NFL Countdown: 1925 Championship game puts Cardinals under the "Pottsville Curse"

The 1925 Championship for the Pottsville Maroons is one of the most peculiar things that have happened in the NFL. It was the team's first-ever season in the league and the way it ended left a lot of people scratching their heads.

For today's NFL Countdown, we revisit the 1925 season for the Maroons and delve a little deeper into the "curse" that continues to haunt the Arizona Cardinals.

Pottsville are the best team in the league

Back in 1925, the Maroons were clearly the best team in football. They averaged 22.5 points per game (highest in the league). Defensively, they were nearly impossible to score against. On average, the Maroons conceded just 3.8 points per game, per Pro Football Reference.

They were the best team in the league. Because there were no playoffs back then, the team with the best record was declared the champions. Sitting at 9-2, the Maroons were odds on to become champions for the 1925 season. But here is where it gets interesting.

Pottsville faced the then-Chicago Cardinals in December, a game they would go on to win and take their record to 10-2. They essentially had the championship all sewn up, or so they thought.

The Pottsville Curse

After the win over the Cardinals that effectively saw them secure the championship for the season, the Maroons' season went down the drain. The team was suspended after being in violation of the territorial rights of the Frankford Yellow Jackets after playing an exhibition game in Philadelphia.

So the best team in the country was suspended with two games to go in the season and could not win the championship. As expected, the second-best team, the Cardinals, won their remaining two games and were "crowned" champions.

Now we get to the curse. The Maroons were angry at and frustrated with the league for essentially dive-bombing their championship in 1925, which the team claimed they had won fair and square. Several attempts were made to get it overturned, but it fell on deaf ears.

Pottsville is a small town, with around 15,000 people, per abc15.com, and many are still rather angry that the 1925 title has still not been awarded to them. Then, the curse came.

Before the Cardinals played Pittsburgh in the 2009 Super Bowl, Pottsville residents were interviewed, and all were clearly going for the Steelers as the Cardinals were public enemy number one, and still are.

Patrick Lester of "The Morning Call" interviewed the mayor of Pottsville, John D. W. Reiley, before the Super Bowl, who said he was going to get witches in to hex the Cardinals.

Reiley said:

"We're going to have to call a meeting of the warlocks and witches to re-institute this hex we have on the Cardinals. I've got to find out who the witches and warlocks are."

It seemed to work as the Cardinals, aside from their 1947 Championship win, have not won a Super Bowl since. Coindicence? Or curse?

You decide.

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If you use any of the above quotes, please credit the Morning Call and H/T Sportskeeda.

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