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1941 Philadelphia Eagles season

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1941 Philadelphia Eagles season
Head coachGreasy Neale
Home fieldMunicipal Stadium
Results
Record2–8–1
Division place4th NFL Eastern
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 1941 season was the Philadelphia Eagles' ninth in the National Football League (NFL). The team improved on their 1–10 record from the previous season, but just barely, winning two games, and they missed out on the playoffs again.[1]

Offseason

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After a year sharing Shibe Park with the Philadelphia Athletics and Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball teams in 1940, the Eagles returned to the larger Philadelphia Municipal Stadium they had used from 1936 to 1939.

In late 1940, Art Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers (then known as the Pittsburgh Pirates), bought a 70 percent stake in the Eagles after selling the Pirates to New York entrepreneur Alexis Thompson. Thompson wanted to move the Pittsburgh franchise to Boston, but before the start of the 1941 season Rooney and Thompson agreed that their franchises would switch places, with Rooney moving the Eagles to Pittsburgh, where they would be renamed the Steelers, and Thompson moving the Pittsburgh team (whom he had renamed the Iron Men) to Philadelphia, where they would take up the Eagles name. The switch meant the rosters of both teams were made up of players who had played in the other city the previous season, though many were traded back before the start of the season.

Coach Greasy Neale held training camp at the High School Bowl in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and 90 miles (140 km) north of Milwaukee on Lake Michigan.

NFL draft

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The 1941 NFL draft was held on December 10, 1940. As the team with the worst record from the previous season, the Eagles had the first pick in all but the last two of the draft's 22 rounds. Because these players were drafted before the Eagles and Steelers swapped cities, these players ended up playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1941. The Pittsburgh draft picks would come to Philadelphia, and vice versa, though five players originally picked by the original Eagles ended up being traded to the new Eagles franchise.

The Chicago Bears (From Philadelphia Eagles) had the number one pick in the draft. They choose Tom Harmon, the 1940 Heisman Trophy winner, a Halfback out of the University of Michigan

Player selections

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The table shows the Eagles selections and what picks they had that were traded away and the team that ended up with that pick. It is possible the Eagles' pick ended up with this team via another team that the Eagles made a trade with. Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away. These picks were the players that the Pittsburgh Pirates made before the team swap between owners.

Pro Bowler[2] Hall of Famer Picks made by Pittsburgh Pirates that became Eagles in 1941
Round Pick Player Position School
1 1 Traded to the Chicago Bears
2 11 Art Jones Back Richmond
3 16 Marion Pugh Back Texas A&M
4 26 Al Ghesquiere Back University of Detroit
5 31 Royal Kahler Tackle University of Nebraska
Pitt
33
Vic Sears Tackle Oregon State
6 41 Red Hickey End University of Arkansas
Pitt
42
Bob Suffridge Guard Tennessee
7 51 Julius "Mush" Battista Guard Florida
8 61 Traded to the Chicago Bears
9 71 P. K. Rogers Back East Texas State
10 81 Don Williams Tackle Texas
Pitt
82
Ralph Fritz Guard Michigan
11 91 Marshall Stenstrom Back Oregon
12 101 John Patrick Back Penn State
13 111 Joe Hoague Back Colgate
14 121 Les Dodson Back Mississippi
15 131 Alex Lukachick End Boston College
16 141 Bill Conatser Back Texas A&M
17 151 John Yauckoes Tackle Boston College
18 161 Joe McFadden Back Georgetown (DC)
19 171 John Shonk End West Virginia
Pitt
173
George Kerr Guard Boston College
20 181 L. B. Russell Back Hardin–Simmons
21 201 Charley Henke (from Redskins) Guard Texas A&M
Pitt
202
Jim Castiglia Back Georgetown (DC)
22 203 Mike Fernella (from Bears) Tackle Akron

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Attendance
1 Bye
2 September 13 New York Giants L 0–24 0–1 25,478
3 September 21 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 10–7 1–1 12,893
4 September 27 Brooklyn Dodgers L 13–24 1–2 16,341
5 Bye
6 October 12 at New York Giants L 0–16 1–3 30,842
7 October 19 Washington Redskins L 17–21 1–4 19,071
8 October 26 Chicago Cardinals W 21–14 2–4 12,683
9 November 2 at Brooklyn Dodgers L 6–15 2–5 15,899
10 November 9 Pittsburgh Steelers T 7–7 2–5–1 15,601
11 November 16 at Detroit Lions L 17–21 2–6—1 16,306
12 Bye
13 November 30 Chicago Bears L 14–49 2–7–1 32,608
14 December 7 at Washington Redskins L 14–20 2–8–1 27,102

Game summaries

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The Eagles played 11 games over an NFL season that was 14 weeks long. The season started on September 7 and ended on December 7.

Week 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers

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Week 2: Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Eagles 0 3 7010
Steelers 0 0 707

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game information
First quarter
  • No scoring plays.

Second quarter

  • PHI – Len Barnum 43-yard field goal. Eagles 3–0.

Third quarter

  • PIT – Boyd Brumbaugh 4-yard run (Jack Sanders kick). Steelers 7–3.
  • PHI – Lou Tomasetti 40-yard pass from Dan DeSantis (Len Barnum kick). Eagles 10–7.

Fourth quarter

  • No scoring plays.

The Eagles travel across the state of Pennsylvania to play the renamed Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time since the franchises swapped cities.

Week 7: vs Washington Redskins

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Week 7: Philadelphia Eagles vs Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Redskins 0 14 0721
Eagles 14 0 3017

at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia

Game information
First quarter
  • PHI – Dick Humbert 4-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Nick Basca kick). Eagles 7–0.
  • PHI – Bob Krieger 21-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Nick Basca kick). Eagles 14–0.

Second quarter

  • WAS – Andy Farkas 5-yard rush (Joe Aguirre kick). Eagles 14–7.
  • WAS – Ed Justice 31-yard pass from Sammy Baugh (Joe Aguirre kick). Tied 14–14.

Third quarter

  • PHI – Nick Basca 15-yard field goal. Eagles 17–14.

Fourth quarter

  • WAS – Bob Masterson 22-yard pass from Sammy Baugh (Bob Masterson kick). Redskins 21–17.

The defending 1940 NFL Eastern Division Champions, Washington Redskins make a visit to Philadelphia to play the Eagles. Washington lost the 1940 NFL Championship Game to the Chicago Bears 73–0. The Eagles will host the Bears in week 12 and travel to Washington, D.C. to re-play the Redskins in week 14 to close out the 1941 season.

Week 10: vs Pittsburgh Steelers

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Week 10: Philadelphia Eagles vs Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 0 707
Eagles 7 0 007

at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information
First quarter
  • PHI – Jim Castiglia 47-yard rush (Nick Basca kick). Eagles 7–0.

Second quarter

  • No scoring plays.

Third quarter

  • PIT – Art Jones 25-yard rush (Jack Sanders kick). Tied 7–7.

Fourth quarter

  • No scoring plays.

The Eagles' cross-state rivals returned to Philadelphia for a rematch of the week 3 game won by the Eagles. The Eagles entered the game with two wins, while the Steelers were winless.

Week 14: at Washington Redskins

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At about the time this game was kicking off, the United States suffered an attack on Pearl Harbor, resulting in military personnel and US government officials receiving pages.

Standings

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NFL Eastern Division
W L T PCT DIV PF PA STK
New York Giants 8 3 0 .727 6–2 238 114 L1
Brooklyn Dodgers 7 4 0 .636 6–2 158 127 W2
Washington Redskins 6 5 0 .545 5–3 176 174 W1
Philadelphia Eagles 2 8 1 .200 1–6–1 119 218 L3
Pittsburgh Steelers 1 9 1 .100 1–6–1 103 276 L2

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Roster

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(All time List of Philadelphia Eagles players in franchise history)

The 1941 Philadelphia Eagles roster is made up of 39 players which 32 are rookies.

1941 Pro Bowl Pro All-Star[3]
No. Player Age Pos. GP GS Weight Height Years College
33 Jack Banta 24 HB 6 5 191 5–11 Rookie USC
13 Len Barnum 29 B-P-PK 11 8 200 6–0 3 West Virginia Wesleyan
27 Sam Bartholomew 24 FB 9 2 188 5–11 Rookie Tennessee
47 Nick Basca 25 HB-PK 11 0 170 5–8 Rookie Villanova
55 Frank Bausch 33 C 4 4 220 6–3 7 Kansas
50 Bob Bjorklund 23 C-LB-E 7 0 225 6–2 Rookie Minnesota
84 Larry Cabrelli 24 E-DB 7 2 194 5–11 Rookie Colgate
31 Jim Castiglia 23 FB 11 6 208 5–11 Rookie Georgetown (DC)
61 Tony Cemore 24 G 10 1 210 6–0 Rookie Creighton
67 Enio Conti 28 G 9 8 204 5–11 Rookie Bucknell
49 Dan DeSantis 23 HB 11 4 180 6–0 Rookie Niagara
26 Dave DiFilippo 25 G 5 2 210 5–10 Rookie Villanova
76 John Eibner 27 T 11 9 228 6–2 Rookie Kentucky
Bernie Feibish 22 C 3 0 223 6–2 Rookie NYU
83 Jack Ferrante 25 E-DE 3 0 197 6–1 Rookie none
36 Terry Fox 23 FB-LB 11 2 208 6–1 Rookie Miami (FL)
70 Joe Frank 26 T 11 0 217 6–1 Rookie Georgetown (DC)
63 Ralph Fritz 24 G 10 1 202 5–9 Rookie Michigan
62 Woody Gerber 21 G 5 1 223 6–0 Rookie Alabama
11 Lou Ghecas 23 HB 8 0 175 5–9 Rookie Georgetown (DC)
37 Fred Gloden 23 HB 6 0 187 5–10 Rookie Tulane
51 Lyle Graham 26 C 11 7 210 6–3 Rookie Richmond
80 Gran Harrison 24 E 1 0 211 6–3 Rookie Mississippi State
80 Kirk Hershey 23 E 6 0 215 6–2 Rookie Carroll (WI), Cornell
43 Jack Hinkle 24 B 1 0 195 6–0 1 Syracuse
81 Dick Humbert* 23 E-DE 11 8 179 6–1 Rookie Richmond
82 Bob Krieger 23 E 11 11 190 6–1 Rookie Dartmouth
30 Mort Landsberg 22 HB 11 7 180 5–11 Rookie Cornell
40 Wes McAfee 23 HB 8 1 175 5–11 Rookie Duke
63 Rupert Pate 24 G 1 0 205 6–1 1 Wake Forest
89 Hank Piro 24 E 10 1 186 6–0 Rookie Syracuse
77 Phil Ragazzo 26 T-G 10 10 216 6–0 3 Case Western Reserve
79 Vic Sears 23 T-DT 11 2 223 6–3 Rookie Oregon State
85 John Shonk 23 E 10 0 190 6–1 Rookie West Virginia
71 Cecil Sturgeon 22 T 6 0 254 6–2 Rookie North Dakota State
60 Bob Suffridge 25 G 10 9 205 6–0 Rookie Tennessee
10 Tommy Thompson 25 QB 11 5 192 6–1 1 Tulsa
15 Lou Tomasetti 25 FB-HB 6 3 198 6–0 2 Bucknell
39 Foster Watkins 24 QB-HB 11 1 163 5–9 1 West Texas A&M
72 Burr West 23 T 10 1 220 6–1 Rookie Tennessee

Honors and rewards

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  • Rookie end Dick Humbert finished second in receptions with 29 (league leader had 58), fourth in receiving yards with 332 (league leader had 738) and joint-fourth in receiving touchdowns with 3 (league leader had 10).
  • Humbert was selected for the All-Star Game.

References

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  1. ^ 1941 Philadelphia Eagles
  2. ^ Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.
  3. ^ Players are identified as a 1940 Pro All-Star.