Hours Before Dolphins Clash, 84-Year-Old Philadelphia Eagles’ Historic Moment Comes to Light

As the Dolphins prepare to face off against the Eagles, an 84-year-old historic milestone in the Philadelphia Eagles’ history is driving fans crazy. In 1939, during the first-ever professional football telecast, it marked the first time a professional football game was broadcast live to over a thousand television sets in New York City on NBC.

Despite challenges with lighting as the sun set behind the stadium, the broadcast turned out to be a success. It was a Week 7 clash between two struggling teams with little at stake. Though the stakes were low, every snap mattered for these gridiron underdogs.

The NFL’s tech-free past: Dodgers’ win over Eagles

In a bygone era of the NFL, devoid of modern technology, two lone iconoscope cameras captured the action: one at the 40-yard line box seats and the other in the mezzanine section. There were no screens, no spotters, and only eight people were needed for the telecast.

Eighty-four years ago, on this iconic date, October 22, 1939, the NFL witnessed history as the Philadelphia Eagles clashed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the inaugural televised professional football game, which was telecast by NBC, The National Broadcasting Company.

The clock started ticking at 2:30 PM, and history was made after 2 hours and 33 minutes. However, it is believed that none of the players knew that the game was being broadcast live. On game day, former Golden Gloves champion Allen “Skip” Walz took the microphone for play-by-play, earning a modest $25 for his expert commentary.

In an interview about the live scene of the game, Walz remembered, “I’d sit with my chin on the rail in the mezzanine, and the camera was over my shoulder.” Walz did his own spotting. When the play moved up and down the field, on punts or kickoffs, he says, “I’d point to tell the cameraman what I’d be talking about.”

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Walz also explained, “The picture would get darker and darker, and eventually it would be completely blank, and we’d revert to a radio broadcast. The people would stay with us, though.” Therefore, an astounding 13,050 fans gathered at Ebbets Field to witness the Dodgers triumph 23-14.

This groundbreaking moment was also simulcast at the World’s Fair in New York, hosted in the illustrious RCA Pavilion. The seed was planted, and NBC continued to air games.

When did NFL games become more common?

Did you know that three future Hall of Famers—Dodgers’ QB Ace Parker, tackle Bruiser Kinard, and Eagles’ end Bill Hewitt — were part of this historic game? Historically, the Brooklyn Dodgers fielded a football team from 1930 to 1943, and the Philadelphia Eagles fell to the Brooklyn Dodgers 23-14. So, when did NFL games truly take off?

The answer lies in the post-World War II era when TV adoption skyrocketed, and the NFL seized the spotlight. This period marked the first national broadcast, the epic “Greatest Game Ever Played,” a groundbreaking league-wide TV deal, the unforgettable “Heidi Bowl,” and the grandeur of the Super Bowl and “Monday Night Football.”

The NFL proudly states that with over 16 million fans per game, its weekly domination of TV ratings and multibillion-dollar contracts benefiting all 32 clubs have made the Super Bowl a national holiday, boasting 112 million viewers in 2022.

Last, what happened to the NFL team, the Brooklyn Dodgers? This NFL team, active from 1930 to 1943, became the Brooklyn Tigers in 1944, then merged with the Boston Yanks in 1945 because of financial struggles during WWII. In 1946, they joined the AAFC before re-entering the NFL in 1950. However, the AAFC Brooklyn Dodgers were eliminated as part of the agreement, and the team ultimately folded in 1952.

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