Arch Ward was one of the most influential sports figures in the first half of the 20th century. As the sports editor of the Chicago Tribune, he already carried some influence, but he went far beyond the parameters of his job. The NFL approached him at least twice offering him their commissioner gig. He was the driving force behind the Major League All-Star Game. More importantly since it's football, Ward came up with the Chicago Charities College All-Star Game. This preseason game matched the reigning NFL Champion against a team of star college seniors from the previous year. Since the game is no longer played, many might assume that it was a failure. It was actually a huge success. It was played from 1934-1976 at Chicago's Soldier Field. Twice during World War II it was played at Northwestern University's Dyche Stadium. It was skipped in 1974 due to, surprise, labor unrest. The early games were very competitive. As a result, they were always well attended. The charitable nature of the game certainly didn't hurt. Over 100,000 attended a few of the games in the '40s. More people attended this game than most regular league games and even championship games. As the talent level of the NFL started distancing itself from college, the league champions started dominating. As the games became more and more one-sided attendance declined. It still never dipped below 50,000. For a mid-summer, one-sided exhibition football game, that is remarkable. The series ended with the league champions winning 31, losing 9 and two ties. The Majority of the College All-Stars successes came early.
I distinctly remember only one of these games. It was the last. I remember Steelers' rookie receiver Theo Bell challenging Lynn Swann for his starting job. A very bold move and a failed challenge. This last game never finished as it was called due to weather in the third quarter. Swann's Steelers were leading Bell's All-Stars 24-0. I guess, technically, the Chicago Charities College All-Star game never did end.
I've always been surprised that this game lasted over 40 years. The incredible attendance was certainly a reason. I'm sure that the league owners also loved the exposure as college football still had greater fan appeal. I'm just as certain that the coaches hated it. It frequently disrupted training camp. It especially disrupted the training camp of the reigning champion. Every year it kept the rookies involved out of the camps of their new teams. For anyone that has watched the movie "Brian's Song" they might remember Gale Sayers arriving late to the Bears camp. It was due to this game. There was also the sometimes awkward situation where a rookie is playing against his new team. The rookie hazing could start a little early. Theo Bell made some poor decisions in this situation. Despite the negatives, the Chicago Charities College All-Star game survived because it was a fun game for a good cause. It was an important part of professional football's evolution to the top of the sporting world food chain.
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