https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyD3XKhgHd8&feature=youtu.be
YouTube user classicsportsvids one-upped the NFL in a huge way. The user uploaded on Saturday over 10 minutes of mind-blowingly clear footage of the 1939 game between the Detroit Lions and Brooklyn Dodgers.
It’s hard to believe that this footage is not only real but captured as clearly as it was. However, everything checks out. This footage only contains highlights from the half, which ends in a 0-0 tie in the video. According to Pro Football Reference, this game did indeed go to halftime tied 0-0, but ended with the Lions winning 27-7. Additionally, the Lions’ quarterback at the time, Johnny Pingel (who also served as the team’s punter and running back), wore the number 37, as it clearly shows in the video above.
There are so many neat things in this video and as The TICKET described yesterday, the quality of this video is amazing as you consider how old it is, especially since it’s in color. No one is wearing a facemask, you see all the classic cars in the parking lot, the refs are dressed in all white and wearing bow ties, and I could go on and on.
The Lions are in blue and the Dodgers are in red.
My father played semi-pro during this period. I may have some old pictures with his team wearing those old leather helmets or newspaper clippings.
UPDATE: There’s no date on this article, but it appears Dad recovered a fumble and here’s the team picture.
Dad is pretty much in the center, back row, to the left of the dude in the white shirt. Click to enlarge:
