By Darin The 1939 American football season was a landmark year in both college football and the NFL. In college football, Texas A&M Aggies finished undefeated at 11–0 and were recognized as national champions in the Associated Press poll. Nile Kinnick of the Iowa Hawkeyes won the Heisman Trophy after an outstanding season. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Volunteers completed a perfect regular season without allowing a single point before falling to the USC Trojans in the 1940 Rose Bowl.
In the NFL, the 1939 season marked the league’s 20th year. Green Bay Packers defeated the New York Giants to win the NFL Championship Game. The season also featured a historic first when NBC televised an NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Brooklyn Dodgers, helping pave the way for the future of televised sports broadcasting.
A Deep Dive into 1939 Football History and Highlights
- January 1, 1939 – The 25th Rose Bowl Game was played. The 1938 Duke squad was special, as they fought through a brilliant 9-0 run to earn an invitation to play Southern Cal in the 1939 Rose Bowl. Duke played a tremendous game against the Trojans and lost it in a heartbreaker in the waning seconds by the score of 7-3. That USC TD with about a minute left to play was the first points scored by Duke all season!
- January 15, 1939 – Wrigley Field, Chicago – A new addition to the NFL lineup of games arrived as the first NFL All-Star Game. The NFL Championship game winners would have the honor of facing the best players from all the other League squads.
- September 25, 1939- Riddell introduces the Shell Helmet. 1st helmet to use a hard plastic shell was available to players.
- September 30, 1939 – The first college football game aired on TV was between Waynesburg College and Fordham University on W2XBS, NBC’s flagship station.
- October 21, 1939 – Texas Longhorn’s star, Jack Crain, scored a last-second 67-yard touchdown to give Texas a narrow 14-13 victory over conference rival Arkansas.
- December 6, 1939: The Downtown Athletic Club selected Iowa’s standout halfback, Nile Kinnick, as the 5th Heisman Trophy Award winner. Kinnick led the 1939 Hawkeyes, nicknamed “the Ironmen,” by averaging 57 minutes per game.
- December 9, 1939 – Landsdowne Park, Ottawa – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers took home their second Grey Cup title when they outlasted the Ottawa Rough Riders by the score of 8-7.
- December 9, 1939 – the Chicago Cardinals once again held the first pick in the NFL Draft. The Cards first picked George Cafego from the University of Tennessee in the 1940 NFL Draft.
- December 10, 1939 – West Allis, Wisconsin – “The Dairy Bowl” – The National Football League’s Championship game in 1939 pitted the Green Bay Packers against the New York Football Giants. The Packers took home their fifth title, blanking the Giants 27-0