1947 Pittsburgh Steelers season

1947 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Head coachJock Sutherland
Home fieldForbes Field
Results
Record8–4
Division place2nd NFL Eastern
Playoff finishLost Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Eagles) 0–21

The 1947 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 15th season in the National Football League (NFL). The team improved on its 1946 record by winning eight games and losing four. This record tied for the lead in the Eastern Division and qualified the Steelers for the franchise's first playoff berth.[1][2][3] It was the Steelers' only postseason appearance before 1972.

It was Jock Sutherland's second and final year as head coach; he died the following April[4][5] after being found wandering around in a field in Kentucky. Once flown back to Pittsburgh, he was diagnosed as having two brain tumors. He only lived a few more days.

Pre-Season Changes

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In 1946, the Steeler offense and defense featured the NFL MVP in the person of Bill Dudley. The Virginia grad and Army veteran led the NFL in rushing, interceptions, punt returns and all-purpose yards. Despite being wildly popular with fans and fellow players, Dudley and Coach Sutherland could not get along. Ultimately, Dudley asked Art Rooney, Sr. to trade him and the owner reluctantly agreed.

Dudley was traded to the Detroit Lions for Bob Cifers and Paul White. Additionally, the Steelers received the Lions' 1948 first round draft pick. Both White and Cifers had a demonstrable positive effect on the team. Cifers played brilliantly and was one of the top punters in the NFL that year. [6]

Draft

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1947 Pittsburgh Steelers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 5 Hub Bechtol  E Texas Signed with the Baltimore Colts (AAFC)
3 16 John Mastrangelo  T Notre Dame
5 29 Frank Wydo  T Cornell
6 38 Frank Aschenbrenner  RB Northwestern Returned to college
7 49 Bryant Meeks  C South Carolina
8 58 Jerry Shipkey *  LB UCLA Played beginning in 1948
9 69 Bert Vander Clute  G Wesleyan
10 78 Paul Gibson  E NC State
11 89 Jack Medd  C Wesleyan
12 98 Jack Fitch  B North Carolina
13 109 Ara Parseghian  HB Miami (OH) Signed with the Cleveland Browns (AAFC)
14 118 Red Moore  G Penn State
15 129 Larry Bruno  B Geneva
16 138 Ralph Jenkins  C Clemson
17 149 Elbie Nickel *  E Cincinnati
18 158 Bill Cregar  G Holy Cross
19 169 Jerry Mulready  E North Dakota State Signed with the Chicago Rockets (AAFC)
20 178 Warren Smith  T Kansas Wesleyan
21 189 Fred Hamilton  T Vanderbilt
22 198 Fred Taylor  E TCU
23 209 Binks Bushmiaer  B Vanderbilt
24 218 Paul Davis  FB Otterbein
25 229 Tommy Kalmanir  HB Nevada Returned to college
26 238 Don Mohr  E Baldwin Wallace
27 249 Art Young  G Dartmouth
28 258 Ralph Sazio  T William & Mary
29 269 Dick Pitzer  E Army
30 278 Tom Stalloni  T Delaware
31 287 Vince DiFrancesca  G Northwestern
32 294 Warren Lahr *  DB Case Western Reserve Returned to college
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[7]

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Game
recap
1 September 21 Detroit Lions W 17–10 1–0 Forbes Field Recap
2 September 29 Los Angeles Rams L 7–48 1–1 Forbes Field Recap
3 October 5 at Washington Redskins L 26–27 1–2 Griffith Stadium Recap
4 October 12 at Boston Yanks W 30–14 2–2 Fenway Park Recap
5 October 19 Philadelphia Eagles W 35–24 3–2 Forbes Field Recap
6 October 26 at New York Giants W 38–21 4–2 Polo Grounds Recap
7 November 2 at Green Bay Packers W 18–17 5–2 Wisconsin State Fair Park Recap
8 November 9 Washington Redskins W 21–14 6–2 Forbes Field Recap
9 November 16 New York Giants W 24–7 7–2 Forbes Field Recap
10 November 23 at Chicago Bears L 7–49 7–3 Wrigley Field Recap
11 November 30 at Philadelphia Eagles L 0–21 7–4 Shibe Park Recap
12 December 7 Boston Yanks W 17–7 8–4 Forbes Field Recap
13 Bye
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Playoffs

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Round Date Opponent Result Venue Game
recap
Divisional December 21 Philadelphia Eagles L 0–21 Forbes Field Recap

The 1947 team was the most successful team in club history to date. It was the Steelers' first playoff appearance, the first time winning more than four games consecutively, and the club posted a franchise-best 8–4 record. Though the Steelers lost the playoff,[3][8][9] fans and players were excited for their future.

However, fate would interrupt again when head coach Jock Sutherland took a trip to visit family in Kentucky. He ran off the road and was found wondering in a muddy field. Flown back to Pittsburgh, Sutherland died four days later on April 11, 1948, due to complications from a brain tumor.[4][5] It was a sudden and disheartening end to a successful period in team history. The Steelers did not play in the postseason again until 1972.

Game summaries

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Week 1

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Sunday, September 21: Detroit Lions

1 2 3 4 Total
Lions 7 0 3 0 10
Steelers 0 7 0 10 17

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 34,691
  • Referee:

Scoring Drives:

Week 2

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Monday, September 29: Los Angeles Rams

1 2 3 4 Total
Rams 6 14 7 21 48
Steelers 0 7 0 0 7

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 35,658
  • Referee:

Scoring Drives:

Week 3

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Sunday, October 5): Washington Redskins

1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 3 7 14 2 26
Redskins 0 7 13 7 27

at Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 36,565
  • Referee:

Scoring Drives:

Week 4

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Sunday, October 12: Boston Yanks

1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 7 7 7 9 30
Yanks 0 0 0 14 14

at Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 18,894
  • Referee:

Scoring Drives:

Week 5

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Sunday, October 19: Philadelphia Eagles

1 2 3 4 Total
Eagles 10 14 0 7 31
Steelers 7 7 0 21 35

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 33,538
  • Referee:

Scoring Drives:

Week 6

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Sunday, October 26: New York Giants

1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 7 17 7 7 38
Giants 0 7 7 7 21

at Polo Grounds, New York, New York

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 41,736
  • Referee:

Scoring Drives:

Week 7

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Sunday, November 2: Green Bay Packers

1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 3 6 7 2 18
Packers 10 0 0 7 17

at Wisconsin State Fair Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 30,073
  • Referee:

Scoring Drives:

Week 8

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Sunday, November 9: Washington Redskins

1 2 3 4 Total
Redskins 0 7 0 7 14
Steelers 7 7 7 0 21

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 36,257
  • Referee:

Scoring Drives:

Week 9

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Sunday, November 16: New York Giants

1 2 3 4 Total
Giants 0 0 7 0 7
Steelers 3 0 0 21 24

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 35,000
  • Referee:

Scoring Drives:

Week 10

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Sunday, November 23: Chicago Bears

1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 0 7 0 0 7
Bears 7 14 7 21 49

at Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois

Scoring Drives:

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 34,142
  • Referee:

Scoring Drives:

Week 11

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Sunday, November 30: Philadelphia Eagles

1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 0 0 0 0 0
Eagles 7 0 0 14 21

at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 37,218
  • Referee:

Scoring Drives:

Week 12

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Sunday, December 7: Boston Yanks

1 2 3 4 Total
Yanks 0 7 0 0 7
Steelers 10 0 0 7 17

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 31,398
  • Referee:

Scoring Drives:

Post season

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Game summary

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Week 14

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Sunday, December 21: Philadelphia Eagles

1 2 3 4 Total
Eagles 7 7 7 0 21
Steelers 0 0 0 0 0

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 2:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 35,729
  • Referee:

Scoring Drives:

Source:[2][3][8][9]

All-Pro Honors

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Standings

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NFL Eastern Division
W L T PCT DIV PF PA STK
Philadelphia Eagles 8 4 0 .667 6–2 308 242 W1
Pittsburgh Steelers 8 4 0 .667 6–2 240 259 W1
Boston Yanks 4 7 1 .364 3–4–1 168 256 L2
Washington Redskins 4 8 0 .333 3–5 295 367 W1
New York Giants 2 8 2 .200 1–6–1 190 309 L1
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References

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  1. ^ Biederman, Les (December 15, 1947). "Steelers, Eagles in playoff Sunday". Pittsburgh Press. p. 24.
  2. ^ a b Biederman, Les (December 21, 1947). "Eagles given edge over Steelers". Pittsburgh Press. p. 28.
  3. ^ a b c Biederman, Les (December 22, 1947). "Steelers disappoint in grid playoff". Pittsburgh Press. p. 28.
  4. ^ a b Sell, Jack (April 12, 1948). "Jock Sutherland is dead at 59". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
  5. ^ a b "Sutherland rites tomorrow; Steelers to be pallbearers". Pittsburgh Press. April 12, 1948. p. 1.
  6. ^ Starless: The 1947 Pittsburgh Steelers, Steve Massey, 2018
  7. ^ "1947 Pittsburgh Steelers Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Philadelphia Eagles defeat Steelers for right to play Cards next Sunday". Milwaukee Journal. December 22, 1947. p. 10, part 2.
  9. ^ a b "Philadelphia Eagles win Eastern division of National grid league". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 22, 1947. p. 8.
  10. ^ Pro Football Reference 1947 All Pro Team