The 1937 NFL Season

The 1937 professional football season was among the most memorable in NFL history.  1937 was the 18th regular season of the National Football League and was also notable for the increasing popularity of the sport. Game attendance was up, and the NFL was beginning to attract national attention. The season saw some newer concepts, such as specialists or players excelling at one position, a new rival League, and a non-Mid-West franchise winning the NFL Championship Game for the first time.

Back in Part 79 of this series, in the 1936 Pro season, we discussed the players' league, which was the second rendition of the American Football League. This version of the AFL would have its swansong in 1937, succumbing to its more well-established rival, the NFL. The first blow was having one of its more successful franchises, the Cleveland Rams, leaving the fold to defect to the National Football League for the '37 season.

The financial woes of many member teams and even the success of one itself was a detriment to the league. Pioneering the West Coast professional football scene, the Los Angeles Bulldogs not only established themselves as the region's first home-based team in 1937 but also etched their name in history as the first professional football team to achieve an undefeated championship season, a feat unmatched until 1948 by the Cleveland Browns (AAFC) and 1972 by the Miami Dolphins (NFL).

The 1937 season was also notable for the emergence of several new stars, including Sammy Baugh, who became one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Baugh led the Redskins to the championship game with his passing and running ability, and he was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1937.

Another notable player from the 1937 season was Don Hutson, who led the NFL in receptions at 41 while producing a shocking number of receiving yards at the time with 552. Hutson was one of the most dominant receivers in NFL history, and he helped to make the passing game a more integral part of the game. Coach Curly Lambeau expanded upon what others were trying in spreading ends out away from the rest of the formation, and with Hutson, it was a magical formula that suited the speedster's skillset and revolutionalized the end position, and in many ways, some strategic elements of the offensive game.

The Chicago Bears had the best regular season record at 9-1-1, but they lost to the Washington Redskins in the NFL Championship Game, 28-21.
The Redskins were led by quarterback Sammy Baugh, who threw for 1,127 yards and 13 touchdowns. Cliff Battles was the Redskins' leading rusher with 874 yards and eight touchdowns. 
The Bears had their offense powered by a strong running game. Coach George Halas has a committee of four solid backs: Ray Nolting, Beattie Feathers, Jack Manders, and 29-year-old Bronko Nagurski.

The Redskins won the East with a solid 8-3-0 record, overshadowing a pretty good New York Giants squad. In the West, the Bears stormed past their competition, posting a 9-1-1 on their slate.

It was the season that saw the newly transplanted Redskins bring attention to the Nation's Capitol in the gridiron realm by defeating the Chicago Bears in the NFL Championship Game, 28-21, in front of a record crowd of 60,103 fans at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C.
The Redskins' victory was a historic one, as it was the first time that a team from outside of the Midwest had won the NFL Championship. It was also a significant victory for the Redskins' franchise, as it marked the end of a long period of futility for the team.