Bruce Smith 42 HB 6- 0 197 Minnesota 2 2 26 6 1942 Draft - 13th round
Al Sparlis 21 G 5-11 185 UCLA 1 1 26 3 1946 Draft - 30th round
Charles Tollefson 27 G 6- 0 215 Iowa 3 3 30 2
Don Wells 43 E 6- 2 200 Georgia 1 1 24 11 1945 Draft - 6th round
Dick Wildung 45 G 6- 0 220 Minnesota 1 1 25 11 1943 Draft - 1st round
Al Zupek 25 B 6- 1 225 Lawrence 1 1 23 3
NO - Jersey Number POS - Position HGT - Height WGT - Weight YR - Years with Packers PR - Years of Professional Football AGE - Age at Start of Season G - Games Played
September 29: Chicago Bears (1-0) 30, Green Bay Packers (0-1) 7
(GREEN BAY) - The rough, rugged Bears from Chicago, flashing the power of prewar days, crushed the Green Bay Packers 30-7 , in the 1946 season opener. The vaunted Packer passing of the Hutson and earlier eras was a formless shadow. In the air, the Packers were futile and failed to complete a pass until they started their touchdown drive in the final period, and on the ground they merely dented the bulwark Bear line. The Bears ground out 18 first downs to the Packers' five and gained 258 yards rushing to Green Bay's' 99. A 27-yard field goal opened the Bears scoring in the first quarter after they had ground to a halt following a drive of five straight first downs. Late in the second period, they drove 60 yards to a score. Hugh Gallarneau, Ray McLean and Bill Osmanski bulled and ran for substantial gains and Sid Luckrnan completed the stretch with a touchdown pass to McLean. A Packer fumble by Tony Canadeo on his own 45 set the stage for the second touchdown and Luckman again whipped a 9-yard throw to Ken Kavanaugh for the score. Tom Ferris intercepted Canadeo's pass on the Packer 27 in the third period and on the next play Dick Schweidler scooted around left end for the third touchdown. Cliff Aberson averted a shutout by sparking the Packers' lone scoring drive. He completed passes to Dick Prescott and Bob Nussbaumer and sprinted 12 yards to put the ball on the 9-yard line from where Roy McKay ran it over and added the point. Several Packers went down with injuries - Irv Comp (torn lip), Nolan Luhn (nose) and Herman Rohrig (cracked rib). Carl Mulleneaux's career ended when he was hit viciously by Chicago's John Schiechl on a punt return.
CHI BEARS - 3 14 7 6 - 30
GREEN BAY - 0 0 0 7 - 7
1st - CHI - Frank Maznicki, 27-yard field goal CHICAGO BEARS 3-0
2nd - CHI - Ken Kavanaugh, 23-yd pass fr Sid Luckman (Maznicki kick) BEARS 10-0
2nd - CHI - Ray McLean, 33-yard pass from Luckman (Maznicki kick) BEARS 17-0
3rd - CHI - Dick Schweidler, 27-yard run (Maznicki kick) CHICAGO BEARS 24-0
4th - CHI - Bill Osmanski, 20-yard run (Kick failed) CHICAGO BEARS 30-0
4th - GB - McKay, 9-yard run (McKay kick) CHICAGO BEARS 30-7
October 6: Los Angeles Rams (1-1) 21, Green Bay Packers (0-2) 17
(MILWAUKEE) - The Green Bay Packers were within six seconds of winning their first ball game of the season, but, in that brief span, Mike Holovak bulled over from the one-foot line to give the Los Angeles Rams a 21-17 win. The Rams began their winning drive on their 20-yard line. Tom Harmon, former Michigan star, skirted left end for 30 yards and from there on Bob Waterfield fired four passes to Jim Benton for a first down on the Packer one foot mark. The Packers reared up and stopped Waterfield's quarterback sneak, but Holovak pushed it across on the next play. Curly Lambeau said, after the game, he was considering filing a protest and claimed the game actually was over when Holovak scored. He said the officials called time out in the closing seconds, giving the Rams time to line up for the final try. If the Rams had called the time-out, they would have incurred a five-yard penalty under the league rules, Lambeau declared.
LOS ANGELES - 7 0 7 7 - 21
GREEN BAY - 0 10 7 0 - 17
1st - LA - Tom Farmer, 12-yard run (Bob Waterfield kick) LOS ANGELES 7-0
2nd - GB - Fritsch, 25-yard field goal GREEN BAY 10-7
3rd - LA - Tom Harmon, 85-yard interception return (Waterfield kick) LA 14-10
3rd - GB - Fritsch, 11-yard run (Fritsch kick) GREEN BAY 17-14
4th - LA - Mike Holovak, 1-yard run (Waterfield kick) LOS ANGELES 21-17
October 13: Green Bay Packers (1-2) 19, Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) 7
(PHILADELPHIA) - The Packers, finally operating with razor-sharp precision, blasted the Eagles from the unbeaten list 19-7. Green Bay players pounced on three Eagle fumbles at crucial spots and three times rose up to intercept passes, and on each occasion these defensive moves broke up scoring thrusts by Philadelphia. Ted Fritsch was the whole show for the 36,127 fans as far as scoring went. He tallied the Packers' first touchdown on a 12-yard pass from Bob Forte 19 seconds before the first half ended, the tally that knotted the score, then added a touchdown and field goal in the second half.
GREEN BAY - 0 7 7 5 - 19
PHILADELPHIA - 7 0 0 0 - 7
1st - PHIL - Steve Van Buren, 7-yard run (Augie Lio kick) PHILADELPHIA 7-0
2nd - GB - Fritsch, 12-yard pass from Bob Forte (Fritsch kick) TIED 7-7
3rd - GB - Fritsch, 10-yard run (Fritsch kick) GREEN BAY 14-7
4th - GB - Fritsch, 46-yard field goal GREEN BAY 17-7
4th - GB - Safety, Tommy Thompson tackled in the end zone by Odson GB 19-7
October 20: Green Bay Packers (2-2) 17, Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2-1) 17
(GREEN BAY) - The Packers punched out two touchdowns in the final period to continue its streak of never having lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Green Bay went into the final period trailing because Pittsburgh's Bill Dudley had scored in the second quarter on a brilliant 31-yard dash through the Green Bay line, while the Packers could only manage a 38-yard field goal by Ted Fritsch a few minutes earlier.
PITTSBURGH - 0 7 0 0 - 7
GREEN BAY - 0 3 0 14 - 17
2nd - GB - Fritsch, 38-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - PITT - Bill Dudley, 31-yard run (Dudley kick) PITTSBURGH 7-3
4th - GB - Luhn, 19-yard pass from Comp (Fritsch kick) GREEN BAY 10-7
4th - GB - Schlinkman, 2-yard run (Fritsch kick) GREEN BAY 17-7
October 27: Green Bay Packers (3-2) 10, Detroit Lions (0-5) 7
(MILWAUKEE) - Detroit gave the Packers a tough scare, roaring up to the Green Bay 15-yard line with three downs to go for a first down when the final gun sounded. However, Green Bay outplayed the Lions all the way until the closing moments, and it was Ted Fritsch's 41-yard field goal, his third try within four minutes in the second quarter, that ultimately meant the difference. He missed his first attempt from 45 yards out and his second from 37. Detroit took a 7-3 halftime lead by cashing in on a Packer error. Tony Canadeo fumbled and Dave Ryan grabbed the loose ball and ran 36 yards for the score. Charley Brock stole the game from Detroit in the third period when he filched the ball from Camp Wilson on the Lion 21, setting up the winning touchdown. Fritsch, Canadeo and Walt Schlinkman carried it to the two from where Schlinkman rammed it over.
DETROIT - 0 7 0 0 - 7
GREEN BAY - 0 3 7 0 - 10
2nd - DET - Dave Ryan, 36-yard fumble return (Chuck DeShane kick) DETROIT 7-0
2nd - GB - Fritsch, 41-yard field goal DETROIT 7-3
3rd - DET - Schlinkman, 2-yard run (McKay kick) GREEN BAY 10-7
November 3: Chicago Bears (4-1-1) 10, Green Bay Packers (3-3) 7
(CHICAGO) - Ted Fritsch was both the hero and the goat of the game. He became the "goat" in the third period when the ball squirted out of his arms onto the water-soaked field, and was scooped up by Chicago's Ed Sprinkle, who dashed 30 yards for a touchdown. Frank Maznicki clinched matters a few minutes later with a 28-yard field goal. Fritsch scored the Packer touchdown in the closing minute, battering across from the three-yard line. Earlier, he missed field goals from the Bears' 45 and 34. Green Bay could only manage 125 yards on offense, while the Bears totalled 159. It was the Packers' second setback of the season at the hands of the Bears, who moved into first place in the Western Division. Green Bay dropped into fourth place.
GREEN BAY - 0 0 0 7 - 10
CHI BEARS - 0 0 10 0 - 7
3rd - CHI - Ed Sprinkle, 30-yard fumble return (Frank Maznicki kick) CHICAGO 7-0
3rd - CHI - Maznicki, 28-yard field goal CHICAGO 10-0
4th - GB - Fritsch, 3-yard run (Fritsch kick) CHICAGO 10-7
November 10: Green Bay Packers (4-3) 19, Chicago Cardinals (4-4) 7
(CHICAGO) - An alert Green Bay Packer team pounced on five Cardinal fumbles and intercepted five passes to whip Chicago, 19-7, and move back into second place in the Western Division. The field was slippery after an overnight rain and the Packers steered clear of their passing game, trying only 11 passes, three of which were completed. The Cards, however, went to the air 31 times and completed 11 tosses for a 217-yard total—167 yards better than the Packers gained. On the ground, it was a different story and the Packers ground out 218 yards to Chicago's 16, with Ted Fritsch powering the Green Bay attack most of the game. Fritsch opened the scoring in the first period with a 25-yard field goal and, at the outset of the second quarter, plunged from the one to cap an 80-yard drive. Five minutes after their first touchdown, the Packers scored again after a series of fumbles. Herman Rohrig came up with the ball on the Cards' 11, and four plays later Irv Comp romped over. Chicago came back in the second half when Frank Seno caught a touchdown pass from Paul Christman. In the final quarter, Rohrig intercepted a Christman pass to end the final true Cardinal threat. In the final 15 seconds, Nolan Luhn grabbed Christman behind the the goal for a safety.
GREEN BAY - 3 14 0 2 - 19
CHI CARDS - 0 0 7 0 - 7
1st - GB - Fritsch, 25-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - GB - Fritsch, 1-yard run (Fritsch kick) GREEN BAY 10-0
2nd - GB - Comp, 1-yard run (Fritsch kick) GREEN BAY 17-0
3rd - CHI - Frank Seno, 27-yard pass from Paul Christman (Ward Cuff kick) GB 17-7
4th - GB - Safety, Christman tackled in the end zone by Luhn GREEN BAY 19-7
November 17: Green Bay Packers (5-3) 9, Detroit Lions (1-7) 0
(DETROIT) - Ted Fritsch booted a 15-yard field goal and scored the only touchdown of the game as Green Bay whitewashed Detroit, 9-0. The Packers had all the edge in statistics but couldn't put over a score until the second half after they twice had reached Detroit's three-yard line in the opening period. A small crowd of 22,950 fans watched the Packers hand Detroit its seventh loss in eight games this year, keeping the Lions outside the Green Bay 20-yard line on all except one occasion. The win also put Green Bay into second place in the Western Division.
GREEN BAY - 0 0 3 6 - 9
DETROIT - 0 0 0 0 - 0
3rd - GB - Fritsch, 15-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
4th - GB - Fritsch, 1-yard run (Kick failed) GREEN BAY 9-0
November 24: Chicago Cardinals (5-5) 24, Green Bay Packers (5-4) 6
(GREEN BAY) - A "Homecoming" crowd of 16,150 sat through a downpour and watched the Cardinals start the fourth period with a 6-3 deficit, then explode for three touchdowns. Ted Fritsch put the Packers ahead with a pair of field goals of 32 and 36 yards, one in the first and the other in the third period, while Ward Cuff booted one of 23 yards for the Cards in the second stanza. Chicago marched 80 yards for its first touchdown with passes by Paul Christman picking up most of the yardage. Christman sneaked over from the two to climax the drive. Mal Kutner intercepted Cliff Aberson's pass on the Packer 36 to set up the second touchdown. Christman's passes brought the ball to the nine. On the third play, Marshall Goldberg rammed over from the one yard line. Green Bay moved down to the Cardinal's 20 after the kickoff but was thrown back to the 39 in four plays. Halfback Elmer Angsman of Chicago broke through right tackle and scampered 61 yards for the final tally. The Packers tossed a flock of futile passes in the dying moments. The loss eliminated the Packers from the Western Division title race, which the Bears clinched with a win over Detroit.
CHI CARDS - 0 3 0 21 - 24
GREEN BAY - 3 0 3 0 - 6
1st - GB - Fritsch, 32-yard field goal GREEN BAY 3-0
2nd - CHI - Ward Cuff, 23-yard field goal TIED 3-3
3rd - GB - Fritsch, 36-yard field goal GREEN BAY 6-3
4th - CHI - Paul Christman, 2-yard run (Cuff kick) CHICAGO CARDINALS 10-6
4th - CHI - Marshall Goldberg, 1-yard run (Cuff kick) CHICAGO CARDINALS 17-6
4th - CHI - Elmer Angsman, 61-yard run (Cuff kick) CHICAGO CARDINALS 24-6
December 1: Green Bay Packers (6-4) 20, Washington Redskins (5-4-1) 7
(WASHINGTON) - Ted Fritsch went on a one-man scoring binge, collecting all of Green Bay's points as the Packers trounced the Washington Redskins, 20-7. Green Bay's victory was a bad blow to the Redskins' Eastern Division title hopes and a boon to the New York Giants, who clinched at least a tie for the division crown despite losing to the Los Angeles Rams. Green Bay rushed 64 times for a season-high 301 yards. Fritsch bulled his way in the second and third periods to score the first two Packer touchdowns, and charged 14 yards to score in the final frame. In addition, he booted two extra points to boost his scoring output to 89 points, highest in the league. Washington came to life after Fritsch's first two scores and drove 82 yards to score, with Jim Youel passing six yards to Steve Bagarus in the end zone. Green Bay's alert play bottled up the usually potent Washington aerial attack. In the second period, Sammy Baugh made the mistake of attempting a pass from behind his own goal. Bob Nussbaumer grabbed the throw on the 30 and ran it to the 13 to set up one of Fritsch's scores. Ken Keuper pulled a similar stunt in the third period, grabbing a Baugh pass on the Redskin 40 and returning it to the 34, once again leading to a Fritsch touchdown.
GREEN BAY - 0 7 6 7 - 20
WASHINGTON - 0 0 7 0 - 7
2nd - GB - Fritsch, 1-yard run (Fritsch kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
3rd - GB - Fritsch, 3-yard run (Kick failed) GREEN BAY 13-0
3rd - WASH - Steve Bargarus, 6-yd pass from Jim Youel (Dick Poillon kick) GB 13-7
4th - GB - Fritsch, 14-yard run (Kick failed) GREEN BAY 20-7
December 8: Los Angeles Rams (6-4-1) 38, Green Bay Packers (6-5) 17
(LOS ANGELES) - The 1946 season came to an end with the Green Bay Packers sharing third place in the Western Division with the Chicago Cardinals. The Los Angeles Rams grabbed second place thanks to their trouncing of the Packers, 38-17. 46,838 fans watched the Packers' futile attempts to stop Bob Waterfield. The sharpshooting quarterback fired three touchdown passes of 13, 45 and 28 yards and kicked five extra points to run his perfect season conversion string to 37 straight, and chipped in a 28 yard field goal for good measure. Green Bay's aerial game, both offensive and defensive, helped in the Ram victory. The Packers tried 21 passes but completed only seven for 128 yards while four were intercepted. Los Angeles completed 10 of 17 for 175 yards and only one was intercepted. The Rams also limited Ted Fritsch to 23 yards on 11 carries. Fritsch did collect 11 points to bring his season total to 100, tops in the NFL.
GREEN BAY - 7 3 7 0 - 17
LOS ANGELES - 7 7 7 17 - 38
1st - GB - Fritsch, 5-yard run (Fritsch kick) GREEN BAY 7-0
1st - LA - Jack Wilson, 13-yard pass from Bob Waterfield (Waterfield kick) TIED 7-7
2nd - GB - Fritsch, 40-yard field goal GREEN BAY 10-7
2nd - LA - Tommy Harmon, 5-yard run (Waterfield kick) LOS ANGELES 14-10
3rd - LA - Red Hickey, 45-yard pass from Waterfield (Waterfield kick) LA 21-10
3rd - GB - Goodnight, 51-yard pass from Canadeo (Fritsch kick) LA 21-17
4th - LA - Waterfield, 28-yard field goal LOS ANGELES 24-17
4th - LA - Bob Hoffman, 2-yard run (Waterfield kick) LOS ANGELES 31-17
4th - LA - Hickey, 28-yard pass from Waterfield (Waterfield kick) LA 38-17
1946 IN REVIEW: Green Bay lost a hero and Curly Lambeau an ace when Don Hutson finally made his retirement stick. The Packers long had counted on the wiry end to put points on the scoreboard, and not until the coming of Vince Lombardi would the team adjust to his loss. To make matters worse, the new AAFC was driving player salaries up to the sky, making it hard for the non-profit Packers to sign new talent. Lambeau relied on a strong running game to make up for the diminished air attack. Ex-GI Tony Canadeo, veteran Ted Fritsch, and rookie Walt Schlinkman handled the bulk of the ball-carrying with little help from QB Irv Comp and his undistinguished receivers. Quick losses to the Bears and Rams uncovered chinks in the Packer defense, and a strong mid-season spurt petered out in two losses in the last three games.
1946 PRE-SEASON RESULTS (0-3) - SEPTEMBER
6 M-PHILADELPHIA EAGLES L 6- 7 0-1-0 25,000
10 Washington Redskins (at Denver) L 31-35 0-2-0 21,000
20 at New York Giants L 21-35 0-3-0 50,000
1946 REGULAR SEASON RESULTS (6-5) - SEPTEMBER (0-1)
29 G-CHICAGO BEARS (0-0-0) L 7-30 0-1-0 25,049
OCTOBER (3-1)
6 M-LOS ANGELES RAMS (0-1-0) L 17-21 0-2-0 27,049
13 at Philadelphia Eagles (2-0-0) W 19- 7 1-2-0 36,127
20 G-PITTSBURGH STEELERS (2-1-1) W 17- 7 2-2-0 22,588
27 M-DETROIT LIONS (0-4-0) W 10- 7 3-2-0 23,564
NOVEMBER (2-2)
3 at Chicago Bears (3-1-1) L 7-10 3-3-0 46,321
10 at Chicago Cardinals (4-3-0) W 19- 7 4-3-0 30,681
17 at Detroit Lions (1-6-0) W 9- 0 5-3-0 21,055
24 G-CHICAGO CARDINALS (4-5-0) L 6-24 5-4-0 16,150
DECEMBER (1-1)
1 at Washington Redskins (5-3-1) W 20- 7 6-4-0 33,691
8 at Los Angeles Rams (5-4-1) L 17-38 6-5-0 46,838
September 6: Philadelphia Eagles 7, Green Bay Packers 6
(MILWAUKEE) - Philadelphia's Eagles, hot favorites in the NFL Eastern Division, shaded the Green Bay Packers, 7-6, last night in an exhibition game before about 25,000 spectators, although they outplayed the western section club by a considerably wider margin. The Eagles started their touchdown drive on their own 18-yard line midway of the second period, and with Al Sherman tossing a 20-yard pass to Dick Humbert, and Ernie Steele tearing off runs of 30 and 19 yards, finished with a one-yard smash by Sherman. Roy Zimmerman kicked the deciding point. The Packers, outgained on the ground and in the air, scored in the third period when Bob Nussbaumer, former Michigan star, raced 29 yards around the Eagles' left end. Ted Fiitsch's attempted place-kick for the point was wide. Philadelphia, with Steve Van Buren, Sherman, Steele and Jim Castiliga contributing sizeable gains, amassed 18 first downs to four for the Packers. Green Bay, famed as a passing team, played without their star tosser, Irv Comp, out because of illness, and completed only four of nine passes. The Eagles connected on eight of 14 attempts.
PHILADELPHIA - 0 7 0 0 - 7
GREEN BAY - 0 0 6 0 - 6
2nd - PHIL - Allie Sherman, 1-yard run (Roy Zimmerman kick) PHILADELPHIA 7-0
3rd - GB - Nussbaumer, 29-yard run (Kick failed) PHILADELPHIA 7-6
September 10: Washington Redskins 35, Green Bay Packers 31
(DENVER) - The Washington Redskins rode to a 35-31 victory over the Green Bay
Packers on the passes of Slinging Sammy Baugh in an exhibition game before 21,000 fans last night. Trailing 24-7, at half time, the Redskins scored three quick touchdowns in the last two periods on Baugh's passes to Steve Bagarus, Doug Tourley and Frank Atkins. Washington scored first after an 80-yard march with Al Couppee plowing the last eight yards. Green Bay tied the score on a 17-yard smash by Irv Comp and went ahead on a field goal. With Baugh riding the bench, the Packers started running wild with Bob Nussbaumer galloping 46 yards for one touchdown and Comp lunging two yards for another. The Packers went scoreless in the second half until the closing minutes when they drove 69 yards for a final score with Comp driving over from the 1.
GREEN BAY - 10 14 0 7 - 31
WASHINGTON - 7 0 14 14 - 35
1st - WASH - Al Couppee, 8-yard run (Dick Poillon kick) WASHINGTON 7-0
4th - WASH - Frank Akins pass from Baugh (Poillon kick) WASHINGTON 35-21
4th - GB - Comp, 1-yard run (Atkins kick) WASHINGTON 35-31
September 20: New York Giants 35, Green Bay Packers 21
(NEW YORK) - The Giants have reason to feel today that nobody in their circuit will take them this year. They ran the favored Packers ragged in an exhibition game to win. The Giants unveiled a terrific line against which the Packers could do little or nothing, and operating behind this line was a fine set of backs, spearheaded by Frank Filchock. The game would have been a complete rout were it not for the phenomenal passing of Irv Comp who completed 17 or his 28 passes for 211 yards. Even when the pass was incomplete, he always hit the receiver. The Giants moved 64 yards on a Filchock pass for their first touchdown. Bill Paschal ran 41-yards for the second. Filchock galloped 24 yards for the third. George Tranck went 75 yards for the fourth. Three straight passes gained 58 yards, Franck again scoring the last touchdown, Ken Strong converted after every touchdown.
GREEN BAY - 7 14 0 0 - 21
NEW YORK - 14 14 7 0 - 35
GB scoring: Touchdowns: Luhn 2; Nussbaumer Points after touchdown - Fritsch. 3 NY scoring: Touchdowns: Doolan, Paschal, Filchock, Franck 2 PAT - Strong 5
