The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played annually (except in 1974) from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year. After the Super Bowl began, including the two seasons prior to the NFL/AFL merger, the Super Bowl winner was the professional team involved, regardless of which league the team represented. Thus, the New York Jets played in the 1969 event, although still an AFL team. The 1935 game involved the 1934 runner up Chicago Bears instead of the 1934 champions New York Giants.
The game was the idea of Arch Ward, the sports editor of the Chicago Tribune and the driving force behind the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The game originally was a benefit for Chicago-area charities and was always played at Soldier Field in Chicago or at Northwestern University's Dyche Stadium in Evanston, Illinois (1943 and 1944). The Chicago game was one of several "pro vs. rookie" college all-star games held across the United States in its early years (the 1939 season featured seven such games, all of which the NFL teams won in shutouts); Chicago's game had the benefit of being the highest profile, with the NFL champions facing off against the best college graduates from across the country (as opposed to the regional games that were held elsewhere). Because of this, the game survived far longer than its contemporaries.
The first game, played before a crowd of 79,432 on August 31, 1934, was a scoreless tie between the all-stars and the Chicago Bears. The following year, a game that included University of Michigan graduate and future president Gerald Ford, the Bears won, 5-0. The first all-star team to win was the 1937 squad, coached by Gus Dorais, which won on a 47-yard touchdown pass from future Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh to Gaynell Tinsley.
In the 1940s, the games were competitive affairs that attracted large crowds to Soldier Field. But as the talent level of pro football improved, the all-stars had diminishing success. The last all-star win came in 1963, when a team coached by legendary quarterback Otto Graham beat Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers, 20-17.
By the 1970s, crowds for the event were dwindling. In addition, NFL coaches were reluctant to part with their new draftees (who would miss part of training camp) for a meaningless exhibition at which the players might be injured.
A player's strike forced the cancellation of the 1974 game. The last game took place during a downpour at Soldier Field on July 23, 1976. Despite featuring stars such as Chuck Muncie, Mike Pruitt, Lee Roy Selmon and Jackie Slater, the rookies were hopelessly outmatched by the Pittsburgh Steelers, winners of Super Bowl X. The star quarterback for the College All-Stars was Pittsburgh Steeler draft pick Mike Kruczek. Pittsburgh was leading 24-0 late in the third quarter when weather conditions made play impossible and the officials called for a delay. The players left the field and were replaced by unruly fans who tore down the goal posts. NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle decided the game would not be restarted. Chicago Tribune Charities Inc., the sponsor of the game, elected not to bring it back for 1977.
The Steelers' win was the 31st for NFL champions in the 42 College All-Star Games. The all-stars won nine, and two ended in ties.
One aspect of the College All-Star Game was later revived. The concept of the Super Bowl champion playing in the first game of the season was adopted in 2004 for the National Football League Kickoff game; in that game, the first game of the regular season is hosted by the league champion from the previous year.
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| Date played | Winning team | Losing team | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 31, 1934 | College All-Stars | 0 | Chicago Bears | 0 | 79,432 |
| August 29, 1935 | Chicago Bears | 5 | College All-Stars | 0 | 77,450 |
| September 2, 1936 | College All-Stars | 7 | Detroit Lions | 7 | 76,000 |
| August 31, 1937 | College All-Stars | 6 | Green Bay Packers | 0 | 84,560 |
| August 31, 1938 | College All-Stars | 28 | Washington Redskins | 16 | 74,250 |
| August 30, 1939 | New York Giants | 9 | College All-Stars | 0 | 81,456 |
| August 29, 1940 | Green Bay Packers | 45 | College All-Stars | 28 | 84,567 |
| August 28, 1941 | Chicago Bears | 37 | College All-Stars | 13 | 98,203 |
| August 28, 1942 | Chicago Bears | 21 | College All-Stars | 0 | 101,103 |
| August 28, 1943 | College All-Stars | 27 | Washington Redskins | 7 | 48,437 |
| August 30, 1944 | Chicago Bears | 24 | College All-Stars | 21 | 49,246 |
| August 30, 1945 | Green Bay Packers | 19 | College All-Stars | 7 | 92,753 |
| August 23, 1946 | College All-Stars | 16 | Los Angeles Rams | 0 | 97,380 |
| August 23, 1947 | College All-Stars | 16 | Chicago Bears | 0 | 105,840 |
| August 22, 1948 | Chicago Cardinals | 28 | College All-Stars | 0 | 101,220 |
| August 22, 1949 | Philadelphia Eagles | 38 | College All-Stars | 0 | 93,780 |
| August 11, 1950 | College All-Stars | 17 | Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 88,885 |
| August 17, 1951 | Cleveland Browns | 17 | College All-Stars | 0 | 92,180 |
| August 15, 1952 | Los Angeles Rams | 10 | College All-Stars | 7 | 88,316 |
| August 14, 1953 | Detroit Lions | 24 | College All-Stars | 10 | 93,818 |
| August 13, 1954 | Detroit Lions | 31 | College All-Stars | 6 | 93,470 |
| August 12, 1955 | College All-Stars | 30 | Cleveland Browns | 27 | 75,000 |
| August 10, 1956 | Cleveland Browns | 26 | College All-Stars | 0 | 75,000 |
| August 9, 1957 | New York Giants | 22 | College All-Stars | 12 | 75,000 |
| August 15, 1958 | College All-Stars | 35 | Detroit Lions | 19 | 70,000 |
| August 14, 1959 | Baltimore Colts | 29 | College All-Stars | 0 | 70,000 |
| August 12, 1960 | Baltimore Colts | 32 | College All-Stars | 7 | 70,000 |
| August 4, 1961 | Philadelphia Eagles | 28 | College All-Stars | 14 | 66,000 |
| August 3, 1962 | Green Bay Packers | 42 | College All-Stars | 20 | 65,000 |
| August 2, 1963 | College All-Stars | 20 | Green Bay Packers | 17 | 65,000 |
| August 7, 1964 | Chicago Bears | 28 | College All-Stars | 17 | 65,000 |
| August 6, 1965 | Cleveland Browns | 24 | College All-Stars | 16 | 68,000 |
| August 5, 1966 | Green Bay Packers | 38 | College All-Stars | 0 | 72,000 |
| August 4, 1967 | Green Bay Packers | 27 | College All-Stars | 0 | 70,934 |
| August 2, 1968 | Green Bay Packers | 34 | College All-Stars | 17 | 69,917 |
| August 1, 1969 | New York Jets | 26 | College All-Stars | 24 | 74,208 |
| July 31, 1970 | Kansas City Chiefs | 24 | College All-Stars | 3 | 69,940 |
| July 30, 1971 | Baltimore Colts | 24 | College All-Stars | 17 | 52,289 |
| July 28, 1972 | Dallas Cowboys | 20 | College All-Stars | 7 | 54,162 |
| July 27, 1973 | Miami Dolphins | 14 | College All-Stars | 3 | 54,103 |
| July 26, 1974 | Canceled due to 1974 NFL strike Game was originally scheduled between the Miami Dolphins and College All-Stars |
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| August 1, 1975 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 21 | College All-Stars | 14 | 54,562 |
| July 23, 19761 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 24 | College All-Stars | 0 | 52,095 |
1 Game was called late with 1:22 left in 3rd quarter because of heavy rain.
The Most Valuable Player award was given from 1938 through 1973 and was always awarded to a player on the College All-Stars
| Year | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Cecil Isbell | Running back | Purdue |
| 1939 | Bill Osmanski | Running back | Holy Cross |
| 1940 | Ambrose Schindler | Running back | USC |
| 1941 | George Franck | Running back | Minnesota |
| 1942 | Bruce Smith | Running back | Minnesota |
| 1943 | Pat Harder | Running back | Wisconsin |
| 1944 | Glenn Dobbs | Running back | Tulsa |
| 1945 | Charley Trippi | Multiple | Georgia |
| 1946 | Elroy Hirsch | Running back | Michigan |
| 1947 | Claude Young | Running back | Illinois |
| 1948 | Jay Rodemeyer | Running back | Kentucky |
| 1949 | Bill Fischer | Offensive lineman | Notre Dame |
| 1950 | Charlie Justice | Running back | North Carolina |
| 1951 | Lewis McFadin | Multiple | Texas |
| 1952 | Babe Parilli | Quarterback | Kentucky |
| 1953 | Gib Dawson | Multiple | Texas |
| 1954 | Carlton Massey | Defensive end | Texas |
| 1955 | Ralph Guglielmi | Quarterback | Notre Dame |
| 1956 | Bob Pellegrini | Linebacker | Maryland |
| 1957 | John Brodie | Quarterback | Stanford |
| 1958 | Bobby Mitchell | Halfback/Wide receiver | Illinois |
| Jim Ninowski | Quarterback | Michigan State | |
| 1959 | Bob Ptacek | Running back | Michigan |
| 1960 | Jim Leo | End | Cincinnati |
| 1961 | Bill Kilmer | Quarterback | UCLA |
| 1962 | John Hadl | Quarterback | Kansas |
| 1963 | Ron VanderKelen | Quarterback | Wisconsin |
| 1964 | Chuck Taylor | Guard | Stanford |
| 1965 | John Huarte | Quarterback | Notre Dame |
| 1966 | Gary Lane | Quarterback | Missouri |
| 1967 | Charles Smith | Defensive end | Michigan State |
| 1968 | Larry Csonka | Running back | Syracuse |
| 1969 | Greg Cook | Quarterback | Cincinnati |
| 1970 | Bruce Taylor | Defensive back | Boston University |
| 1971 | Richard Harris | Defensive end | Grambling State |
| 1972 | Pat Sullivan | Quarterback | Auburn |
| 1973 | Ray Guy | Punter | Southern Mississippi |