The 1936 NFL Championship Game was the fourth
championship game played in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...
(NFL). It took place on December 13 at
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 through 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built fo ...
in New York City, making it the first NFL title game held on a neutral field.
The Eastern Division champion
Boston Redskins
The Washington Commanders, an American football team belonging to the National Football League (NFL), have also played as the Boston Braves, Boston Redskins, Washington Redskins, and Washington Football Team. Founded in 1932, the team has won five ...
(7–5) were the home team, but their owner
George Preston Marshall
George Preston Marshall (October 11, 1896 – August 9, 1969) was an American businessman best known for founding the Washington Commanders, an American football franchise belonging to the National Football League (NFL). He founded the team as ...
, the Packers and the league mutually agreed to move the game from
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and Boston Braves (baseball), since 1953, i ...
to the Polo Grounds due to low ticket sales in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
.
Several days after the game, Marshall announced he would move the team to his hometown of
Washington, D.C. for the
following season.
This was the first championship game for both the Redskins and the Western Division champion Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...
(10–1–1), who were favored. The Packers won 21–6 for their fourth NFL title, all under longtime head coach Curly Lambeau, having previously won league championships awarded by league standing in 1929
This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholi ...
, 1930
Events
January
* January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...
, and 1931
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
.[
]
Scoring summary
''Sunday, December 13, 1936''
Kickoff: 2 p.m. EST[
;First quarter:
*GB – ]Don Hutson
Donald Montgomery Hutson (January 31, 1913 – June 26, 1997) was an American professional football player and assistant coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as an end and spent his entire 11-year professional career with t ...
48-yard pass from Arnie Herber ( Ernie Smith kick), 7–0 GB
;Second quarter:
*BOS – Pug Rentner 2-yard run (kick failed), 7–6 GB
;Third quarter:
*GB – Milt Gantenbein 8-yard pass from Herber (Smith kick), 14–6 GB
;Fourth quarter:
*GB – Bob Monnett
Robert C. Monnett (February 27, 1910 – August 2, 1978) was a professional American football player who played halfback for six seasons for the Green Bay Packers. He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1973.
Monnett ret ...
2-yard run (Tiny Engebretsen
Paul Joseph “Tiny” Engebretsen (July 27, 1910 – March 31, 1979) was a professional American football player who played offensive lineman for two seasons for the Chicago Bears, Chicago Cardinals, and Pittsburgh Pirates, and 9 years for the G ...
kick), 21–6 GB
Officials
*Referee: W.G. Crowell
*Umpire: Bobby Cahn
*Head Linesman: Maurice Meyer
*Field Judge: William Halloran [
The NFL had only four game officials in ; the back judge was added in , the line judge in , and the side judge in .
]
Players' shares
Each player on the winning Packer team received about $250, while Redskins received about $180 each.[
]
References
{{NFL pre-sb
NFL Championship Game
Throughout its history, the National Football League (NFL) and other rival American football leagues have used several different formats to determine their league champions, including a period of inter-league matchups to determine a true national c ...
Green Bay Packers postseason
Boston Redskins postseason
Championship Game
National Football League Championship games
NFL Championship Game
Throughout its history, the National Football League (NFL) and other rival American football leagues have used several different formats to determine their league champions, including a period of inter-league matchups to determine a true national c ...
Sports in Manhattan
American football in New York City
Sports competitions in New York City
NFL Championship Game
Throughout its history, the National Football League (NFL) and other rival American football leagues have used several different formats to determine their league champions, including a period of inter-league matchups to determine a true national c ...
1930s in Manhattan
Washington Heights, Manhattan