1940's Sports | Football, Professional

Taking the Title.

The 1940 title game between the Chicago Bears (8-3) and the Washington Redskins (9-2) was billed as a game between equally great passing teams, featuring two of the game's premier quarterbacks: Sid Luckman of the Bears and Sammy Baugh of the Redskins. The two teams had met in the final game of the season, a low-scoring affair won by the Redskins, 7—3, and fans were prepared for a close game. Few were prepared for the 73-0 blowout of Washington by the Bears. It did not happen by accident. In preparing for the championship game, Bear coaches refined the T-formation the team had been using and introduced some new concepts, including a series of counter plays to take advantage of the Redskins' propensity to shift their defensive line toward the motion of the backfield. It was a coach's win.

Franchise Players.

Creating heroes was essential to the commercial success of the National Football League...