NFL on DuMont
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| The NFL on DuMont | |
|---|---|
| Format | Sports program |
| Created by | DuMont Sports |
| Starring | See announcers section below |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 180 minutes or until game ends |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | DuMont |
| Original run | 1951 – 1955 |
The NFL on DuMont was an American television program that broadcast National Football League games on the now defunct DuMont Television Network.[1] The program ran from 1951 to 1955.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] 1951-1952
On December 23, 1951, DuMont televised the first ever coast-to-coast professional football game, the NFL Championship Game between the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns. DuMont paid $75,000 for the rights to broadcast the game.[2]
In 1952, DuMont only aired New York Giants games before moving to a more national scope the following season.
- See also: 1952 New York Giants (football) season
[edit] 1953-1954
During the 1953[3] and 1954 seasons, DuMont broadcast Saturday night NFL games. It was the first time that National Football League games were televised live, coast-to-coast, in prime time, for the entire season. This predated Monday Night Football on ABC by 17 years.[4] Nearly all the games in 1953 and 1954 originated in New York (Giants), Pittsburgh (Steelers), or Washington (Redskins). (All three of these cities had DuMont O&Os.)[5]
- See also: 1953 New York Giants (football) season, 1953 Pittsburgh Steelers season, 1953 Washington Redskins season, 1954 New York Giants (football) season, 1954 Pittsburgh Steelers season, and 1954 Washington Redskins season
In 1954 (actually, January 1955), DuMont obtained rights from the Los Angeles Newspaper Charities to cover the Pro Bowl only one week before the game date. As they had trouble lining up affiliates to cover the game on such short notice, the telecast was cancelled.
[edit] 1955
In 1955, NBC replaced DuMont as the network for the NFL Championship Game, paying a rights fee of $100,000.[6]
DuMont ceased most entertainment programs (and a nightly newscast) in early April 1955. DuMont still broadcast some sports events (a Monday-night boxing show and the 1955 NFL season) until August 1956, when the network as a whole shut down for good.
[edit] Announcers
- Earl Gillespie
- Red Grange
- Tom Harmon
- Steve Owen
- Van Patrick
- Byrum Saam
- Chris Schenkel
- Ray Scott
- Chuck Thompson
- Harry Wismer
[edit] See also
- NFL Championship Game, 1951
- NFL Championship Game, 1952
- NFL Championship Game, 1953
- NFL Championship Game, 1954
- List of NFL Championship Game broadcasters
- NFL on television
[edit] References
- ^ The DuMont Television Network Historical Web Site
- ^ December 23, 1951 in History
- ^ Telecasts of complete professional games would not appear until 1953 on DuMont. NFL football on television, as we know it today, would have to wait for a decade, and the arrival of television-minded NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, before it made an impact on network television.
- ^ ABC wasn't the first network to try football in prime time. In the early 1950s, the now-defunct DuMont network broadcast pro football on Saturday nights, but a lack of affiliates and interest killed the concept (not to mention DuMont).
- ^ The DuMont Television Network: Channel Twelve: Feedback
- ^ NFL.com - NFL History (1955)
[edit] External links
- NFL on DuMont at the Internet Movie Database (Pro Football Highlights)
- NFL on DuMont at the Internet Movie Database (Football Sidelines)
- NFL on DuMont at the Internet Movie Database (Football This Week)
- Sportscasting History
