1948 NFL Championship Game
The 1948 NFL Championship Game was the 16th title game of the National Football League (NFL), played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia on December 19.
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| Date | December 19, 1948 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Chicago by 3½ points | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Ronald Gibbs | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 36,309 (paid); 28,864 (actual) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hall of Famers | |||||||||||||||||||
| Cardinals: Jimmy Conzelman (coach), Charley Trippi Eagles: Greasy Neale (coach), Pete Pihos, Steve Van Buren, Alex Wojciechowicz | |||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Harry Wismer, Red Grange | ||||||||||||||||||
Park
The game was a rematch of the previous year's title game between the defending champion, the Chicago Cardinals (11–1), champions of the Western Division, and the Philadelphia Eagles (9–2–1), champions of the Eastern Division. The Cardinals were slight favorites, at 3½ points despite losing quarterback Paul Christman with a fractured wrist injury.
It was the first NFL championship game to be televised. Due to heavy snowfall, the grounds crew needed the help of players from both teams to remove the tarp from the field. The opening kickoff was delayed a half-hour until 2 p.m., and three extra officials were called into service to assist with out-of-bounds calls. The stadium lights were also turned on for the entire game.
The Eagles won their first NFL Championship, defeating the Cardinals 7–0 with a final quarter touchdown. It was also the first championship for Philadelphia since 1926, when the Frankford Yellow Jackets won the league championship on standings, (the Championship Game was introduced in 1933).