The 'Chicago Charities College All-Star Game' was a
preseason American football game played annually (except in 1974) from 1934 to 1976 between the
National Football League champions and a team of star
college seniors from the previous year. After the
Super Bowl began, the Super Bowl winner was the professional team involved, regardless, before the merger, of which league the team represented--thus, the
New York Jets played in the 1969 event, though still an AFL team.
The game was the idea of
Arch Ward, the sports editor of the
Chicago Tribune and the driving force behind the
Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The game originally was a benefit for
Chicago-area charities. The game was always played at
Soldier Field in Chicago or at
Northwestern University's
Dyche Stadium in
Evanston, Illinois.
The first game, played before a crowd of 79,432 on August 31, 1934, was a scoreless tie between the all-stars and the
Chicago Bears. The following year, a game that included the
University of Michigan graduate and future president
Gerald Ford, the Bears won, 5-0. The first all-star team to win was the 1937 squad, coached by Gus Dorais, which won on a 47-yard touchdown pass from future
Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh to Gaynell Tinsley.
In the 1940s, the games were competitive affairs that attracted large crowds to Soldier Field. But as the talent level of pro football improved, the all-stars had less and less success. The last all-star win came in 1963, when a team coached by legendary quarterback
Otto Graham beat
Vince Lombardi's
Green Bay Packers, 20-17.
By the 1970's, crowds for the event were dwindling. In addition, NFL coaches were reluctant to part with their new draftees (who would miss part of training camp) for a meaningless exhibition at which the players might be injured.
A player's strike forced the cancellation of the 1974 game. The last game took place during a downpour at Soldier Field on
July 23,
1976. Despite featuring stars like
Chuck Muncie,
Mike Pruitt,
Lee Roy Selmon and
Jackie Slater, the rookies were hopelessly outmatched by the
Pittsburgh Steelers, winners of
Super Bowl X. Pittsburgh was leading 24-0 late in the third quarter when the weather conditions made play impossible. The officials called for a delay. The players left the field and were replaced by unruly fans, who tore down the goal posts. NFL
Commissioner Pete Rozelle decided the game would not be restarted. Chicago Tribune Charities Inc., the sponsor of the game, elected not to bring it back for 1977.
The Steelers' win was the 31st for NFL champions in the 43 College All-Star Games. The all-stars won nine, and two ended in ties.
Game results
| Date played | Winning team | Losing team | Attendance |
|---|
| August 31 1934 | Chicago Bears | 0 | College All-Stars | 0 | 79,432 |
| August 29 1935 | 'Chicago Bears' | '5' | College All-Stars | 0 | 77,450 |
| September 2 1936 | Detroit Lions | 7 | College All-Stars | 7 | 76,000 |
| August 31 1937 | 'College All-Stars' | '6' | Green Bay Packers | 0 | 84,560 |
| August 31 1938 | 'College All-Stars' | '28' | Washington Redskins | 16 | 74,250 |
| August 30 1939 | 'New York Giants' | '9' | College All-Stars | 0 | 81,456 |
| August 29 1940 | 'Green Bay Packers' | '45' | College All-Stars | 28 | 84,567 |
| August 28 1941 | 'Chicago Bears' | '37' | College All-Stars | 13 | 98,203 |
| August 28 1942 | 'Chicago Bears' | '21' | College All-Stars | 0 | 101,103 |
| August 28 1943 | 'College All-Stars' | '27' | Washington Redskins | 7 | 48,437 |
| August 30 1944 | 'Chicago Bears' | '24' | College All-Stars | 21 | 49,246 |
| August 30 1945 | 'Green Bay Packers' | '19' | College All-Stars | 7 | 92,753 |
| August 23 1946 | 'College All-Stars' | '16' | Los Angeles Rams | 0 | 97,380 |
| August 23 1947 | 'College All-Stars' | '16' | Chicago Bears | 0 | 105,840 |
| August 22 1948 | 'Chicago Cardinals' | '28' | College All-Stars | 0 | 101,220 |
| August 22 1949 | 'Philadelphia Eagles' | '38' | College All-Stars | 0 | 93,780 |
| August 11 1950 | 'College All-Stars' | '17' | Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 88,885 |
| August 17 1951 | 'Cleveland Browns' | '17' | College All-Stars | 0 | 92,180 |
| August 15 1952 | 'Los Angeles Rams' | '10' | College All-Stars | 7 | 88,316 |
| August 14 1953 | 'Detroit Lions' | '24' | College All-Stars | 10 | 93,818 |
| August 13 1954 | 'Detroit Lions' | '31' | College All-Stars | 6 | 93,470 |
| August 12 1955 | 'College All-Stars' | '30' | Cleveland Browns | 27 | 75,000 |
| August 10 1956 | 'Cleveland Browns' | '26' | College All-Stars | 0 | 75,000 |
| August 9 1957 | 'New York Giants' | '22' | College All-Stars | 12 | 75,000 |
| August 15 1958 | 'College All-Stars' | '35' | Detroit Lions | 19 | 70,000 |
| August 14 1959 | 'Baltimore Colts' | '29' | College All-Stars | 0 | 70,000 |
| August 12 1960 | 'Baltimore Colts' | '32' | College All-Stars | 7 | 70,000 |
| August 4 1961 | 'Philadelphia Eagles' | '28' | College All-Stars | 14 | 66,000 |
| August 3 1962 | 'Green Bay Packers' | '42' | College All-Stars | 20 | 65,000 |
| August 2 1963 | 'College All-Stars' | '20' | Green Bay Packers | 17 | 65,000 |
| August 7 1964 | 'Chicago Bears' | '28' | College All-Stars | 17 | 65,000 |
| August 6 1965 | 'Cleveland Browns' | '24' | College All-Stars | 16 | 68,000 |
| August 5 1966 | 'Green Bay Packers' | '38' | College All-Stars | 0 | 72,000 |
| August 4 1967 | 'Green Bay Packers' | '27' | College All-Stars | 0 | 70,934 |
| August 2 1968 | 'Green Bay Packers' | '34' | College All-Stars | 17 | 69,917 |
| August 1 1969 | 'New York Jets' | '26' | College All-Stars | 24 | 74,208 |
| July 31 1970 | 'Kansas City Chiefs' | '24' | College All-Stars | 3 | 69,940 |
| July 30 1971 | 'Baltimore Colts' | '24' | College All-Stars | 17 | 52,289 |
| July 28 1972 | 'Dallas Cowboys' | '20' | College All-Stars | 7 | 54,162 |
| July 27 1973 | 'Miami Dolphins' | '14' | College All-Stars | 3 | 54,103 |
| July 26 19741 | |
| August 1 1975 | 'Pittsburgh Steelers' | '21' | College All-Stars | 14 | 54,562 |
| July 23 19762 | 'Pittsburgh Steelers' | '24' | College All-Stars | 0 | 52,095 |
1 Scheduled date.
2 Game was called late in the third quarter due to heavy rain.
MVP's
''The
Most Valuable Player award was given from
1938 through
1973''
See also
★
Pro Bowl, the AFC-NFC all-star game
★
Playoff Bowl, another discontinued annual NFL game
External links
★
The History of the Chicago Charities College All-Star Game
★
"The Death of an All-Star Game" by John C. Hibner, ''PFRA Annual'', 1986.
★
List of game results from Hickok Sports.
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