Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles—"The Steagles"—Saved Pro Football During World War II
Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles—"The Steagles"—Saved Pro Football During World War II
Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles—"The Steagles"—Saved Pro Football During World War II
Ebook354 pages5 hours

Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles—"The Steagles"—Saved Pro Football During World War II

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

()

Read preview

About this ebook

During World War II, the National Football League faced a crisis unimaginable today: a shortage of players. By 1943, so many players were in the armed forces that the league was forced to fold one team and merge two others: the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles—the Steagles. Its roster that included military draft rejects, aging stars lured out of retirement, and even a couple of active servicemen who managed to get leave for the games. The team's center was deaf in one ear, its wide receiver was blind in one eye, and its halfback had bleeding ulcers. One player was so old he'd never played football with a helmet. Yet, somehow, this motley bunch managed to post a winning record—the first for the Eagles and just the second for the Steelers.

But Last Team Standing isn't just about football. It's also about life in the United States during World War II, a time of fear and hope, of sacrifice and momentous change. It's about rationing, racism, and Rosie the Riveter. It's about draft boards, bond drives, and movie stars. Above all, it's about the men and women of the Greatest Generation who couldn't fight, but helped win the war in immeasurable ways.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 1, 2013
ISBN9781613748886
Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles—"The Steagles"—Saved Pro Football During World War II
Author

Matthew Algeo

Matthew Algeo is an award-winning journalist who has reported from three continents for public radio’s All Things Considered, Marketplace, and Morning Edition. He is the author of The President Is a Sick Man and Last Team Standing.

Read more from Matthew Algeo

Related to Last Team Standing

Related ebooks

Sports & Recreation For You

View More

Related articles

Related categories

Reviews for Last Team Standing

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings

0 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    Last Team Standing - Matthew Algeo

    y`book_preview_excerpt.html}rG嫔#B"ekj[<L@Up-~b9MIefHuGP˗r-Cso].>UC티.޹~(>yWkWUzݏYQݏ?ln~7?^ݪxyw^~xW|X??zY|PWwNػp/u芲;`9E OaK<C1l}tu}ZZn|[1n=܇UsՆ!N/>vl}W¾-Bmi?׾B=Wu [v VӗL 1[6m|a{ۂLM.C<ÝKҸb=61>W=92r[AF/U6նmÍSL Kb?~|Uß?]׾al,jKsXա_vNnl}Lo:۪O VV՗:ŲsUkHL=a\}Z:Zmgs.؀p/VmЪ*v/DLv?^W9B &%cqJsG@l!KXZ+'PCCK,1RC9\qdQ=l7^_0v+w(iCK}.#`O<9E$}ޓ-.YUcw_8 FPyeXVH' ]{dlW~DR{؇^ uT-+]hDv"k E~܌ \ի =[l|n  kZWuĔ>^al\у 2 o~ tnKvsV4lKJ7Bh=x)&P^+_0[pRXtp4-x9L&Ƞq6lu 5O@:.X {vuSJ_G|&S)lwdKvAԕ ԑ ҞuT]qGL,s765Bz툒`T370(8?[!jlMe:3-$)r끜RFnsT_ XiD PwlF *zڃ_"[uQ1?yw`^Jb.|jK:`7o'f wѵզX۪to8ϥ8?`D{F{kYs#t?*qi5b7O݅d:-E% kXiH~ -B#D Z4l=^vr Iv Xf]_yhR*<"h=hea3vgŊV [i- ٸԖdS,4@R .{h )Cw-?@PlNzo5MɅ:|> #"&=>JE hi7 @`^ksF`gM N#b#ɸ3>.l{0ݮ kY -p i3I>-c.}VBNʳ\c>gh5Eܙ&Ӵf 8czGvdOs۸2#:Ȝ .j AJGr >by">J&,@:q"f™hə$2<[)4k?ZO 6#GBnC% ~WPwfu_ߟjMRl8 ?q7L=|C 2z ^¢m f[LX7 BD0 &smNHKtvr%6AC )ɐru}CXW ƙ-. 4v\s2v?;[_D/..x(.Uy},0՚N.Щ1 c <8{:O! $,As{D8a\#Oo5/@a]@EK\Z7q3e+.S11gF ,ETcͼ5()mѷ\,'2G7 ɰ;?{ _'4ꐿ8t6E`kn%N`e&\/N3e v"Ɯa6MDa;dk'DHb?zP@=bE Aͧb|I֕}cwSݸ$O 03%g5`Cm,XbklCAM 0B䌂;.c$D63K1& ڥYj<5C l߃! ] 0S bni%pxt dz!4@o*Z.Y i 9Iybez=@RTjZ_HEƙov7vNg'{jޓ~[EguIH%ϋNE͕X ֓Uӷ[Ʃ4<`gD=D/9ۥxŸ2ђ81*"1<q6Mro&pQL ?0^oڙ'aagV -%1k:pV%4䪘zB8[{J֩_X0-&bY55P}->Nۓpk: |= S wDo&ɽ1~ڙދT&'T?5*^g` d*:q+Y6& ^~' b0^qLlh?vdd ~r+G <'쪝Mܡu&/pyG&,P!j⍿VED`;I304Yb SӱÜX=e'>ɫNQ,ӷN".Is-5(uJI)uj ]Y\: | % {.W-"kcU{4CLGӸ6̵Y[F"չMLҦ˂qÍfcoA#(=9RPD460eUfT-l>'Ѩw(ͥaHf9:k=W;]{XHߍ8ؒR yKpѶE 3o(*Pl0vmJyF'߂CHJ$Qe!{Yu&HrM?Ѐ,ֻms.CoKkɽҦQH.2:@4K JSL6r(K6 Rxon|rӺ]#I"e& ,3^#BK?| Q #հ5;`(΁]9bwD/[y&{p &+G"SUKo39u%KH5}{*3D_B~ie7"͆fktmk,l C~%&K&cvdLGl6"Vѹb'T~IW6ʥ%pwOY$L<ٴz&Atq@;6wwfJ\]?09tפKˌHx"27U`?Y ^kƨ=>t<:zS=S8Sϖ2Q[;T~W!I2,w{)r6 r.]-P,H֑֊\3~:'mbʢ٫d|txjlbN}`1:-D"[g$4:H)QAfǬ#J2C`BrNkp(ns?"9q* ;bSQ $ہ)?mj$4nז#Q"~P+8s ("qbǒ,̷uXa:Kz h1"n@L .j#͒z^7N)>fXzMخI Cdx~5'P;M蘎Rjv#J)N[&S2%:҅@CPgAZ֣13:vQM60Q&Zq2۔ g*i.0x ڄvN VY &$iYTyUH6²_Q*eJfw w:XpeDXjp\-8jw'Iz4^4-t!c!Ձp.~j:aN6\E&oUzEd.prU3C|HQXPIMrMc {tVXq{74N󧣐5à- \ic\ \(S32٩t tIbdĭ:}4f$ -"4`471$e+r D+E($&k6 ISÚN&d1q96>BmDdِĕjMP3|To2:5ϥJSmS`t{91YaMoSScomgVżm)1GNU9ÐxOPX:@A"=,|逽AG.5Z8rӻ< 3(V'xnI]Ģ(;{(0ʚ֢`pW^-\Eҧ:"4dGud&u){* >] A_jjX?dZsAgTjPOn(<{؝6syjA$sF;y|zzy/ :M-~U$?4?]TyN(@TVR{+&.C\g`bNTR"fdhRֱR?U(N+'8)vZH)}2mm%!L~p?y{9KS?mK޲Uö#,2 GK+p,5,gޗV?,{c),^q~eU)9-CfRLiddYe4V֗cQE&ڰ1J--"3qJDINpDfN,?2Yaq^YGRnDU8 sSSTnC_Y!y,t (h/!(j* 8C LJZ CP~56)8.dP;ĹW_sBc2x`L5Ƭ:1E v\&kiN@WYrx:4ǮˆkyaL=O-F.>ckW^WU@Ο%KUnbžjߍBClʥ bC->\!yV(4j͢U2e62`k<2./eDV!Z_E l34w|:́a_5=U|Fc\6Am;v9kڙ!NT2SNGPM@k^}4:q9PWB{bՠ qh[.=:S~[ɗEg+`b`:҂sgIc϶E5a)v*4i(VW7 *4*o6N;yr,^fe6unlGD3˞7>D >X;(!r0 4#è*l\fOnɕtJ.u$Hby25,lnB=Wg!첫, 'u +\Z-fV՗JUe5T4w_;OÖ,K&ʏq,j]GS R>叼ֲ)X'"xK&Va7ykst^|?s\rT~{$ *{3f7 t- J ~#4/s 轧r\o>&;j9:E+T6h*K6=Ģk eN]qiBzuQt{0x{3w|$څג\ɣRp6JuUvЋ1.1u d

    )Ӯ=ەkszn-+׶ F+7RQ ku!!e;z1bż_\ ưJV\*dE,!Ae!T }gMׄQ}175Td rlkOQmlgٟug4N4|9dX#XS.P5=ybܦ5bkJq$R=#yԆΥ.zb-,VmfW< }R -2é$)g KM!UrC]U ѦM aD红 0v<)zzs2,&Z( $,Lav,MJd:|+3|Xc`T?7uim\ exUW(=Os(gMKaL_D*yK)jLlhrLKx$MPY1.VRfțyx[Y `!kk^VX1τ@GܥBaS Ńs!PJ)mYyHjVZA}6c=?"z sXoZY9e-䔺`ICoCT,0y 5[Nq:Sq*CBџ2l@}Ok-p܋[iaG0xP9R+C]m&^rEoVǐM4.]7x=c- nR. #9q[Ҍ+¨!fph*L1r% *!Y CfrGjY+Xs&r~V-k%yٱ͕Hu0:[D,/([`gCּԻ&[kܰOA)tu>NC V[%6mu2net? 53Gk_Wp^~ G 3Ix#f&j,#H ֣."fG+X6\(m5!CzjL;cnuXT$}e_9:F$D1C3.Ż` kLڄ `;2t%]D5d10[k%790mץ7msb+PtZDTc"m7lA`~xvG#@׶~vS/NR/Bb\}}JV,U~"^qKc1-ٌv720T]0V[7?rڱ;~EGy4Y]~02'w:ȥBB4.("`O9FglnhUe5:{e)R_`@q,UׇI:b-Q!Hv m~t!.擒@f)j{6=J3󈳊;Ů;R_V[&ѩ63]|`4OrLt[{fNz Tm(bAFBhaQϲ2>ڕtˊb*dV aZi^ajnDun8}¨0O^EV]sd2ceЀ]UxZ4Qvd`*ҽд ؤ}ʺK7OakPg"/^u 2?N|=eM+ #.--njh iȔ͑RT:▿Sٳ1L%{Vc WdKz+P DNZFtwO@T&^Y˧J]*Dy8{|b%Q\9 bX_2Ss )Y q']{Kٹ:4V3\-3G챟#?NUk>_q jfeӤ,s%jv4V1[hTC!9ֱS1w#ݑ[x!MW~(>.758[f yYBqYJnO]߾z_yW狫|[Z_?|'#᯾mCMGMwuB(ܳfH^LF5!ȱ>CB@CQfVo\XF]_iAi/e'm!i)%"1ҪZ.8扑GE~c횉~#3QMmLDAX3v>ٵ%w*xz].ҢW̽`严r5@U`+^;2#]X9b_(+\:a%5SsY;yi+)"j*Z$Bp#1s+ha XRt=y.MO!9Y-9 \5ل)~ ePUn[Ȧ}ʐԗ,<\u.x%1gJqy-';Q-,91q sp]xlSa?.W_isK:;!T^TSwEUm{+}5_ b٢\ ?uM~qOcloPX*%3~*>~oۋś>/A]\('/(97\=y E\c2CIuҌh,u ILڅU j t:hXgwFW.Ue\NN7y+֩ӦԿ%>aw?ҧ5o lm4(3B X}acƝī)*Rs;v?i>NbF?]p|T/QԺ&m>;6Qc/爿O'nf,'u.-Q+3|;^fO7n7v4mIKa/  򿦁칟Kȶyy[(bs˄q?Z\̥\fWtn%WrG%]6@E*.f ^U?}e.WZ'|̬O3q"rxǻiö-^M.i=h@KƬ$nБSR+O8 {]-}35?4іFk

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1