Card-Pitt

Infobox NFL season
team = Chicago-Pittsburgh Cardinals-Steelers
year = 1944
record = 0-10
division_place = 5th Western Division
coach = Phil Handler, Walt Kiesling
stadium = Comiskey Park, Forbes Field
playoffs = none
previous = 1943 Cardinals
Steagles
next = 1945 Cardinals
1945 Steelers

Card Pitt was the name for the team created by the temporary merger of two National Football League (NFL) teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Cardinals, during the 1944 season. The teams were forced to merge because both had lost many players to military service due to World War II. After the season the merger was dissolved, and with the war over by the start of the following season traditional operations resumed for both teams. The two teams together did poorly as the combined team finished with a 0-10 record in the Western Division. Sportswriters called the team the "Car-Pitts" (carpets). [Roberts, R. and Welky, D. (Eds.), "The Steelers Reader." University of Pittsburgh Press, 2001, p.61.] The Steelers had previously combined with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1943 as the "Steagles".

The teams merged at the request of the League to avoid the scheduling difficulties associated with what would otherwise have been 11 teams. Morale on the team was so low that three players were fined $200 each for “indifferent play.” [Algeo, Matthew, “Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles--‘The Steagles’--Saved Pro Football During World War II.” Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2006, p. 207-208.]

Regular season

chedule

Game Summaries

Week 2 (Saturday September 24, 1944): Cleveland Rams

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Rams
R1=3
R2=13
R3=0
R4=14
Home=Card-Pitt
H1=0
H2=7
H3=14
H4=7"at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 20,968
* Referee:

Scoring Drives:

* Cleveland - FG Zontini 27
* Cleveland - Kabealo 6 run (West kick)
* Cleveland - Benton 10 run (West kick)
* Chicago-Pittsburgh - Schutz 10 lateral from Thurbon after 52 kick return (Baker kick)
* Chicago-Pittsburgh - Rucinski 40 pass from McDonough (Baker kick)
* Chicago-Pittsburgh - Grigas 3 run (Baker kick)
* Cleveland - Benton 18 pass from Colella (West kick)
* Chicago-Pittsburgh - Butler 67 pass from McDonough (Baker kick)
* Cleveland - Benton 5 pass from Reisz (West kick)

Week 4 (Sunday, October 8, 1944): Green Bay Packers

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Card-Pitt
R1=0
R2=0
R3=0
R4=7
Home=Packers
H1=7
H2=14
H3=0
H4=13"at East Stadium, Green Bay, Wisconsin"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 16,535
* Referee:

Scoring Drives:

* Green Bay - Hutson 55 pass from Comp (Sorenson kick)
* Green Bay - Starreturn 2 run (Hutson kick)
* Green Bay - Hutson 7 pass from Comp (Hutson kick)
* Green Bay - Brock 30 run (kick failed)
* Chicago-Pittsburgh - Butler 33 pass from Grigas (Robbnett kick)
* Green Bay - Perkins 83 interception (Hutson kick)

Week 5 (Sunday October 15, 1944): Chicago Bears

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Card-Pitt
R1=0
R2=0
R3=0
R4=7
Home=Bears
H1=7
H2=13
H3=0
H4=14"at Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 29,940
* Referee:

Scoring Drives:

* Chicago Bears - McLean 8 run (Gudauskas kick)
* Chicago Bears - Fordham 1 run (kick failed)
* Chicago Bears - Berry 51 pass from Long (Gudauskas kick)
* Chicago Bears - Berry 15 pass from Ronzani (Gudauskas kick)
* Chicago-Pittsburgh - Thurbon 25 run (Baker kick)
* Chicago Bears - Grygo 8 run (Gudauskas kick)

Week 6 (Sunday October 11, 1943): New York Giants

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Card-Pitt
R1=0
R2=0
R3=0
R4=0
Home=Giants
H1=0
H2=9
H3=7
H4=7"at Polo Grounds, New York, New York"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 40,734
* Referee:

Scoring Drives:

* New York - Paschal 4 run (Strong kick)
* New York - Safety, McCarthy's punt blocked out of end zone by Cope
* New York - Paschal 3 run (Strong kick)
* New York - Paschal 45 run (Cuff kick)

Week 7 (Sunday October 29, 1944): Washington Redskins

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Card-Pitt
R1=0
R2=0
R3=7
R4=13
Home=Redskins
H1=7
H2=7
H3=7
H4=21"at Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 35,540
* Referee:

Scoring Drives:

* Washington - Aguirre 58 pass from Filchock (Aguirre kick)
* Washington - Aguirre 47 pass from Filchock (Aguirre kick)
* Chicago-Pittsburgh - Grigas 1 run (Baker kick)
* Washington - Moore 75 run (Weldon kick)
* Chicago-Pittsburgh - Grigas 8 run (kick failed)
* Chicago-Pittsburgh - Currivan 7 pass from Grigas (Baker kick)
* Washington - Seymour 3 run (Weldon kick)
* Washington - Seymour 23 pass from Filchock (Weldon kick)
* Washington - Turley 35 pass from Baugh (Weldon kick)

Week 8 (Sunday November 5, 1944): Detroit Lions

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Lions
R1=21
R2=0
R3=6
R4=0
Home=Card-Pitt
H1=0
H2=0
H3=0
H4=6"at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 17,743
* Referee:

Scoring Drives:

* Detroit - Van Tone 19 pass from Westfall (Sinkwich kick)
* Detroit - Westfall 15 pass from Sinkwich (Sinkwich kick)
* Detroit - Sinkwich 5 run (Sinkwich kick)
* Detroit - Van Tone 10 pass from Sinkwich (Sinkwich kick)
* Chicago-Pittsburgh - Bova 8 pass from Grigas (kick failed)

Week 9 (Sunday November 12, 1944): Detroit Lions

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Card-Pitt
R1=0
R2=0
R3=0
R4=7
Home=Lions
H1=7
H2=7
H3=0
H4=7"at Briggs Stadium, Detroit, Michigan"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 13,239
* Referee:

Scoring Drives:

* Detroit - Van Tone run (Sinkwich kick)
* Detroit - Sinkwich run (Sinkwich kick)
* Detroit - Sinkwich run (Sinkwich kick)
* Chicago-Pittsburgh - Thurbon 1 run (Baker kick)

Week 10 (Sunday November 19, 1944): Cleveland Rams

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Rams
R1=6
R2=6
R3=7
R4=14
Home=Card-Pitt
H1=0
H2=0
H3=6
H4=0"at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 14,732
* Referee:

Scoring Drives:

* Cleveland - Colella 54 pass from Kabealo (kick failed)
* Cleveland - Zontini 1 run (kick failed)
* Cleveland - Pritko 35 pass from Reisz (Zontini kick)
* Chicago-Pittsburgh - Bova 46 pass from Grigas (kick failed)
* Cleveland - Gillette 58 run (Zontini kick)
* Cleveland - Petchel 43 pass from Reisz (Zontini kick)

Week 11 (Sunday November 26, 1944): Green Bay Packers

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Packers
R1=7
R2=7
R3=7
R4=14
Home=Card-Pitt
H1=7
H2=7
H3=0
H4=7"at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 7,158
* Referee:

Scoring Drives:

* Chicago-Pittsburgh - Thurbon 1 run (Baker kick)
* Green Bay - Duhart 1 run (Hutson kick)
* Green Bay - Duhart 11 run (Hutson kick)
* Chicago-Pittsburgh - Thurbon 37 pass from Grigas (kick failed)
* Green Bay - Hutson 36 pass from Comp (Hutson kick)
* Green Bay - Hutson 6 pass from Comp (Hutson kick)
* Green Bay - Perkins 40 interception (Hutson kick)
* Chicago-Pittsburgh - Currivan 72 pass from Grigas (Baker kick)

Week 12 (Sunday December 3, 1944): Chicago Bears

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Bears
R1=7
R2=7
R3=7
R4=28
Home=Card-Pitt
H1=0
H2=7
H3=0
H4=0"at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania"

* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 9,069
* Referee:

Scoring Drives:

* Chicago Bears - Berry 9 pass from Ronzani (Gudauskas kick)
* Chicago Bears - Fordham 1 run (Gudauskas kick)
* Chicago-Pittsburgh - Thurbon 1 run (Baker kick)
* Chicago Bears - Famiglietti 23 pass from Ronzani (Gudauskas kick)
* Chicago Bears - Margarita 47 run (Gudauskas kick)
* Chicago Bears - Fordham 2 run (Gudauskas kick)
* Chicago Bears - McEnulty 5 pass from Ronzani (Gudauskas kick)
* Chicago Bears - Turner 48 run (Gudauskas kick)

References