1955 NFL Season
As originally written by Tim Brulia:
This season was a bit of a year in limbo, TV wise, for the NFL.
The prime TV carrier of seasons past - DuMont - was beginning to crumble. As such, most teams were left to fend for themselves in terms of TV coverage. As far as I can tell, this is how coverage went for each team:
Colts- local coverage
Bears - ABC home games
Cardinals - ABC home games
Browns - regional coverage, sponsored and produced by Carling Beer
Lions - local coverage
Packers - no coverage
Rams - ABC Pacific
Giants - DuMont regional
Eagles - DuMont regional
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AAFC: 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949
AFL: 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969
Steelers - DuMont regional
49ers - ABC Pacific
Redskins - regional coverage, sponsored and produced by Amoco Gasoline
DuMont, the rights holder for the 1955 NFL Championship game, sold off the rights to NBC for $100,000.
Piecemealing all of this together, and with the help of the Godfather of TV Sports, jtgrace1, here are the crews:
WEEK 1, 1955
Saturday 9/24:
Giants-Eagles, 7:30, NY DuMont. Chris Schenkel
Sunday 9/25:
Bears-Colts, 2:00, ABC. Red Grange, Bill Fay
Redskins-Browns, 2:00. Amoco Network: Jim Gibbons, Arch McDonald. Carling Network: Ken Coleman.
Lions-Packers, 2:30, Not televised
Rams-49ers, 5:00, ABC Pacific. Bob Kelley, Bill Brundige
Monday 9/26:
Steelers-Cardinals, 7:30. Not televised
WEEK 2, 1955:
Saturday 10/1:
Lions-Colts, 7:30, DET Network. Van Patrick, Bob Reynolds, Les Bingaman
Redskins-Eagles, 7:30, Amoco Network. Jim Gibbons, Arch McDonald
Sunday 10/2:
Giants-Cardinals, 2:00. NY DuMont: Bob Wolff*. ABC: Red Grange, Bill Fay.
Bears-Packers, 2:30, Not televised.
Browns-49ers, 5:00, Syndicated. Chris Schenkel
Steelers-Rams, 6:00. ABC Pacific. Bob Fouts, Frankie Albert
WEEK 3, 1955:
Saturday 10/8:
Colts-Packers (Milwaukee), 8:30, WAAM-Baltimore, WMAL-Washington, WCMB-Harrisburg, WSBA-York, PA. Ernie Harwell, Bailey Goss
Sunday 10/9:
Cardinals-Redskins, 2:00, Amoco Network. Jim Gibbons, Arch McDonald
Rams-Lions, 2:00. ABC Pacific: Bob Kelley, Bill Brundige. DET Network: Van Patrick, Bob Reynolds, Les Bingaman
Giants-Steelers, 2:00, NY DuMont. Chris Schenkel
Eagles-Browns, 2:00. PHI DuMont: Byrum Saam. Carling Network: Ken Coleman.
49ers-Bears, 2:00. ABC. Red Grange, Bill Fay
WEEK 4, 1955:
Saturday 10/15:
Eagles-Steelers, 7:30, WFIL-Philadelphia, WSBA-York, PA. Byrum Saam
Sunday 10/16:
Colts-Bears, 2:00. BAL Network: Ernie Harwell, Bailey Goss. ABC: Red Grange, Bill Fay
Cardinals-Giants, 2:00, NY DuMont. Chris Schenkel
Browns-Redskins, 2:00. Carling Network: Ken Coleman. Amoco Network: Jim Gibbons, Arch McDonald.
49ers-Lions, 2:00. ABC Pacific: Bob Fouts, Frankie Albert. DET Network: Van Patrick, Bob Reynolds, Les Bingaman.
Rams-Packers (Milwaukee), 2:30, Not televised
WEEK 5, 1955:
Sunday 10/23:
Packers-Browns, 2:00, Carling Network. Ken Coleman
Eagles-Cardinals, 2:00. PHI DuMont: Byrum Saam. ABC: Red Grange, Bill Fay.
Steelers-Giants, 2:00. PGH DuMont: Joe Tucker, Ken Hildebrand. NY DuMont: Chris Schenkel.
Redskins-Colts, 2:00, Amoco Network. Jim Gibbons, Arch McDonald
Bears-49ers, 5:00, Not televised
Lions-Rams, 5:00, DET Network: Van Patrick, Les Bingaman. ABC Pacific. Bob Fouts, color - if any - unknown
WEEK 6, 1955:
Saturday 10/29:
Packers-Colts, 7:30, Not televised
Sunday 10/30:
Browns-Cardinals, 2:00. Carling Network: Ken Coleman. ABC: Red Grange, Bill Fay.
Steelers-Eagles, 2:00, PGH DuMont. Joe Tucker, Ken Hildebrand
Redskins-Giants, 2:00. Amoco Network: Jim Gibbons, Arch McDonald. NY DuMont: Bob Wolff.
Bears-Rams, 5:00, Syndicated. Chris Schenkel*
Lions-49ers, 5:00, DET Network. Van Patrick, Bob Reynolds, Les Bingaman. ABC Pacific. Bob Fouts, color - if any - unknown
*Note: 10/31/55 issue of Sports Illustrated lists the CB-LA game as being televised. If so, it could have been televised as a syndicated pick up. Bob Wolff is listed as doing the Giants game for DuMont, so Chris Schenkel could have made the call here.
WEEK 7, 1955:
Saturday 11/5:
Colts-Lions, 7:30, WAAM-Baltimore, WMAL-Washington, WSBA-York, PA. Ernie Harwell, Bailey Goss
Steelers-Cardinals, 9:00, KDKA-Pittsburgh, WFBG-Altoona, WTRF-Wheeling WV. Joe Tucker, Ken Hildebrand
Sunday 11/6:
Packers-Bears, 2:00. ABC: Red Grange, Bill Fay. DET Network: Van Patrick, Bob Reynolds.
Giants-Browns, 2:00. NY DuMont: Chris Schenkel. Carling Network: Ken Coleman.
Eagles-Redskins, 2:00. PHI DuMont: Byrum Saam. Amoco Network: Jim Gibbons, Arch McDonald.
49ers-Rams, 5:00, ABC Pacific. Bob Fouts, Frankie Albert
WEEK 8, 1955:
Sunday 11/13:
Colts-Giants, 2:00. BAL Network: Ernie Harwell, Bailey Goss. NY DuMont: Chris Schenkel.
Browns-Eagles, 2:00, Carling Network. Ken Coleman
Lions-Steelers, 2:00, DET Network. Van Patrick, Bob Reynolds, Les Bingaman
Rams-Bears, 2:00, ABC. Bob Kelley, Bill Brundige (Pacific). Red Grange, Bill Fay (Midwest).
49ers-Redskins, 2:00, Amoco Network. Jim Gibbons, Arch McDonald
Cardinals-Packers, 2:30, Not televised
WEEK 9, 1955:
Sunday 11/20:
Bears-Lions, 2:00, DET Network. Van Patrick, Bob Reynolds, Les Bingaman
Rams-Colts, 2:00, Not televised
Eagles-Giants, 2:00, DuMont. Byrum Saam (PHI). Chris Schenkel (NY).
Steelers-Browns, 2:00. PGH DuMont: Joe Tucker, Ken Hildebrand. Carling Network: Ken Coleman
Redskins-Cardinals, 2:00. Amoco Network: Jim Gibbons, Arch McDonald. ABC: Red Grange, Bill Fay.
49ers-Packers (Milwaukee), 2:30, ABC Pacific. Bob Fouts, Frankie Albert
WEEK 10, 1955:
Thursday 11/24:
Packers-Lions, Noon, ABC. Harry Wismer, Budd Lynch
Sunday 11/27:
Bears-Cardinals, 2:00, ABC. Red Grange, Bill Fay
Browns-Giants, 2:00. Carling Network: Ken Coleman. NY DuMont: Bob Wolff.
Rams-Eagles, 2:00, ABC Pacific. Bob Kelley, Bill Brundige
49ers-Colts, 2:00, Not televised
Redskins-Steelers, 2:00, Amoco Network. Jim Gibbons, Arch McDonald
Note: T-Day game was probably originally scheduled for DuMont, but likely moved to ABC.
11/21/55 issue of Sports Illustrated lists LA-PHI as carried by ABC Pacific network. SI also lists SF-BAL as being televised. However, in perusing Bay Area newspapers via online archives, I see NO indication this game was televised.
WEEK 11, 1955:
Sunday 12/4:
Cardinals-Eagles, 2:00, Not televised
Browns-Steelers, 2:00, Carling Network. Ken Coleman
Lions-Bears, 2:00. DET Network: Van Patrick, Bob Reynolds, Les Bingaman. ABC: Red Grange, Bill Fay.
Giants-Redskins, 2:00. NY DuMont: Chris Schenkel. Amoco Network: Jim Gibbons, Arch McDonald.
Colts-Rams, 5:00, WBAL-Baltimore, WCMB-Harrisburg, PA, WSBA-York, PA: Ernie Harwell, Bailey Goss. ABC Pacific: Bob Kelley, Bill Brundige.
Packers-49ers, 5:00, Not televised
WEEK 12, 1955:
Sunday 12/11:
Cardinals-Browns, 2:00. Syndicated: Chris Schenkel. Carling Network. Ken Coleman.
Giants-Lions, 2:00. NY DuMont: Bob Wolff. DET Network: Van Patrick, Bob Reynolds, Les Bingaman.
Eagles-Bears, 2:00, ABC. Red Grange, Bill Fay.
Steelers-Redskins, 2:00. PGH DuMont: Joe Tucker, Ken Hildebrand. Amoco Network: Jim Gibbons, Arch McDonald.
Colts-49ers, 5:00. BAL regional: Ernie Harwell, Bailey Goss. ABC Pacific: Bob Fouts, Frankie Albert
Packers-Rams, 5:00, Not televised
Post Season:
1955 NFL Championship:
Monday 12/26: Browns-Rams, 4:00, NBC. Bob Kelley, Chris Schenkel, Bob Graham
Pro Bowl in Los Angeles:
Sunday 1/15: East-West, 4:00, Not televised