Flashback Friday: 1944 NFL Championship

It was on December, nearly 76 years ago, that the 1944 Green Bay Packers went into New York City to play the Giants for the NFL title. That season, the team from northeast Wisconsin finished with an 8-2 record and a first-place finish in the Western Conference. With 46,016 fans at the Polo Grounds in Harlem, New York, “peerless pass-catcher Don Hutson was employed primarily as a decoy, fullback Ted Fritsch emerged as the offensive hero in the Packers’ sixth world title victory. Fritsch scored both Green Bay touchdowns, a 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal, and a 28-yard pass-and-run collaboration with Irv Comp in the second. Meanwhile, Ward Cuff scored the Giants’ touchdown with a 1-yard plunge on the initial play of the fourth quarter, a drive which saw New York advance past its own 35-yard line for the first time in the game. Joe Laws, the Packers’ veteran, 34-year-old all-purpose halfback, set a (then) playoff record with three interceptions, and rushed for 74 yards on 13 carries.” The Packers triumphed that day, 14-7 for their sixth NFL championship under head coach Curly Lambeau.

If you'd like to read the coverage of the game in The New York Times, just click on the newspaper page above.

1944 NFL Championship game program cover.

The 1944 Green Bay Packers team photo.

Packers FB Ted Fritsch receives congratulations from Head Coach Curly Lambeau after the game.

This photo shows the location and proximity of the Polo Grounds (top center) to Yankee Stadium (foreground), where the Giants would later play.

Sources: Pro Football Reference; Green Bay Packers 2020 Media Guide.