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

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. 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. 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. 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: 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