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Some quick background...the 1934 Bears were one of the greatest teams in NFL history. They were 13-0 in the regular season, and outscored their opponents 286-86 in a low-scoring era. They had more stars than the Eastern sky...Bronko Nagurski, Bill Hewitt, Link Lyman, Pug Manders, George Musso, etc. They lost in the NFL title game to the Giants, 30-13, when the Giants switched from cleats to sneakers at halftime because of the icy field and came from behind in the 2nd half.
Beattie Feathers was the Bears #1 rusher, usually following Nagurski into the line. There has been debate over Feathers' actual stats of 1934, but research suggests his numbers were:
101 carries 1004 yards 9.9 YPC 9 TDs
No one had come close to rushing for 1000 yards prior to 1934, and it wouldn't be until 1947 that another player reached 1000 yards (Steve van Buren). Feathers himself injured his knee in 1935 and was never the same again.
In an era when most RBs were plodding fullbacks, Feathers was a rare speed back. He benefited from great blocking, but perhaps moreso he benefitted from an early-days NFL that still featured fly-by-night teams such as the St Louis Gunners and Cincinatti Reds. The 1934 Reds were perhaps the worst team in NFL history, losing all 8 of their games while being outscored 10-243 (!). Here are Feathers' 100-yard games of 1934...notice his numbers in his 2 games against the Reds:
9/30 AT CIN 2/140
10/7 AT BKN 14/132
10/10 AT PIT 8/101
10/21 VS CIN 7/114
10/28 VS GB 15/155
Yes, that first game against the Reds had Feathers carrying the ball twice...for 140 yards. Feathers' two game total against the Reds is 9 carries, 254 yards, for an astounding 28.2 yards per carry average.
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