Steagles

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Temporary 1943 NFL team season

title: "Steagles" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["steagles", "defunct-nfl-teams", "defunct-sports-clubs-and-teams-in-pittsburgh", "american-football-teams-established-in-1943", "american-football-teams-disestablished-in-1943", "pittsburgh-steelers", "pittsburgh-steelers-seasons", "philadelphia-eagles-seasons", "defunct-american-football-teams-in-pennsylvania", "philadelphia-eagles", "1943-in-sports-in-pennsylvania", "1943-nfl-season"] description: "Temporary 1943 NFL team season" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steagles" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Temporary 1943 NFL team season ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox NFL team season"]

Field	Value
team	Philadelphia-Pittsburgh Eagles-Steelers
year	1943
logo	Steagles_logo.jpg
record	5–4–1
division_place	3rd NFL Eastern
owner	Alexis Thompson, Art Rooney & Bert Bell
coach	Greasy Neale and Walt Kiesling
stadium	Shibe Park, Forbes Field
playoffs	Did not qualify
previous	1942 (Eagles)
1942 (Steelers)
next	1944 (Eagles)
1944 (Card-Pitt)
::

← 1942
Eagles seasons
1944 → ← 1942
Steelers seasons
1944 (Card-Pitt) → The Steagles, officially known as the Phil-Pitt Combine, was the team created by the temporary merger of Pennsylvania's two National Football League (NFL) teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles, during the 1943 season. The two franchises were compelled to field a single combined team because both had lost many players to military service during World War II. The league's official record book refers to the team as the "Phil-Pitt Combine", but the unofficial and portmanteau variation of the "Steagles", despite never being registered by the NFL, has become the enduring moniker.

History

The prospect of a unified Pittsburgh-Philadelphia team actually predated World War II by several years. The Pennsylvania Keystoners were a team that was proposed in 1939, conceived with the intention of the Steelers and Eagles owners buying into one of the two teams, then spinning the other off to an ownership group in Boston, Massachusetts. League officials rejected the plan, though it resulted in a convoluted ownership "two-step" that left Eagles owner Bert Bell with a share in the Steelers franchise.

America entered World War II on December 7, 1941, with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Most of the young men who were of the age to play professional football were also of the age to fight for their country. Six hundred NFL players joined the armed forces.

With the country now at war, President Franklin D. Roosevelt esteemed entertainment and sports as a much-needed diversion. He issued an inspirational letter to Commissioner of Baseball Kenesaw Mountain Landis which focused on the importance of Major League Baseball to Americans' morale. The address made no mention of football, as baseball was still widely referred to as America's pastime and had not yet been surpassed in popularity by football. However at its 1943 annual spring meeting, the NFL decided to follow baseball's lead and continue play. Other football leagues, such as the 1940–41 American Football League, Dixie League and the American Association, decided to suspend operations instead, leaving the NFL and its West Coast counterpart, the Pacific Coast Professional Football League, as the only leagues playing professional football at the time.

Draft deferments

The young men who remained in the States to play football were mostly those who were deferred from the draft. The Steagles players were either unfit for military service for physical or dependency reasons, age, or were active servicemen who had obtained leave to play. Three types of draft deferments defined 1943 NFL players. The first group was called III-A. If a man had persons dependent upon him for support, such as a wife, parent, grandparent, brother, or sister, the draft board would not make him a priority until other possible candidates had been taken. In late 1943, with increasing manpower requirements, the government defined a man classified as III-A as a married father whose child or children was born or conceived prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. The cutoff date for birth was September 15, 1942, precisely nine months and one week after Pearl Harbor. The second group of draft deferments, II-As, II-Bs, and II-Cs, consisted of those men who worked in critical civilian occupations, war industries producing and preparing ammunition, weapons and materials, or agriculture. The third group (IV-Fs), were those men deemed unfit for military service due to ailments such as chronic ulcers, improperly-healed injuries, defects of the extremities, bad hearing, and partial blindness.

Most NFL football players wanted to do their patriotic duty and serve their country, and for a man fit to play football, an IV-F classification was an embarrassment.

Many men could lead normal lives and even play football, but the military had deemed them unfit; numerous NFL players in 1943 had medical problems that kept them out of the military. Tony Bova, the Steagles' leading receiver with 17 receptions, was blind in one eye and partially blind in the other. Steagles guard Eddie Michaels was nearly deaf and center Ray Graves was deaf in one ear. One starting defensive end was blind in one eye and nearly legally blind in the other. The Steagles tailback John Butler made his first start one day after being classified IV-F by his draft board for poor eyesight and bad knees. Placekicker and punter Troy Smith had a prosthetic leg.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Steagles_photo.jpg" caption="'''1943 Steagles starting line-up'''
Back row (left to right): John Wilcox, back (#11); Ben Kish, back (#44); Ernie Steele, halfback (#37)
Middle row: Roy Zimmerman, quarterback (#7)
Front row (left to right): Larry Cabrelli, end (#84); Bucko Kilroy, tackle (#76); Eddie Michaels, guard (#60); Ray Graves, center (#52); Elbie Schultz, guard (#71); Vic Sears, tackle (#79); Bob Masters, end (#31)"] ::

1943 NFL spring meetings

Even with these deferments, NFL rosters were hurting. The Cleveland Rams suspended operations and the Pittsburgh Steelers had only six men left under contract while the Philadelphia Eagles had only sixteen. The 1943 NFL draft did not help much. Most players drafted went off to the war instead of joining NFL teams. Further exacerbating the issue was the continued insistence of George Preston Marshall and other NFL owners on continuing the ten-year-old ban on black players, which disqualified potential replacement players such as Kenny Washington.

Steelers' owner Art Rooney's idea was to merge the Steelers with the Eagles. This idea came quickly to him since two years earlier he thought about combining the two teams into the Pennsylvania Keystoners. Eagles' owner Alexis Thompson, who was serving in the US Army as a corporal, was not as keen on the plan since he at least had 16 players under contract. However, Thompson remembered how Rooney in 1941 swapped cities with him which allowed him to keep the Eagles in Philadelphia close to his New York City home. This led to an agreement on combining the teams.

The league approved the merger by a vote of 5–4. However, several owners expressed fears that the merger would produce a team with an unfair advantage. The merger had a slight lean in favor of Philadelphia based on stipulations imposed by Thompson. The team would be known as the Philadelphia Eagles and be based in Philadelphia. Rooney had very little leverage, bringing only six players to the table. However, he was successful in landing two home games in Pittsburgh, while Philadelphia would host four. The team was also to wear the Eagles' green and white colors instead of Pittsburgh's black and gold. This event officially marked the only time in the Steelers history (other than in 1941 when green and white were used as well as black and gold) that the team colors were something other than black and gold. The league also stated that helmets were mandated for the first time and that the league would expand in 1944 with the Boston Yanks paying $50,000 for entry into the league.

1943 season

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Steagles-Giants.jpg" caption="Pittsburgh-Philadelphia "Steagles" vs. New York Giants at Shibe Park
October 9, 1943"] ::

Philadelphia's Greasy Neale and Pittsburgh's Walt Kiesling would be co-head coaches because each coach refused to be demoted. This led to several problems: the first being that the two men hated each other. Secondly, Kiesling's own players did not like him; so asking the Eagles players to like him was too much to ask. However, Neale took advantage when Kiesling was delayed en route to camp which was held at St. Joseph's College in Philadelphia. By the time Keisling arrived, Neale already had the offense learning the T-formation, which was all the rage in those days because of its success in college football that was used by Frank Leahy at Notre Dame and by Red Blaik at Army. This conflict led to Neale serving as the team's offensive coordinator; while Kiesling served as the defensive coordinator. They would then split head coaching duties. According to defensive back Ernie Steele, the situation between the two coaches got so bad that Kiesling and Neale walked off the field after a heated argument during practice before a game. They returned for the game; but the players were nonetheless stunned. However, after the Steagles' in 1943 and Card-Pitt in 1944, Pittsburgh reverted to using the single-wing formation through 1952, becoming the last NFL team to ever use it as its primary offensive set.

Another difficult issue at the time was that the Steelers and Eagles were bitter intrastate rivals (much like the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins-Philadelphia Flyers rivalry of today) and usually both teams ended up near the bottom of the standings each year. The Steagles were the only professional sports team where all the players held full-time war jobs as it was a requirement of the team. Playing football was seen as an extracurricular activity. All of the 22 players on the roster kept full-time jobs in defense plants. One of Pittsburgh's players, Ted Doyle, worked at Westinghouse Electric and figured out later that his work assisted the Manhattan Project, which was America's effort to build the first atomic bomb, according to Matthew Algeo's book Last Team Standing.

As the season got underway, fans and newspapers began calling the team the Steagles, a combination of Steelers and Eagles. It had a nice ring to it and was fair to both cities. Steagles eventually became the common name used for the team throughout most of the country, except in Philadelphia, where the writers and even the team insisted on being called the Philadelphia Eagles. Chet Smith, the sports editor of the Pittsburgh Press, was initially the one who wrote in a column the moniker Steagles for the merged team, in a June 23, 1943 column.

Slowly, the team began to come together, and jumped out to a 2–0 start after defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants at Shibe Park. Against New York, the Steagles fumbled ten times (still an NFL record as of 2021), but managed to win 28–14. The team stumbled on the road, though, and after seven games sported a 3–3–1 mark, with their third win and the tie coming against the defending-champion Washington Redskins; the team regrouped with two at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field, against the Chicago Cardinals on Halloween Night and over the Detroit Lions on Nov. 21. Going into the season's final week, the 5-3-1 Steagles, with still a shot at the division championship, met Don Hutson and the Green Bay Packers in front of 35,000 fans at Shibe Park. Green Bay would go on to win the game 38–28, however, putting Phil-Pitt at 5-4-1, one game behind Washington and New York.

Aftermath

Legacy

The Steagles 1943 season was the Philadelphia franchise's first winning season in its history and the second for Pittsburgh's.

The next season, 1944, the NFL was back on solid footing. The Army had declared that it had enough soldiers and men over 26 years of age would not be drafted, though the league had another problem. With the Cleveland Rams back in operation, the expansion Boston Yanks team in the fold and the Eagles and Steelers back in their separate ways, the NFL had 11 teams, which created a nightmare with divisions and scheduling. NFL Commissioner Elmer Layden begged for two teams to combine again in 1944. Ten teams made for a perfect league and eleven seemed impossible. The Steelers were still short of players due to the war. Pittsburgh owner Art Rooney was unhappy with the "Phil-Pitt" arrangement, but wanted to keep it intact. However, Philadelphia refused. The team merged with the Chicago Cardinals for the 1944 season, creating a team known as Card-Pitt. This "Card-Pitt" team was derisively called "carpet" due to going winless, and the commentary that "every team walked all over them". The war ended by the time the 1945 NFL season started, and with the Brooklyn Tigers and the aforementioned Boston franchise permanently merging, there was an even number of ten teams to the delight of owners.

The Eagles, now having enough players back from the war, resumed their traditional operation and continued under Neale, who took home back-to-back coach of the year awards as Philadelphia won consecutive NFL championships in 1948 and 1949.

Individually, the Steagles' Jack Hinkle ended the season with 571 rushing yards. He lost the rushing title to New York's Bill Paschal by one yard. Against those very Giants Hinkle was not given credit for a 37-yard run (they gave it to John Butler). Hinkle did not complain about not winning the NFL rushing crown. Tony Bova, a half-blind 4-F, led the team in receiving with 417 yards.

In popular culture

The 1971 film The Steagle starring Richard Benjamin takes its name from the Steagles football team. In the opening scene, the protagonist of the film, a bookish college professor, explains the history and meaning of the term to a pair of loudly arguing sports fans on a commuter train, and draws an admiring look from an Asian woman who is a fellow passenger. The film concerns the personality change which overcomes the protagonist during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, and the film's title implicitly references the transient nature of the Steagles team, existing for only one brief season during a national crisis.

60th anniversary

The Steelers celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Steagles on August 17, 2003, during the pregame and halftime ceremonies at Heinz Field.

Six of the nine surviving members of that team were honored at halftime. Those members were quarterback Allie Sherman, running back and defensive back Ernie Steele, center Ray Graves, and tackles Al Wistert, Vic Sears, and Bucko Kilroy. End Tom Miller, tackle Ted Doyle and halfback John Hinkle were unable to attend. Wistert was the last surviving player of the combine and died in 2016. All three of the surviving players belonged to the Eagles. Ted Doyle, who died in 2006, was the last surviving Steeler player from the team.

In addition, the Steelers recreated the Steagles era in their "Turn Back the Clock" ceremonies, including broadcasting in black and white on the Jumbotron and airing World War II footage during the national anthem. All live entertainment reflected the 1940s. During the festivities the Steelers gave each of the six members a replica Steagles jersey to wear. The jerseys worn by honorees were later given back to the Steelers and sold to help benefit a local charity. The Steelers also painted the south end zone in plain diagonal white lines, a common practice in the NFL until the 1960s. The Steelers later kept the "plain" design in the south end zone for future years, mainly during the portion of the season the stadium is shared with college's Pitt Panthers.

Draft

Main article: 1943 NFL draft

Player selections

The table shows the Eagles and Steelers selections and what picks each had. ::data[format=table]

32	no pick		32	297	Bob Ruman	Back	Arizona
::

Exhibitions

Regular season

Schedule

::data[format=table] | Steagles|year=1943|border=2}}"| Week | Steagles|year=1943|border=2}}"| Date | Steagles|year=1943|border=2}}"| Opponent | Steagles|year=1943|border=2}}"| Result | Steagles|year=1943|border=2}}"| Record | Steagles|year=1943|border=2}}"| Venue | Steagles|year=1943|border=2}}"| Attendance | Steagles|year=1943|border=2}}"| Recap | Steagles|year=1943|border=2}}"| Sources | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | | Brooklyn Dodgers | W 17–0 | 1–0 | Shibe Park | 11,131 | Recap | title=Steagles Wallop Dodgers in Opener, 17–0 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JswaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jUwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4241%2C4603758 |access-date=June 2, 2011 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |page=12 (3rd section) |date=October 3, 1943}} | | | | | | | | | | | | | | New York Giants | W 28–14 | 2–0 | Shibe Park | 15,340 | Recap | title=Steagles Rally to Win Over Giants |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qNMbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OlEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6258%2C342952 |access-date=June 2, 2011 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |page=13 (3rd section) |date=October 10, 1943}} | | | | | | | | | | | | | October 17 | at Chicago Bears | L 21–48 | 2–1 | Wrigley Field | 21,744 | Recap | last=Muldoon |first=Cecil G. |title=One Taste of Bear Enough for Steagles! |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=r9MbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OlEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5898%2C2979082 |access-date=June 2, 2011 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |page=20 |date=October 18, 1943}} | | | | | | | | | | | | | October 24 | at New York Giants | L 14–42 | 2–2 | Polo Grounds | 42,681 | Recap | last=Muldoon |first=Cecil G. |title=Giants Soundly Thrash Inept Steagles |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ttMbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OlEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5730%2C5421191 |access-date=June 2, 2011 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |page=18 |date=October 25, 1943}} | | | | | | | | | | | | | October 31 | Chicago Cardinals | W 34–13 | 3–2 | Forbes Field | 16,351 | Recap | last=Muldoon |first=Cecil G. |title=Kickoffs Play Key Role in Steagle Win |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YzAbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kUwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5771%2C878512 |access-date=June 3, 2011 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |page=22 |date=November 1, 1943}} | | | | | | | | | | | | | November 7 | Washington Redskins | T 14–14 | 3–2–1 | Shibe Park | 32,694 | Recap | last=Muldoon |first=Cecil G. |title=Inspired Steagles Tie Redskins, 14–14 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ajAbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kUwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5227%2C3222174 |access-date=June 3, 2011 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press|page=20 |date=November 8, 1943}} | | | | | | | | | | | | | November 14 | at Brooklyn Dodgers | L 7–13 | 3–3–1 | Ebbets Field | 7,613 | Recap | last=Muldoon |first=Cecil G. |title=Gambling on Crippled Star Beats Steagles |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cTAbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kUwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5064%2C5583548 |access-date=June 3, 2011 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |page=22 |date=November 15, 1943}} | | | | | | | | | | | | | November 21 | Detroit Lions | W 35–34 | 4–3–1 | Forbes Field | 23,338 | Recap | last=Muldoon |first=Cecil G. |title=Steagles, Lions Stage Touchdown Circus |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NCAeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dY4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6114%2C910610 |access-date=June 3, 2011 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |page=24 |date=November 22, 1943}} | | | | | | | | | | | | | November 28 | at Washington Redskins | W 27–14 | 5–3–1 | Griffith Stadium | 35,540 | Recap | last=Muldoon |first=Cecil G. |title=Steagle Line Outstanding in Upset Win |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OiAeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dY4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5838%2C2756733 |access-date=June 6, 2011 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |page=22 |date=November 29, 1943}} | | | | | | | | | | | | | December 5 | Green Bay Packers | L 28–38 | 5–4–1 | Shibe Park | 34,294 | Recap | last=Muldoon |first=Cecil G. |title=Defeat Ends Good Season for Steagles |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QSAeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dY4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5944%2C5208596 |access-date=June 6, 2011 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |page=26 |date=December 6, 1943}} | | | | | | | | | | | | | Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Games in Weeks 1 and 2 were played on Saturday nights. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ::

Standings

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Brooklyn Dodgers

::data[format=table title="Starting lineups"]

Steagles	Position	Dodgers	Left end	Left tackle	Left guard	Center	Right guard	Right tackle	Right end	Quarterback	Left halfback	Right halfback	Fullback
Bill Hewitt	Ray Wehba
Vic Sears	Frank "Bruiser" Kinard
Elbie Schultz	Lew Jones
Al Wukits	Bill Conkright
Ed Michaels	Jake Fawcett
Al Wistert	Herm Schmarr
Larry Cabrelli	Keith Ranspot
Roy Zimmerman	Joe Setcavage
John Butler	George Cafego
Jack Hinkle	Merl Condit
Ben Kish	Clarence "Pug" Manders
::

Steagles substitutions: Bova, Miller, Doyle, Kilroy, Paschka, Conti, Frank, Graves, Masters, Gauer, Steele, Thurbon, McCullough and Sherman.

Dodgers substitutions: Kowalski, Webb, Sergienko, Davis, Mooney, Grandinette, Owens, Gutknecht, Svendsen, Martin, McAdams, Bill Brown and Marek. |} |Road=Dodgers |R1=0 |R2=0 |R3=0 |R4=0 |Home=Steagles |H1=10 |H2=7 |H3=0 |H4=0 The Steagles held the Dodgers to minus 33 rushing yards; this was the second lowest rushing total posted by a single team in an NFL game to that point. It currently ranks as the third-lowest rushing output in league history.

::data[format=table]

Steagles	Game statistics	Dodgers	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Punt return yards	Kickoff return yards	Punts	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards
10	8
50–202	23–(−33)
98	126
4–16–0	14–34–3
21	26
0	93
3–43.3	5–42.8
4–3	3–2
3–37	0–0
::

|} |}

Week 2: vs. New York Giants

::data[format=table title="Starting lineups"]

Steagles	Position	Giants	Left end	Left tackle	Left guard	Center	Right guard	Right tackle	Right end	Quarterback	Left halfback	Right halfback	Fullback
Bill Hewitt	Neal Adams
Vic Sears	Frank Cope
Elbie Schultz	Len Younce
Ray Graves	Bill Piccolo
Ed Michaels	Chuck Avedisian
Ted Doyle	Al Blozis
Larry Cabrelli	Bill Walls
Roy Zimmerman	Leland Shaffer
Jack Hinkle	Emery Nix
John Butler	Ward Cuff
Ben Kish	Bill Paschal
::

Steagles substitutions: Wukits, Conti, Paschka, Frank, Miller, Bova, Sherman, Steele, Thurbon, Gauer and Masters.

Giants substitutions: Dubzinski, Hein, Marone, Leemans, Roberts, Carroll, Pritko, Brown, Karcis, Kinscherf and Liebel. |} |Road=Giants |R1=14 |R2=0 |R3=0 |R4=0 |Home=Steagles |H1=0 |H2=7 |H3=0 |H4=21 Despite setting a league record by fumbling the ball ten times, the Steagles overcame the Giants on the strength of three fourth-quarter touchdowns. The mark of ten fumbles in a game by one team has since been matched three times, but it has never been topped.

::data[format=table]

Steagles	Game statistics	Giants	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Return yards	Punt avg.	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards
14	6
43–191	33–42
112	50
5–13–3	6–14–3
83	76
22	42.8
10–5	2–0
6–50	5–35
::

|} |}

Week 3: at Chicago Bears

::data[format=table title="Starting lineups"]

Steagles	Position	Bears	Left end	Left tackle	Left guard	Center	Right guard	Right tackle	Right end	Quarterback	Left halfback	Right halfback	Fullback
Bill Hewitt	Jim Benton
Vic Sears	Bill Steinkemper
Elbie Schultz	Dan Fortmann
Ray Graves	Bulldog Turner
Ed Michaels	George Musso
Al Wistert	Al Hoptowit
Larry Cabrelli	George Wilson
Roy Zimmerman	Bob Snyder
Ernie Steele	Harry Clarke
John Butler	Dante Magnani
Ben Kish	Bill Osmanski
::

Steagles substitutions: Bova, Miller, Reutt, Doyle, Kilroy, Conti, Paschka, Wukits, Sherman, Masters, Gauer, Hinkle and Laux.

Bears substitutions: Berry, Pool, Sigillo, Babartsky, Digris, Logan, Ippolito, Matuza, Mundee, Famighetti, Nolting, McEnulty, Vodicka, Luckman and McLean. |} |Road=Steagles |R1=7 |R2=0 |R3=0 |R4=14 |Home=Bears |H1=7 |H2=28 |H3=7 |H4=6

::data[format=table]

Steagles	Game statistics	Bears	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Return yards	Punt avg.	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards
12	15
30–60	46–205
109	176
6–24–2	13–25–2
130	183
3–36.7	5–37
2–1	2–1
7–76.5	15–108.5
::

|} |}

Week 4: at New York Giants

::data[format=table title="Starting lineups"]

Steagles	Position	Giants	Left end	Left tackle	Left guard	Center	Right guard	Right tackle	Right end	Quarterback	Left halfback	Right halfback	Fullback
Bill Hewitt	Neal Adams
Vic Sears	Frank Cope
Elbie Schultz	Len Younce
Ray Graves	Bill Piccolo
Enio Conti	Chuck Avedisian
Bucko Kilroy	Al Blozis
Larry Cabrelli	Bill Walls
Roy Zimmerman	Leland Shaffer
John Butler	Emery Nix
Jack Hinkle	Ward Cuff
Charlie Gauer	Bill Paschal
::

Steagles substitutions: Bova, Miller, Doyle, Wistert, Michaels, Paschka, Canale, Wukits, Kish, Thurbon, Sherman, Steele, Sader and Laux.

Giants substitutions: Pritko, Liebel, V. Adams, Carroll, Visnick, Marone, Roberts, Dubzinski, Hein, Leemans, Brown, Trocolor, Kinscherf, Sulaitis, Barker and Karcis. |} |Road=Steagles |R1=0 |R2=0 |R3=0 |R4=14 |Home=Giants |H1=14 |H2=14 |H3=14 |H4=0

::data[format=table]

Steagles	Game statistics	Giants	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Punt return yards	Punts	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards
10	12
38–64	30–72
168	127
13–32–1	10–17–0
47	60
13–35	6–49
4–1	1–0
5–19	2–10
::

|} |}

Week 5: vs. Chicago Cardinals

::data[format=table title="Starting lineups"]

Steagles	Position	Cardinals	Left end	Left tackle	Left guard	Center	Right guard	Right tackle	Right end	Quarterback	Left halfback	Right halfback	Fullback
Tony Bova	Eddie Rucinski
Vic Sears	Cliff Duggan
Elbie Schultz	Conway Baker
Ray Graves	Vaughn Stewart
Ed Michaels	Gordon Wilson
Ted Doyle	Chet Bulger
Tom Miller	Don Currivan
Roy Zimmerman	Walt Rankin
John Butler	Walt Masters
Jack Hinkle	Johnny Hall
Ben Kish	John Grigas
::

Steagles substitutions: Hewitt, Cabrelli, Bucko Kilroy, Wistert, Conti, Canale, Paschka, Wukits, Gauer, Steele, Steward, Thurbon, Sherman, Laux and Sader.

Cardinals substitutions: Wager, Rexer, Robnett, Albrecht, Clarence Booth, Ghersanich, Cahill, Stokes, Puplis, Morrow, Smith, Martin. |} |Road=Cardinals |R1=0 |R2=13 |R3=0 |R4=0 |Home=Steagles |H1=21 |H2=0 |H3=0 |H4=13

::data[format=table]

Steagles	Game statistics	Cardinals	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Punt return yards	Punts	Kickoff return yards	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards
16	9
54–167	28–31
74	173
4–10–1	8–21–3
45	17
5–33	7–36.3
75	28
4–2	2–2
6–82	6–59
::

|} |}

Week 6: vs. Washington Redskins

::data[format=table title="Starting lineups"]

Steagles	Position	Redskins	Left end	Left tackle	Left guard	Center	Right guard	Right tackle	Right end	Quarterback	Left halfback	Right halfback	Fullback
Tony Bova	Bob Masterson
Vic Sears	Willie Wilkin
Elbie Schultz	Dick Farman
Ray Graves	George Smith
Ed Michaels	Steve Slivinski
Ted Doyle	Lou Rymkus
Larry Cabrelli	Joe Aguirre
Roy Zimmerman	Ray Hare
John Butler	Sammy Baugh
Jack Hinkle	Wilbur Moore
Ben Kish	Bob Seymour
::

Steagles substitutions: Hewitt, Miller, Kilroy, Wistert, Canale, Conti, Paschka, Wukits, Gauer, Steward, Thurbon, Steele and Sherman.

Redskins substitutions: Lapka, Zeno, Pasqua, Shugart, Fiorentino, Leon, Hayden, Seno, Dunn and Farkas. |} |Road=Redskins |R1=0 |R2=0 |R3=7 |R4=7 |Home=Steagles |H1=0 |H2=0 |H3=7 |H4=7 The 1942 NFL Champion Washington Redskins come to Philadelphia with a 13 regular season game winning streak, and for 1943 scoring an avg of 30 points per game and allowing on 6 a game.

::data[format=table]

Steagles	Game statistics	Redskins	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Punt return yards	Punts	Kickoff return yards	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards
10	11
44–80	23–62
89	147
5–17–3	15–30–3
32	47
11–31.5	5–48.6
56	52
2–0	6–3
7–79	6–60
::

|} |}

Week 7: at Brooklyn Dodgers

::data[format=table title="Starting lineups"]

Steagles	Position	Dodgers	Left end	Left tackle	Left guard	Center	Right guard	Right tackle	Right end	Quarterback	Left halfback	Right halfback	Fullback
Tony Bova	Ray Wehba
Vic Sears	Frank "Bruiser" Kinard
Gordon Paschka	Jake Fawcett
Ray Graves	Bud Svendsen
Ed Michaels	Lew Jones
Ted Doyle	George Sergienko
Larry Cabrelli	Andy Kowalski
John Butler	Tillie Manton
Bob Thurbon	Ken Heineman
Jack Hinkle	Merl Condit
Ben Kish	Clarence "Pug" Manders
::

Steagles substitutions: Gauer, Miller, Kilroy, Wistert, Conti, Schultz, Wukits, Zimmerman, Steele and Steward.

Dodgers substitutions: Ranspot, Webb, Davis, Matisi, Grandinette, Martin, Setcavage, McAdams and Sachse. |} |Road=Steagles |R1=7 |R2=0 |R3=0 |R4=0 |Home=Dodgers |H1=0 |H2=7 |H3=6 |H4=0

::data[format=table]

Steagles	Game statistics	Redskins	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Punt return yards	Punts	Kickoff return yards	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards
10	11
44–80	23–62
89	147
5–17–3	15–30–3
32	47
11–31.5	5–48.6
56	52
2–0	6–3
7–79	6–60
::

|} |}

Week 8: vs. Detroit Lions

::data[format=table title="Starting lineups"]

Steagles	Position	Lions	Left end	Left tackle	Left guard	Center	Right guard	Right tackle	Right end	Quarterback	Left halfback	Right halfback	Fullback
Tony Bova	Bill Fisk
Vic Sears	Ted Pavelec
Elbie Schultz	Riley Matheson
Ray Graves	Gerry Conlee
Ed Michaels	Anthony Rubino
Bucko Kilroy	Al Kaporch
Larry Cabrelli	Jack Matheson
Roy Zimmerman	Bill Callihan
John Butler	Frank Sinkwich
Jack Hinkle	Arthur Van Tone
Ben Kish	Harry Hopp
::

Steagles substitutions: Gauer, Miller, Wistert, Doyle, Gordon Paschka, Conti, Wukits, Steward, Steele, Thurbon and Laux.

Lions substitutions: Kuczynski, Wickett, Batinski, Rockenbach, Lio, Evans, Hackney, Mathews, Keene and Fenenbock. |} |Road=Lions |R1=0 |R2=13 |R3=7 |R4=14 |Home=Steagles |H1=7 |H2=7 |H3=7 |H4=14

::data[format=table]

Steagles	Game statistics	Lions	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Yards off laterals	Passes	Punt return yards	Punts	Kickoff return yards	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards
17	12
48–262	33–160
83	194
10	25
7–13–1	10–22–4
0	9
4–40.75	2–32.5
101	167
2–1	3–1
3–35	4–40
::

|} |}

Week 9: at Washington Redskins

::data[format=table title="Starting lineups"]

Steagles	Position	Redskins	Left end	Left tackle	Left guard	Center	Right guard	Right tackle	Right end	Quarterback	Left halfback	Right halfback	Fullback
Tony Bova	Bob Masterson
Vic Sears	Lou Rymkus
Elbie Schultz	Clyde Shugart
Ray Graves	George Smith
Ed Michaels	Steve Slivinski
Bucko Kilroy	Joe Pasqua
Larry Cabrelli	Joe Aguirre
Roy Zimmerman	Ray Hare
John Butler	Sammy Baugh
Jack Hinkle	Wilbur Moore
Ben Kish	Bob Seymour
::

Steagles substitutions: Miller, Wistert, Doyle, Paschka, Conti, Canale, Wukits, Sherman, Thurbon, Steward and Steele.

Redskins substitutions: Piasecky, Wilkin, Fiorentino, Zeno, Ribar, Leon, Conkright, Seno, Cafego and Farkas. |} |Road=Steagles |R1=7 |R2=0 |R3=7 |R4=13 |Home=Washington |H1=0 |H2=0 |H3=7 |H4=7

::data[format=table]

Steagles	Game statistics	Redskins	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Punt return yards	Punts	Kickoff return yards	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards
19	10
64–297	20–58
82	211
6–13–1	14–28–2
13	61
6–29.7	7–39.5
59	81
4–2	1–0
5–30	10–60
::

|} |}

Week 10: vs. Green Bay Packers

::data[format=table title="Starting lineups"]

Steagles	Position	Packers	Left end	Left tackle	Left guard	Center	Right guard	Right tackle	Right end	Quarterback	Left halfback	Right halfback	Fullback
Tony Bova	Don Hutson
Vic Sears	Baby Ray
Elbie Schultz	Bill Kuusisto
Ray Graves	Charley Brock
Ed Michaels	Pete Tinsley
Bucko Kilroy	Chet Adams
Larry Cabrelli	Harry Jacunski
Roy Zimmerman	Larry Craig
John Butler	Tony Canadeo
Jack Hinkle	Lou Brock
Ben Kish	Ted Fritsch
::

Steagles substitutions: Miller, Gauer, Doyle, Wistert, Paschka, Conti, Wukits, Sherman, Thurbon, Steward and Steele.

Packers substitutions: Mason, Evans, Berezney, Goldenberg, Flowers, Falkenstein, Laws, Starret, Uram, Lankas, Kahler and Comp. |} |Road=Packers |R1=14 |R2=3 |R3=7 |R4=14 |Home=Steagles |H1=14 |H2=0 |H3=0 |H4=14

::data[format=table]

Steagles	Game statistics	Packers	First downs	Rushes–yards	Passing yards	Passes	Punt return yards	Punts	Kickoff return yards	Fumbles–lost	Penalties–yards
10	8
40–142	38–175
176	103
7–18–6	9–23–2
57	8
3–36	5–39
176	63
4–2	0–0
2–10	8–55
::

|} |}

Roster

::data[format=table] | Pittsburgh Steelers}}; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; width:2em;" align=center| ## | Steelers]] player | | |---|---|---| ::

| cellspacing="2"| ::data[format=table title="Positions key"]

LB		K		QB		HC	Head coach
::

::data[format=table title="Players and coaches of the 1943 Phil/Pitt "Steagles":{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/phi/1943.htm |title=1943 Phi/Pit Eagles/Steelers Statistics & Players |website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]] |access-date=2010-04-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100907004247/http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/phi/1943.htm |archive-date=September 7, 2010 }}http://www.databasefootball.com/teams/teamyear.htm?tm=PHI&lg=nfl&yr=1943{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite book|last=Algeo |first=Matthew |title=Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles—"The Steagles"—Saved Pro Football During World War II |year=2006 |publisher=[[Da Capo Press]] |isbn=978-0-306-81472-3 |pages=vi–vii}}"]

#	Player	Pos.	GP	GS	Ht.	Wt.	Age	Yrs.	College	Draft status
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	—		Greasy Neale	co-HC (offense)					53	3rd
Pittsburgh Steelers}}"	—		Walt Kiesling	co-HC (defense)					40	5th
Pittsburgh Steelers}}"	85	Tony Bova	/	10	6	6–1	190	26	1	St. Francis (PA)
Pittsburgh Steelers}}"	27	John Butler	/	10	10	5–10	185	25	R	Tennessee
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	84	Larry Cabrelli	/	10	9	5–11	194	26	2	Colgate
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	75	Rocco Canale	/	4	0	5–11	240	26	R	Boston College
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	67	Enio "Ed" Conti		10	1	5–11	204	30	2	Arkansas / Bucknell
Pittsburgh Steelers}}"	72	Ted Doyle	/	10	4	6–2	224	29	5	Nebraska
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	61	Joe Frank		2	0	6–1	217	28	2	Georgetown (DC)
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	32	Charlie Gauer	/	9	1	6–2	213	22	R	Colgate
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	52	Ray Graves		10	9	6–1	205	25	1	Tennessee / Tenn. Wesleyan
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	82	Bill Hewitt	/	6	4	6–4	190	34	1	Michigan
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	43	Jack Hinkle		10	9	5–9	190	26	11	Syracuse
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	76	Frank "Bucko" Kilroy	///	9	4	6–2	243	22	R	Notre Dame / Temple
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	44	Ben Kish		10	9	6–0	207	26	3	Pittsburgh
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	15	Ted Laux	/	4	0	5–10	185	25	R	St. Joseph's (PA)
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	31	Bob Masters	/	3	0	5–11	200	32	6	Baylor
Pittsburgh Steelers}}"	25	Hugh McCullough	/	1	0	6–0	185	27	4	Oklahoma
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	60	Ed Michaels		10	9	5–11	205	29	R	Villanova
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	89	Tom Miller	/	10	1	6–2	202	25	R	Hampden-Sydney
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	61	Gordon Paschka	/	10	1	6–0	220	23	R	Minnesota
81	Ray Reutt		1	0	6–0	195	26	R	VMI
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	33	Steve Sader		2	0	5–11	180	26	R	none
Pittsburgh Steelers}}"	71	Eberle "Elbie" Schultz	/	10	9	6–4	252	26	3	Oregon State
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	79	Vic Sears	/	10	10	6–3	223	26	2	Oregon State
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	10	Allie Sherman		8	0	5–11	170	25	R	Brooklyn
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	37	Ernie Steele	/	10	1	6–0	187	26	1	Washington
Pittsburgh Steelers}}"	36	Dean Steward		6	0	6–0	210	20	R	Ursinus
Pittsburgh Steelers}}"	49	Bob Thurbon		9	1	5–10	176	25	R	Pittsburgh
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	70	Al Wistert	//	9	2	6–1	214	23	R	Michigan
Pittsburgh Steelers}}"	50	Al Wukits	//	10	1	6–3	218	26	R	Duquesne
Philadelphia Eagles 48thru95}}"	7	Roy Zimmerman	//	10	9	6–2	201	25	3	San Jose State
::

References

Sources

Algeo, Matthew (2006), Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles—"The Steagles"—Saved Pro Football During World War II. Philadelphia: Da Capo Press.

References

"1943 Statistics". [[National Football League]].
Robinson, Joshua. (January 14, 1989). "Steelers Shared Resources With 2 Teams During World War II". [[The New York Times]].
Robinson, Alan. (November 5, 2004). "During one difficult season, the Eagles and Steelers were one". [[Sporting News]].
Algeo, 2006, p. 40-41.
Algeo, 2006, p. 49-50.
Algeo, 2006, p. 50.
"Archived copy".
Algeo, 2006, p. 29-33.
Algeo, 2006, p. 51.
Algeo, 2006, p. 58.
(August 20, 1943). "Eagles-Steelers Plan Drills at St. Joe". [[Reading Eagle]].
Algeo, 2006, p.129.
Algeo, 2006, p. 65.
Chester L. Smith. (June 23, 1943). "The Village Smithy". The Pittsburgh Press.
Algeo, 2006, p. 202.
Conner, Floyd. (September 2000). "Football's Most Wanted". Potomac Books Inc.
DiPaola, Jerry. (August 16, 2003). "World War II Steagles to be honored at tonight's game". [[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]].
"Pro Football Deaths 2006".
Beachler, Eddie. (September 12, 1943). "Fumbles Hurt Steagles as Green Bay Wins, 28–10". [[Pittsburgh Press]].
(September 17, 1943). "Luckman's Passes Topple Steelers". [[Pittsburgh Press]].
(October 3, 1943). "Steagles Wallop Dodgers in Opener, 17–0". [[Pittsburgh Press]].
(October 10, 1943). "Steagles Rally to Win Over Giants". [[Pittsburgh Press]].
Muldoon, Cecil G.. (October 18, 1943). "One Taste of Bear Enough for Steagles!". [[Pittsburgh Press]].
Muldoon, Cecil G.. (October 25, 1943). "Giants Soundly Thrash Inept Steagles". [[Pittsburgh Press]].
Muldoon, Cecil G.. (November 1, 1943). "Kickoffs Play Key Role in Steagle Win". [[Pittsburgh Press]].
Muldoon, Cecil G.. (November 8, 1943). "Inspired Steagles Tie Redskins, 14–14". [[Pittsburgh Press]].
Muldoon, Cecil G.. (November 15, 1943). "Gambling on Crippled Star Beats Steagles". [[Pittsburgh Press]].
Muldoon, Cecil G.. (November 22, 1943). "Steagles, Lions Stage Touchdown Circus". [[Pittsburgh Press]].
Muldoon, Cecil G.. (November 29, 1943). "Steagle Line Outstanding in Upset Win". [[Pittsburgh Press]].
Muldoon, Cecil G.. (December 6, 1943). "Defeat Ends Good Season for Steagles". [[Pittsburgh Press]].
Effrats, Louis. (October 3, 1943). "Steagles Conquer Dodger Eleven, 17–0". [[The New York Times]].
(July 27, 2010). "2010 NFL Record and Fact Book". [[National Football League]].
Effrat, Louis. (October 10, 1943). "Steagles Defeat Giant Eleven 28–14". [[The New York Times]].
2010 NFL Record and Fact Book (2010), p.574
(October 18, 1943). "Bears Overcome Steagles, 48–21; Magnani Runs 96 Yards, Clark 81". [[The New York Times]].
Sell, Jack. (December 6, 1943). "Hudson scores 20 points". [[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]].
"1943 Phi/Pit Eagles/Steelers Statistics & Players".
(June 2017)
Algeo, Matthew. (2006). "Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles—"The Steagles"—Saved Pro Football During World War II". [[Da Capo Press]].

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