The ten teams of the NFL each played a 11 game schedule during the 1942 regular season, for a league total of 55 contests.
Continuing their Chicago Bears finished the regular season at 11–0, and faced the 10–1 Washington Redskins in the championship game. Washington, which had been embarrassed by a massive 73–0 shutout loss in the 1940 Championship Play-off, got a measure of revenge by spoiling the Bears' hope for a perfect season, winning the rematch 14–6.
The use of flags on flexible shafts to mark the intersections of goal lines and side lines (the predecessor to the pylon) becomes mandatory.
A clarification to the offsides rule is added: The center or snapper is not offsides unless a portion of his body is ahead of the defensive team's line.
A half cannot end on a double foul. Instead, the period will be extended by one untimed down.
Detachable kicking toes are prohibited.
When an encroachment or false start causes the other team to be offsides, only the initial foul is penalized.
A forward pass that first touches an ineligible receiver may be intercepted.
If the offensive team commits pass interference in their opponent's end zone, it is an automatic touchback.
These statistics include the 11 regularly scheduled games played by each team and exclude the Championship game. A new league record for passing was set by the Green Bay Packers, with 2,407 yards gained through the air.[1] The Packers also set new records for most passes completed in a season (172) and most touchdowns passing (28).[1] The Washington Redskins, featuring the passing of Sammy Baugh, set a new NFL record for passing accuracy, completing 53.4% of their 257 pass attempts as a team.[1] Also worthy of note is the point differential of the undefeated Chicago Bears, who amassed 376 points (34.1 points per game) while giving up just 84 (7.6 points per game) — both league bests.
Source: Strickler (ed.), 1943 NFL Roster and Record Manual, pp. 82–83.
Receiving
Packers end Don Hutson led the league in receiving and was selected Most Valuable Player for the second straight year.
Top receiver in the NFL in 1942 — for the fifth time in eight seasons — was Don Hutson of the Packers.[4] In this second of two back-to-back MVP years, Hutson set new NFL records for total receiving yards (1,211), receptions (74), and touchdowns receiving (17).[4] He also led the league in scoring, setting a new league record with 138 points scored in just an 11 game season.[5] He also expanded his career records for touchdowns (72) and yards receiving (5,515).[4]
The league as a whole set a record for touchdown passes with 108, topping the matching 100 TD seasons of 1940 and 1941.[4]
Source: Strickler (ed.), 1943 NFL Roster and Record Manual, pp. 86-87.
Passing
Green Bay's Cecil Isbell became the NFL's first back-to-back passing champion in 1942.[6] He set new season records for passing yards (2,021), completions (146), and touchdown passes (24) — also tying a league record by throwing six touchdown passes in one game.[6] Also delivering an MVP-caliber performance was Sammy Baugh of the Redskins, who also topped the old NFL records for passing yards, completions, and touchdown passes, while helping Washington set a new team record for completion percentage (53.3%).[6]
Sources: Strickler (ed.), 1943 NFL Roster and Record Manual, pp. 84-85.
Awards
Joe F. Carr Trophy
The Joe F. Carr Trophy was presented annually by the National League as its Most Valuable Player award. For the second year in a row, the award was won by Packer end Don Hutson.
Given the dominant performance of the 1942 Chicago Bears team, it is unsurprising that five of the players named to the First Team eleven were members of George Halas' club, with a sixth Bear player tabbed for the second team. In addition, four Washington Redskins were accorded All-League honors, with the Green Bay Packers and the Cleveland Rams adding three players each. There were also 34 players included as part of an "Honorable Mention" list.[7]
1 2 3 Strickler (ed.), 1943 NFL Roster and Record Manual, p. 74.
↑ Official NFL stats included yardage gained "by rushing" and "on laterals", which are combined here.
↑ Strickler (ed.), 1943 NFL Roster and Record Manual, pp. 82–83.
1 2 3 4 Strickler (ed.), 1943 NFL Record & Roster Manual, p. 86.
↑ Strickler (ed.), 1943 NFL Record & Roster Manual, p. 79.
1 2 3 Strickler (ed.), 1943 NFL Record & Roster Manual, p. 84.
↑ Strickler (ed.), 1943 NFL Roster and Record Manual, p. 98.
Further reading
Tom Bennett, et al. (eds.), The NFL's Official Encyclopedic History of Professional Football. Revised and expanded edition. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977.
Bob Carroll, et al. (eds.), Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. New York: HarperCollins, 1999.
NFL Communications Department and Santo Labombarda (eds.), Official National Football League 2024 Record and Fact Book. New York: National Football League, 2024.
Joseph S. Page, Pro Football Championships Before the Super Bowl: A Year-by-Year History, 1926–1965. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2011.
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