1933 Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL) season
Inaugural season of NFL team Pittsburgh Steelers
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The 1933 Pittsburgh Pirates season marked the debut of the team known today as the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team was established by Arthur Rooney Sr., a former boxer and semi-pro football player, who paid the National Football League (NFL) its $2,500 expansion fee with winnings from successful weekend gambling at the Saratoga Race Track in New York.[1]
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| 1933 Pittsburgh Pirates season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Art Rooney |
| Head coach | Forrest Douds |
| Home stadium | Forbes Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 3â6â2 |
| Division place | 5th Eastern Division |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
Rooney named the team "Pirates." Home games were scheduled for Forbes Field, stadium used by the baseball Pirates.[1] The new squad was composed largely of local semi-pro players.
Rooney quickly ran into Pennsylvania's blue laws, which prohibited professional sports from taking place on Sundays, when most NFL games took place.[1] Rooney slyly circumvented the law by providing the superintendent of police with free box seats.[1]
Except for a brief period in 1940 and 1941, Rooney would remain the franchise's principal owner until his death in 1988. The Rooney family has retained a controlling interest ever since.
The Pirates took the field for the first time on September 20 against the New York Giants at Forbes Field, losing 23â2. The following week, the team got its first win, defeating the Chicago Cardinals at home 14â13.
The team finished 3â6â2 for the season.
Regular season
Schedule
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| â | September 13 | Cincinnati Reds | Postponed due to rain | [2] | |||||
| 1 | September 20 | New York Giants | L 2â23 | 0â1 | Forbes Field | 20,000 | Recap | ||
| 2 | September 27 | Chicago Cardinals | W 14â13 | 1â1 | Forbes Field | 5,000 | Recap | ||
| 3 | October 4 | Boston Redskins | L 6â21 | 1â2 | Forbes Field | 15,000 | Recap | ||
| 4 | October 11 | Cincinnati Reds | W 17â3 | 2â2 | Forbes Field | 5,000 | Recap | ||
| 5 | October 15 | at Green Bay Packers | L 0â47 | 2â3 | City Stadium | 4,000 | Recap | ||
| 6 | October 22 | at Cincinnati Reds | T 0â0 | 2â3â1 | Redland Field | 900 | Recap | [3] | |
| 7 | October 29 | at Boston Redskins | W 16â14 | 3â3â1 | Fenway Park | 7,500 | Recap | ||
| 8 | November 5 | at Brooklyn Dodgers | T 3â3 | 3â3â2 | Ebbets Field | 15,000 | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 12 | Brooklyn Dodgers | L 0â32 | 3â4â2 | Forbes Field | 12,000 | Recap | ||
| 10 | November 19 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 6â25 | 3â5â2 | Baker Bowl | 6,000 | Recap | ||
| â | Bye | ||||||||
| 11 | December 3 | at New York Giants | L 3-27 | 3â6â2 | Polo Grounds | 10,000 | Recap | ||
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||||
Roster
| 1933 Pittsburgh Pirates final roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Backs
Ends/Receivers
|
Linemen
Rookies in italics | |||||
Standings
| NFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| New York Giants | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 7â1 | 244 | 101 | W7 | |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 5 | 4 | 1 | .556 | 2â2â1 | 93 | 54 | L2 | |
| Boston Redskins | 5 | 5 | 2 | .500 | 2â3 | 103 | 97 | T1 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 5 | 1 | .375 | 1â2 | 77 | 158 | L2 | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 3 | 6 | 2 | .333 | 1â5â1 | 67 | 208 | L3 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Game summaries
Week 1 (Wednesday September 20, 1933): New York Giants
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 7 | 0 | 16 | 23 |
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 20,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
Week 2 (Wednesday September 27, 1933): Chicago Cardinals
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Pirates | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 5,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
Week 3 (Wednesday October 4, 1933): Boston Redskins
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 15,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
Week 4 (Wednesday October 11, 1933): Cincinnati Reds
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reds | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Pirates | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 5,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
Week 5 (Sunday October 15, 1933): at Green Bay Packers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Packers | 7 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 47 |
at City Stadium, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 4,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Green Bay â Hinkle 1 run (Monnett kick)
- Green Bay â Monnett 7 run (kick failed)
- Green Bay â Goldenberg 67 interception (Grove kick)
- Green Bay â Goldenberg 3 run (Monnett kick)
- Green Bay â Bruder 52 run (Herber kick)
- Green Bay â Monnett 12 run (kick failed)
- Green Bay â Englemann 40 lateral from Monnett after 9 pass from Herber (Monnett kick)
Week 6 (Sunday October 22, 1933): at Cincinnati Reds
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Redland Field, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 900
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- none
Week 7 (Sunday October 29, 1933): at Boston Redskins
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 0 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 16 |
| Redskins | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 7,500
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
Week 8 (Sunday November 5, 1933): at Brooklyn Dodgers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Dodgers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 15,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
Week 9 (Sunday November 12, 1933): Brooklyn Dodgers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dodgers | 6 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 32 |
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 12,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
Week 10 (Sunday November 19, 1933): at Philadelphia Eagles
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Eagles | 6 | 0 | 13 | 6 | 25 |
at Baker Bowl, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 6,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
Week 12 (Sunday December 3, 1933): at New York Giants
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 7 | 20 | 27 |
at Polo Grounds, New York City
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 10,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives: