"The Most Forgotten Football Game Ever Played"
On December 7th, 1941 the Redskins and Eagles played a football game at Griffith Stadium in Washington, DC. At that same time, on the opposite side of the United States, the world was being thrown into turmoil.
On “a date which will live in infamy,” the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor, thrusting the US into World War II, but in a time where instant communication was highly limited, the game between Washington and Philadelphia continued on the east coast. In fact, a telegram meant to warn US forces of the attack failed to reach the Navy in time as it was eventually delivered via bicycle.
Word eventually spread to Griffith Stadium, but the game play was uninterrupted, even as the public address system called officers in attendance to head to their duty stations.
The players noticed that photographers and spectators were slowly exiting the premises, but they only got word of the attacks when the game ended and they crowded around taxis to capture the news on the radio.
The game itself was poorly played, the teams combined for 11 turnovers as the Redskins won, 20-14.
75 years later, the Pearl Harbor attack is still looked upon as one of the most important and tragic days in US history and the game between the Eagles and Redskins would come to be known as “The Most Forgotten Game Ever Played.”
