December 7, 1941 was supposed to be just another Sunday in the United States. On the sports front, it was also scheduled to be the final week of the 1941 NFL regular season. Three games were scheduled — New York Giants vs. Brooklyn Dodgers at the Polo Grounds, Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles at Griffith Stadium, and Chicago Cardinals vs. Chicago Bears at Comiskey Park. Only the Bears/Cardinals game held any importance, as the Bears were fighting the Packers for the top spot in the Western Division and a berth in the NFL Championship.
Of course, history tells us that December 7, 1941 ended up being “a day that will live in infamy” due to the Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. At the time of the attack all three scheduled NFL games were in progress. All three were played to the end, although the public address announcer at all three made some sort of reference to the catastrophe. At the Polo Grounds and Comiskey Park the announcers instructed all servicemen present to report to their units. The announcer at Griffith Stadium paged high-ranking government and military personnel who were in attendance, but did not directly mention the attack.
For historical reference, then, here are the program covers from all three NFL games played on the day of the Pearl Harbor attack.
