The 1941 College All-Star Game
There
were 98,203 fans in attendance for the annual showdown between the
College All-Stars and the champions of professional football, the
Chicago Bears. Many of the spectators had paid $50 for a seat on the
50-yard line in donation toward Army Emergency Relief. A total of
$16,500 was collected.
Carl Snavely of Cornell University coached the All-Stars as he led 67
All-Americans onto the turf the night of August 28, 1941 at Chicago’s
Soldier Field. With him were such notables as Tom Harmon of the
University of Michigan, that year’s Heisman Trophy winner, George Franck
of the University of Minnesota, who would be the game’s Most Valuable
Player and Jackie Robinson of UCLA. Robinson would go on to break
pro-baseball’s color barrier.
The Chicago Bears, the “monarchs of professional football” were coached
by George Halas and they used the same players and T-formation they used
to destroy the Washington
Redskins
73-0 in the NFL championship game the previous season. Sid Luckman, QB
for the Bears, completed a 34-yard pass to Ken Kavanaugh for the first
score of the game. The Stars managed one touchdown in the first half
with Tom Harmon’s pass to George Franck, which tied the game 6-6, both
teams having had their PAT’s blocked. The Bears scored again with a
1-yard plunge by Harry Clark. Jack Manders’ extra point was good and the
score stood at 13-6 at the half.
The second half saw Charles O’Rourke of Boston College throw a 39-yard
pass to Jackie Robinson who ran 7 yards more for a score. But, the Bears
were heavily favored to win and proved the bettors correct with three
touchdowns in the fourth quarter. These scores came after a sensational
46-yard field goal by Lee Artoe in the third period. The game ended with
the score Chicago Bears 37, College All-Stars 13. The 1941 game produced
a record for the most yards gained in the series with 486 yards by the
Chicago Bears.
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