Phil-Pitt Steagles

The "Steagles" is the popular nickname for the team created by the temporary merger of two National Football League (NFL) teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles, during the 1943 season. The teams were forced to merge because both had lost many players to military service due to World War II.

1943 Philadelphia-Pittsburgh Eagles-Steelers season
Head Coach	Greasy Neale, Walt Kiesling
Home Field	Shibe Park, Forbes Field
Results
Record	5–4–1
Place	3rd NFL Eastern
Playoff Finish	did not qualify
Timeline
Previous season	Next season
1942 Eagles 1942 Steelers	1944 Eagles Card-Pitt

Officially the team was known simply as the Eagles (without a city designation), the Eagles-Steelers, or the Steelers-Eagles. The NFL never registered "Steagles" as a trademark. However, the official NFL record book refers to the team as "Phil-Pitt."

History

The prospect of a unified Pittsburgh-Philadelphia team actually predated World War II by several years. The Pennsylvania Keystoners were a team that was proposed in 1939, conceived with the intention of the Steelers and Eagles owners buying into one of the two teams, then spinning the other off to an ownership group in Boston, Massachusetts. League officials rejected the plan, though it resulted in a convoluted ownership "two-step" that left Eagles owner Bert Bell with a share in the Steelers franchise.

America entered World War II on December 7, 1941 with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Most of the young men who were of the age to play professional football were also of the age to fight for their country. 600 NFL players joined the armed forces.

Feeling that country at war still needed entertainment and sports were a much-needed diversion, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an inspirational message focused on the importance of Major League Baseball to Americans' morale. He made no mention of football, during that address, as baseball far surpassed football in popularity at the time. However at its 1943 annual spring meeting, the NFL decided to follow baseball's lead and continue play. Other football leagues, such as the 1940–41 American Football League, Dixie League and the American Association, decided to suspend operations instead, leaving the NFL and its West Coast counterpart, the Pacific Coast Professional Football League, as the only leagues playing professional football at the time.

Draft deferments

The young men who remained in the States to play football were deferred from the draft. The Steagles were thus military draft rejects, aging veteran players, and even active servicemen who obtained leave to play.

Three types of deferments defined 1943 NFL players. The first group was called 3-As. If a man was supporting a family the draft board would not make him a priority. The government defined a 3-A as a father whose child/children was born or conceived prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. The cutoff date for birth was September 15, 1942, precisely nine months and one week after Pearl Harbor. The second group consisted of those men who worked in the war industry, producing and preparing ammunition, weapons and materials. The third group (4-F'S) were those deemed physically unfit due to ailments such as ulcers, flat feet and even partial blindness. Most NFL football players wanted to join the war. In the early 1940s it was considered a patriotic duty to serve and fight for the country. Being classified as a 4-F was an embarrassment. Playing football and being ridiculed was added embarrassment. However there was a feeling that if guys could play football they could fight in the war. One Steagle and future Hall of Famer, Bill Hewitt, quit in the middle of the season. He couldn't take the ridicule and subsequent guilt feelings anymore. Hewitt was good enough to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971. However the players weren't making the decisions on who could or couldn't fight. Men with flat feet weren't drafted. They could lead normal lives and even play football, but the Army deemed that flat feet was not conducive to marching long distances. Similar reasons existed for other 4-F deferments. But numerous NFL players in 1943 had medical problems that kept them out of the military. Tony Bova, the Steagles' leading receiver with 17 receptions, was blind in one eye and partially blind in the other. Steagles guard Ed Michaels was nearly deaf and center Ray Graves was deaf in one ear. One starting defensive end was blind in one eye and nearly legally blind in the other. The Steagles tailback John Butler made his first start one day after being ruled 4-F by his draft board for poor eyesight and bad knees.

1943 Steagles starting line-up

1943 NFL Spring Meeting

Even with these deferments, NFL rosters were hurting. The Cleveland Rams suspended operations and the Pittsburgh Steelers had only six men left under contract while the Philadelphia Eagles had only sixteen. The 1943 NFL Draft didn't help much. Most players drafted went off to the war instead of joining NFL teams. The league nearly ceased operations before the 1943 season, but when the decision was made to continue, the league opted to tighten its belt.

Steelers' owner Art Rooney knew that the league needed at least eight teams to survive. Rooney's idea was to merge with the Eagles. This idea came quickly to him since two years earlier he thought about combining the two teams into the Pennsylvania Keystoners. Eagles' owner Alexis Thompson, who was serving in the US Army as a corporal, was not as keen on the plan since he at least had 16 players under contract. However Thompson remembered how Rooney in 1941 swapped cities with him, allowing him to keep the Eagles in Philadelphia, close to his New York City home. This led to an agreement on combining the teams.

However the league only approved the plan by a slim vote of 5–4. After approving the merger, the league then stated that the merger would expire as soon as the regular season ended, keeping the Pittsburgh/Philadelphia combination out of any playoffs. This was based upon fears expressed by the other owners that the merger would produce a team with an unfair advantage. The merger had a slight lean in favor of Philadelphia based on stipulations imposed by Thompson. The team would be known as the Philadelphia Eagles and be based in Philly. Rooney had very little leverage, bringing only six players to the table. However he was successful in landing two home games in Pittsburgh, while Philadelphia would host four. The team was also to wear the Eagles' green and white colors instead of Pittsburgh's black and gold. This event officially marked the only time in the Steelers history that the team colors were something other than black and gold. The league also stated that helmets were mandated for the first time and that the league would expand in 1944, with the Boston Yanks paying $50,000 for entry into the league.

1943 season

Pittsburgh-Philadelphia "Steagles" vs. New York Giants at Shibe Park
October 9, 1943

The Philadelphia Eagles began training camp with Philadelphia's Greasy Neale and Pittsburgh's Walt Kiesling serving as co-head coaches since both head coaches refused to accept a demotion. This led to several problems. The first being that the two men hated each other. Secondly even Kiesling's own players didn't like him so asking the Eagles players to like him was too much to ask. However Neale took advantage when Kiesling was delayed en route to the Steagles' first and only pre-season training camp in Philadelphia. By the time Keisling arrived, Neale already had the offense learning the T-formation, which was all the rage in those days because of its success in college football by Frank Leahy at Notre Dame and for Red Blaik at Army. This conflict led to Neale serving as the team's offensive coordinator while Kiesling served as the defensive coordinator. They would then split head coaching duties. According to defensive back Ernie Steele, the situation between the two coaches got so bad that Kiesling and Neale walked off the field after a heated argument in practice the Friday before a game. They returned for the game, but the players were nonetheless stunned. However after the Steagles' in 1943 & Card-Pitt in 1944, Pittsburgh reverted to using the single-wing formation through 1952, becoming the last NFL team to ever use it as its primary offensive set.

Another difficult issue that at the time, was that the Steelers and Eagles were bitter interstate rivals, much like the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins-Philadelphia Flyers rivalry of today, and usually ended up at near the bottom of standings each year. Also due the war effort, the Steagles players are believed to be the only members of an American professional sports franchise who were not only encouraged but required to hold full-time jobs, in addition to playing pro football. Playing football was seen as an extracurricular activity. All of the 25 players on the roster kept full-time jobs in defense plants. One of Pittsburgh's players, Ted Doyle, worked at Westinghouse Electric and figured out later that his work assisted the Manhattan Project, which was America's effort to build the first atomic bomb, according to Matthew Algeo's book Last Team Standing.

As the season got underway, fans and newspapers began calling the team the Steagles, a combination of Steelers and Eagles. It had a nice ring to it and was fair to both cities. Steagles eventually became the common name used for the team throughout most of the country, except in Philly, where the writers and even the team insisted on being called the Philadelphia Eagles. According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Chet Smith the sports editor of the Pittsburgh Press initially called the team the Steagles.

Slowly, the team began to come together, united by hard work, shared sacrifice, and teamwork. The Steagles jumped out to a 2–0 start after defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants at Shibe Park. During the New York game the Steagles fumbled the ball a record 10 times, but managed to win 28–14. The Steagles record of 10 fumbles in game by 1 team is still in existence today. The squad of outcasts and misfits then banded together and managed to shockingly tie the defending champion Washington Redskins in their first meeting, and even defeated the 'Skins in their second meeting. The team stumbled on the road and after seven games was 3–3–1. However the team regrouped during two games at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field, which were wins over the Chicago Cardinals on Halloween Night and over the Detroit Lions on Nov. 21. The team's final game was played in front of 35,000 fans at Shibe Park against Don Hutson and the Green Bay Packers Green Bay would go on to win the game 38–28.

Aftermath

Legacy

The Steagles 1943 season was the first winning season in the history of the Philadelphia franchise and just the second in the history of the Pittsburgh franchise.

The next season, 1944, the NFL was back on solid footing. The Army had declared that it had enough soldiers and men over 26 years of age would not be drafted, though the league had another problem. With the Cleveland Rams back in operation, the expansion Boston Yanks team in the fold and the Eagles and Steelers back in their separate ways, the NFL had 11 teams, which created a nightmare with divisions and scheduling. NFL Commissioner Elmer Layden begged for two teams to combine again in 1944. Ten teams made for a perfect league and eleven seemed impossible. The Steelers were still short of players due to the war. Pittsburgh owner Art Rooney was so unhappy with the "Phil-Pitt" arrangement that he merged with the Chicago Cardinals for the 1944 season, creating a team known as Card-Pitt (derisively called "carpet" due to going winless, and the commentary that "every team walked all over them"). The war ended by the time the 1945 NFL season started, and with the Brooklyn Tigers and the aforementioned Boston franchising permanently merging, there was an even number of ten teams to the delight of owners.

The Eagles, now having enough players back from the war, resumed their traditional operation and continued under Neale, who would take home back-to-back coach of the year awards as Philadelphia won consecutive NFL championships in 1948 and 1949.

Individually, the Steagles' Jack Hinkle ended the season with 571 rushing yards. He lost the rushing title to New York's Bill Paschal by one yard. Against those very Giants Hinkle was not given credit for a 37-yard run (they gave it to John Butler). Hinkle did not complain about not winning the NFL rushing crown. He figured with a war going on there were better things to cry about. Tony Bova, a half-blind 4-F, led the team in receiving with 417 yards.

Popular culture

A book by Matthew Algeo on the history of the team, called Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles—"The Steagles"—Saved Pro Football During World War II (ISBN 0-306-81472-2), was published by Da Capo Press on September 30, 2006.

The 1971 film "The Steagle" starring Richard Benjamin takes its name from the Steagles football team. In the opening scene, the protagonist of the film, a bookish college professor, explains the history and meaning of the term to a pair of loudly arguing sports fans on a commuter train, and draws an admiring look from an attractive Asian woman who is a fellow passenger. The film concerns the personality change which overcomes the protagonist during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, and the film's title impliedly references the transient nature of the Steagles team, existing for only one brief season during a national crisis.

60th anniversary

The Steelers celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Steagles on August 17, 2003 during the pregame and halftime ceremonies at Heinz Field.

Six of the nine surviving members of that team were honored at halftime. Those members were quarterback Allie Sherman, running back and defensive back Ernie Steele, center Ray Graves, and tackles Al Wistert, Vic Sears, and Bucko Kilroy. End Tom Miller, tackle Ted Doyle and halfback John Hinkle were unable to attend. Sherman, Graves, and Wistert are the only three Steagles players still alive as of March 2010, and all three played for the Eagles under normal conditions. Ted Doyle was the last surviving Steagles player that was primarily a Steeler, having died in 2006.

In addition the Steelers recreated the Steagles era in their "Turn Back the Clock" ceremonies, including broadcasting in black and white on the Jumbotron and airing World War II footage during the national anthem. All live entertainment reflected the 1940s. During the festivities the Steelers gave each of the six members a replica Steagles jersey to wear. The jerseys worn by honorees were later given back to the Steelers and sold to help benefit a local charity. The Steelers also painted the south end zone in plain diagonal white lines, a common practice in the NFL until the 1960s. The Steelers later kept the "plain" design in the south end zone permanently. The Eagles won the game 21–16.

NFL DRAFT

The 1943 NFL Draft

Player Selections

The table shows the Eagles selections and the Steelers selections and what picks they had that were traded away and the team that ended up with that pick. It is possible the their pick ended up with this team via another team that they made a trade with. Not shown are acquired picks that were traded away.

= Pro Bowler

= Hall of Famer

		Philadelphia Eagles			--			Pittsburgh_Steelers
Round	Pick	Player	Position	School		Round	Pick	Player	Position	School
1	2	Joe Muha	Fullback	VMI		1	7	Bill Daley	Fullback	Minnesota
2	12	Lamar "Racehorse" Davis	Back	Georgia		2		NO PICK
3	17	Roy "Monk" Gafford	Back	Auburn		3	22	Jack Russell	End	Baylor
4	27	Bob Kennedy	Back	Washington State		4		NO PICK
5	32	Al "Ox" Wistert	Tackle	Michigan		5	37	Harry Connolly	Back	Boston College
6	42	Bruno Banducci	Guard	Stanford		6	47	Lou Sossamon	Center	South Carolina
7	52	Walt Harrison	Center	Washington		7	57	Al Ratto	Center	St. Mary's (CA)
8	62	Bruce Alford	End	Texas Christian		8	67	Ray Curry	End	St. Mary's (CA)
9	72	Rocco Canale	Guard	Boston College		9	77	Ed Murphy	End	Holy Cross
10	82	Bill Conoly	Tackle	Texas		10	87	Dick Dwelle	Back	Rice
11	92	John Billman	Guard	Minnesota		11	97	Al Wukits	Center	Duquesne
12	102	Jack Donaldson	Tackle	Pennsylvania		12	107	Joe Repko	Tackle	Boston College
13	112	Bill Erickson	Center	Georgetown (DC)		13	117	Pete Boltrek	Tackle	North Carolina State
14	122	George Weeks	End	Alabama		14	127	Mort Shiekman	Guard	Pennsylvania
15	132	Russ Craft	Back	Alabama		15	137	Milt Crain	Back	Baylor
16	142	Paul Darling	Back	Iowa State		16	147	Max Kielbasa	Back	Duquesne
17	152	Walt Gorinski	Back	Louisiana State		17	157	Nick Skorich	Guard	Cincinnati
18	162	Bob Friedman	Tackle	Washington		18	167	Jackie Field	Back	Texas
19	172	Johnny Bezemes	Back	Holy Cross		19	177	Felix Bucek	Guard	Texas A&M
20	182	Chet Mutryn	Back	Xavier		20	187	Johnny Welsh	Back	Pennsylvania
21	192	Baptiste Manzini	Center	St. Vincent's		21	197	Tony Compagno	Back	St. Mary's (CA)
22	202	Bernie Gillespie	End	Scranton		22	207	Willie Zapalac	Back	Texas A&M
23	212	Jay "Mule" Lawhon	Tackle	Arkansas		23	217	George Bain	Tackle	Oregon State
24	222	Vince Zachem	Center	Morehead State		24	227	Harry Wynne	Tackle	Arkansas
25	232	Joe Schwarting	End	Texas		25	237	Joe Cibulas	Tackle	Duquesne
26	242	Bob Neff	Tackle	Notre Dame		26	247	Bill Yambrick	Center	Western Michigan
27	252	Art Macioszczyk	Back	Western Michigan		27	257	Jack Freeman	Guard	Texas
28	262	Jim Arata	Tackle	Xavier		28	267	Joe Goode	Back	Duquesne
29	272	Wally Scott	End	Texas		29	277	Jack Durishan	Tackle	Pittsburgh
30	282	Stan Jaworowski	Tackle	Georgetown (DC)		30	287	Fritz Lobpries	Guard	Texas
31		NO PICK				31	292	Art Jones	Back	Haverford
31		NO PICK				32	297	Bob Ruman	Back	Arizona

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result
1	October 2, 1943	Brooklyn Dodgers	W 17–0
2	October 9, 1943	New York Giants	W 28–14
3	October 17, 1943	at Chicago Bears	L 48–21
4	October 24, 1943	at New York Giants	L 42–14
5	October 31, 1943	Chicago Cardinals	W 34–13
6	November 7, 1943	Washington Redskins	T 14–14
7	November 14, 1943	at Brooklyn Dodgers	L 13–7
8	November 21, 1943	Detroit Lions	W 35–34
9	November 28, 1943	at Washington Redskins	W 27–14
10	December 5, 1943	Green Bay Packers	L 38–28

Standings

NFL Eastern
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
Washington Redskins	6	3	1	.667	229	137	L-3
New York Giants	6	3	1	.667	197	170	W-4
Phil-Pitt	5	4	1	.556	225	230	L-1
Brooklyn Dodgers	2	8	0	.200	65	234	L-2

Game summaries

Week 1 (Saturday October 2, 1943): Brooklyn Dodgers

	1	2	3	4	OT
Dodgers	0	0	0	0	0
Steagles	10	7	0	0	17

at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 11,131
• Referee:

Scoring Drives:

• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – FG Zimmerman 32
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Butler 10 run (Zimmerman kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Steele 10 run (Zimmerman kick)

Week 2 (Saturday, October 9, 1943): New York Giants

	1	2	3	4	OT
Giants	14	0	0	0	14
Steagles	0	7	0	21	28

at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, PA

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 15,340
• Referee:

Scoring Drives:

• New York – Younce 30 interception (Cuff kick)
• New York – Paschal 1 run (Cuff kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Steele 1 run (Zimmerman kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Thurbon 11 pass from Zimmerman (Zimmerman kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Miller 31 pass from Zimmerman (Zimmerman kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Sherman 4 run (Paschka kick)

Week 3 (Sunday October 17, 1943): Chicago Bears

	1	2	3	4	OT
Steagles	7	0	0	14	21
Bears	7	28	7	6	48

at Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 21,744
• Referee:

Scoring Drives:

• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Steele 60 pass from Zimmerman (Zimmerman kick)
• Chicago – Magnani 96 kick return (Snyder kick)
• Chicago – Wilson 16 pass from Luckman (Snyder kick)
• Chicago – Magnani 13 run (Snyder kick)
• Chicago – Nolting 3 run (Snyder kick)
• Chicago – McEnulty 10 pass from Luckman (Snyder kick)
• Chicago – Clark 81 fumble run (Snyder kick)
• Chicago – Pool 17 pass from Luckman (kick failed)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Bova 51 pass from Zimmerman (Zimmerman kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Butler 1 run (Zimmerman kick)

Week 4 (Sunday October 24, 1943): New York Giants

	1	2	3	4	OT
Steagles	0	0	0	14	14
Giants	14	14	14	0	42

at Polo Grounds, New York, New York

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 42,681
• Referee:

Scoring Drives:

• New York – Adams 34 blocked punt return (Cuff kick)
• New York – Walls 31 pass from Nix (Cuff kick)
• New York – Paschal 4 run (Cuff kick)
• New York – Liebel 6 pass from Leemans (Cuff kick)
• New York – Blozis 35 blocked punt return (Cuff kick)
• New York – Paschal 1 run (Cuff kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Kish 4 pass from Sherman (Laux kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Wukits 2 fumble run (Laux kick)

Week 5 (Sunday October 31, 1943): Chicago Cardinals

	1	2	3	4	OT
Cardinals	0	13	0	0	13
Steagles	21	0	0	13	34

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 16,351
• Referee:

Scoring Drives:

• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Kish 86 Interception (Zimmerman kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Bova 31 pass from Zimmerman (Zimmerman kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Hinkle fumble recovery in end zone (Zimmerman kick)
• Chicago Cardinals – Currivan 35 pass from Masters (kick failed)
• Chicago Cardinals – Hall 67 pass from Cahill (Stokes kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Thurbon 3 run (kick failed)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Bova 26 pass from Zimmerman (Zimmerman kick)

Week 6 (Sunday November 7, 1943): Washington Redskins

The 1942 NFL Champion Washington Redskins come to Philadelphia with a 13 regular season game winning streak, and for 1943 scoring an avg of 30 points per game and allowing on 6 a game.

	1	2	3	4	OT
Redskins	0	0	7	7	14
Steagles	0	0	7	7	14

at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 28,893
• Referee:

Scoring Drives:

• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Cabrelli 24 interception (Zimmerman kick)
• Washington – Moore 25 pass from Baugh
• Washington – Rymkus 4 blocked punt return (Masterson kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Steele 35 pass from Zimmerman (Zimmerman kick)

Week 7 (Sunday November 14, 1943): Brooklyn Dodgers

	1	2	3	4	OT
Steagles	7	0	0	0	7
Dodgers	0	7	6	0	13

at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 7,614
• Referee:

Scoring Drives:

• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Thurbon 3 run (Paschka kick)
• Brooklyn -Manders 2 run (Kinard kick)
• Brooklyn – Condit 65 pass from Heineman (kick failed)

Week 8 (Sunday November 21, 1943): Detroit Lions

	1	2	3	4	OT
Lions	0	13	7	14	34
Steagles	7	7	7	14	35

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 23,338
• Referee:

Scoring Drives:

• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Butler 4 run (Zimmerman kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Hinkle 1 run (Zimmerman kick)
• Detroit – Mathews 98 kick return (Lio kick)
• Detroit – Hopp 88 run (kick failed)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Thurbon 2 run (Zimmerman kick)
• Detroit – Hackney 7 run (Lio kick)
• Detroit – Hopp 88 lateral from Mathews (Lio kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Cabrelli 7 pass from Zimmerman (Zimmerman kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Zimmerman 2 run (Zimmerman kick)
• Detroit – Van Tone 71 pass from Fenenbock (Lio kick)

Week 9 (Sunday November 28, 1943): Washington Redskins

	1	2	3	4	OT
Steagles	7	0	7	13	27
Washington	0	0	7	7	14

at Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 38,826
• Referee:

Scoring Drives:

• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Thurbon 6 run (Zimmerman kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Thurbon 5 run (Zimmerman kick)
• Washington – Masterson 4 pass from Baugh
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Steele 47 run (kick failed)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Hinkle 1 run (Zimmerman kick)
• Washington – Aguirre 12 pass from Baugh (Aguirre kick)

Week 10 (Sunday December 5, 1943): Green Bay Packers

	1	2	3	4	OT
Packers	14	3	7	14	38
Steagles	14	0	0	14	28

at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 34,294
• Referee:

Scoring Drives:

• Green Bay – Canadeo 35 run (Hutson kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Hinkle 38 run (Zimmerman kick)
• Green Bay – Canadeo 13 pass from Brock (Hutson kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Bova 48 pass from Zimmerman (Zimmerman kick)
• Green Bay – FG Hutson 25
• Green Bay – Comp 4 run (Hutson kick)
• Green Bay – Hutson 12 pass from Comp (Hutson kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Bova 13 pass from Sherman (Zimmerman kick)
• Philadelphia-Pittsburgh – Steele 4 run (Zimmerman kick)
• Green Bay – Hutson 23 pass from Comp (Hutson kick)

Roster

A List of the 1943 Phil/Pitt Steagles.

NO.	Player	AGE	POS	GP	GS	WT	HT	YRS	College
Phila	Greasy Neale	53	Head Coach	Offense				3rd	West Virginia Wesleyan
Pitt	Walt Kiesling	40	Head Coach	Defense				5th
	Tony Bova	26	E-B	10	6	190	6-1	1	St. Francis (PA)
Pitt	John Butler	25	HB-TB	10	9	185	5-10	Rookie	Tennessee
	Larry Cabrelli	26	E-DB	10	9	194	5-11	2	Colgate
Phila	Rocco Canale	26	T-G	5	0	240	5-11	Rookie	Boston College
	Enio Conti	30	G	10	1	204	5-11	2	Arkansas and Bucknell
	Ted Doyle	29	T-G	10	5	224	6-2	5	Nebraska
	Joe Frank	28	T	2	0	217	6-1	2	Georgetown (DC)
	Charlie Gauer	22	FB-E	9	1	213	6-2	Rookie	Colgate
Phila	Ray Graves	25	C	10	9	205	6-1	1	Tennessee Tennessee Wesleyan
	Bill Hewitt	34	E-DE	6	4	190	6-4	1	Michigan
	Jack Hinkle		B
	Bucko Kilroy		G-MG-T-DT
	Ben Kish		B
	Ted Laux		HB-DB
	Bob Masters		HB
Pitt	Hugh McCullough	27	TB-HB	1	0	185	6-0	4	Oklahoma
	Ed Michaels	29	G	10	9	205	5-11	Rookie	Villanova
	Tom Miller	25	DE-E	8	1	202	6-2	Rookie	Hampden-Sydney
Phila	Gordon Paschka	23	FB-G	10	1	220	6-0	Rookie	Minnesota
	Ray Reutt		E
	Steve Sader		FB
	Vic Sears		T-DT
	Allie Sherman		QB
Phila	Elbie Schultz	26	T-G	10	10	252	6-4	3	Oregon State
Pitt	Vic Sears	25	T-DT	10	10	223	6-3	2	Oregon State
Pitt	Ernie Steele	26	HB-DB	10	1	187	6-0	1	Washington
	Dean Steward	20	HB	6	0	210	6-0	Rookie	Ursinus
	Bob Thurbon	25	HB	10	1	176	5-10	Rookie	Pittsburgh
Phila	Al Wistert	23	T-G-DT	9	1	214	6-1	Rookie	Michigan
Pitt	Al Wukits	26	C-LB-G	10	1	218	6-3	Rookie	Duquesne
	Roy Zimmerman	25	QB-WB-K	10	9	201	6-2	3	San Jose State
	30 Players Team Average	24.9		10		204.3	6-0.3	1.9

References

• Steagles: When the Steelers and Eagles were One in the Same
• Steagles to be Honored
• Blood Brothers: The 1943 Steagles became an unlikely product of the war years
• The 'Steagles,' a ragtag NFL team that involved Greasy Neale
• World War II Steagles to be honored at tonight's game
• Fox Sports on MSN: Amazing Sports Stories
• The Steagles: Hybrid Team Zany Moment in Steelers' Past