1953 Pittsburgh Steelers season

1953 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Head coach	Joe Bach
Home field	Forbes Field
Results
Record	6–6
Division place	4th NFL Eastern
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
←  1952 Steelers seasons 1954  →

The 1953 Pittsburgh Steelers season marked the franchise's 21st year in the National Football League (NFL). The club finished with a record of 6 wins and 6 losses, 4th place in the league's Eastern Conference.

Regular season

Schedule

Game	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap	Sources
1	September 27	at Detroit Lions	L 21–38	0–1
2	October 3	New York Giants	W 24–14	1–1
3	October 11	Chicago Cardinals	W 31–28	2–1
4	October 17	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 7–23	2–2
5	October 24	Green Bay Packers	W 31–14	3–2
6	November 1	Philadelphia Eagles	L 7–35	3–3
7	November 8	at Cleveland Browns	L 16–34	3–4
8	November 15	at New York Giants	W 14–10	4–4
9	November 22	Cleveland Browns	L 16–20	4–5
10	November 29	Washington Redskins	L 9–17	4–6
11	December 6	at Chicago Cardinals	W 21–17	5–6
12	December 13	at Washington Redskins	W 14–13	6–6

Game summaries

Week 1 (Sunday September 27, 1953): Detroit Lions

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

at Briggs Stadium, Detroit, Michigan

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 20,675
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• Detroit – Carpenter 73 interception (Walker kick)
• Pittsburgh – Nickel 14 pass from Finks (Bolkovac kick)
• Detroit – Gedman 1 run (Walker kick)
• Detroit – FG Walker 40
• Pittsburgh – Mathews 1 fumble run (Bolkovac kick)
• Detroit – Hart 49 pass from Layne (Walker kick)
• Detroit – Walker 8 pass from Hoernschmeyer (Walker kick)
• Detroit – Hoernschemeyer 29 pass from Layne (Walker kick)
• Pittsburgh – Nickel 15 pass from Marchibroda (Bolkovac kick)

Week 2 (Saturday October 3, 1953): New York Giants

	1	2	3	4	Total
Giants	7	7	0	0	14
Steelers	7	3	0	14	24

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 31,500
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• New York Giants – Clay 2 pass from Conerly (Clay kick)
• Pittsburgh – Chandnois 93 kick return (Bolkovac kick)
• New York Giants – Long 55 pass from Conerly (Clay kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Bolkovac 35
• Pittsburgh – Nickel 4 pass from Finks (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – Bolkovac 14 fumble run (Bolkovac kick)

Week 3 (Sunday October 11, 1953): Chicago Cardinals

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	7	14	7	0	28
Steelers	0	7	7	17	31

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 25,953
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• Chicago Cardinals – Olszewski 1 run (Summerall kick)
• Pittsburgh – Rogel 1 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Chicago Cardinals – Nagler 34 pass from Root (Summerall kick)
• Chicago Cardinals – Nagler 6 pass from Root (Summerall kick)
• Chicago Cardinals – Stonesifer 3 pass from Trippi (Summerall kick)
• Pittsburgh – Mathews 19 pass from Finks (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – Rogel 4 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – Barker 4 pass from Finks (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Bolkovac 28

Week 4 (Saturday October 17, 1953): Philadelphia Eagles

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	0	7	0	7
Eagles	0	0	6	17	23

at Connie Mack Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 18,681
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• Philadelphia – Pihos 28 pass from Burk (kick blocked)
• Pittsburgh – Mathews 23 pass from Finks (Bolkovac kick)
• Philadelphia – FG Walston 11
• Philadelphia – Giancanelli 16 pass from Thomason (Walston kick)
• Philadelphia – Ziegler 1 run (Walston kick)

Week 5 (Saturday October 24, 1953): Green Bay Packers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	0	0	7	7	14
Steelers	7	10	14	0	31

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 22,918
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – Finks 4 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Bolkovac 40
• Pittsburgh – Chandnois 6 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – Brandt 2 run (Bolkovac kick)
• PIttsburgh – Brandt 1 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Green Bay – Parilli 1 run (Cone kick)
• Green Bay – Cone 5 pass from Rote (Cone kick)

Week 6 (Sunday November 1, 1953): Philadelphia Eagles

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	14	7	0	14	35
Steelers	0	7	0	0	7

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 27,547
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

• Philadelphia – Gianganelli 7 run (Walston kick)
• Philadelphia – Williams 48 run (Walston kick)
• Philadelphia – Walston 21 pass from Thomason (Walston kick)
• Pittsburgh – Mathews 11 pass from Finks (Bolkovac kick)
• Philadelphia – Pihos 26 pass from Thomason (Walston kick)
• Philadelphia – Giancanelli 8 pass from Thomason (Walston kick)

Week 7 (Sunday November 8, 1953): Cleveland Browns

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	9	7	0	0	16
Browns	0	24	0	10	34

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 35,592
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – FG Bolkovac 27
• Pittsburgh – Mathews 2 run (kick failed)
• Cleveland – Carpenter 7 run (Groza kick)
• Cleveland – FG Groza 20
• Cleveland – Renfro 44 run (Groza kick)
• Pittsburgh – Mathews 77 pass from Finks (Bolkovac kick)
• Cleveland – Renfro 79 blocked field goal return (Groza kick)
• Cleveland – Lavelli 17 pass from Graham (Groza kick)
• Cleveland – FG Groza 14

Week 8 (Sunday November 15, 1953): New York Giants

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	7	0	0	7	14
Giants	0	0	7	3	10

at Polo Grounds, New York, New York

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 20,411
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – Dodrill 16 fumble run (Bolkovac kick)
• New York Giants – Gifford 6 pass from Conerly (Gifford kick)
• New York Giants – FG Clay 20
• Pittsburgh – Butler 33 pass from Finks (Bolkovac kick)

Week 9 (Sunday November 22, 1953): Cleveland Browns

	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	7	10	3	0	20
Steelers	9	0	0	7	16

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 32,904
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

• Cleveland – Renfro 54 pass from Graham (Groza kick)
• Pittsburgh – Finks 1 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – Safety, Lahr tackled in end zone by Mathews
• Cleveland – FG Groza 50
• Cleveland – Brewster 31 pass from Graham (Groza kick)
• Cleveland – FG Groza 41
• Pittsburgh – Mathews 1 run (Bolkovac kick)

Week 10 (Sunday November 29, 1953): Washington Redskins

	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	0	7	0	10	17
Steelers	2	0	0	7	9

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 17,206
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – Safety, Heath tackled by Ferry in end zone
• Washington – Taylor 5 pass from LeBaron (Dudley kick)
• Pittsburgh – Chandnois 5 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Washington – FG Dudley 41
• Washington – Rykovich 5 pass from LeBaron (Dudley kick)

Week 11 (Sunday December 6, 1953): Chicago Cardinals

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	0	7	14	21
Cardinals	7	0	3	7	17

at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 14,138
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

• Chicago Cardinals – Olszewski 1 run (Summerall kick)
• Chicago Cardinals – FG Summerall 12
• Pittsburgh – Brandt 1 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – Nickel 6 pass from Mackrides (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – Mackrides 2 run (Bolkovac kick)
• Chicago Cardinals – Paul 5 pass from Romanik (Summerall kick)

Week 12 (Sunday December 13, 1953): Washington Redskins

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

at Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 22,057
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

• Washington – Dekker 34 pass from LeBaron
• Washington – FG Dudley 39
• Washington – FG Dudley 20
• Pittsburgh – Chandnois 23 lateral from Mathews (Bolkovac kick)
• Pittsburgh – Butler 5 interception (Bolkovac kick)

Standings

NFL Eastern Conference
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Cleveland Browns	11	1	0	.917	9–1	348	162	L1
Philadelphia Eagles	7	4	1	.636	6–3–1	352	215	W1
Washington Redskins	6	5	1	.545	6–3–1	208	215	L1
Pittsburgh Steelers	6	6	0	.500	5–5	211	263	W2
New York Giants	3	9	0	.250	3–7	179	277	L2
Chicago Cardinals	1	10	1	.091	0–10	190	337	W1

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

NFL Western Conference
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Detroit Lions	10	2	0	.833	8–2	271	205	W6
San Francisco 49ers	9	3	0	.750	8–2	372	237	W4
Los Angeles Rams	8	3	1	.727	7–3	366	236	W2
Chicago Bears	3	8	1	.273	2–7–1	218	262	L2
Baltimore Colts	3	9	0	.250	2–8	182	350	L7
Green Bay Packers	2	9	1	.182	2–7–1	200	338	L5

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.