Welcome to Friday, Pittsburgh. The Steelers will host their first-ever Black Friday sport the day after Thanksgiving in opposition to final yr’s No. 1 AFC seed, the Denver Broncos. This isn’t the primary Friday sport the franchise has ever performed. You simply must go approach again to seek out it.
The final time Pittsburgh performed on a Friday was the start of its 1946 season. Let’s revisit what occurred.
Why a Friday sport within the first place? There was a time when Pittsburgh performed on quirky days. In its inaugural 1933 season, Pennsylvania’s “Blue Laws” prevented actions like sporting occasions from occurring on Sundays. So the franchise performed a lot of its video games on Wednesdays till the state repealed these legal guidelines through the November elections.
However these legal guidelines had no influence in 1946. Data is scarce, however an article from the Pittsburgh Put up-Gazette on September nineteenth, 1946, provided some rationale.
“Originally scheduled for December 8, it was advanced by mutual consent of the rival elevens.”
Why the 2 sides bumped up the schedule isn’t clear. Common-season video games have been held on the eighth, Week 12. Maybe it was performed to keep away from potential climate situations frequent in Pittsburgh throughout December. Irrespective of the explanation, the Steelers and Cardinals have been the primary sport to ring within the ’46 season.
The Steelers got here into the sport as seven-point underdogs. There was motive for hope. Famend coach Jock Sutherland had taken the job with the media – and crowd – buzzing about what it’d imply.
“The team is the strongest ever put together by the Steelers…the Sutherland entry will be well grounded in fundamentals and will be tough and rough on defense.”
Just like the 2026 group, the 1946 group had a brand new vitality beneath a brand new – however previous – head coach. In actual fact, Sutherland and Mike McCarthy have a number of similarities. Sutherland, at 57, was the oldest rent Pittsburgh had ever made earlier than the 62-year-old McCarthy. Each coached the Pitt Panthers: Sutherland for almost 20 years, McCarthy for a a lot briefer keep within the ’80s to ’90s. Each had earlier NFL head coach expertise. Sutherland loved two profitable years with the Brooklyn Dodgers within the early 40s, McCarthy had stints in Inexperienced Bay and Dallas.
Followers responded. The opener was offered out with over 33,00 followers packing Forbes Discipline. Per The Press, the Steelers took in $125,000 of season ticket gross sales earlier than the yr, shattering the earlier excessive watermark of $21,000.
Gates opened at 6:30. A band entertained at 7:15. Gamers took the sphere 45 minutes later, Sutherland was briefly honored by Pitt at 8:20, and the sport kicked off at 8:30.
Pittsburgh’s squad was led by Invoice “Bullet” Dudley, the No. 1 total decide of the 1942 draft. It was his second stint with the workforce after spending 1943 and 1944 within the Military.
Showing in simply 4 video games in 1945, Dudley was a full-go for 1946. He met lofty expectations. Dudley led the NFL in carries, speeding yards, and interceptions (1o of them), punt return yardage, and stays the one participant in NFL historical past to hurry for 600 yards and decide off double-digit passes in the identical season. A mark virtually sure to face perpetually. No participant since 1948 has recorded even half of that.
Dudley would finish 1946 because the league’s MVP.
Sutherland was a assured however superstitious man. He had his workforce align on the customer aspect, mirroring what his Panthers squads would do on the left subject benches as a mark of excellent luck.
The Steelers acquired the opening kickoff however punted. Dudley’s punt backed Chicago up deep in their very own territory, however they slogged their well past midfield. Pittsburgh compelled a fumble, recovered by finish Bob Davis, and the Steelers took benefit. A forty five-yard drive was capped off by Dudley discovering finish Charlie Seabright for an 8-yard landing on third down.
On the finish of 1, Pittsburgh led 7-0.
It didn’t take for much longer so as to add. Guard Nick Skorich, all 5’9, 197 kilos of him (the NFL appeared slightly completely different in these days), partially blocked a Cardinals punt that set Pittsburgh up on the opposing 34. With backups within the sport, it took 10 performs to cowl all the bottom wanted. Jonny Clement, nicknamed “Zero” for the double-zeros he wore, hit finish Val Jasante with a 17-yard go to get close to the aim line. It was Jasante’s first NFL sport, and he would go on to grow to be probably the greatest receivers in early Steelers’ historical past. Fullback Tony Campagno completed the job with a 1-yard rating.
The Steelers expanded their result in 14-0. The rating would stay that approach into halftime.
Dudley fumbled within the third quarter to present the Cardinals a brief subject. Pittsburgh put up resistance, however on 4th-and-1, Chicago used play-action to get the Steelers to chew. Ray Mallouf discovered an open Marshall Goldberg for an 8-yard rating. With the additional level, Pittsburgh’s lead was diminished by half.
Atoning for his turnover, Dudley picked off a fourth-quarter go deep in his personal territory to stop the Cardinals from tying. Pittsburgh ran out the remainder of the clock to prevail.
“I’m happy to win this one,” Sutherland stated after the sport. We performed a very good soccer workforce, one that ought to go a good distance. They have been a passing workforce, and we have been a working workforce, and also you couldn’t run any greater than you might go.”
Pittsburgh completed the sport with 49 rushes for 112 yards. The offense solely tried 4 passes. Chicago tried 14 by way of the air, finishing six. Excessive numbers for the period.
Each groups would finish the yr with satisfactory information. Chicago completed 6-5. Pittsburgh 5-5-1, struggling on the finish with three losses in its last 4, together with permitting Detroit its solely win of the marketing campaign.
The remainder of Pittsburgh’s schedule got here on Sundays. This yr will probably be full of various days: Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays. And for the primary time in 80 years, a Friday.
