The 1939 NFL Championship Game was the seventh league championship game of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL), held on December 10 inside the

Milwaukee Mile The Milwaukee Mile is a oval race track in the central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectat ...

, located at the

Wisconsin State Fair Park The Wisconsin State Fair Park is a fairgrounds and exhibition center in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. It has been the location of the Wisconsin State Fair since 1892. The fairgrounds are open year-round, hosting various exp ...

West Allis West Allis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. A suburb of Milwaukee, it is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 60,325 at the 2020 census, making it the eleventh-most populous city in Wisconsin. His ...

, a suburb west of

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. The

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

(9–1–1), the defending champions, played 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

(9–2). The teams had met in the previous year's title game in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, which the Giants won by six points, but did not play each other in the regular season. For the title game in Wisconsin, the Packers opened as 8-to-5 gambling favorites to win, with odds said to have tighened to 7-to-5 as gametime approached.Steve Snider
"Packers, Giants to Clash for Pro Grid Title Today: 32,000 Pay $80,000 to See Big Game in Milwaukee,"
''Eau Claire ILeader,'' Dec. 10, 1939, p. 14. The host Packers scored a touchdown in the first quarter and led 7–0 at halftime. They dominated in the second half to win 27–0 and secure their fifth title—two more than any other franchise. At the time, it was the highest attended sporting event in the Milwaukee area's history.

Location

The game (hosted by the Packers) was held in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

at the "Dairy Bowl" stadium, located in the infield of the

racetrack). The game took place in Milwaukee rather than the team's home city of

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...

due to team owner

Curly Lambeau Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau ( ; April 9, 1898 – June 1, 1965) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). Lambeau, along with his friend and fellow Green Bay, Wisconsin native, George Whitney ...

's belief that a game in Milwaukee (a larger city more accessible by rail) would generate greater attendance than one in Green Bay. Lambeau's decision paid off, with a sold-out game. The newly-built "Dairy Bowl" football stadium was dedicated at halftime with the breaking of a bottle of milk. On hand were Wisconsin Governor Julius P. Heil and Milwaukee Mayor

Daniel Hoan Daniel Webster Hoan Jr. (March 12, 1881 – June 11, 1961) was an American politician who served as the 32nd Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1916 to 1940. A lawyer who had served as Milwaukee City Attorney from 1910 to 1916, Hoan was a p ...

. The day before the game, the 1940 NFL Draft was held at Milwaukee's

Schroeder Hotel The Hilton Milwaukee is a historic Art Deco-style hotel opened in 1928 and located in the Westown neighborhood of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is owned by the Marcus Corporation, which also owns the Pfister Hotel and the Saint Kate Hotel ...

Scoring summary

''Sunday, December 10, 1939''
Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. CSTStoney McGlynn
"Packers slight favorites to beat Giants,"
''Milwaukee Sentinel,'' Dec. 10, 1939, p. 18.

Statistics

Source:

Officials

*Referee: Bill Halloran *Umpire: Ed Cochrane *Head linesman:

Tom Thorp Thomas Joseph Thorp (March 6, 1884 – July 6, 1942) was an American college football player and coach, sports writer, and football and horse racing official. He served as the head football at Fordham University from 1912 to 1913 and New York U ...

*Field judge: Dan Tehan :The NFL had only four game officials in ; the back judge was added in , the line judge in , and the side judge in .

Attendance and receipts

The Packers moved the game from Green Bay to the larger metropolitan area of Milwaukee in hopes of increasing attendance. Ultimately, 32,379 paid to watch. At the time, this was the highest attended sporting event in the Milwaukee area. The gross gate receipts of $83,510.35 set a new record. The title game tickets went on sale at noon on Monday, six days before the game, in both Green Bay and Milwaukee and were nearly sold out in the first 24 hours. Face value prices ranged from $1.10 to $4.40 per seat, the equivalent of $22 to $87 in 2021.

Team shares

The gate was distributed as follows: * The Packers took $23,231.06, with their 33 players each receiving $703.97. * The Giants took $15,487.37, with their 34 players each receiving $455.57. Source

Team rosters

Source:

References

External links

* Red Barber (narrator)
"1939 NFL Championship: New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers,"
contemporary newsreel via YouTube.com, April 20, 2018. (Video.) {{NFLC-SuperBowl Green Bay Packers playoff games NFL Championship games New York Giants postseason

Championship Game A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world championships, and ...

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 ...

West Allis, Wisconsin