Even before the kickoff in the National Football League championship this week, a driving storm had blanketed Philadelphia's Shibe Park. Gridiron markings were blotted out under four inches of snow. But television, radio and newsreel companies had paid $33,000 for rights to the game, and a postponement would have been costly. Commissioner Bert Bell ruled that first downs would be decided by referee's instinct instead of tape measure, and assigned extra judges to call out-of-bounds plays.
In a slippy, sloppy contest, the Philadelphia Eagles snowplowed through the Chicago Cardinals to 17 first downs. In the fourth period, Steve Van Buren sloshed off...
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