The 1938 Pittsburgh Pirates season was their sixth as a professional football club in the National Football League (NFL). The '38 Pirates welcomed back John McNally as head coach after finishing with a 4–10 record the previous year. McNally coached the team's second 2-win season in 3 years, as they placed last in the NFL Eastern Division. The '38 team welcomed one of the Steelers' best players during their tenure as "the Pirates" (1933-1940). Art Rooney signed college phenom Byron "Whizzer" White for one season and was given a huge contract. White led the league in rushing that year, and became the first player to do so whilst playing for a losing team. He left the team the next year to pursue his studies overseas, he did however return as a Lion in 1940.

Preseason

1938 NFL draft

The Pirates selected one of their best draft picks of that era in Byron "Whizzer" White from Colorado. He was given a large $15,000 contract to play in 1938. White finished the season with 152 rushes for 567 yards, 4 TD, and 7 catches for 88 yards. After the season, he continued his studies overseas. He did return and play for the Detroit Lions in 1940 and 1941.

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1 (Friday September 9, 1938): Detroit Lions

at Titan Stadium, Detroit, Michigan Scoring Drives:

Week 2 (Sunday, September 11, 1938): New York Giants

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring Drives:

Week 3 (Friday September 16, 1938): Philadelphia Eagles

at Civic Stadium, Buffalo, New York Scoring Drives:

Week 4 (Friday September 23, 1938): Brooklyn Dodgers

at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York Scoring Drives:

Week 5 (Monday October 3, 1938): New York Giants

Prior to this game, the Pirates played an exhibition against the Boston Shamrocks, winning 16–6. at Polo Grounds, New York, NY Scoring Drives:

Week 6 (Sunday October 9, 1938): Brooklyn Dodgers

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring Drives:

Week 7 (Sunday October 23, 1938): Green Bay Packers

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring Drives:

Week 8: Bye week

During their bye week, the Pirates scheduled two exhibition games, both wins against the Warren Redjackets (23–0 on Sunday, October 30) and McKeesport Olympics (21–6 on Monday, October 31).

Week 9 (Sunday November 6, 1938): Washington Redskins

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring Drives:

Week 10: Bye week

During a second bye week, the Pirates scheduled a two-legged tie against the Los Angeles Bulldogs. The first game, an Armistice Day special, was held at Will Rogers Memorial Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado (in Pirates star Byron White's home state) on November 11. The Pirates lost that game, 17–6, in front of a crowd of 15,000 fans. The second leg of the series was held at the Bulldogs' home field, Gilmore Stadium, at which the Pirates and Bulldogs played to a 14–14 draw in front of 18,000 fans.

Week 11 (Sunday November 20, 1938): Philadelphia Eagles

at Laidley Field, Charleston, West Virginia Scoring Drives:

Week 12 (Sunday November 27, 1938): Washington Redskins

at Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC Scoring Drives:

Week 13 (Tuesday December 4, 1938): Cleveland Rams

at Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana Scoring Drives:

Standings