1937 Washington Redskins season

The 1937 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 6th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their first in Washington, D.C. The Boston Redskins moved to Washington after their runner-up 1936 season and become the Washington Redskins. In 1937 they repeated as Eastern Division champions and played the NFL championship game on the road against the Chicago Bears at Wrigley Field. The Redskins won the championship game, 28–21.

1937 Washington Redskins season
OwnerGeorge Preston Marshall
Head coachRay Flaherty
General managerJack Espey
Home fieldGriffith Stadium
Results
Record8–3
Division place1st NFL Eastern
Playoff finishWon NFL Championship (Chicago Bears, 28–21)

The Boston Redskins had won the Eastern Division title the previous season, but had poor attendance, prompting the owner George Preston Marshall to move south to his hometown.[1] The Redskins selected quarterback Sammy Baugh from TCU in the first round of the 1937 NFL draft, on December 12, 1936, while still in Boston. Rookie Baugh led the league in passing in 1937 with a then-record 81 pass completions, and halfback Cliff Battles led the NFL in rushing with 874 yards.

Draft
Main article: 1937 NFL Draft
1937 Washington Redskins draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 6 Sammy Baugh * †  Quarterback TCU
2 16 Nello_Falaschi *  Center Santa Clara
3 26 Maurice Elder  Back Kansas State
4 36 Dick Bassi *  Guard Santa Clara
5 46 Chuck Bond  Tackle Washington
6 56 Jimmie Cain  Back Washington
7 66 Rotta Holland  Guard Kansas State
8 76 Joel Eaves  End Auburn
9 86 Bill Docherty  Tackle Temple
10 96 Mac Cara  End NC State
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Preseason

In the 1937 NFL Draft, the Redskins selected Sammy Baugh with the sixth overall pick. Baugh went on to play sixteen years with the Redskins, retiring after the 1952 season; he was named to the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On September 6, 1937, the Redskins played their first Washington-area game following their move from Boston. Washington beat an American Legion All-Star team by a score of 50–0 in front of 1,000 at McCurdy Field in Frederick, Maryland.[2]

Regular season

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Game
recap
1 Bye
2 Bye
3 September 16 New York Giants W 13–3 1–0 Griffith Stadium
25,000
 Recap
4 September 24 Chicago Cardinals L 14–21 1–1 Griffith Stadium 22,367 Recap
5 October 3 Brooklyn Dodgers W 11–7 2–1 Griffith Stadium 16,000 Recap
6 October 10 Philadelphia Eagles L 0–14 2–2 Griffith Stadium 7,320 Recap
7 October 17 Pittsburgh Pirates W 34–20 3–2 Griffith Stadium 12,835 Recap
8 October 24 at Philadelphia Eagles W 10–7 4–2 Philadelphia Municipal Stadium 13,167 Recap
9 October 31 at Brooklyn Dodgers W 21–0 5–2 Ebbets Field 22,500 Recap
10 Bye
11 November 14 at Pittsburgh Pirates L 13–21 5–3 Forbes Field 12,242 Recap
12 November 21 at Cleveland Rams W 16–7 6–3 Cleveland Stadium 3,500 Recap
13 November 28 Green Bay Packers W 14–6 7–3 Griffith Stadium 30,000 Recap
14 December 5 at New York Giants W 49–14 8–3 Polo Grounds 58,285 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Playoffs
Round Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance Game
recap
Championship December 12 at Chicago Bears W 28–21 Wrigley Field 15,878 Recap

Standings
NFL Eastern Division
W L T PCT DIV PF PA STK
Washington Redskins 8 3 0 .727 6–2 195 120 W3
New York Giants 6 3 2 .667 5–2–1 128 109 L1
Pittsburgh Pirates 4 7 0 .364 4–4 122 145 L1
Brooklyn Dodgers 3 7 1 .300 2–5–1 82 174 T1
Philadelphia Eagles 2 8 1 .200 2–6 86 177 L1

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

Postseason

NFL Championship Game
Main article: 1937 NFL Championship Game

Team Photo

References
  1. The First Fifty Years: A Celebration of the National Football League in its Fiftieth Season, Simon and Schuster, Inc., Copyright 1969, ASIN: B0018NJUO0
  2. "1937 Washington Redskins (NFL)". The Pro Football Archives. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
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