The 1933 Pittsburgh Pirates was the debut season of the team that eventually became the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

. The team was founded after

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

relaxed its

blue laws Blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, Sunday trade laws and Sunday closing laws, are laws restricting or banning certain activities on specified days, usually Sundays in the western world. The laws were adopted originally for religious reasons ...

that, prior to 1933, prohibited sporting events from taking place on Sundays, when most

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

games took place. The new squad was composed largely of local

semi-pro ''Semi-Pro'' is a 2008 American sports comedy film. The film was directed by Kent Alterman in his directorial debut, written by Scot Armstrong, and produced by Jimmy Miller. It stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin and Maura Tier ...

players, many of whom played for sports promoter

Art Rooney Arthur Joseph Rooney Sr. (January 27, 1901 – August 25, 1988), often referred to as "The Chief", was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, an American football franchise in the National Football League (NFL), from 1933 until his death. ...

. Rooney became the Pirates owner, paying the NFL a $2,500 fee to join the league. Except for a brief period in 1940 and '41, Rooney would remain the franchise's principal owner until his death in 1988. The

Rooney family The Rooney family is an Irish-American family known for its connections to the sports, acting, and political fields. After emigrating from Ireland in the 1840s, it established its American roots in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the 1880s. The Roon ...

has retained a controlling interest ever since. The team took the field for the first time on September 20 against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

Forbes Field Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland (Pittsburgh), Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to June 28, 1970. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball (MLB) team, and the first home of t ...

, losing 23–2. The following week, the team got its first win, defeating the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

at home 14–13. The team finished 3–6–2 for the season.

Regular season

Schedule

Standings

Game summaries

Week 1 (Wednesday September 20, 1933):
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

''at

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

'' * Game time: * Game weather: * Game attendance: 20,000 * Referee: * TV announcers: Scoring drives: * New York – Strong 33 interception ( Strong kick) * Pittsburgh – Safety, Strong punt blocked out of end zone by Oehler * New York –

Newman Newman is a surname of English origin and may refer to many people: The surname Newman is widespread in the core Anglosphere. A *Abram Newman (1736–1799), British grocer *Adrian Newman (disambiguation), multiple people *Al Newman (born 1960) ...

5 run ( Strong kick) * New York – FG

39 * New York – Burnett 37 pass from

(kick failed)

Week 2 (Wednesday September 27, 1933):
Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

''at

'' * Game time: * Game weather: * Game attendance: 5,000 * Referee: * TV announcers: Scoring drives: * Chicago Cardinals – McNally 51 intercepted lateral (kick failed) * Chicago Cardinals –

Moe Moe, MOE, MoE or m.o.e. may refer to: In arts and entertainment Characters * Moe Szyslak, from the animated television show ''The Simpsons'' * Moe, leader of The Three Stooges, played by Moe Howard * Moe Higurashi, supporting character in ''Yash ...

35 pass from Lillard ( Lillard kick) * Pittsburgh – Kottler 99 interception (

Kelsch Kelsch is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Mose Kelsch Christian "Mose" Kelsch (January 31, 1897 – July 13, 1935) was an American football placekicker and running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was ...

kick) * Pittsburgh –

Moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

11 pass from Tanguay (

kick)

Week 3 (Wednesday October 4, 1933):
Boston Redskins The Washington Commanders, an American football team belonging to the National Football League (NFL), have also played as the Boston Braves, Boston Redskins, Washington Redskins, and Washington Football Team. Founded in 1932, the team has won five ...

''at

'' * Game time: * Game weather: * Game attendance: 15,000 * Referee: * TV announcers: Scoring drives: * Boston –

Battles A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

70 punt return ( Musick kick) * Boston – Musick 1 run ( Musick kick) * Boston – Holmer 1 run ( LaPresta kick) * Pittsburgh – Brovelli 1 run (kick failed)

Week 4 (Wednesday October 11, 1933):
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

''at

'' * Game time: * Game weather: * Game attendance: 5,000 * Referee: * TV announcers: Scoring drives: * Cincinnati – FG

Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...

12 * Pittsburgh – Westfall 2 run ( Brovelli kick) * Pittsburgh – FG

36 * Pittsburgh –

Vaughan Vaughan () (2021 population 323,103) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increas ...

3 run ( Westfall kick)

Week 5 (Sunday October 15, 1933): at
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

City Stadium,

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea lev ...

* Game time: * Game weather: * Game attendance: 4,000 * Referee: * TV announcers: Scoring drives: * Green Bay – Hinkle 1 run ( Monnett kick) * Green Bay – Monnett 7 run (kick failed) * Green Bay –

Goldenberg Goldenberg is a surname of Jewish-Austrian or Jewish Romanian origin. Notable people with the surname include: * Billy Goldenberg (born 1936), American composer * Carl Goldenberg (1907–1996), Canadian lawyer & politician * Charles Goldenberg (19 ...

67 interception ( Grove kick) * Green Bay –

3 run ( Monnett kick) * Green Bay – Bruder 52 run ( Herber kick) * Green Bay – Monnett 12 run (kick failed) * Green Bay – Englemann 40 lateral from Monnett after 9 pass from Herber ( Monnett kick)

Week 6 (Sunday October 22, 1933): at
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

''at

Redland Field Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 in baseball, 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals (AFL), Cincinnati Bengals fo ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

'' * Game time: * Game weather: * Game attendance: * Referee: * TV announcers: Scoring drives: * none

Week 7 (Sunday October 29, 1933): at
Boston Redskins The Washington Commanders, an American football team belonging to the National Football League (NFL), have also played as the Boston Braves, Boston Redskins, Washington Redskins, and Washington Football Team. Founded in 1932, the team has won five ...

''at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...

, Boston, Massachusetts'' * Game time: * Game weather: * Game attendance: 7,500 * Referee: * TV announcers: Scoring drives: * Boston –

5 run ( Musick kick) * Pittsburgh –

30 pass from Holm (kick failed) * Pittsburgh – FG Engebretsen 21 * Pittsburgh – Westfall 60 pass from Holm ( Brovelli kick) * Boston – Weller run ( Musick kick)

Week 8 (Sunday November 5, 1933): at
Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

''at

Ebbets Field Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball stadium in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York. It is mainly known for having been the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team of the National League (1913–1957). It was also home to five p ...

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

'' * Game time: * Game weather: * Game attendance: 15,000 * Referee: * TV announcers: Scoring drives: * Brooklyn – FG

Hickman Hickman or Hickmann may refer to: People * Hickman (surname), notable people with the surname Hickman or Hickmann * Hickman Ewing, American attorney * Hickman Price (1911–1989), assistant secretary in the United States Department of Commerce * ...

30 * Pittsburgh – FG

Week 9 (Sunday November 12, 1933):
Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

''at

'' * Game time: * Game weather: * Game attendance: 12,000 * Referee: * TV announcers: Scoring drives: * Brooklyn –

Kelly Kelly may refer to: Art and entertainment * Kelly (Kelly Price album) * Kelly (Andrea Faustini album) * ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap * "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland * ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...

15 run (kick failed) * Brooklyn –

70 punt return (

kick) * Brooklyn – Nash 61 pass from Cagle (kick failed) * Brooklyn –

2 run (

kick) * Brooklyn – Fishel 7 run (kick failed)

Week 10 (Sunday November 19, 1933): at
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

''at

Baker Bowl National League Park, commonly referred to as the Baker Bowl after 1923, was a baseball stadium and home to the Philadelphia Phillies from 1887 until 1938, and first home field of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1933 to 1935. It opened in 1887 with a ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

'' * Game time: * Game weather: * Game attendance: 6,000 * Referee: * TV announcers: Scoring drives: * Philadelphia –

Hanson Hanson or Hansson may refer to: People * Hanson (surname) * Hansson (surname) * Hanson (wrestler), ringname of an American professional wrestler Musical groups * Hanson (band), an American pop rock band * Hanson (UK band), an English rock ba ...

run (kick failed) * Philadelphia –

Carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter, ...

pass from Kirkman ( Kirkman kick) * Philadelphia –

pass from Kirkman (kick failed) * Pittsburgh – Brovelli run (kick failed) * Philadelphia – Woodruff run (kick failed)

Week 12 (Sunday December 3, 1933): at
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

''at

Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 through 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built fo ...

, New York City'' * Game time: * Game weather: * Game attendance: 10,000 * Referee: * TV announcers: Scoring drives: * Pittsburgh – FG

14 * New York –

Krause Krause (German for ''ruffle'') is a common German surname. Geographical distribution As of 2014, 64.9% of all known bearers of the surname ''Krause'' were residents of Germany (frequency 1:531), 20.6% of the United States (1:7,541), 3.5% of Brazil ...

20 pass from Strong ( Strong kick) * New York – Badgro 25 pass from

(kick failed) * New York –

Richards Richards may refer to: *Richards (surname) In places: * Richards, New South Wales, Australia * Richards, Missouri, United States * Richards, Texas, United States In other uses: * Richards (lunar crater) Richards is a small lunar impact crate ...

14 pass from

(

kick) * New York –

22 run (

pass from

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1933 Pittsburgh Pirates (Nfl) Season Pittsburgh Steelers seasons

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pittsburg Pir