1933 Philadelphia Eagles season
Encyclopedia
The 1933
Philadelphia Eagles
season was their inaugural in the league
. The team went 3–5–1 failing to qualify for the playoffs.
and allowed Sunday sporting events, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh became available for NFL franchises as they could play home games on Sundays. The Frankford Yellow Jackets played their games on Saturday mostly when at home.
During the off season Bert Bell
and Lud Wray
are granted a expansion franchise in the NFL for the rights to Philadelphia. The previous team, Frankford Yellow Jackets
were inactive for 2 years so their rights were pulled by the NFL. They joined the Pittsburgh Pirates
and the Cincinnati Reds
, for a $2500 entrance fee. The Eagles got their name from the New Deal
's program called the NRA, and the symbol of the eagle that they had.
The Eagles original colors were a light blue and yellow.
The Eagles would hold their training camp in the New Jersey resort city of Atlantic City, New Jersey
.
The Eagles scheduled their games to be played in Baker Bowl
. The stadium was near a transportation hub in Philadelphia. A train tunnel was under the stadium's baseball's outfield.
A train station was across the street from Baker Bowl.
They would remain playing here for 3 years before moving games to the newer Philadelphia Municipal Stadium
in the south Philadelphia area. The Eagles were 4–12–1 with one game canceled on account of bad weather, in the 3 years playing their home games at Baker Bowl.
suggested the league have a Championship Game yearly. The year before, the Chicago Bears
played the Portsmouth Spartans in an extra game to break the tie between them at season end. They both had 6 wins.
The 3–5–1 Eagles failed to make it to the 1933 NFL Playoffs. It was only between 2 teams. The winner of the Eastern Division, New York Giants
, and the Western Division. Chicago Bears
Being an expansion team the Eagles were mostly stocked with Rookies and cast offs.
This was before the NFL Draft
was started. The college draft was an idea of Bert Bell.
A List of the 1933 Philadelphia Eagles.
1933 NFL season
The 1933 NFL season was the 14th regular season of the National Football League. Because of the success of the 1932 NFL Playoff Game, the league divided its teams into two divisions for the first time, with the winners of each division playing in a championship game to determine the NFL champion...
Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
season was their inaugural in the 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...
. The team went 3–5–1 failing to qualify for the playoffs.
Off Season
When Pennsylvania eased some of the Blue LawsBlue law
A blue law is a type of law, typically found in the United States and, formerly, in Canada, designed to enforce religious standards, particularly the observance of Sunday as a day of worship or rest, and a restriction on Sunday shopping...
and allowed Sunday sporting events, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh became available for NFL franchises as they could play home games on Sundays. The Frankford Yellow Jackets played their games on Saturday mostly when at home.
During the off season Bert Bell
Bert Bell
De Benneville "Bert" Bell was the National Football League commissioner from 1946 until his death in 1959. As commissioner, he helped chart a path for the NFL to facilitate its rise in becoming the most popular sports attraction in the United States...
and Lud Wray
Lud Wray
James R. Ludlow "Lud" Wray was a professional American football player, coach, and co-founder, with college teammate Bert Bell, of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He was the first coach of the Boston Braves in 1932 and of the Eagles, 1933-1935...
are granted a expansion franchise in the NFL for the rights to Philadelphia. The previous team, Frankford Yellow Jackets
Frankford Yellow Jackets
The Frankford Yellow Jackets were a professional American football team, part of the National Football League from 1924 to 1931, though its origin dates back to as early as 1899 with the Frankford Athletic Association. The Yellow Jackets won the NFL championship in 1926...
were inactive for 2 years so their rights were pulled by the NFL. They joined the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
and the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds (NFL)
The Cincinnati Reds were a National Football League team that played the 1933 season and the first eight games of the 1934 season. The football Reds played most of their home games at Crosley Field...
, for a $2500 entrance fee. The Eagles got their name from the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
's program called the NRA, and the symbol of the eagle that they had.
The Eagles original colors were a light blue and yellow.
The Eagles would hold their training camp in the New Jersey resort city of Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
.
The Eagles scheduled their games to be played in Baker Bowl
Baker Bowl
Baker Bowl is the best-known popular name of a baseball park that formerly stood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Its formal name, painted on its outer wall, was National League Park. It was also initially known as Philadelphia Park or Philadelphia Base Ball Grounds.It was on a small...
. The stadium was near a transportation hub in Philadelphia. A train tunnel was under the stadium's baseball's outfield.
A train station was across the street from Baker Bowl.
They would remain playing here for 3 years before moving games to the newer Philadelphia Municipal Stadium
John F. Kennedy Stadium
John F. Kennedy Stadium was an open-air stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that stood from 1925 to 1992. The South Philadelphia stadium was situated on the east side of the far southern end of Broad Street at a location that is now part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
in the south Philadelphia area. The Eagles were 4–12–1 with one game canceled on account of bad weather, in the 3 years playing their home games at Baker Bowl.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 15, 1933 | at 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... |
L 56–0 |
| 2 | October 18, 1933 | Portsmouth Spartans | L 25–0 |
| 3 | October 29, 1933 | at 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... |
L 35–9 |
| 4 | November 5, 1933 | at Cincinnati Reds Cincinnati Reds (NFL) The Cincinnati Reds were a National Football League team that played the 1933 season and the first eight games of the 1934 season. The football Reds played most of their home games at Crosley Field... |
W 6–0 |
| 5 | November 12, 1933 | 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... |
T 3–3 |
| 6 | November 19, 1933 | Pittsburgh Pirates | W 25–6 |
| 7 | November 26, 1933 | Cincinnati Reds Cincinnati Reds (NFL) The Cincinnati Reds were a National Football League team that played the 1933 season and the first eight games of the 1934 season. The football Reds played most of their home games at Crosley Field... |
W 20–3 |
| 8 | December 3, 1933 | 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... |
L 10–0 |
| 9 | December 10, 1933 | 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... |
L 20–14 |
Standings
Standing were based on winning pct. between only games won or lost. Ties had no bearing in standings. Example: At the end of the 1932 season, the Chicago Bears with 6–1–6 with a .857 winning pct, played the Portsmouth Spartans with 6–1–4 .857 in a playoff game, instead of Green Bay Packers that finnished the season at 10–3–1 .769.| NFL Eastern Eastern and Western Divisions (NFL) 1933-69 The Eastern and Western Divisions of the National Football League, renamed the American and National Conferences in 1950 and then the Eastern and Western Conferences in 1953, were organized as a result of the disputed NFL championship of 1932... |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| New York Giants 1933 New York Giants season The 1933 New York Giants season was the ninth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons... |
11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 244 | 101 | W-7 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers 1933 Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) season The 1933 Brooklyn Dodgers season was their fourth in the league. The team improved on their previous season's output of 3-9, winning five games. Despite shutting out five of their opponents, they were also shut out in three games and they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second... |
5 | 4 | 1 | .556 | 93 | 54 | L-2 |
| Boston Redskins 1933 Boston Redskins season The Boston Redskins finished the 1933 season with a record of five wins, five losses, and two ties, and finished in third place in the Eastern Division of the National Football League. This was the first year that the franchise used the name "Redskins".-Schedule:... |
5 | 5 | 2 | .500 | 103 | 97 | T-1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 5 | 1 | .375 | 77 | 158 | L-2 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates 1933 Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL) season The 1933 Pittsburgh Pirates was the debut season of the team that would eventually become the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team was founded after Pennsylvania relaxed its blue laws that, prior to 1933, prohibited sporting events from taking place on Sundays, when most NFL games took place... |
3 | 6 | 2 | .333 | 67 | 208 | L-3 |
1933 NFL Playoffs
Before the 1933 season new Boston Redskins owner George Preston MarshallGeorge Preston Marshall
George Preston Marshall was the owner and president of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League from 1932 until his death in 1969.-Contributions:...
suggested the league have a Championship Game yearly. The year before, the 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...
played the Portsmouth Spartans in an extra game to break the tie between them at season end. They both had 6 wins.
The 3–5–1 Eagles failed to make it to the 1933 NFL Playoffs. It was only between 2 teams. The winner of the Eastern Division, 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...
, and the Western Division. Chicago Bears
1933 Roster
(All time List of Philadelphia Eagles players in franchise history)Being an expansion team the Eagles were mostly stocked with Rookies and cast offs.
This was before the NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
was started. The college draft was an idea of Bert Bell.
A List of the 1933 Philadelphia Eagles.
| NO. | |AGE | |GP | |WT | |YRS | Lud Wray Lud Wray James R. Ludlow "Lud" Wray was a professional American football player, coach, and co-founder, with college teammate Bert Bell, of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He was the first coach of the Boston Braves in 1932 and of the Eagles, 1933-1935... > | 39 | Coach | 1933 record 3–5–1 |
As Eagles Coach 3–5–1 |
NFL Lifetime 7–9–3 |
1st | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | T | 2 | 1 | 205 | 6–1 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 30 | T-E-C | 2 | 1 | 197 | 6–0 | 7 | |||||||||||
| 23 | E | 9 | 8 | 201 | 6–1 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 25 | T | 9 | 8 | 212 | 6–0 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 26 | TB | 7 | 7 | 195 | 5–11 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 24 | E | 1 | 0 | 190 | 6–2 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 24 | 5 | 1 | 160 | 5–11 | Rookie | ||||||||||||
| 23 | T | 2 | 1 | 208 | 6–2 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 26 | B | 9 | 7 | 192 | 6–1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 31 | E | 8 | 8 | 190 | 6–0 | 7 | |||||||||||
| 28 | B | 9 | 8 | 195 | 6–1 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 27 | C | 1 | 1 | 202 | 6–1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 27 | G-T | 9 | 9 | 215 | 6–0 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 23 | HB | 4 | 0 | 186 | 5–11 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 26 | QB | 1 | 0 | 180 | 6–0 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 25 | G | 4 | 0 | 198 | 5–11 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 25 | G | 4 | 1 | 198 | 5–10 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 27 | T-C-LB | 2 | 0 | 235 | 6–1 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| unknown | C | 8 | 6 | 200 | 5–11 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 29 | B | 2 | 0 | 178 | 5–9 | 5 | |||||||||||
| 27 | G | 1 | 0 | 192 | 5–11 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 24 | TB | 2 | 0 | 193 | 5–8 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 23 | B | 9 | 6 | 210 | 6–0 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 31 | E-B | 2 | 1 | 187 | 6–1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 28 | B | 7 | 4 | 205 | 6–1 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 21 | C | 3 | 2 | 225 | 6–2 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| unknown | C | 1 | 0 | 195 | 5–10 | 3 | |||||||||||
| 33 | T-G | 3 | 0 | 214 | 6–0 | 3 | |||||||||||
| 25 | BB | 4 | 1 | 165 | 5–6 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 25 | T-E-DB | 9 | 7 | 217 | 6–2 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 23 | FB-LB | 2 | 1 | 185 | 6–1 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 22 | G-E-DE | 7 | 1 | 196 | 5–10 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| unknown | B | 9 | 2 | 202 | 6–0 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 23 | G | 8 | 7 | 200 | 6–1 | Rookie | |||||||||||
| 34 Players Team Average |
23.5 | 9 | 197.7 | 5–11.8 | 1.1 |