A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 1938 Pittsburgh Pirates season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Art Rooney |
| Head coach | John McNally |
| Home field | Forbes Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 2–9 |
| Division place | 5th NFL Eastern |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | Stu Smith Byron Gentry |
The 1938 Pittsburgh Pirates season was their sixth as a professional football club in the National Football League (NFL). The '38 Pirates welcomed back John McNally as head coach after finishing with a 4–10 record the previous year. McNally coached the team's second 2-win season in 3 years, as they placed last in the NFL Eastern Division.
The '38 team welcomed one of the Steelers' best players during their tenure as "the Pirates" (1933-1940). Art Rooney signed college phenom Byron "Whizzer" White for one season and was given a huge contract. White led the league in rushing that year, and became the first player to do so whilst playing for a losing team. He left the team the next year to pursue his studies overseas, he did however return as a Lion in 1940.
Preseason
- September 3, 1938: at St. Rosalia Preps of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania: win 54–0
- September 4, 1938: at Modern Athletic Club of Jeannette, Pennsylvania: win 46–0
1938 NFL draft
| Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Choice | Overall | ||||
| 1 | 4 | 4 | Byron White | Back | Colorado | Played 1 season with Pirates in 1938 |
| 2 | 4 | 14 | Frank Filchock | Back | Indiana | Played 1 season for Pirates in 1938 |
| 3 | 4 | 19 | Hugh Wolfe | Back | Texas | Played for Giants |
| 4 | 4 | 29 | Tony Matisi | Tackle | Pittsburgh | Played for Lions |
| 5 | 4 | 34 | Lou Midler | Tackle | Minnesota | Played 2 seasons for Pirates |
| 6 | 4 | 44 | George Platukis | End | Duquesne | Played 4 season for Pirates/Steelers |
| 7 | 4 | 54 | Ray King | End | Minnesota | |
| 8 | 4 | 64 | Tom Burnette | Halfback | North Carolina | |
| 9 | 4 | 74 | Paul McDonough | End | Utah | Played 1 season for Pirates in 1938 |
| 10 | 4 | 84 | Paul McCarty | Center | Notre Dame | |
| 11 | 4 | 94 | Bill Krause | Guard | Baldwin–Wallace | |
| 12 | 4 | 104 | Joe Kuharich | Guard | Notre Dame | Never played for Pirates |
The Pirates selected one of their best draft picks of that era in Byron "Whizzer" White from Colorado. He was given a large $15,000 contract to play in 1938. White finished the season with 152 rushes for 567 yards, 4 TD, and 7 catches for 88 yards. After the season, he continued his studies overseas. He did return and play for the Detroit Lions in 1940 and 1941.
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | at Detroit Lions | L 7–16 | 0–1 |
| 2 | September 11 | New York Giants | L 14–27 | 0–2 |
| 3 | September 16 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 7–27 | 0–3 |
| 4 | September 23 | at Brooklyn Dodgers | W 17–3 | 1–3 |
| 5 | October 3 | at New York Giants | W 13–10 | 2–3 |
| 6 | October 9 | Brooklyn Dodgers | L 7–17 | 2–4 |
| 7 | October 23 | at Green Bay Packers | L 0–20 | 2–5 |
| 8 | November 6 | Washington Redskins | L 0–7 | 2–6 |
| 9 | November 20 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 7–14 | 2–7 |
| 10 | November 27 | at Washington Redskins | L 0–15 | 2–8 |
| 11 | December 4 | Cleveland Rams | L 7–13 | 2–9 |
Game summaries
Week 1 (Friday September 9, 1938): Detroit Lions
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Lions | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
at Titan Stadium, Detroit, Michigan
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 17,000
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Detroit – FG Shepherd 27
- Detroit – Caddel 5 run (kick failed)
- Detroit – Cardwell 5 run (Moscrip kick)
- Pittsburgh – White 3 run (Niccolai kick)
Week 2 (Sunday, September 11, 1938): New York Giants
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 6 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
| Pirates | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 17,340
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Pittsburgh – White 4 run (Niccolai kick)
- New York – Leemans 1 run (kick blocked)
- Pittsburgh – Manske 23 pass from Filchock (Niccolai kick)
- New York – Shaffer 3 pass from Danowski (Soar kick)
- New York – Shaffer 11 pass from Danowski (Cuff kick)
- New York – Soar 1 run (Soar kick)
Week 3 (Friday September 16, 1938): Philadelphia Eagles
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 7 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Civic Stadium, Buffalo, New York
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 19,749
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Philadelphia – Arnold 20 fumble run (Smukler kick)
- Philadelphia – Arnold 34 pass from Riffle (Reese kick)
- Philadelphia – Arnold 23 interception (kick failed)
- Philadelphia – Riffle 44 run (Smukler kick)
- Pittsburgh – White 1 run (Niccolai kick)
Week 4 (Friday September 23, 1938): Brooklyn Dodgers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 17 |
| Dodgers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 21,494
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- Brooklyn – FG Reissig 18
- Pittsburgh – Manske 27 fumble run (Niccolai kick)
- Pittsburgh – Thompson 5 run (Niccolai kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG Niccolai 18
Week 5 (Monday October 3, 1938): New York Giants
Prior to this game, the Pirates played an exhibition against the Boston Shamrocks, winning 16–6.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| Giants | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 18,805
- Referee:
Scoring Drives:
- New York – Cuff 18 pass from Danowski (Cuff kick)
- Pittsburgh – Sortet 24 pass from Filchock (Niccolai kick)
- New York – FG Cuff 10
- Pittsburgh – Sortet 13 pass from Filchock (kick failed)