History of the football helmet gridiron until 1939 and were not made mandatory in the National Football League until 1943 As a side note, "the last NFL player to play in a game without a helmet was Dick Plasman an end for the Chicago Bears in 1940." There is a photograph of him without one taken during the 1940 NFL Championship Game in which Chicago defeated the Washington Redskins 73–0. Before the invention of the football helmet, players would often grow their hair long, because they believed it would protect their heads. The man largely credited with inventing the first helmet was George Barclay. In
1934 NFL Championship Game the game, narrated by Pat Summerall, can be seen in the 1987 video "Giants Among Men." NFL Films named the game the #8 bad weather game of all time. "Sunday, December 9, 1934"<br> Kickoff: 2 p.m. EST The NFL had only four game officials in ; the back judge was added in , the line judge in , and the side judge in . An projected attendance of 55,000 was not reached, the week's weather kept it under 36,000. Each player on the winning Giants team received $621, while the Bears received $414 each. 1934 NFL Championship Game The 1934