- Chicago College All-Star Game
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This article is about the specific game played in Chicago from 1934-1976. For other college all-star games, see List of college bowl games#All-Star games.
The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played annually (except in 1974) from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year. After the Super Bowl began, including the two seasons prior to the NFL/AFL merger, the Super Bowl winner was the professional team involved, regardless of which league the team represented. Thus, the New York Jets played in the 1969 event, although still an AFL team. The 1935 game involved the 1934 runner up Chicago Bears instead of the 1934 champions New York Giants.
The game was the idea of Arch Ward, the sports editor of the Chicago Tribune and the driving force behind the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The game originally was a benefit for Chicago-area charities and was always played at Soldier Field in Chicago or at Northwestern University's Dyche Stadium in Evanston, Illinois (1943 and 1944). The Chicago game was one of several "pro vs. rookie" college all-star games held across the United States in its early years (the 1939 season featured seven such games, all of which the NFL teams won in shutouts); Chicago's game had the benefit of being the highest profile, with the NFL champions facing off against the best college graduates from across the country (as opposed to the regional games that were held elsewhere). Because of this, the game survived far longer than its contemporaries.
The first game, played before a crowd of 79,432 on August 31, 1934, was a scoreless tie between the all-stars and the Chicago Bears. The following year, a game that included University of Michigan graduate and future president Gerald Ford, the Bears won, 5-0. The first all-star team to win was the 1937 squad, coached by Gus Dorais, which won on a 47-yard touchdown pass from future Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh to Gaynell Tinsley.
In the 1940s, the games were competitive affairs that attracted large crowds to Soldier Field. But as the talent level of pro football improved, the all-stars had diminishing success. The last all-star win came in 1963, when a team coached by legendary quarterback Otto Graham beat Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers, 20-17.
By the 1970s, crowds for the event were dwindling. In addition, NFL coaches were reluctant to part with their new draftees (who would miss part of training camp) for a meaningless exhibition at which the players might be injured.
A player's strike forced the cancellation of the 1974 game. The last game took place during a downpour at Soldier Field on July 23, 1976. Despite featuring stars such as Chuck Muncie, Mike Pruitt, Lee Roy Selmon and Jackie Slater, the rookies were hopelessly outmatched by the Pittsburgh Steelers, winners of Super Bowl X. The star quarterback for the College All-Stars was Pittsburgh Steeler draft pick Mike Kruczek. Pittsburgh was leading 24-0 late in the third quarter when weather conditions made play impossible and the officials called for a delay. The players left the field and were replaced by unruly fans who tore down the goal posts. NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle decided the game would not be restarted. Chicago Tribune Charities Inc., the sponsor of the game, elected not to bring it back for 1977.
The Steelers' win was the 31st for NFL champions in the 42 College All-Star Games. The all-stars won nine, and two ended in ties.
One aspect of the College All-Star Game was later revived. The concept of the Super Bowl champion playing in the first game of the season was adopted in 2004 for the National Football League Kickoff game; in that game, the first game of the regular season is hosted by the league champion from the previous year.
Contents
Game results
Date played Winning team Losing team Attendance August 31, 1934 College All-Stars 0 Chicago Bears 0 79,432 August 29, 1935 Chicago Bears 5 College All-Stars 0 77,450 September 2, 1936 College All-Stars 7 Detroit Lions 7 76,000 August 31, 1937 College All-Stars 6 Green Bay Packers 0 84,560 August 31, 1938 College All-Stars 28 Washington Redskins 16 74,250 August 30, 1939 New York Giants 9 College All-Stars 0 81,456 August 29, 1940 Green Bay Packers 45 College All-Stars 28 84,567 August 28, 1941 Chicago Bears 37 College All-Stars 13 98,203 August 28, 1942 Chicago Bears 21 College All-Stars 0 101,103 August 28, 1943 College All-Stars 27 Washington Redskins 7 48,437 August 30, 1944 Chicago Bears 24 College All-Stars 21 49,246 August 30, 1945 Green Bay Packers 19 College All-Stars 7 92,753 August 23, 1946 College All-Stars 16 Los Angeles Rams 0 97,380 August 23, 1947 College All-Stars 16 Chicago Bears 0 105,840 August 22, 1948 Chicago Cardinals 28 College All-Stars 0 101,220 August 22, 1949 Philadelphia Eagles 38 College All-Stars 0 93,780 August 11, 1950 College All-Stars 17 Philadelphia Eagles 7 88,885 August 17, 1951 Cleveland Browns 17 College All-Stars 0 92,180 August 15, 1952 Los Angeles Rams 10 College All-Stars 7 88,316 August 14, 1953 Detroit Lions 24 College All-Stars 10 93,818 August 13, 1954 Detroit Lions 31 College All-Stars 6 93,470 August 12, 1955 College All-Stars 30 Cleveland Browns 27 75,000 August 10, 1956 Cleveland Browns 26 College All-Stars 0 75,000 August 9, 1957 New York Giants 22 College All-Stars 12 75,000 August 15, 1958 College All-Stars 35 Detroit Lions 19 70,000 August 14, 1959 Baltimore Colts 29 College All-Stars 0 70,000 August 12, 1960 Baltimore Colts 32 College All-Stars 7 70,000 August 4, 1961 Philadelphia Eagles 28 College All-Stars 14 66,000 August 3, 1962 Green Bay Packers 42 College All-Stars 20 65,000 August 2, 1963 College All-Stars 20 Green Bay Packers 17 65,000 August 7, 1964 Chicago Bears 28 College All-Stars 17 65,000 August 6, 1965 Cleveland Browns 24 College All-Stars 16 68,000 August 5, 1966 Green Bay Packers 38 College All-Stars 0 72,000 August 4, 1967 Green Bay Packers 27 College All-Stars 0 70,934 August 2, 1968 Green Bay Packers 34 College All-Stars 17 69,917 August 1, 1969 New York Jets 26 College All-Stars 24 74,208 July 31, 1970 Kansas City Chiefs 24 College All-Stars 3 69,940 July 30, 1971 Baltimore Colts 24 College All-Stars 17 52,289 July 28, 1972 Dallas Cowboys 20 College All-Stars 7 54,162 July 27, 1973 Miami Dolphins 14 College All-Stars 3 54,103 July 26, 1974 Canceled due to 1974 NFL strike
Game was originally scheduled between the Miami Dolphins and College All-StarsAugust 1, 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers 21 College All-Stars 14 54,562 July 23, 19761 Pittsburgh Steelers 24 College All-Stars 0 52,095 1 Game was called late with 1:22 left in 3rd quarter because of heavy rain.
MVPs
The Most Valuable Player award was given from 1938 through 1973 and was always awarded to a player on the College All-Stars
Year Player Position College 1938 Cecil Isbell Running back Purdue 1939 Bill Osmanski Running back Holy Cross 1940 Ambrose Schindler Running back USC 1941 George Franck Running back Minnesota 1942 Bruce Smith Running back Minnesota 1943 Pat Harder Running back Wisconsin 1944 Glenn Dobbs Running back Tulsa 1945 Charley Trippi Multiple Georgia 1946 Elroy Hirsch Running back Michigan 1947 Claude Young Running back Illinois 1948 Jay Rodemeyer Running back Kentucky 1949 Bill Fischer Offensive lineman Notre Dame 1950 Charlie Justice Running back North Carolina 1951 Lewis McFadin Multiple Texas 1952 Babe Parilli Quarterback Kentucky 1953 Gib Dawson Multiple Texas 1954 Carlton Massey Defensive end Texas 1955 Ralph Guglielmi Quarterback Notre Dame 1956 Bob Pellegrini Linebacker Maryland 1957 John Brodie Quarterback Stanford 1958 Bobby Mitchell Halfback/Wide receiver Illinois Jim Ninowski Quarterback Michigan State 1959 Bob Ptacek Running back Michigan 1960 Jim Leo End Cincinnati 1961 Bill Kilmer Quarterback UCLA 1962 John Hadl Quarterback Kansas 1963 Ron VanderKelen Quarterback Wisconsin 1964 Chuck Taylor Guard Stanford 1965 John Huarte Quarterback Notre Dame 1966 Gary Lane Quarterback Missouri 1967 Charles Smith Defensive end Michigan State 1968 Larry Csonka Running back Syracuse 1969 Greg Cook Quarterback Cincinnati 1970 Bruce Taylor Defensive back Boston University 1971 Richard Harris Defensive end Grambling State 1972 Pat Sullivan Quarterback Auburn 1973 Ray Guy Punter Southern Mississippi See also
- Pro Bowl, the AFC-NFC all-star game
- Playoff Bowl, another discontinued annual NFL game
- Pro Football Hall of Fame Game
External links
- The History of the Chicago Charities College All-Star Game
- "The Death of an All-Star Game" by John C. Hibner, PFRA Annual, 1986.
- List of game results from Hickok Sports.
Categories:- National Football League competitions
- College football competitions
- All-star games
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