1942 NFL All-Star Game (January)

{{Short description|National Football League all-star game}}

{{about|the NFL All-Star Game that followed the 1941 season, played on January 4, 1942|the game that followed the 1942 season, played on December 27, 1942|1942 National Football League All-Star Game (December)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox Pro Bowl

|type=pb

|full_name=1942 NFL All-Star Game (January)

|name=1942

|image=

|visitor=Chicago Bears

|home=NFL All-stars

|visitor_qtr1=0

|home_qtr1=3

|visitor_qtr2=21

|home_qtr2=0

|visitor_qtr3=7

|home_qtr3=14

|visitor_qtr4=7

|home_qtr4=7

|date=January 4, 1942

|stadium=Polo Grounds

|city=New York City

|visitor_coach=George Halas

|visitor_coach_team=Chicago Bears

|home_coach=Steve Owen

|home_coach_team=New York Giants

|MVP=none selected

|MVPteam=

|anthem=

|coin_toss=

|halftime=

|referee=

|attendance=17,725

|network=not televised

|announcers=

|last=1940 (Dec)

|next=1942 (Dec)

}}

The 1942 National Football League All-star Game (January) was the professional football league's fourth all-star game. The game pitted the Chicago Bears, the league's champion for the 1941 season, against a team of all-stars. The game was played on Sunday, January 4, 1942, at the Polo Grounds in New York City. The Bears defeated the all-stars by a score of 35–24.{{cite news|last=Guenther|first=Jack|title='Incredible' Bears Crush Gallant Stars|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vXMbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eUwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4308,1495877&hl=en|accessdate=February 15, 2012|newspaper=Pittsburgh Press|date=January 5, 1942|agency=AP|page=20}}

The George Halas' Bears entered the game as 4–1 favorites over the All-Stars led by New York Giants head coach Steve Owen.{{cite news|last=Scheffels|first=Paul|title=Bears Set to Face All-Stars|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tHUiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vKsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1888,214735&hl=en|accessdate=February 15, 2012|newspaper=San Jose Evening News|date=January 1, 1942|agency=United Press|page=7}} Although as many as 40,000 fans were expected, cold and snowy weather kept the crowd down to 17,725.

The game was originally planned to be played in Los Angeles where the first three All-Star games had been held, but it was moved to New York due to travel restrictions brought on by World War II. To support the war effort, half of the game's proceeds went to the Naval Relief Society, a sum that amounted to $25,529.84.{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27617379/bears_roll_for_three_touchdowns_in/|title=Bears Roll For Three Touchdowns In Second Period To Beat All-Stars, 35 To 24|newspaper=Hartford Courant|via=Newspapers.com|date=January 4, 1942|accessdate=January 26, 2019}} It was the first January football game ever held in New York.