The 1940 NFL season was the 21st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended when the Chicago Bears defeated the Washington Redskins in the NFL Championship Game by 73–0; this result still stands as the most one-sided victory (and highest score) in NFL history as of the 2023 season.
| Regular season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | September 8 – December 8, 1940 |
| East Champions | Washington Redskins |
| West Champions | Chicago Bears |
| Championship Game | |
| Champions | Chicago Bears |
Giants
Eagles
Dodgers
Steelers
Redskins
Bears
Cardinals
Packers
Rams
Lions
The Pittsburgh Pirates were rebranded as the Steelers before the 1940 season.
Draft
editThe 1940 NFL draft was held on December 9, 1939, at Milwaukee's Schroeder Hotel. With the first pick, the Chicago Cardinals selected halfback George Cafego from the University of Tennessee.
Major rule changes
edit- The penalty for a forward pass not from scrimmage is 5 yards.
- Penalties for fouls that occur prior to a pass or kick from behind the line of scrimmage are enforced from the previous spot. However, penalties for fouls during a free ball or when the offensive team fouls behind their line are enforced from the spot of the foul.
- Fouls enforced in the field of play cannot penalize the ball more than half the distance to the offender's goal line.
- If the offensive team commits pass interference in their opponent's end zone, the defense has the choice of 15 yards from the previous spot and a loss of down, or a touchback.
Final standings
edit| NFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Washington Redskins | 9 | 2 | 0 | .818 | 6–2 | 245 | 142 | W1 | |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 6–2 | 186 | 120 | W4 | |
| New York Giants | 6 | 4 | 1 | .600 | 5–2–1 | 131 | 133 | L1 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2 | 7 | 2 | .222 | 1–6–1 | 60 | 178 | L1 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 1 | 10 | 0 | .091 | 1–7 | 111 | 211 | L1 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
| NFL Western Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Chicago Bears | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 6–2 | 238 | 152 | W2 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 6 | 4 | 1 | .600 | 4–3–1 | 238 | 155 | T1 | |
| Detroit Lions | 5 | 5 | 1 | .500 | 4–3–1 | 138 | 153 | L1 | |
| Cleveland Rams | 4 | 6 | 1 | .400 | 2–5–1 | 171 | 191 | T1 | |
| Chicago Cardinals | 2 | 7 | 2 | .222 | 2–5–1 | 139 | 222 | L3 | |
NFL Championship Game
editChi. Bears 73, Washington 0, at Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C., December 8, 1940
League leaders
edit| Statistic | Name | Team | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing | Sammy Baugh | Washington | 1367 |
| Rushing | Byron "Whizzer" White | Detroit | 514 |
| Receiving | Don Looney | Philadelphia | 707 |
Awards
edit| Joe F. Carr Trophy (Most Valuable Player) | Clarence "Ace" Parker, Quarterback, Brooklyn |
1940 All Professional Team[1]
First Team
- LE: Don Hutson, Green Bay Packers
- LT: Joe Stydahar, Chicago Bears
- LG: Danny Fortmann, Chicago Bears
- C: Mel Hein, New York Giants
- RG: John Wiethe, Detroit Lions
- RT: Frank Kinard, Brooklyn Dodgers
- RE: Perry Schwartz, Brooklyn Dodgers
- QB: Clarence Parker, Brooklyn Dodgers
- LHB: Sammy Baugh, Washington Redskins
- RHB: Byron "Whizzer" White, Detroit Lions
- FB: Johnny Drake, Cleveland Rams
Second Team
- LE: Don Looney, Philadelphia Eagles
- LT: Jim Barber, Washington Redskins
- LG: Steve Slivinski, Washington Redskins
- C: Clyde Turner, Chicago Bears
- RG: Doug Oldershaw, New York Giants
- RT: John Mellus, New York Giants
- RE: Jim Poole, New York Giants
- QB: Davey O'Brien, Philadelphia Eagles
- LHB: Cecil Isbell, Green Bay Packers
- RHB: Dick Todd, Washington Redskins
- FB: Clarke Hinkle, Green Bay Packers
Coaching changes
edit- Brooklyn Dodgers: Potsy Clark was replaced by Jock Sutherland.
- Chicago Cardinals: Ernie Nevers was replaced by Jimmy Conzelman.
- Detroit Lions: Gus Henderson was replaced by George Clark.
Stadium changes
edit- The Detroit Lions played full time at University of Detroit Stadium, no longer splitting home games with Briggs Stadium
- The Philadelphia Eagles moved from Philadelphia Municipal Stadium to Shibe Park
References
edit- ^ Team selected by National Professional Football Writers' Association. George Strickler (ed.), Roster and Record Manual, 1941. New York: Commissioner's Office, 1941; p. 68.
- NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
- NFL History 1931–1940 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)