By Darin The history of December 17th is defined by championship drama, revolutionary rules, and record-breaking performances! Dive into the controversial 1933 NFL Championship that birthed the modern forward pass rule—dubbed the “Bronko Nagurski Rule.” Witness the 1944 title victory under legendary Curly Lambeau, and relive the night Terrell Owens set a single-game receiving record with 20 catches. This is your definitive look at the rule-changing, record-setting moments that shaped the gridiron on December 17
December 17 Football History Timeline
- December 17, 1933 – Wrigley Field, Chicago – The League’s scheduled First National Football League Championship Title Game, played before the season started. A Title game was played in 1932, but it was thrown together in a week at the end of the season. The Football History Headlines for December 18 will go into detail about the 1932 contest. The 1933 game pitted the New York Giants against the Chicago Bears. In the closing minutes, with the ball on the Giants’ 33-yard line, Bronko Nagurski throws a jump pass to end Bill Hewitt, who reaches the 19, when he makes a long lateral to the other end, Billy Karr. Eluding two Giant defenders, Karr races into the end zone for his second touchdown, giving the Bears the lead. The pass play was extremely controversial as to where Nagurski was when he threw the ball. At the time of this contest, one rule that constituted a legal forward pass was that the person throwing the ball had to be at least 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage when they released the ball. At the League Meetings later in 1933, the “Bronko Nagurski Rule” was adopted, allowing a forward pass to be legal from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage, as it is currently in all levels of football. Anyhow, back to the end of the 1933 Championship game. In the final seconds, the Galloping Ghost, Red Grange, preserved Chicago’s 23-21 victory with a touchdown-saving tackle. The Chicago Bears defeated the New York Football Giants, 23-21. This game also helped institute other rules at the 1933 meetings. The NFL is divided into two divisions, and the top two teams in each would meet for the title. The hash marks were moved, and so were the goal posts, to open the game up a little bit to provide more action, similar to what the ever-popular collegiate game was doing at the time. The game set an NFL record for six lead changes in a championship game, a mark that still stands at the time of this writing in 2020. The champs each received $210.34, and the Giants pocketed a cool $170 each for participating. (source)
- December 17, 1944 – Polo Grounds, New York City – The NFL Championship game had the Green Bay Packers visiting the New York Football Giants. The website GoldenRankings.com has a superb write-up on the game. According to the article, World War II stripped many fine players from the rosters of all NFL teams as they went to serve their country. Retired players who were not in the military were recruited by all teams just to field enough players. It was the Packers who won this tightly contested game 14-7, securing their 6th and final championship title under their legendary coach, Curly Lambeau.
- December 17, 1972 – Denver Broncos Quarterback Charley Johnson tosses three touchdown passes to help the Broncos more than double up the New England Patriots 45-21. The story, complete with video, can be found at denverbroncos.com.
- December 17, 2000 – Terrell Owens of the 49ers caught a single-game receiving record of 20 receptions for 283 yards against the Chicago Bears. Owens broke the previous record of 18 set by Tom Fears in 1950 with the Rams. (source)
- December 17, 2017 – It was the scheduled matchup that most NFL fans were licking their chops for all season long. The 11-3 New England Patriots invaded Heinz Field to take on the 11-3 Pittsburgh Steelers. These two teams had little fondness for each other, and the game did not disappoint its billing, coming right down to the wire and adding to its legacy with a controversial play at its pinnacle. With 56 seconds remaining in the game, the Patriots took the lead on an 8-yard run by Dion Lewis. Tom Brady connected on a pass with Rob Gronkowski to convert the two-point attempt, and the Pats were up 3. The Steelers started their drive after the kickoff from their own 21-yard line. Ben Roethlisberger connected with Rookie Receiver Ju-Ju Smith-Schuster on a crossing route, who, with some crazy moves, took the ball deep into New England territory. New excitement filled the stadium after the 69-yard pass play! On the very next play, Big Ben found Tight End Jesse James for an apparent score. However, after the review, the official overturned the touchdown, declaring the pass incomplete, and an interception of a tipped pass a few plays later gave the Patriots the victory. Tony Corrente, the game’s referee, when asked later why the TD did not stand, said a lack of contact by a defender on James was irrelevant. ”As he hit the ground, the ball began to roll and rotate and the ball hit the ground,” Corrente said, “that’s the end at that point.” The NFL rule has since been modified, and if the exact play occurred now, it would have been a touchdown. (source)
Conclusion
From the rule-breaking jump pass that secured the Chicago Bears the 1933 title to Terrell Owens setting a receiving mark that stood for decades, December 17th consistently delivered high-stakes football history. The day is etched in the memory of NFL fans for major championship wins and, more recently, for the legendary Patriots-Steelers controversy that ultimately forced the league to rewrite its catch rules. This date perfectly encapsulates how game-defining plays—and the rules that govern them—evolve in the history of American football.
