1933 Pittsburgh Pirates season | |
---|---|
Owner | Art Rooney |
Head coach | Forrest Douds |
Home field | Forbes Field |
Results | |
Record | 3–6–2 |
Division place | 5th Eastern Division |
Playoff finish | did not qualify |
The 1933 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the inaugural season of the team that would eventually become the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team was founded after Pennsylvania relaxed its blue laws that, prior to 1933, prohibited sporting events from taking place on Sundays, when most NFL games took place. The head coach for the Pirates was Forrest "Jap" Douds, and the new squad was composed largely of local semi-pro players, many of whom played for sports promoter Art Rooney.
Rooney became the Pirates owner, paying the NFL a $2,500 fee to join the league. Except for a brief period in 1940 and '41, Rooney would remain the franchise's principle owner until his death in 1988. The Rooney family has retained a controlling interest ever since.
The team would take the field for the first time on September 20 against the New York Giants at Forbes Field, losing 23–2. The following week, the team would get its first win, defeating the Chicago Cardinals at home 14–13. The team would finish 3–6–2 for the season.
Regular season
editSchedule
editWeek | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Final score | Team record | ||||
2 | September 20, 1933 | New York Giants | L 23–2 | 0-1-0 | Forbes Field |
3 | September 27, 1933 | Chicago Cardinals | W 14–13 | 1-1-0 | Forbes Field |
4 | October 4, 1933 | Boston Redskins | L 21–6 | 1-2-0 | Forbes Field |
5 | October 11, 1933 | Cincinnati Reds | W 17–3 | 2-2-0 | Forbes Field |
5 | October 15, 1933 | Green Bay Packers | L 47–0 | 2-3-0 | City Stadium |
6 | October 22, 1933 | Cincinnati Reds | T 0–0 | 2-3-1 | Redland Field |
7 | October 29, 1933 | Boston Redskins | W 16–14 | 3-3-1 | Fenway Park |
8 | November 5, 1933 | Brooklyn Dodgers | T 3–3 | 3-3-2 | Ebbets Field |
9 | November 12, 1933 | Brooklyn Dodgers | L 32–0 | 3-4-2 | Forbes Field |
10 | November 19, 1933 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 25–6 | 3-5-2 | Baker Bowl |
11 | Bye | ||||
12 | December 3, 1933 | New York Giants | L 27–3 | 3-6-2 | Polo Grounds |
Standings
editNFL Eastern | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
New York Giants | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 244 | 101 | W-7 |
Brooklyn Dodgers | 5 | 4 | 1 | .556 | 93 | 54 | L-2 |
Boston Redskins | 5 | 5 | 2 | .500 | 103 | 97 | T-1 |
Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 5 | 1 | .375 | 77 | 158 | L-2 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 3 | 6 | 2 | .333 | 67 | 208 | L-3 |
Game summaries
editWeek 2 (Wednesday September 20, 1933): New York Giants
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giants | 0 | 7 | 0 | 16 | 23 |
Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: Wednesday, September 12, 1933
- Game attendance: 20,000
Game information |
---|
|
Week 3 (Wednesday September 27, 1933): Chicago Cardinals
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cardinals | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
Pirates | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: Wednesday, September 27, 1933
- Game attendance: 5000
Game information |
---|
|
Week 4 (Wednesday October 4, 1933): Boston Redskins
edit1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Redskins | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 15,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Boston – Battles 70 punt return (Musick kick)
- Boston – Musick 1 run (Musick kick)
- Boston – Holmer 1 run (LaPresta kick)
- Pittsburgh – Brovelli 1 run (kick failed)
Week 5 (Wednesday October 11, 1933): Cincinnati Reds
edit1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reds | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Pirates | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 5,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Cincinnati – FG Clark 12
- Pittsburgh – Westfall 2 run (Brovelli kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Kelsch 36
- Pittsburgh – Vaughn 3 run (Westfall kick)
Week 5 (Sunday October 15, 1933): Green Bay Packers
edit1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Packers | 7 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 47 |
City Stadium, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 4,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Green Bay – Hinkle 1 run (Monnett kick)
- Green Bay – Monnett 7 run (kick failed)
- Green Bay – Goldenberg 67 interception (Grove kick)
- Green Bay – Goldenberg 3 run (Monnett kick)
- Green Bay – Bruder 52 run (Herber kick)
- Green Bay – Monnett 12 run (kick failed)
- Green Bay – Englemann 40 lateral from Monnett after 9 pass from Herber (Monnett kick)
Week 6 (Sunday October 22, 1933): Cincinnati Reds
edit1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Reds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Redland Field, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance:
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- none
Week 7 (Sunday October 29, 1933): Boston Redskins
edit1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pirates | 0 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 16 |
Redskins | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 7,500
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Boston – Battles 5 run (Musick kick)
- Pittsburgh – Moss 30 pass from Holm (kick failed)
- Pittsburgh – FG Engebretsen 21
- Pittsburgh – Westfall 60 pass from Holm (Brovelli kick)
- Boston – Weller run (Musick kick)
Week 8 (Sunday November 5, 1933): Brooklyn Dodgers
edit1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Dodgers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 15,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
Week 9 (Sunday November 12, 1933): Brooklyn Dodgers
edit1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dodgers | 6 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 32 |
Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 12,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Brooklyn – Kelly 15 run (kick failed)
- Brooklyn – Kelly 70 punt return (Hickman kick)
- Brooklyn – Nash 61 pass from Cagle (kick failed)
- Brooklyn – Kelly 2 run (Kelly kick)
- Brooklyn – Fishel 7 run (kick failed)
Week 10 (Sunday November 19, 1933): Philadelphia Eagles
edit1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
Eagles | 6 | 0 | 13 | 6 | 25 |
at Baker Bowl, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 6,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Philadelphia – Hanson run (kick failed)
- Philadelphia – Carter pass from Kirkman (Kirkman kick)
- Philadelphia – Carter pass from Davis (kick failed)
- Pittsburgh – Brovelli run (kick failed)
- Philadelphia – Woodruff run (kick failed)
Week 12 (Sunday December 3, 1933): New York Giants
edit1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pirates | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Giants | 0 | 0 | 7 | 20 | 27 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 10,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Pittsburgh – FG Kelsch 14
- New York – Krause 20 pass from Strong (Strong kick)
- New York – Badgro 25 pass from Newman (kick failed)
- New York – Richards 14 pass from Newman (Richards kick)
- New York – Richards 22 run (Krause pass from Newman)