1934 Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL) season
2nd season of NFL team Pittsburgh Steelers
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The 1934 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the team's second season following its formation during the previous year. The team, which would later be renamed the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1940, began the season with a new head coach, Luby DiMeolo. Despite the change in leadership, the Pirates once again finished in 5th place in the NFL's Eastern Division.
| 1934 Pittsburgh Pirates season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Art Rooney |
| Head coach | Luby DiMeolo |
| Home stadium | Forbes Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 2â10 |
| Division place | 5th NFL Eastern |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
The Pirates endured a dismal 2â10 season, during which they were shut out in six games and scored more than 10 points in only two games.
A notable storyline from the season was the arrival of All-Pro and future Hall of Famer John McNally, who joined the team for one season after playing with the Green Bay Packers. However, McNally's time with the Pirates had little impact, and he returned to the Packers the following season.
Another defining feature of the 1934 Pirates was their "jailbird" uniforms. These uniforms, which featured horizontal stripes, were mocked by opponents and fans alike, as the team was frequently compared to convicts. While the modern-day Pittsburgh Steelers wore a throwback version of these uniforms from 2012 to 2016 (albeit with updated black and gold colors, leading to the "bumblebee" nickname), the original "jailbird" uniforms were only used during the 1934 season due to widespread ridicule.
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | Cincinnati Reds | W 13â0 | 1â0 |
| 2 | September 16 | Boston Redskins | L 0â7 | 1â1 |
| 3 | September 26 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 0â17 | 1â2 |
| 4 | October 3 | New York Giants | L 12â14 | 1â3 |
| 5 | October 7 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 9â7 | 2â3 |
| 6 | October 10 | Chicago Bears | L 0â28 | 2â4 |
| 7 | October 14 | at Boston Redskins | L 0â39 | 2â5 |
| 8 | October 21 | at New York Giants | L 7â17 | 2â6 |
| 9 | October 28 | at Brooklyn Dodgers | L 3â21 | 2â7 |
| 10 | November 4 | at Detroit Lions | L 7â40 | 2â8 |
| 11 | November 11 | at St. Louis Gunners | L 0â6 | 2â9 |
| 12 | November 18 | Brooklyn Dodgers | L 0â10 | 2â10 |
Standings
| NFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| New York Giants | 8 | 5 | 0 | .615 | 7â1 | 147 | 107 | L1 | |
| Boston Redskins | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | 5â3 | 107 | 94 | W1 | |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 | 4â4 | 61 | 153 | L3 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 | 3â5 | 127 | 85 | W2 | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | 1â7 | 51 | 206 | L7 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Game summaries
Week 1 (Sunday September 9, 1934): Cincinnati Reds
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pirates | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 14,164
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Pittsburgh â Clark 27 lateral from Sorlet after pass from Heller (Kelsch kick)
- Pittsburgh â FG Kelsch 13
- Pittsburgh â FG Niccolai 13
Week 2 (Sunday September 16, 1934): Boston Redskins
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 17,171
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Boston â Malone 16 pass from Hokuf (Battles kick)
Week 3 (Wednesday September 26, 1934): Philadelphia Eagles
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 11,559
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Philadelphia â Hanson 16 run (Hanson kick)
- Philadelphia â Hanson 34 pass from Kirkman (Hajek kick)
- Philadelphia â FG Wiener 17
Week 4 (Wednesday October 3, 1934): New York Giants
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Pirates | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 13,020
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- New York â Badgro 25 pass from Newman (Newman kick)
- Pittsburgh â Skladany 28 pass from Heller (kick failed)
- Pittsburgh â Heller 2 run (kick failed)
- New York â Strong 7 run (Newman kick)
Week 5 (Sunday October 7, 1934): Philadelphia Eagles
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Baker Bowl, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 9,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Pittsburgh â FG Niccolai 28
- Pittsburgh â Brovelli 5 run (kick blocked)
- Philadelphia â Gonya 4 pass from Barnhardt (Kirkman kick)
Week 6 (Wednesday October 10, 1934): Chicago Bears
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 19,386
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Chicago â Ronzani 6 pass from Burmbaugh (Manders kick)
- Chicago â Feathers 82 run (Manders kick)
- Chicago â Molesworth 2 run (Manders kick)
- Chicago â Johnsos 3 pass from Molesworth (Manders kick)
Week 7 (Sunday October 14, 1934): Boston Redskins
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Redskins | 13 | 6 | 20 | 0 | 39 |
at Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 15,515
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Boston â Malone pass from Hokuf (kick failed)
- Boston â Battles run (Wright kick)
- Boston â Battles 19 run (kick failed)
- Boston â Wright 59 run (Wright kick)
- Boston â Pinckert run (kick failed)
- Boston â McPhail 14 fumble return (McPhail kick)
Week 8 (Sunday October 21, 1934): New York Giants
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Giants | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
at Polo Grounds, New York, New York
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 11,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- New York â FG Strong 44
- New York â Strong 2 run (Strong kick)
- New York â Smith 3 run (Molenda kick)
- Pittsburgh â Sortet 21 pass from Vaughn (Kelsck kick)
Week 9 (Sunday October 28, 1934): Brooklyn Dodgers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Dodgers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 8,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Brooklyn â Grossman 72-yard punt return (Kercheval kick)
- Pittsburgh â FG Niccolai 50 yards
- Brooklyn â Grossman 26-yard pass from Cagle (Kercheval kick)
- Brooklyn â Kercheval 15-yard pass from Montgomery (Kercheval kick)
This game was the first in NFL history in which neither team committed a single penalty.[1]
Week 10 (Sunday November 4, 1934): Detroit Lions
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| Lions | 7 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 40 |
at University of Detroit Stadium, Detroit, Michigan
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 6,000
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Pittsburgh â Skladany 62 pass from Vaughn (Niccolai kick)
- Detroit â F. Christensen 1 run (Clark kick)
- Detroit â Clark 45 run (kick failed)
- Detroit â Ebding 37 pass from Caddel (Clark kick)
Week 11 (Sunday November 11, 1934): St. Louis Gunners
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gunners | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at Sportsman's Park, St. Louis, Missouri
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 13,678
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- St. Louis â FG Senn 35
- St. Louis â FG Alford 12
Week 12 (Sunday November 18, 1934): Brooklyn Dodgers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 9,087
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Brooklyn â Kercheval 23 pass from Cagle (Kercheval kick)
- Brooklyn â FG Kercheval 22