NFL New York Giants
1933 season
As a rookie with the New York Giants in 1933, Newman was an All-Pro and led the NFL in passes completed (53), passing yards (973), touchdown passes (11), and longest pass completion (78 yards). [6] Newman's 973 passing yards stood as the NFL single-season record until 1937 when Arnie Herber threw for 1,239 yards. [7] He also led the Giants, and was sixth in the NFL, with 437 yards rushing in 1933. [6] [8] With 1,547 yards of total offense (973 passing, 437 rushing and 137 receiving), Newman personally accounted for more than half of the Giants' total offense in 1933. [8] He was named to the All-Pro team, [6] and led the Giants to the 1933 NFL championship game.
In the 1933 NFL Championship Game against the Chicago Bears, Newman threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Red Badgro to give the Giants a 7–6 halftime lead. Newman's touchdown throw to Badgro was the first touchdown pass thrown in an NFL championship game. [9] [10] After the Bears went ahead 16–14 in the third quarter, Newman threw a second touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to give the Giants the lead, but the Bears scored the winning touchdown with less than one minute left to win the championship game, 23–21.
1934 season
In 1934, Newman was the Giant's leading rusher and passer, and was an All-Pro for the second consecutive season. [11] The Giants went on to win their first NFL championship in 1934, but Newman's season was cut short after he broke two bones in his back during the tenth game of the season against the Chicago Bears. Newman complained after the 1934 season that the new football adopted by the NFL in 1934 was "harder to pass" than the old one which had greater girth. [12] He set the NFL single-game carries record of 38 which was tied in 1966 by Jim Nance and broken in 1973 by O. J. Simpson. [13]
1935 season
In early September 1935, there were reports that Newman might not return to the Giants' backfield, because he did not want to leave his Detroit liquor business. [14] Newman announced he was quitting professional football and did not play the first few weeks of the season. Then, on October 15, 1935, Newman announced that he had changed his mind and signed a contract to play with the Giants beginning the following Saturday. [15] After his return, Newman wrote: "Football still is fun. If it weren't it wouldn't be worth while, regardless of how much they paid you for it. Believe me, I've missed it the few weeks I was out and I was mighty glad to get back into action." [16] Newman played in eight games (four as a starter) for a Giants team that once again advanced to the NFL Championship Game, losing to the Detroit Lions, 26–7. [17] With the clock ticking off the final seconds of the championship game, Newman threw an interception that was run back 36 yards and resulted in a final score by the Lions. [18]
In November 1935, Newman wrote a guest column for the New York Post on the difference between the college and professional game. Newman wrote: "Among the Giants we kid a lot about how we feel Monday morning. Sometimes it's not too good. That's when the aches and pains begin to creep up on you. Boys, how you hate to get out of bed! The only difference between pro and amateur in that respect is that you ache all over a day later in pro football." [16]
After the 1935 season, Newman credited his disappointing performance in 1935 to skating: "Skating is the best thing I know of to develop hip-swinging, judgment of distance, suppleness, dexterity, pivot and angle terms. I was off form in 1935 and the main reason was because I did no skating last winter. I did a lot in 1932–33 and followed it up with a great season on the gridiron." [19]
In 1936, Giants's president John V. Mara said that the club had paid Newman $10,000 in 1935. Mara said that the owners had found out that it did not work out to pay one star $800 a game while the rest of the team was paid $100 per game, and the resentment sometimes showed. The owners reacted by trying to evenly distribute money over the squad, such that Mara believed that the highest paid player in 1936 was paid only $500 per game. [20]
Brooklyn Tigers (1936)
In 1936, Newman jumped to the new American Football League and signed with the Brooklyn Tigers. Newman reportedly made the move "because he got a contract calling for a big increase in salary." [21] Newman was one of the first established stars to switch to the new league, and sports writer Harry Grayson reported on Newman's move: "Harry Newman, the former Michigan quarterback who has been the highest paid pro athlete of the last three campaigns, has left the Giants flat to perform with and be the business manager of the American League entry which plans to stage its games at the Yankee Stadium." [22]
Even before the new league got started, it was reported to be tottering on the brink and a "big flop." As one report noted: "That in spite of the fact such outstanding players as Ken Strong,Harry Newman and Gomer Jones are slated to compete for the new clubs." [23]
On October 19, 1936, Newman scored the Tigers' only touchdown in a loss to Pittsburgh at Forbes Field. [24]
On November 1, 1936, Newman made a "sensational 45-yard run" that "brought the crowd to its feet" just before the first quarter ended. Newman also kicked a field goal to give the Tigers a 3–0 lead over the New York Yankees, but the Yankees tied it with a field goal. [25] Later in the game, Newman ran 75 yards for what appeared to be the winning touchdown, but the play was called back on a clipping penalty. In response to the penalty call, the crowd at Yankee Stadium "booed lustily." [26]
On November 8, 1936, Newman lateraled for both of Brooklyn's touchdowns and kicked both extra points in a 15–14 loss to the Cleveland Rams. [27]
Rochester Tigers (1936–37)
In mid-November 1936, the Tigers franchise moved to Rochester, New York, where they played the final two games of the 1936 season. In announcing the move, one report focused on Newman as one of the best players in the new league: "Headlining the Rochester cast is Harry Newman, football's greatest passer . . . Newman is the leading ground gainer in the American League, despite the fact that he is with a second division club." [28]
The Rochester Tigers lost to the Rams again in late November by a score of 7–6 on "a snow-swept gridiron." Newman put the Tigers ahead with two 35-yard field goals in the fourth quarter, but the Rams recovered a fumble behind the Tigers' goal line to win the game. [29]
The Brooklyn/Rochester Tigers finished the 1936 season in last place in the new league with a record of 0–6–1, and were outscored 82–58. [30]
Newman closed the season on December 20, 1936 playing for the New York Yankees against the Boston Shamrocks. This was an exhibition game, as the league's regular season had ended in November. The Yankees won, 25–19, and Newman "booted a perfect kick from placement on the 30-yard line." [31]
Newman and Mike Palm owned the Tigers franchise and moved it to Rochester for two games at the end of 1936. However, in March 1937, Newman and Palm said they expected to move the franchise out of Rochester unless a minimum of $25,000 in cash subscriptions could be raised. [32]
On September 14, 1937, a group of 30 men announced the formation of the Rochester Professional Football Team, Inc. to continue operation of the Rochester Tigers. Newman and Mike Palm were named as the coaches. [33] Newman drew a salary of $250 per game for Rochester in 1937, higher than the professional average of $100, but less than the $425 paid to Sammy Baugh. [34] The Tigers opened with a 16–0 loss to the Boston Shamrocks, followed by a 17–14 win over the Cincinnati Red Legs. [35] They followed with a 6–0 win over the Boston Shamrocks, as Newman kicked a field goal in the win. [36] On October 24, 1937, Newman and Bill O'Neill led the Tigers to a 24–0 victory over the New York Yankees, as the Tigers moved into second place with a 3–2 record behind the Los Angeles Bulldogs. [37] In the season's sixth game, Newman led the Tigers to a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, throwing three passes to account for a touchdown and then kicking the extra point in the final minute and a half. [38] Newman and former Pitt halfback Mike Sebastian were the mainstays of the 1937 Tigers. [39]
On November 14, 1937, the Tigers played the first place Los Angeles Bulldogs. The Bulldogs took a 35–0 lead before Newman launched a comeback attempt. Newman ran 25 yards for a touchdown and threw two touchdown passes, but the Bulldogs won, 48–21. [40]
After the 1937, season the American Professional Football League folded, and Newman retired from football.
Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed "the Galloping Ghost" and "the Wheaton Iceman", was an American professional football halfback who played for the Chicago Bears and the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League (NFL).
Glenn Emery "Press" Presnell was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He set the NFL single-season scoring record in 1933 and led the league in total offense. He was the last surviving member of the Detroit Lions inaugural 1934 team and helped lead the team to its first NFL championship in 1935. He also set an NFL record with a 54-yard field goal in 1934, a record which was not broken for 19 years. Presnell served as the head football coach at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1942 and at Eastern Kentucky State College—now known as Eastern Kentucky University–from 1954 to 1963, compiling a career college football coaching record of 45–56–3. He was also the athletic director at Eastern Kentucky from 1963 to 1971.
Benjamin Friedman was an American football player and coach, and athletic administrator.
Morris Hiram "Red" Badgro was an American professional football and baseball player. He played as an end in the National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.
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William Ernest Hewitt was an American professional football defensive end and end who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played five seasons for the Chicago Bears (1932–1936), three for the Philadelphia Eagles (1937–1939), and one for the Phil-Pitt Steagles (1943). He is remembered for his refusal to wear a helmet as one of the last NFL players not to wear one.
Earl Harry "Dutch" Clark, sometimes also known as "the Flying Dutchman" and "the Old Master", was an American football player and coach, basketball player and coach, and university athletic director. He gained his greatest acclaim as a football player and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame with its inaugural class in 1951 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame with its inaugural class in 1963. He was also named in 1969 to the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team and was the first player to have his jersey retired by the Detroit Lions.
Kenneth William Kavanaugh was an American football player, coach, and scout. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears as an end from 1940 to 1950, except for three seasons during which he served in World War II. He led the league in receiving touchdowns twice, and is a member of the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team. He is the Bears' all-time leader in receiving touchdowns, with 50. He retired with the second most receiving touchdowns in NFL history and was the second to reach 50 touchdowns in NFL history.
Gaynell Charles "Gus" Tinsley was an American football end and coach. He played for the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) from 1937 to 1938 and in 1940. He played college football for the LSU Tigers, where he was a consensus All-American. He was drafted in the second round of the 1937 NFL draft by the Cardinals, with whom he was an All-NFL selection in 1937 and 1938. During his three years in the NFL, Tinsley set or tied NFL single-season records with 674 receiving yards in 1937 and 41 pass receptions in 1938. He later served as the head football coach at LSU from 1948 to 1954. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1956 as a player.
The 1933 NFL Championship Game was the first scheduled championship game of the National Football League (NFL) since its founding in 1920. It was played on December 17 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and the attendance was estimated at 25,000.
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Edward Frank Danowski was an American football player and coach. He played quarterback and halfback in the National Football League (NFL) with the New York Giants from 1934 to 1941. Danowski served as the head football coach at Fordham University from 1946 to 1954.
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Elmer Kenneth Strong was an American professional football player who was a halfback and fullback. He also played minor league baseball. Considered one of the greatest all-around players in the early decades of the game, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1957 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and was named to the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team.
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The 1936 AFL season is the first season of the second American Football League, the formation of which was announced by Harry March, former personnel director of the NFL's New York Giants, on December 15, 1935. Fifteen cities bid for charter franchises; on April 11, 1936, franchises were awarded to eight cities: Boston, Cleveland, Jersey City, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, and Syracuse. By mid-summer, Jersey City, Philadelphia, and Providence withdrew; soon afterwards, Rochester was given a franchise, only to have it relocated to Brooklyn, despite the lack of availability of a home stadium at the time.
The 1935 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 6th season in the National Football League (NFL) and second in Detroit. Under fifth-year head coach Potsy Clark, the Lions placed first in the NFL's Western Division and defeated the New York Giants 26–7 in the NFL Championship Game for their first league title.
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