, 1949

• Leon Hart wins Heisman Trophy
• Notre Dame Fighting Irish
• NCAA college football

This 40 page newspaper has two column headlines on

THE DETROIT NEWS, Michigan, December 12, 1949

• Johnny Lujack 6 TD's for Chicago Bears
• NFL football quarterback

This 42 page newspaper has within reporting on the recent football games from the day

SPRINGFIELD REPUBLICAN, Mass., sport's section only, December 18, 1949

• All-America Football Conference All-Star game
• Shamrock Bowl - Cleveland Browns
• Last ever AAFC game

The front page of this section

THE DETROIT FREE PRESS, Dec. 19, 1949

• Philadelphia Eagles vs. Los Angeles Rams
• NFL pro football championship title game

Page 28 has a six column heading: "Eagles Dunk Rams in Mud, 14-0, Keep Title"