On This Date in Sports December 17, 1944: Six Packers
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
The Green Bay Packers defeat the New York Giants 14-7 at the Polo Grounds to win the NFL Championship. It is the sixth NFL Championship for the Packers and coach Curly Lambeau. Ted Fritsch leads the way for Green Bay, scoring both touchdowns in the second quarter. It would be the final championship for the Packers in the Lambeau era, as they would not play for the title again until 1960.
The Green Bay Packers were the last of the surviving small market teams. A reason they survived the NFL’s growth had to do with their success under Curly Lambeau as they won the NFL Championship in 1929, 1930, 1931, 1936, and 1939. The Packers during the war years were a solid team that battled the Chicago Bears but often fell short in the Western Division.
In 1944 after five years of Bears dominance, the Packers broke through and won the West with an 8-2 record. The New York Giants led by Steve Owen continued to rule the East, as they posted a record of 8-1-1. Despite beating the 24-0 in November, the Giants went into the NFL Championship at the Polo Grounds as a slight underdog, as Packers End Don Hutson as the best player of that era.
The game was a defensive battle, as neither team was able to score in the first quarter. The Packers final broke through in the second quarter as Ted Fritsch had a one-yard touchdown run. Fritsch would later catch a 14-yard touchdown pass from Irv Comp to make it 14-0. In the third quarter, the Packers were able to maintain their lead as they continued to have New York bogged down on offense. The Giants would breakthrough in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run by Ward Cuff but could not get any closer, losing 14-7.
It was the sixth championship for the Packers and the final one with Curly Lambeau, who had helped found the team in 1919. Financial troubles would lead Lambeau to his departure in 1949 as the Packers spent the next decade fighting for survival. It would not be until the arrival of Vince Lombardi in 1959 that the Packers rose again, reaching the NFL Championship in 1960 and winning five of the next seven between 1961 and 1967.