1941 Philadelphia Eagles season
Head coachGreasy Neale
Home fieldMunicipal Stadium
Results
Record2–8–1
Division place4th NFL Eastern
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 1941 season was the Philadelphia Eagles' ninth in the National Football League (NFL). The team improved on their 1–10 record from the previous season, but just barely, winning two games, and they missed out on the playoffs again.[1]

Offseason

After a year sharing Shibe Park with the Philadelphia Athletics and Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball teams in 1940, the Eagles returned to the larger Philadelphia Municipal Stadium they had used from 1936 to 1939.

In late 1940, Art Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers (then known as the Pittsburgh Pirates), bought a 70 percent stake in the Eagles after selling the Pirates to New York entrepreneur Alexis Thompson. Thompson wanted to move the Pittsburgh franchise to Boston, but before the start of the 1941 season Rooney and Thompson agreed that their franchises would switch places, with Rooney moving the Eagles to Pittsburgh, where they would be renamed the Steelers, and Thompson moving the Pittsburgh team (whom he had renamed the Iron Men) to Philadelphia, where they would take up the Eagles name. The switch meant the rosters of both teams were made up of players who had played in the other city the previous season, though many were traded back before the start of the season.

Coach Greasy Neale held training camp at the High School Bowl in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and 90 miles (140 km) north of Milwaukee on Lake Michigan.

NFL draft

The 1941 NFL Draft was held on December 10, 1940. As the team with the worst record from the previous season, the Eagles had the first pick in all but the last two of the draft's 22 rounds. Because these players were drafted before the Eagles and Steelers swapped cities, these players ended up playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1941. The Pittsburgh draft picks would come to Philadelphia, and vice versa, though five players originally picked by the original Eagles ended up being traded to the new Eagles franchise.

The Chicago Bears (From Philadelphia Eagles) had the number one pick in the draft. They choose Tom Harmon, the 1940 Heisman Trophy winner, a Halfback out of the University of Michigan

Player selections

The table shows the Eagles selections and what picks they had that were traded away and the team that ended up with that pick. It is possible the Eagles' pick ended up with this team via another team that the Eagles made a trade with. Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away. These picks were the players that the Pittsburgh Pirates made before the team swap between owners.

Pro Bowler[2] Hall of Famer Picks made by Pittsburgh Pirates that became Eagles in 1941
Round Pick Player Position School
11Traded to the Chicago Bears
211Art JonesBackRichmond
316Marion PughBackTexas A&M
426Al GhesquiereBackUniversity of Detroit
531Royal KahlerTackleUniversity of Nebraska
Pitt
33		Vic SearsTackleOregon State
641Red HickeyEndUniversity of Arkansas
Pitt
42		Bob SuffridgeGuardTennessee
751Julius "Mush" BattistaGuardFlorida
861Traded to the Chicago Bears
971P. K. RogersBackEast Texas State
1081Don WilliamsTackleTexas
Pitt
82		Ralph FritzGuardMichigan
1191Marshall StenstromBackOregon
12101John PatrickBackPenn State
13111Joe HoagueBackColgate
14121Les DodsonBackMississippi
15131Alex LukachickEndBoston College
16141Bill ConatserBackTexas A&M
17151John YauckoesTackleBoston College
18161Joe McFaddenBackGeorgetown (DC)
19171John ShonkEndWest Virginia
Pitt
173		George KerrGuardBoston College
20181L. B. RussellBackHardin–Simmons
21201Charley Henke (from Redskins)GuardTexas A&M
Pitt
202		Jim CastigliaBackGeorgetown (DC)
22203Mike Fernella (from Bears)TackleAkron

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Attendance
1 Bye
2 September 13 New York Giants L 0–24 0–1 25,478
3 September 21 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 10–7 1–1 12,893
4 September 27 Brooklyn Dodgers L 13–24 1–2 16,341
5 Bye
6 October 12 at New York Giants L 0–16 1–3 30,842
7 October 19 Washington Redskins L 17–21 1–4 19,071
8 October 26 Chicago Cardinals W 21–14 2–4 12,683
9 November 2 at Brooklyn Dodgers L 6–15 2–5 15,899
10 November 9 Pittsburgh Steelers T 7–7 2–5–1 15,601
11 November 16 at Detroit Lions L 17–21 2–6—1 16,306
12 Bye
13 November 30 Chicago Bears L 14–49 2–7–1 32,608
14 December 7 at Washington Redskins L 14–20 2–8–1 27,102

Game summaries

The Eagles played 11 games over an NFL season that was 14 weeks long. The season started on September 7 and ended on December 7.

Week 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 2: Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Eagles 0 3 7010
Steelers 0 0 707

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game information
First quarter
  • No scoring plays.

Second quarter

  • PHI – Len Barnum 43-yard field goal. Eagles 3–0.

Third quarter

  • PIT – Boyd Brumbaugh 4-yard run (Jack Sanders kick). Steelers 7–3.
  • PHI – Lou Tomasetti 40-yard pass from Dan DeSantis (Len Barnum kick). Eagles 10–7.

Fourth quarter

  • No scoring plays.

The Eagles travel across the state of Pennsylvania to play the renamed Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time since the franchises swapped cities.

Week 7: vs Washington Redskins

Week 7: Philadelphia Eagles vs Washington Redskins – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Redskins 0 14 0721
Eagles 14 0 3017

at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia

Game information
First quarter
  • PHI – Dick Humbert 4-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Nick Basca kick). Eagles 7–0.
  • PHI – Bob Krieger 21-yard pass from Tommy Thompson (Nick Basca kick). Eagles 14–0.

Second quarter

  • WAS – Andy Farkas 5-yard rush (Joe Aguirre kick). Eagles 14–7.
  • WAS – Ed Justice 31-yard pass from Sammy Baugh (Joe Aguirre kick). Tied 14–14.

Third quarter

  • PHI – Nick Basca 15-yard field goal. Eagles 17–14.

Fourth quarter

  • WAS – Bob Masterson 22-yard pass from Sammy Baugh (Bob Masterson kick). Redskins 21–17.

The defending 1940 NFL Eastern Division Champions, Washington Redskins make a visit to Philadelphia to play the Eagles. Washington lost the 1940 NFL Championship Game to the Chicago Bears 73–0. The Eagles will host the Bears in week 12 and travel to Washington, D.C. to re-play the Redskins in week 14 to close out the 1941 season.

Week 10: vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 10: Philadelphia Eagles vs Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 0 707
Eagles 7 0 007

at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information
First quarter
  • PHI – Jim Castiglia 47-yard rush (Nick Basca kick). Eagles 7–0.

Second quarter

  • No scoring plays.

Third quarter

  • PIT – Art Jones 25-yard rush (Jack Sanders kick). Tied 7–7.

Fourth quarter

  • No scoring plays.

The Eagles' cross-state rivals returned to Philadelphia for a rematch of the week 3 game won by the Eagles. The Eagles entered the game with two wins, while the Steelers were winless.

Week 14: at Washington Redskins

At about the time this game was kicking off, the United States suffered an attack on Pearl Harbor, resulting in military personnel and US government officials receiving pages.

Standings

NFL Eastern Division
W L T PCT DIV PF PA STK
New York Giants 8 3 0 .727 6–2 238 114 L1
Brooklyn Dodgers 7 4 0 .636 6–2 158 127 W2
Washington Redskins 6 5 0 .545 5–3 176 174 W1
Philadelphia Eagles 2 8 1 .200 1–6–1 119 218 L3
Pittsburgh Steelers 1 9 1 .100 1–6–1 103 276 L2

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Roster

(All time List of Philadelphia Eagles players in franchise history)

The 1941 Philadelphia Eagles roster is made up of 39 players which 32 are rookies.

1941 Pro Bowl Pro All-Star[3]
No. Player Age Pos. GP GS Weight Height Years College
33Jack Banta24HB651915–11RookieUSC
13Len Barnum29B-P-PK1182006–03West Virginia Wesleyan
27Sam Bartholomew24FB921885–11RookieTennessee
47Nick Basca25HB-PK1101705–8RookieVillanova
55Frank Bausch33C442206–37Kansas
50Bob Bjorklund23C-LB-E702256–2RookieMinnesota
84Larry Cabrelli24E-DB721945–11RookieColgate
31Jim Castiglia23FB1162085–11RookieGeorgetown (DC)
61Tony Cemore24G1012106–0RookieCreighton
67Enio Conti28G982045–11RookieBucknell
49Dan DeSantis23HB1141806–0RookieNiagara
26Dave DiFilippo25G522105–10RookieVillanova
76John Eibner27T1192286–2RookieKentucky
Bernie Feibish22C302236–2RookieNYU
83Jack Ferrante25E-DE301976–1Rookienone
36Terry Fox23FB-LB1122086–1RookieMiami (FL)
70Joe Frank26T1102176–1RookieGeorgetown (DC)
63Ralph Fritz24G1012025–9RookieMichigan
62Woody Gerber21G512236–0RookieAlabama
11Lou Ghecas23HB801755–9RookieGeorgetown (DC)
37Fred Gloden23HB601875–10RookieTulane
51Lyle Graham26C1172106–3RookieRichmond
80Gran Harrison24E102116–3RookieMississippi State
80Kirk Hershey23E602156–2RookieCarroll (WI), Cornell
43Jack Hinkle24B101956–01Syracuse
81Dick Humbert*23E-DE1181796–1RookieRichmond
82Bob Krieger23E11111906–1RookieDartmouth
30Mort Landsberg22HB1171805–11RookieCornell
40Wes McAfee23HB811755–11RookieDuke
63Rupert Pate24G102056–11Wake Forest
89Hank Piro24E1011866–0RookieSyracuse
77Phil Ragazzo26T-G10102166–03Case Western Reserve
79Vic Sears23T-DT1122236–3RookieOregon State
85John Shonk23E1001906–1RookieWest Virginia
71Cecil Sturgeon22T602546–2RookieNorth Dakota State
60Bob Suffridge25G1092056–0RookieTennessee
10Tommy Thompson25QB1151926–11Tulsa
15Lou Tomasetti25FB-HB631986–02Bucknell
39Foster Watkins24QB-HB1111635–91West Texas A&M
72Burr West23T1012206–1RookieTennessee

Honors and rewards

  • Rookie end Dick Humbert finished second in receptions with 29 (league leader had 58), fourth in receiving yards with 332 (league leader had 738) and joint-fourth in receiving touchdowns with 3 (league leader had 10).
  • Humbert was selected for the All-Star Game.

References

  1. ↑ 1941 Philadelphia Eagles
  2. ↑ Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.
  3. ↑ Players are identified as a 1940 Pro All-Star.
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