1949 NFL Championship Game
The 1949 NFL Championship Game was the 17th title game for the National Football League (NFL), played on December 18 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. It is remembered for the driving rain that caused the field to become a mud pit. Its paid attendance was 27,980, with only 22,245 in the stadium, which was a low in attendance not reached until 2020, which drew 24,835 because of global pandemic restrictions.
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| Date | December 18, 1949 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 27,980 (paid); 22,245 (actual) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hall of Famers | |||||||||||||||||||
| Eagles: Greasy Neale (coach), Chuck Bednarik, Pete Pihos, Steve Van Buren, Alex Wojciechowicz Rams: Dan Reeves (owner), Tex Schramm (administrator), Tom Fears, Elroy Hirsch, Norm Van Brocklin, Bob Waterfield | |||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Harry Wismer, Red Grange | ||||||||||||||||||
The game featured the Eastern Division champion Philadelphia Eagles (11–1), the defending NFL champions, against the Los Angeles Rams (8–2–2), winners of the Western Division. This was the first NFL title game played in the western United States. The Rams had last appeared in a title game in 1945, a victory and the franchise's final game in Cleveland.
The Eagles were favored by a touchdown, and won 14–0 for their second consecutive shutout in the title game. Running back Steve Van Buren rushed for 196 yards on 31 carries for the Eagles and their defense held the Rams to just 21 yards on the ground.
Philadelphia head coach Earle "Greasy" Neale did not like to fly, so the Eagles traveled to the West Coast by train. On the way west, they stopped in Illinois for a workout at Stagg Field at the University of Chicago on Wednesday morning.