member_of_sports_team john perko
Card - Pitt was the name for the team created by the temporary merger of two National Football League ( NFL ) teams , the ___MASK9___ and the Chicago Cardinals , during the 1944 season . It was the second such merger for the Steelers , who had combined with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1943 to form the " Steagles ". The arrangement was made necessary by the loss of numerous players to World War II military service , and was dissolved upon completion of the season . The war ended before the start of the 1945 season , and both teams resumed normal operations . American football , referred to as football in the United States and Canada , and also known as gridiron , is a ___MASK74___ played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end . The offense , the team with control of the oval - shaped football , attempts to advance down the field by running with or passing the ball , while the team without control of the ball , the defense , aims to stop their advance and take control of the ball for themselves . The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs , or plays , or else they turn over the football to the opposing team ; if they succeed , they are given a new set of four downs . Points are primarily scored by advancing the ball into the opposing team ' s end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponent ' s goalposts for a field goal . The team with the most points at the end of a game wins . The ___MASK9___ are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . The Steelers compete in the National Football League ( NFL ), as a member club of the league ' s American Football Conference ( AFC ) North division . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC . The Steagles were the team created by the temporary merger of two National Football League ( NFL ) teams , the ___MASK9___ and the Philadelphia Eagles , during the 1943 season . The teams were forced to merge because both had lost many players to military service during World War II . The league ' s official record book refers to the team as " Phil - Pitt Combine ", but the unofficial " Steagles ," despite never being registered by the NFL , has become the enduring moniker . The National Football League ( NFL ) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams , divided equally between the National Football Conference ( NFC ) and the American Football Conference ( AFC ). The NFL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America , and the highest professional level of American football in the world . The NFL ' s 17 - week regular season runs from the week after Labor Day to the week after Christmas , with each team playing 16 games and having one bye week . Following the conclusion of the regular season , six teams from each conference ( four division winners and two wild card teams ) advance to the playoffs , a single - elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl , played between the champions of the NFC and AFC . John Joseph Perko ( February 20 , 1914 - June 7 , 1994 ) was a professional football player for eight seasons in the National Football League . He played for Pittsburgh Pirates - Steelers his entire career . In 1944 , he also played on the Steelers - ___MASK23___ merged team , `` Card - Pitt '' . Prior to playing professional football , Perko played at the college level while attending Duquesne University . The Philadelphia ___MASK95___ are a professional American football franchise based in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . The ___MASK95___ compete in the National Football League ( NFL ) as a member club of the league ' s National Football Conference ( NFC ) East division .