The 1934 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the second season of the Pirates after formation the
previous year. The 1934 Pirates (later renamed in
1940
A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280.
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
*January ...
) began the season with a new coach,
Luby DiMeolo
Albert A. "Luby" DiMeolo (October 27, 1903 – June 17, 1966) was an American football player and coach. He was the second ever head coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates (later renamed the Steelers) of the National Football League. He coached the P ...
, but again found themselves finishing in 5th place in the Eastern Division. The Pirates suffered a miserable 2–10 season, in which they were shut out in 6 games and only scored more than 10 points in 2 games.
One point of interest of the season was the arrival of All-Pro and future Hall of Famer
John McNally for one season from the
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 ...
. However, he did not have much of an impact for the Pirates before returning to the Packers the next season.
This Pirates team also introduced their "jailbird" uniforms. While these uniforms were worn by the
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 ...
as throwbacks from 2012 to 2016 (albeit with the current colors, making them "bumblebee" uniforms), this was the only year they were used as the team was constantly made fun of for looking like convicts.
Regular season
Schedule
Standings
Game summaries
Week 1 (Sunday September 9, 1934):
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
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 ...
,
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: 14,164
* Referee:
* TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
* Pittsburgh – Clark 27 lateral from Sorlet after pass from Heller (Kelsch kick)
* Pittsburgh – FG Kelsch 13
* Pittsburgh – FG Niccolai 13
Week 2 (Sunday September 16, 1934):
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
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 ...
,
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: 17,171
* Referee:
* TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
* Boston – Malone 16 pass from Hokuf (Battles kick)
Week 4 (Wednesday September 26, 1934):
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
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 ...
,
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: 11,559
* Referee:
* TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
* Philadelphia – Hanson 16 run (Hanson kick)
* Philadelphia – Hanson 34 pass from Kirkman (Hajek kick)
* Philadelphia – FG Wiener 17
Week 5 (Wednesday October 3, 1934):
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
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 ...
,
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: 13,020
* Referee:
* TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
* New York – Badgro 25 pass from Newman (Newman kick)
* Pittsburgh – Skladany 28 pass from Heller (kick failed)
* Pittsburgh – Heller 2 run (kick failed)
* New York – Strong 7 run (Newman kick)
Week 5 (Sunday October 7, 1934):
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, Pennsylvania
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: 9,000
* Referee:
* TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
* Pittsburgh – FG Niccolai 28
* Pittsburgh – Brovelli 5 run (kick blocked)
* Philadelphia – Gonya 4 pass from Barnhardt (Kirkman kick)
Week 6 (Wednesday October 10, 1934):
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
''at
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 ...
,
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: 19,386
* Referee:
* TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
* Chicago Bears – Ronzani 6 pass from Burmbaugh (Manders kick)
* Chicago Bears – Feathers 82 run (Manders kick)
* Chicago Bears – Molesworth 2 run (Manders kick)
* Chicago Bears – Johnsos 3 pass from Molesworth (Manders kick)
Week 6 (Sunday October 14, 1934):
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: 15,515
* Referee:
* TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
* Boston – Malone pass from Hokuf (kick failed)
* Boston – Battles run (Wright kick)
* Boston – Battles 19 run (kick failed)
* Boston – Wright 59 run (Wright kick)
* Boston – Pinckert run (kick failed)
* Boston – McPhail 14 fumble return (McPhail kick)
Week 7 (Sunday October 21, 1934):
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, New York
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...
''
* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 11,000
* Referee:
* TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
* New York – FG Strong 44
* New York – Strong 2 run (Strong kick)
* New York – Smith 3 run (Molenda kick)
* Pittsburgh – Sortet 21 pass from Vaughn (Kelsck kick)
Week 8 (Sunday October 28, 1934):
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: 8,000
* Referee:
* TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
* Brooklyn – Grossman 72 punt return (Kercheval kick)
* Pittsburgh – FG Niccolai 50
* Brooklyn – Grossman 26 pass from Cagle (Kercheval kick)
* Brooklyn – Kercheval 15 pass from Montgomery (Kercheval kick)
The game is the first in NFL history to not feature any penalties by either team.
Week 9 (Sunday November 4, 1934):
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
"at
University of Detroit Stadium
University of Detroit Stadium, also known as U of D Stadium, Titan Stadium, or Dinan Field, was an outdoor athletic stadium in the north central United States, located on the campus of the University of Detroit in Detroit, Michigan. The stadium ...
,
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 6,000
* Referee:
* TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
* Pittsburgh – Skladany 62 pass from Vaughn (Niccolai kick)
* Detroit – F. Christensen 1 run (Clark kick)
* Detroit – Clark 45 run (kick failed)
* Detroit – Ebding 37 pass from Caddel (Clark kick)
Week 10 (Sunday November 11, 1934):
St. Louis Gunners
The St. Louis Gunners were an independent professional football team based in St. Louis, Missouri, that played the last three games of the 1934 National Football League season, replacing the Cincinnati Reds on the league schedule after the Reds' ...
''at
Sportsman's Park
Sportsman's Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in St. Louis, Missouri. All but one of these were located on the same piece of land, at the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street, on the ...
,
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
''
* Game time:
* Game weather:
* Game attendance: 13,678
* Referee:
* TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
* St. Louis – FG
Senn
Senn is a term for the chief herdsman tending an Alp.
As a surname:
* Alfred E. Senn (born 1932), professor emeritus of history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
*Bill Senn (1905–1973), professional American football running back in the N ...
35
* St. Louis – FG Alford 12
Week 11 (Sunday November 18, 1934):
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
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 ...
,
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: 9,087
* Referee:
* TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
* Brooklyn – Kercheval 23 pass from Cagle (Kercheval kick)
* Brooklyn – FG Kercheval 22
References
Roster
{{DEFAULTSORT:1934 Pittsburgh Pirates (Nfl) Season
Pittsburgh Steelers seasons
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
1934 in sports in Pennsylvania