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1928 Detroit Wolverines season

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The 1928 Detroit Wolverines season was their first and only season in the league, after relocating from Cleveland in the offseason.[1] The team went 7–2–1, [2] finishing third in the league; their two losses came to Frankford and Providence, the NFL's top two teams.

1928 Detroit Wolverines (NFL) season
Head coachLeRoy Andrews
Results
Record7–2–1
League place3rd NFL

The 1928 Wolverines — playing six seasons before the arrival of the transplanted Portsmouth Spartans and relaunch as the Lions in 1934 — hosted the first-ever NFL Thanksgiving Day game in the city of Detroit.[3] This league scheduling tradition continues today, nearly a century later.

History

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NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Benny Friedman was the star of the 1928 Detroit Wolverines. Friedman was a pioneer passing quarterback.

As a booming city and one of the great centers of American manufacturing, Detroit was regarded as a promising location for a stable professional football franchise by the fledgling National Football League (NFL). The league awarded its first Detroit franchise to Jimmy Conzelman on August 1, 1925.[4]

The Wolverines, led by former University of Michigan star quarterback Benny Friedman, also met the New York Giants twice: an easy 28-0 win in Detroit and a 19-19 tie[5] at the Polo Grounds in New York.

Ironically, this proved to be the team's downfall, as the Wolverines piqued the interest of Giants owner Tim Mara, who wanted to acquire Friedman and Detroit's other star players. Mara did so by buying the entire Detroit franchise, and promptly shutting it down, thus delivering Friedman et al to New York.

The NFL would not return to the Motor City until 1934, when the Portsmouth Spartans moved to Detroit and were rebranded as the Lions.

 
Tiny Feather (#20) carries the ball towards the end zone in the Detroit Wolverines season-opening victory over the New York Yankees, October 14, 1928.

Schedule

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Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources
1 October 14, 1928 at New York Yankees W 35–12 1–0 Yankee Stadium 18,000 Recap [6][7]
2 October 21, 1928 New York Giants W 28–0 2–0 Dinan Field 12,000 Recap [8][9]
3 October 28, 1928 at Chicago Bears W 6–0 3–0 Wrigley Field 20,000 Recap [10][11]
4 November 3, 1928 at Frankford Yellow Jackets L 25–7 3–1 Frankford Stadium 8,000 Recap [12]
5 November 4, 1928 at Providence Steam Roller L 7–0 3–2 Cycledrome 8,500 Recap [13]
6 November 11, 1928 at New York Giants T 19–19 3–2–1 Polo Grounds 30,000 Recap [14][15]
7 November 18, 1928 New York Yankees W 13–0 4–2–1 Dinan Field 8,000 Recap [16][17][18]
8 November 25, 1928 at Chicago Bears W 14–7 5–2–1 Wrigley Field 15,000 Recap [19][20][21]
9 November 29, 1928 Dayton Triangles W 33–0 6–2–1 Dinan Field Recap [22][23][24][25]
10 December 9, 1928 at New York Yankees W 34–6 7–2–1 Yankee Stadium 3,000 [26] Recap [27][28][29]

Game summaries

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Game 1: at New York Yankees

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Yankee Stadium was the scene and 2:30 pm was the time for the October 14 franchise debut of the Detroit Wolverines as they faced C. C. Pyle's New York Yankees.[30] Gibby Welch, "Wild Bill" Kelly, and Bo Molenda were among those Yankees receiving top billing in the battle against former University of Michigan star Benny Friedman.[30] An impressive crowd of 18,000 made their way to the stadium, joined by a region radio audience listening to the live sideline broadcasts of two competing stations.[30]

Standings

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Print ad for the November 18 game with the New York Yankees in Detroit. "Eight thousand shivering fans" turned up, according to one news account.
NFL standings
W L T PCT PF PA STK
Providence Steam Roller 8 1 2 .889 128 42 T1
Frankford Yellow Jackets 11 3 2 .786 175 84 L1
Detroit Wolverines 7 2 1 .778 189 76 W4
Green Bay Packers 6 4 3 .600 120 92 W1
Chicago Bears 7 5 1 .583 182 85 L2
New York Giants 4 7 2 .364 79 136 L5
New York Yankees 4 8 1 .333 103 179 W1
Pottsville Maroons 2 8 0 .200 74 134 L1
Chicago Cardinals 1 5 0 .167 7 107 L4
Dayton Triangles 0 7 0 .000 9 131 L7
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Roster

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† - Denotes NFL Hall of Fame member.

References

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  1. ^ "Cleveland Bulldogs - Ohio History Central".
  2. ^ 1928 Detroit Wolverines
  3. ^ United Press, "Providence Leads Pro Grid League," St. Joseph [MI] Herald-Press, Nov. 30, 1928, p. 11.
  4. ^ Joseph T. Labrum, "Chronology," in Joseph T. Labrum (ed.), The National Football League Record and Rules Manual: 1958, 39th Season. Bala-Cynwyd, PA, 1958; p. 66–68.
  5. ^ This contest (as of 2024) is the only game in NFL history to end with this score, thus creating a scorigami.
  6. ^ C.A. Lovett, "Detroit Smears Pylemen: Friedman Passes Wolverines to 35–12 Win Over Yankees," New York Daily News, Oct. 15, 1928, p. 36.
  7. ^ "Football Yanks Bow to Detroit: Friedman's Forward Passes Result in 4 Touchdowns as Wolverines Win, 35 to 12," Brooklyn Daily Times, Oct. 15, 1928, p. 15.
  8. ^ "Friedman Pros Defeat Giants: Bennie is Almost Whole Show as Wolverines Win, 28 to 0," Detroit Free Press, Oct. 22, 1928, pp. 18, 20.
  9. ^ United Press, "Detroit Wolverines Trim New York Giant Gridders," St. Joseph Herald-Press, Oct. 22, 1928, p. 7.
  10. ^ Wilfrid Smith, "Detroit Line Attack Beats Bears, 6–0: Friedman the Passer Shines in a New Role," Chicago Tribune, Oct. 29, 1928, pp. 23-24.
  11. ^ Associated Press, "Benny's Team Defeats Bears: Wolverines Cling to Professional League Lead by 6–0 Victory," Detroit Free Press, Oct. 29, 1928, p. 16.
  12. ^ "Frankford Yellow Jackets Jolt Wolverines, 25 to 7," Atlantic City Sunday Press, Nov. 4, 1928, p. 28.
  13. ^ Greg D. Tranter, The Providence Steam Roller: New England's First NFL Team. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2024; pp. 236-237.
  14. ^ C.A. Lovett, "Wolverines Tie Giants in 4th Period Surge," New York Daily News, Nov. 12, 1928, p. 29.
  15. ^ Harold C. Burr, "Giants Fooled by Wolverines Who Play Dead: Benny Friedman Engineers Star Play to Tie Pro Football Champs," Brooklyn Eagle, Nov. 12, 1928, p. 30.
  16. ^ " Bennie's Arm Beats Yankees: Friedman Wolverines Defeat Eastern Eleven, 13 to 0, by Aerial Attack," Detroit Free Press, Nov. 19, 1928, pp. 15-16.
  17. ^ Associated Press, "Detroit Wolverines Score 18–0 Victory Over New York Yankees," Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Nov. 19, 1928, p. 19.
  18. ^ United Press, "Friedman's Eleven Beats New Yorkers," Traverse City Record-Eagle, Nov. 19, 1928, p. 6.
  19. ^ "Detroit Pros Rally to Beat Bears," Rock Island Argus, Nov. 26, 1928, p. 16.
  20. ^ Associated Press, "Wolverines Trounce Chicago Bears," Decatur Herald and Review, Nov. 26, 1928, p. 4.
  21. ^ "Benny Defeats Chicago Bears Single-Handed," Decatur Evening Herald, Nov. 26, 1928, p. 13.
  22. ^ "'Tiny' Feather Back at Full for Friedman: Big Fullback's Injury Mends for Game Tomorrow with Dayton Triangles," Detroit Free Press, Nov. 28, 1928, p. 19.
  23. ^ "Friedman's Wolverines Crush Dayton Triangles, 33 to 0: Great Passing Routs Ohioans," Detroit Free Press, Nov. 30, 1928, p. 20.
  24. ^ "Triangles are Defeated, 33–0: Benny Friedman Leads Wolverines to Victory in National League," Dayton Daily News, Nov. 30, 1928, p. 38.
  25. ^ "Triangles are on Short End: Local Eleven Goes Down to Defeat at Detroit by Score of 33 to 0," Dayton Herald, Nov. 30, 1928, p. 32.
  26. ^ The reporter for the United Press had the crowd at 3,500.
  27. ^ C.A. Lovett, "Wolverines Sock Grid Yanks, 34–6: New York Gets First Touchdown, Then Fades Out," New York Daily News, Dec. 10, 1928, p. 38.
  28. ^ "Wolverines Beat Football Yankees," Brooklyn Daily Times, Dec. 10, 1928, p. 12.
  29. ^ United Press, "Friedman's Wolverines Humbles Yankees, 34–6," Minneapolis Star, Dec. 10, 1928, p. 14.
  30. ^ a b c "On the Air Today: Professional Football Game," Hartford Courant, Oct. 14, 1928, p. 12E.
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