 Leemans had been with the Giants since 1936, when he led the league in rushing as a rookie with 830 yards.A versatile performer, he rushed for over 3,000 yards, and passed for over 2,300 in his career.During the course of the game the stadium announcer paged Colonel William Joseph Donovan to answer a call from Washington, D.C., and told all servicemen to return to their units, but it was only when the game concluded that players and spectators learned of the attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor earlier that day.