The Chicago game was one of several "pro vs. rookie" college all-star games held across the United States in its early years (the 1939 season featured seven such games, all of which the NFL teams won in shutouts, and the season prior featured eight, with some of the collegiate players playing in multiple games). The Philadelphia Eagles fell in 1950,[5] the Cleveland Browns in 1955,[6] and the Detroit Lions in 1958. Check out this NFL Schedule, sortable by date and including information on game time, network coverage, and more! 245-251, Professional Football Researchers Association, "Sam Baugh's pass, stalwart defense give Stars 6-0 victory over Packers", "Isbell sparks rally as All-Stars beat Redskins in second half", "Grid All-Stars slay inept Detroit Lions", "Rampaging fans, rain shorten all-star game", "Chicago Charities withdraw from Star game", "Charley Trippi's College All-Star Game Trophy", "The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chicago_College_All-Star_Game&oldid=979898427, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 23 September 2020, at 11:49.

The qualifying criteria for the College All-Star squad was loose, as the 1945 game featured Tom Harmon, who had begun his professional career in 1941 but had been interrupted by military service. [8], In 1949, Ward, who by this time had founded the competing All-America Football Conference, attempted to have that league's champion - the perennially winning Browns - play that year's game instead of the NFL champion, but after the NFL threatened legal action, the Tribune board overruled Ward and renewed its agreement with the NFL.[9]. [11][12][13] Despite featuring star players such as Chuck Muncie, Mike Pruitt, Lee Roy Selmon, and Jackie Slater, the all-stars were hopelessly outmatched by the Pittsburgh Steelers, winners of consecutive Super Bowls (IX, X). By the late 1960s and early 1970s, enthusiasm for the game started to erode as NFL coaches had become increasingly reluctant to let their new draftees play in the exhibition due to their being forced miss part of training camp, and their draftees being at considerable risk for injury. The official source for NFL news, video highlights, fantasy football, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more. 1 Game was called with 1:22 left in 3rd quarter because of torrential rain and rampaging fans. The Tribune announced on December 21, 1976 that the game would be discontinued.[13][16][17][18]. A player's strike forced the cancellation of the 1974 game: although the league went forward with the rest of its preseason, they needed access to as many rookies as possible for replacement players to replace striking players and players who defected to the World Football League, leaving them unable to spare players to field a team to play the college all-stars.

[4] The all-stars last won consecutive games in 1946 and 1947, and won only four of the final 29 games. The star quarterback for the College All-Stars was Steeler draft pick Mike Kruczek of Boston College, but he left in the first quarter due to a thigh injury, and after backup Craig Penrose of San Diego State suffered a broken finger, Jeb Blount of Tulsa played most of the game.[11][14]. However, by this time, the torrential rain had left parts of the field under 18 inches (45.5 cm) of water, meaning it would have been unplayable in any event.

The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League (NFL) champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year. Fans subsequently invaded the field and began sliding on the turf, and with the rain continuing to fall heavily, the officials ordered both teams to their locker rooms. At 11:01 pm CDT, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle and the Tribune announced that the game had been called. Enjoy real-time updates for your favorite teams on FOXSports.com! The first all-star team to win was the 1937 squad, coached by Gus Dorais, which won 6–0 over Curly Lambeau's Green Bay Packers. [7] The last all-star win came in 1963, when a college team coached by legendary quarterback Otto Graham beat Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers, 20–17. The game raised over $4 million for charity over the course of its 42-game run.[19].