By Darin Introduction
On December 16, 1945, the Cleveland Municipal Stadium hosted one of the most contentious endings in NFL Championship history. In a bitter cold, the Cleveland Rams faced the Washington Redskins for the title, but the outcome would forever be linked to an obscure rule and a single, bizarre play. Before the game, the attendance reached 32,178, yet the focus quickly shifted from the crowd to the goal post situated directly on the goal line. This tight, low-scoring affair was decided by the slimmest of margins, making the 1945 NFL Championship a legendary chapter in the league’s past.
In 2025, we made a mission of it to delve into each of the pre-Super Bowl NFL Championship games by bringing in experts to discuss each title game, the season, and the winning team. In 1945, our friend historian/collector Joe Squires guided us through the season.
The Goal Post Controversy
The championship turned controversial early in the game, illustrating why rules evolve. Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh, playing through an injury, dropped back into his endzone. He attempted to pass, but the frigid conditions and proximity to the end line caused the ball to hit the goal post, which at the time was positioned directly on the goal line. Under the 1945 rules, this contact resulted in an automatic safety, awarding the Cleveland Rams two crucial points.
The Rams capitalized on this unexpected gift, relying on their strong performance and the leadership of quarterback Bob Waterfield to build their lead. The game remained a defensive struggle, but Washington’s legendary comeback attempts brought the game down to the wire. Baugh eventually led the Redskins to a furious rally, but their efforts ultimately fell short by a single point. The final score read Cleveland Rams 15, Washington Redskins 14. The Rams claimed the title—the only NFL championship the franchise won while based in Cleveland before moving to Los Angeles the following year. The furor over the deciding safety was so great that the NFL immediately changed the rule in 1946: a forward pass hitting the goal post became an incomplete pass, a change directly attributable to this 1945 clash.
Conclusion
The 1945 NFL Championship remains a powerful example of how singular, controversial moments define NFL history. The Rams secured their one-point victory, capturing their sole title for the city of Cleveland, but the game’s true legacy is the rule change it forced. Because of a two-point safety scored when Sammy Baugh hit the post, the NFL evolved its structure, making the game fairer and cementing the Rams’ 15-14 win as one of the most historic and unique championship victories ever recorded.
