1933 Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL) season

1933 Pittsburgh Pirates season
Head coach	Forrest Douds
Home field	Forbes Field
Results
Record	3-6-2
Division place	5th Eastern Division
Playoff finish	none

The 1933 Pittsburgh Pirates was the first season of the team that would eventually become the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team was founded in the offseason after Pennsylvania relaxed its blue laws that prior to 1933 prohibited sporting events from taking place on Sundays, when most NFL games took place. Art Rooney used his horse racing winnings to pay the NFL a $2,500 fee to join the league. Except for a brief period in 1940, Rooney would remain owner until his death in 1988; his family remains the owners of the team today.

The team would take the field for the first time on September 20 against the New York Giants at Forbes Field, losing 23-2. The following week, the team would get its first win, defeating the Chicago Cardinals at home 14-13.

The team would finish 3-6-2 for the season.

Regular Season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Game Site
2	September 20, 1933	New York Giants	L 23-2	Forbes Field
3	September 27, 1933	Chicago Cardinals	W 14-13	Forbes Field
4	October 4, 1933	Boston Redskins	L 21-6	Forbes Field
5	October 11, 1933	Cincinnati Reds	W 17-3	Forbes Field
5	October 15, 1933	Green Bay Packers	L 47-0	City Stadium
6	October 22, 1933	Cincinnati Reds	T 0-0	Redland Field
7	October 29, 1933	Boston Redskins	W 16-14	Fenway Park
8	November 5, 1933	Brooklyn Dodgers	T 3-3	Ebbets Field
9	November 12, 1933	Brooklyn Dodgers	L 32-0	Forbes Field
10	November 19, 1933	Philadelphia Eagles	L 25-6	Baker Bowl
12	December 3, 1933	New York Giants	L 27-3	Polo Grounds

Game Summaries

Week 2 (Wednesday September 20, 1933): New York Giants

	1	2	3	4	Total
Giants	0	7	0	16	23
Pirates	0	0	0	2	2

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 20,000
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• New York - Strong 33 interception (Strong kick)
• Pittsburgh - Safety, Strong punt blocked out of end zone by Oehler
• New York - Newman 5 run (Strong kick)
• New York - FG Newman 39
• New York - Burnett 37 pass from Newman (kick failed)

Week 3 (Wednesday September 27, 1933): Chicago Cardinals

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	6	7	0	0	13
Pirates	0	7	0	7	14

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 5,000
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• Chicago Cardinals - McNally 51 intercepted lateral (kick failed)
• Chicago Cardinals - Moe 35 pass from Lillard (Lillard kick)
• Pittsburgh - Kottler 99 interception (Kelsch kick)
• Pittsburgh - Moss 11 pass from Tanguay (Kelsch kick)

Week 4 (Wednesday October 4, 1933): Boston Redskins

	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	7	0	7	7	21
Pirates	0	0	0	6	6

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 15,000
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• Boston - Battles 70 punt return (Musick kick)
• Boston - Musick 1 run (Musick kick)
• Boston - Holmer 1 run (LaPresta kick)
• Pittsburgh - Brovelli 1 run (kick failed)

Week 5 (Wednesday October 11, 1933): CIncinnati Reds

	1	2	3	4	Total
Reds	3	0	0	0	3
Pirates	7	0	0	10	17

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 5,000
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• Cincinnati - FG Clark 12
• Pittsburgh - Westfall 2 run (Brovelli kick)
• Pittsburgh - FG Kelsch 36
• Pittsburgh - Vaughan 3 run (Westfall kick)

Week 5 (Sunday October 15, 1933): Green Bay Packers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	0	0	0	0	0
Packers	7	20	13	7	47

City Stadium, Green Bay, Wisconsin

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 4,000
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• Green Bay - Hinkle 1 run (Monnett kick)
• Green Bay - Monnett 7 run (kick failed)
• Green Bay - Goldenberg 67 interception (Grove kick)
• Green Bay - Goldenberg 3 run (Monnett kick)
• Green Bay - Bruder 52 run (Herber kick)
• Green Bay - Monnett 12 run (kick failed)
• Green Bay - Englemann 40 lateral from Monnett after 9 pass from Herber (Monnett kick)

Week 6 (Sunday October 22, 1933): CIncinnati Reds

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	0	0	0	0	0
Reds	0	0	0	0	0

at Redland Field, Cincinnati, Ohio

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance:
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• none

Week 7 (Sunday October 29, 1933): Boston Redskins

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	0	9	7	0	16
Redskins	7	0	0	7	14

at Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 7,500
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• Boston - Battles 5 run (Musick kick)
• Pittsburgh - Moss 30 pass from Holm (kick failed)
• Pittsburgh - FG Engebretsen 21
• Pittsburgh - Westfall 60 pass from Holm (Brovelli kick)
• Boston - Weller run (Musick kick)

Week 8 (Sunday November 5, 1933): Brooklyn Dodgers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	0	0	0	3	3
Dodgers	3	0	0	0	3

at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 15,000
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• Brooklyn - FG Hickman 30
• Pittsburgh - FG Kelsch 15

Week 9 (Sunday November 12, 1933): Brooklyn Dodgers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Dodgers	6	7	13	6	32
Pirates	0	0	0	0	0

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 12,000
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• Brooklyn - Kelly 15 run (kick failed)
• Brooklyn - Kelly 70 punt return (Hickman kick)
• Brooklyn - Nash 61 pass from Cagle (kick failed)
• Brooklyn - Kelly 2 run (Kelly kick)
• Brooklyn - Fishel 7 run (kick failed)

Week 10 (Sunday November 19, 1933): Philadelphia Eagles

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	0	0	0	6	6
Eagles	6	0	13	6	25

at Baker Bowl, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 6,000
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• Philadelphia - Hanson run (kick failed)
• Philadelphia - Carter pass from Kirkman (Kirkman kick)
• Philadelphia - Carter pass from Davis (kick failed)
• Pittsburgh - Brovelli run (kick failed)
• Philadelphia - Woodruff run (kick failed)

Week 12 (Sunday December 3, 1933): New York Giants

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	0	3	0	0	3
Giants	0	0	7	20	27

at Polo Grounds, New York, New York

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 10,000
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

• Pittsburgh - FG Kelsch 14
• New York - Krause 20 pass from Strong (Strong kick)
• New York - Badgro 25 pass from Newman (kick failed)
• New York - Richards 14 pass from Newman (Richards kick)
• New York - Richards 22 run (Krause pass from Newman)