NFL team season
The 1953 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 21st in the
National Football League.
Regular season
Schedule
Game summaries
Week 1 (Sunday September 27, 1953):
Detroit Lions
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Steelers
|
7
|
7
|
0
|
7 |
21 |
Lions
|
7
|
17
|
7
|
7 |
38 |
at
Briggs Stadium,
Detroit,
Michigan
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 20,675
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Detroit – Carpenter 73 interception (Walker kick)
- Pittsburgh –
Nickel 14 pass from
Finks (
Bolkovac kick)
- Detroit – Gedman 1 run (Walker kick)
- Detroit – FG Walker 40
- Pittsburgh –
Mathews 1 fumble run (
Bolkovac kick)
- Detroit – Hart 49 pass from Layne (Walker kick)
- Detroit – Walker 8 pass from Hoernschmeyer (Walker kick)
- Detroit – Hoernschemeyer 29 pass from Layne (Walker kick)
- Pittsburgh –
Nickel 15 pass from
Marchibroda (
Bolkovac kick)
Week 2 (Saturday October 3, 1953):
New York Giants
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Giants
|
7
|
7
|
0
|
0 |
14 |
Steelers
|
7
|
3
|
0
|
14 |
24 |
at
Forbes Field,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 31,500
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- New York Giants – Clay 2 pass from Conerly (Clay kick)
- Pittsburgh –
Chandnois 93 kick return (
Bolkovac kick)
- New York Giants – Long 55 pass from Conerly (Clay kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG
Bolkovac 35
- Pittsburgh –
Nickel 4 pass from
Finks (
Bolkovac kick)
- Pittsburgh –
Bolkovac 14 fumble run (
Bolkovac kick)
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Cardinals
|
7
|
14
|
7
|
0 |
28 |
Steelers
|
0
|
7
|
7
|
17 |
31 |
at
Forbes Field,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 25,953
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Chicago Cardinals – Olszewski 1 run (Summerall kick)
- Pittsburgh –
Rogel 1 run (
Bolkovac kick)
- Chicago Cardinals – Nagler 34 pass from Root (Summerall kick)
- Chicago Cardinals – Nagler 6 pass from Root (Summerall kick)
- Chicago Cardinals –
Stonesifer 3 pass from Trippi (Summerall kick)
- Pittsburgh –
Mathews 19 pass from
Finks (
Bolkovac kick)
- Pittsburgh –
Rogel 4 run (
Bolkovac kick)
- Pittsburgh –
Barker 4 pass from
Finks (
Bolkovac kick)
- Pittsburgh – FG
Bolkovac 28
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Steelers
|
0
|
0
|
7
|
0 |
7 |
Eagles
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
17 |
23 |
at
Connie Mack Stadium,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 18,681
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring drives:
- Philadelphia – Pihos 28 pass from Burk (kick blocked)
- Pittsburgh –
Mathews 23 pass from
Finks (
Bolkovac kick)
- Philadelphia – FG Walston 11
- Philadelphia – Giancanelli 16 pass from Thomason (Walston kick)
- Philadelphia – Ziegler 1 run (Walston kick)
Week 5 (Saturday October 24, 1953):
Green Bay Packers
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Packers
|
0
|
0
|
7
|
7 |
14 |
Steelers
|
7
|
10
|
14
|
0 |
31 |
at
Forbes Field,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 22,918
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Eagles
|
14
|
7
|
0
|
14 |
35 |
Steelers
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
0 |
7 |
at
Forbes Field,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 27,547
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
- Philadelphia – Gianganelli 7 run (Walston kick)
- Philadelphia – Williams 48 run (Walston kick)
- Philadelphia – Walston 21 pass from Thomason (Walston kick)
- Pittsburgh –
Mathews 11 pass from
Finks (
Bolkovac kick)
- Philadelphia – Pihos 26 pass from Thomason (Walston kick)
- Philadelphia – Giancanelli 8 pass from Thomason (Walston kick)
Week 7 (Sunday November 8, 1953):
Cleveland Browns
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Steelers
|
9
|
7
|
0
|
0 |
16 |
Browns
|
0
|
24
|
0
|
10 |
34 |
at
Cleveland Municipal Stadium,
Cleveland, Ohio
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 35,592
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
- Pittsburgh – FG
Bolkovac 27
- Pittsburgh –
Mathews 2 run (kick failed)
- Cleveland – Carpenter 7 run (
Groza kick)
- Cleveland – FG
Groza 20
- Cleveland – Renfro 44 run (
Groza kick)
- Pittsburgh –
Mathews 77 pass from
Finks (
Bolkovac kick)
- Cleveland – Renfro 79 blocked field goal return (
Groza kick)
- Cleveland – Lavelli 17 pass from Graham (
Groza kick)
- Cleveland – FG
Groza 14
Week 8 (Sunday November 15, 1953):
New York Giants
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Steelers
|
7
|
0
|
0
|
7 |
14 |
Giants
|
0
|
0
|
7
|
3 |
10 |
at
Polo Grounds,
New York, New York
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 20,411
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
- Pittsburgh –
Dodrill 16 fumble run (
Bolkovac kick)
- New York Giants – Gifford 6 pass from Conerly (Gifford kick)
- New York Giants – FG Clay 20
- Pittsburgh –
Butler 33 pass from
Finks (
Bolkovac kick)
Week 9 (Sunday November 22, 1953):
Cleveland Browns
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Browns
|
7
|
10
|
3
|
0 |
20 |
Steelers
|
9
|
0
|
0
|
7 |
16 |
at
Forbes Field,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 32,904
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
- Cleveland – Renfro 54 pass from Graham (
Groza kick)
- Pittsburgh –
Finks 1 run (
Bolkovac kick)
- Pittsburgh – Safety, Lahr tackled in end zone by
Mathews
- Cleveland – FG
Groza 50
- Cleveland – Brewster 31 pass from Graham (
Groza kick)
- Cleveland – FG
Groza 41
- Pittsburgh –
Mathews 1 run (
Bolkovac kick)
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Redskins
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
10 |
17 |
Steelers
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
7 |
9 |
at
Forbes Field,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 17,206
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
- Pittsburgh – Safety, Heath tackled by
Ferry in end zone
- Washington – Taylor 5 pass from LeBaron (Dudley kick)
- Pittsburgh –
Chandnois 5 run (
Bolkovac kick)
- Washington – FG Dudley 41
- Washington – Rykovich 5 pass from LeBaron (Dudley kick)
Week 11 (Sunday December 6, 1953):
Chicago Cardinals
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Steelers
|
0
|
0
|
7
|
14 |
21 |
Cardinals
|
7
|
0
|
3
|
7 |
17 |
at
Comiskey Park,
Chicago,
Illinois
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 14,138
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
- Chicago Cardinals – Olszewski 1 run (Summerall kick)
- Chicago Cardinals – FG Summerall 12
- Pittsburgh –
Brandt 1 run (
Bolkovac kick)
- Pittsburgh –
Nickel 6 pass from
Mackrides (
Bolkovac kick)
- Pittsburgh –
Mackrides 2 run (
Bolkovac kick)
- Chicago Cardinals – Paul 5 pass from Romanik (Summerall kick)
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Steelers
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
14 |
14 |
Redskins
|
7
|
3
|
3
|
0 |
13 |
at
Griffith Stadium,
Washington, DC
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 22,057
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
Scoring Drives:
- Washington – Dekker 34 pass from LeBaron
- Washington – FG Dudley 39
- Washington – FG Dudley 20
- Pittsburgh –
Chandnois 23 lateral from
Mathews (
Bolkovac kick)
- Pittsburgh –
Butler 5 interception (
Bolkovac kick)
Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
References
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Formerly the Pittsburgh Pirates (1933–1939) |
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