The 1941 National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 Championship game was the 9th annual championship game and was held December 21, 1941 at Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...

 in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

. The game was played two weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

Attack on Pearl Harbor

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...

. The attendance was 13,341, the smallest ever to see an NFL title game. Two players who appeared in the game, Young Bussey

Young Bussey

Ruey Young Bussey was a professional American football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. Bussey was killed in action during World War II.-External links:...

 and Jack Lummus

Jack Lummus

Andrew Jackson Lummus, Jr. was a two-sport athlete at Baylor University, a professional football player with the New York Giants, and an officer in the United States Marine Corps...

, would be killed in action before World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 ended.

The game featured the Western Division champion Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 (10-1) who had defeated the Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...

 33-14 in the first ever divisional playoff game

NFL playoffs, 1941

The 1941 National Football League season resulted in a tie for the Western Division championship between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. The divisional championship game was played on December 14, 1941 at Wrigley Field. The winner of that game would host the New York Giants on December...

 in the NFL. The Eastern Division champions were the New York Giants

New York Giants

The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 (8-3). The Bears became the first team since the NFL adopted the championship game in 1933 to win back to back titles.

Ray "Scooter" McLean elected to drop kick

Drop kick

A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it when it bounces off the ground. It contrasts to a punt, wherein the player kicks the ball without letting it hit the ground first....

 the extra point on the last touchdown. This would be the last drop kick in the NFL until Doug Flutie

Doug Flutie

Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...

 of the New England Patriots

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

 kicked one in the last game of the season in 2005

2005 NFL season

The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...

.

• First Quarter
  • CH - FG Snyder
    Bob Snyder
    Bob Snyder was a football player and coach who spent more than three decades in the sport, including his most prominent position as head coach of the National Football League's Los Angeles Rams.-College career:...
    
     14 3-0 CHI
  • NY - Franck
    George Franck
    George Henning "Sonny" Franck was an American football halfback in the National Football League for the New York Giants. He was born in Davenport, Iowa and lived in Rock Island, Illinois. He played college football at the University of Minnesota and was drafted in the first round of the 1941 NFL...
    
    , 31 pass from Leemans (kick failed) 6-3 NYG
• Second Quarter
  • CH - FG Snyder 39 6-6 TIE
  • CH - FG Snyder 37 9-6 CHI
• Third Quarter
  • NY - FG Cuff
    Ward Cuff
    Ward Lloyd Cuff was an American football running back and place kicker in the National Football League for the New York Giants, Chicago Cardinals, and Green Bay Packers...
    
     16 9-9 TIE
  • CH - Standlee
    Norm Standlee
    Norman S. "Norm" Standlee was an American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. He was drafted out of Stanford University by the Chicago Bears in 1941...
    
    , 2 run (Snyder kick) 16-9 CHI
  • CH - Standlee, 7 run (Maniaci
    Joe Maniaci
    Joseph V. Maniaci was an American football player and coach in the United States. He played college football at Fordham University and then in the National Football League with the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Chicago Bears...
    
     kick) 23-9 CHI
• Fourth Quarter
  • CH - McAfee
    George McAfee
    George Anderson McAfee was a former American football player. McAfee is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He played college football at Duke University. He is a former running back who played for the Chicago Bears...
    
    , 5 run (Artoe
    Lee Artoe
    Lee Robert Reno Artoe was a professional American football player in the National Football League and All-America Football Conference for 7 seasons. An offensive tackle, Artoe played for the NFL's Chicago Bears...
    
     kick) 30-9 CHI
  • CH - Kavanaugh
    Ken Kavanaugh
    Ken Kavanaugh was an American football player, coach and scout. He played college football at LSU, where he was named Most Valuable Player of the Southeastern Conference in 1939. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1963.After college, Kavanaugh played in the National Football...
    
    , 42 fumble return (McLean drop kick
    Drop kick
    A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it when it bounces off the ground. It contrasts to a punt, wherein the player kicks the ball without letting it hit the ground first....
    
    ) 37-9 CHI