#Spartan iron money professional#

In 1994, the residents of Portsmouth commissioned Robert Dafford to design and paint a mural memorializing what many consider the greatest moment in Portsmouth sports history.

The Iron Man Game of 1932 is the most widely remembered Spartan contest thanks to its role in setting up the first postseason playoff game in the league’s history, one that would resolve a tie between the Spartans and the Chicago Bears. With the 1932 season reaching its climax with the Packers game in Portsmouth, Spartans coach George “Potsy” Clark, his players, and their fans not only wanted a shot at the championship, they wanted revenge by denying the title to their greatest rival - the “World Champion” Green Bay Packers. A victory over Green Bay would lead to a scenario in which the Spartans could finish the season as league champions, a scenario that would nearly playout two weeks later when the Spartans met the Chicago Bears in the first ever postseason NFL championship game. The Spartans sat at 5-1-4 in the standings, and were tied for second place with the Chicago Bears. If the Packers defeated the Spartans they would clench their fourth league championship. Packers coach Curly Lambeau entered the game with the NFL’s best record, 10-1-1, with only two games left in the season.

#Spartan iron money professional#

The league’s 1932 championship hung in the balance and the prospects for professional football in smaller cities like Portsmouth and Green Bay were being put to the test. Played in Portsmouth’s Universal Stadium (now known as Spartan Municipal Stadium), interest in the game ran so high that city authorities brought in the National Guard for crowd control. On Sunday, 4 December 1932, the reigning NFL champion Green Bay Packers faced off the Portsmouth Spartans in what has come to be popularly known as the Iron Man Game.