The Football Beat

HISTORY BOOK

Oct. 14, 1945: Chicago ends the NFL's longest losing streak—against Chicago

Think it's hopeless to be a Cardinals fan? You should have seen how bad things got for the franchise during the war years. The Chicago Cardinals went almost three full seasons—29 games—between NFL victories. ( Chicago and the Pittsburgh Steelers combined teams in 1944 because of the number of players who were serving in the armed forces, but their 0-10 record isn't included in what is recognized as a 19-game skid.) The Cardinals finally ended their slide by beating the Bears 16-7 at Wrigley Field. How rough did things get for the Cardinals? In 1943 end Clint Wager missed the ball while working on his punting in practice and somehow kneed himself in the head. He suffered a fractured skull.