On This Date in Sports November 14, 1943: Luckman Seven
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
The Chicago Bears ravage the New York Giants 56-7 at the Polo Grounds. The beatdown comes at the hands of quarterback Sid Luckman who passes for 453 yards with seven touchdowns. Just before the game, Luckman was honored by his alma mater Columbia with a pair of $1,000 war bonds in his name. Luckman had the finest season of his career in 1943, passing for 2,194 yards with 28 touchdowns in ten games.
Sidney Luckman was born on November 21, 1916, in Brooklyn. Luckman was the child of a pair of Jewish immigrants from Russia living in Flatbush. He began playing football at the age of eight when his father gave him a football. Growing up in an athletic family, Sid Luckman attended Columbia and finished third in the 1938 voting for the Heisman Trophy.
The Bears were able to get Sid Luckman after he was traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates (Steelers), who drafted him with the second overall pick in the 1939 NFL Draft. Luckman was initially reluctant to play in the NFL, as professional football players were looked down upon by high society. Bears President and Coach George Halas worked overtime and eventually signed Sid Luckman to then-record a $5,500 contract.
George Halas used Sid Luckman’s ability to throw the ball to create the T-Formation, making the Chicago Bears the NFL’s most formidable team. With Sid Luckman leading the way, the Bears won the 1940 NFL Championship, repeating in 1941. The Bears would go 11-0 in the regular season in 1942 but lost the NFL Championship Game to the Washington Redskins.
World War II would take its toll on manpower in the NFL, and the Chicago Bears were no different. With George Halas in the Navy, the Bears were co-coached by Hunk Anderson and Luke Johnsos. Sid Luckman did his service in the merchant marines and was available to play in the 1943 season, serving locally in Chicago. The Bears held a record of 6-0-1 as they took on the Giants coached by Steve Owens, who themselves were locked in a battle with the Redskins to win the Eastern Division.
Coming back to New York always led to big performances from Sid Luckman as he had friends and family in the stands at the Polo Grounds. Before playing the Giants, he was gifted with a pair of $1,000 war bonds, one from Columbia the other from the Borough of Brooklyn. Luckman got the Bears off to a fast start with a pair of touchdown passes in the first quarter. The Giants scored their lone touchdown on a touchdown by Carl Kinscherf. However, the Bears answered as Luckman connected with Hampton Pool, while Harry Clarke had a four-yard run. The Bears, in fact, would score two touchdowns in each quarter, finishing the game with 56 points, seven of the touchdowns came courtesy of Sid Luckman. Pool and Jim Benton each had two touchdown receptions, while Harry Clarke had a touchdown reception and touchdown run as the Bears set a record for 682 total yards of offense.
The Bears would go on to finish the season with a record of 8-1-1, winning their third NFL Championship in four years.