1929 NFL season

The 1929 NFL season was the 10th regular season of the National Football League. The league increased back to 12 teams with the addition of Orange Tornadoes and Minneapolis Red Jackets and the re-entry of the Buffalo Bisons. The Pottsville Maroons became the Boston Bulldogs and the Detroit Wolverines folded.

On November 3, the Chicago Cardinals at Providence Steam Roller match became the first NFL game to be played at night under floodlights. Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers were named the NFL champions after finishing the season with the best record.

Championship race

Neither the Green Bay Packers nor the New York Giants lost a game during the first nine weeks of the season. When they met at New York's Polo Grounds on November 24, 1929, the Packers were 9-0-0 and Giants were 8-0-1. "Whether New York or Green Bay, Wis., will hoist the 1929 National Professional Football league pennant to the top of the flagstaff will probably be determined here Sunday when the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers, both undefeated teams, meet," and AP report noted, adding "Although both the Packers and the Giants play other games before the end of the season, past performances indicated that tomorrow's game will be the crucial contest for the league's standings." [ "Packers Play N. Y. Giants For Pro Grid Flag Today," "The Capital Times" (Madison, Wis.), pB-1, Nov. 23, 1929 ] . Verne Lewellen's pass to Herdis McCrary, and Bo Molenda's extra point, gave Green Bay a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. A pass from Benny Friedman to Tony Plansky gave the Giants a chance to tie in the third quarter, but the point after failed, and New York trailed 7-6. Green Bay added two touchdowns in the last quarter to win the game, 20-6 to take a one-game lead. Neither team lost their remaining games; the Packers finished at 12-0-1, the Giants at 13-1-1.

Final standings

"W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage"

"Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972"

References

* "NFL Record and Fact Book" (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
* [http://www.nfl.com/history/chronology/1921-1930 NFL History 1921-1930] (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
* [http://nflhistory.net/linescores/pdf/1929.pdf 1929 season in details]
* "Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League" (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)