1921 NFL Championship controversy

1921 de facto championship
1234 Total
BUF 0070 7
CHI 7030 10
DateDecember 4, 1921
StadiumCubs Park, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance12,000
Hall of Famers
Staleys: George Halas (owner/coach), Guy Chamberlin, George Trafton

The 1921 NFL Championship controversy, known among Buffalo sports historians and fans as the Staley Swindle, is a dispute in which the Buffalo All-Americans unintentionally surrendered the 1921 APFA Championship title to the Chicago Staleys (later renamed the Chicago Bears). The controversy began at the conclusion of the 1921 season, when the All-Americans finished the season with the best record in the American Professional Football Association (renamed the National Football League in 1922). However, after losing what the All-Americans owner had intended to be an exhibition game to the Staleys on December 4, 1921, the All-Americans lost their title to Chicago on a tiebreaker.