Pro Football Historian (PFH) is a blog page written by Flint Given. Pro Football Historian or PFH is a page to inform people on prior NFL events that people might not know about. Learning about teams from the 1920s or even the first few NFL World Championships in the 1930s fascinates me. It's these kinds of events that I want to discuss in this blog. Hopefully you are interested and will continue to check up on my blogs. Check out the website at https://profootballhistorian.lovable.app/
Benjamin Friedman was an American football player and coach, and athletic administrator.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Friedman played college football as a halfback and quarterback for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1924 to 1926. Friedman played in the backfield on both offense and defense, handled kicking and return duties, and was known for his passing game. He was a consensus first-team All-American in both 1925 and 1926, and won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference in 1926.
Friedman also played eight seasons in the National Football League for the Cleveland Bulldogs (1927), Detroit Wolverines (1928), New York Giants (1929–1931), and Brooklyn Dodgers (1932–1934). He was the leading passer of his era in the NFL and is credited with revolutionizing the game with his passing prowess. He led the league in passing for four consecutive years from 1927 to 1930, and was selected as the first-team All-NFL quarterback in each of those years. He also served as the head coach of the Giants for the last 2 games of the 1930 season, both were victories. Then he was the head coach of the Dodgers during the 1932 season.
Friedman later served as the head football coach at City College of New York from 1934 to 1941, and at Brandeis University from 1950 to 1959. He was also the first athletic director at Brandeis, holding the position from 1949 to 1963. During World War II, he was a lieutenant in the United States Navy, serving as the deck officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La in the Pacific theater. He was part of the inaugural class of inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951, and was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
In August 1927, Friedman announced that he would play professional football for the Cleveland Bulldogs in the National Football League. During the 1927 season, Friedman started all 13 games at quarterback and led Cleveland to an 8–4–1 record. Cleveland had the top scoring offense in the league with an average of 16.1 points per game. In his first NFL game, he threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Al Bloodgood. He led the NFL during the 1927 with 12 passing touchdowns and 1,721 passing yards; his closest competitors totaled seven passing touchdowns and 1,362 passing yards. He was selected as a first-team All-NFL player by both the Chicago Tribune and the Green Bay Press Gazette.
In 1928, the Cleveland NFL franchise moved to Detroit and became known as the Detroit Wolverines. Friedman started all 10 games for the Wolverines and led the club to a 7–2–1 record. With Friedman at the helm, Detroit also had the top-scoring offense in the league with an average of 18.9 points scored per game. For the second straight season, he led the NFL with 10 passing touchdowns (double the next highest total) and 1,120 yards, and was again selected as a first-team All-NFL player by both the Chicago Tribune and the Green Bay Press Gazette. Friedman also led the NFL in rushing touchdowns in 1928, making him the only player in NFL history to lead the league in both passing and rushing touchdowns in the same season.
In July 1929, Friedman signed with the New York Giants. In his first year in New York, Friedman appeared in all 15 games and led the 1929 Giants to a 13–1–1 record, second best in the NFL. The Giants also had the top scoring offense in the league with an average of 20.8 points per game. Friedman led the NFL with 985 passing yards, and his 20 touchdown passes set an NFL single season record that stood until 1942. After the final game of the 1929 season, one sports writer noted: "The uncanny field generalship of Friedman, combined with his bullet passes, was a big factor in the Giants' thirteenth and last victory of the season."
In 1930, Friedman had another strong season, appearing in 15 games for the Giants and helping the team to a 13–4 record. The Giants again finished in second place in the NFL and had the top scoring offense in the league with 18.1 points scored per game. Friedman led the NFL with 922 passing yards and 10 touchdown passes in 1930. For the fourth consecutive season, Friedman was selected as a first-team All-NFL player.
Friedman's passing proficiency was especially noteworthy considering that the football used at the time was rounder and more difficult to throw. Friedman called plays at the line of scrimmage and threw on first and second down, when most teams waited until third down. "Benny revolutionized football. He forced the defenses out of the dark ages." George Halas later said.
In February 1931, Friedman announced that he intended to retire from professional football. He was hired as an assistant coach for the Yale Bulldogs football team. On October 26, 1931, Friedman signed a contract to return to the Giants for the remainder of the season. Since the Giants' practices were held in the morning, Friedman indicated that his duties with the Giants would not conflict with his coaching duties at Yale. Friedman appeared in nine games for the 1931 Giants.
In March 1932, Friedman signed as player, manager, and coach for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers compiled a 3–9 record in 1932.
Friedman signed to return to the Dodgers in September 1933, though he did not serve as the head coach in 1933. He started five of ten games for the 1933 Dodgers. His average of 84.9 passing yards per game led the NFL for the 1933 season.
In 1934, Friedman appeared in only one NFL game.
In his eight seasons in the NFL, statistics are incomplete, but he appeared in 81 games, compiled at least 5,326 passing yards, and had 66 touchdown passes and 51 passes intercepted. He was the NFL's career leader in passing yardage until Sammy Baugh's seventh NFL season in 1947. Friedman also totaled over 1,000 yards rushing and over 400 yards on punt returns. At the time of his retirement, Friedman also held the NFL record with 66 career touchdown passes.
In February 1934, Friedman was hired as the football coach at City College of New York. He remained the coach at City College through the 1941 season, stepping down in 1942 for military service. Friedman's City College teams compiled a composite record of 27–31–4.
In the summer of 1942, Friedman enlisted in the United States Navy with the rank of lieutenant. He was named an assistant football coach at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in North Chicago, Illinois. He later served as the deck officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II.
After being discharged, he went into the automobile sales business. He operated a Jeep dealership in Detroit.
In June 1949, Friedman was hired as the athletic director at Brandeis University, a university founded in 1948 at Waltham, Massachusetts. He was also the school's first coach of the Brandeis football team when it began play in 1950. He remained the head football coach at Brandeis through the 1959 season. Despite the limited enrollment, the first years of the football program were incredibly successful winning their first game against the prestigious Harvard freshman team. In the following years Friedman's Judges posted a winning record in their first varsity season as well as going 6–1 in 1957, the team's best record. Friedman's run as head coach of the Judges was filled with years of struggles to attract high end talent. Additionally, players at Brandeis were required to maintain certain academic standards that made it challenging for Friedman to recruit. Despite this, in 10 years as head coach, Friedman's Brandeis football teams compiled a winning record of 38–35–4.
In 1960, Brandeis discontinued its football program, noting that "the per capita cost of fielding a varsity football team is inordinately high in relation to other varsity and intramural sports." Despite the end of the football program, Friedman remained as the athletic director at Brandeis until April 1963 when he resigned his post.
When the College Football Hall of Fame was established in 1951, Friedman was part of the inaugural group of 32 players and 21 coaches to be inducted.
Friedman also received acclaim for his professional football career. Sports writer Paul Gallico called Friedman "the greatest football player in the world." Wellington Mara, the owner of the New York Giants, said of Friedman, "He was the Johnny Unitas of his day. He was the best of his time." George Halas gave Friedman credit for revolutionizing the game with his passing and wrote an article in 1967 titled "Halas Calls Friedman Pioneer Passer – Rest Came By Design."
However, when the Pro Football Hall of Fame was established in 1963, Friedman was overlooked. As years passed, numerous quarterbacks were inducted, including Sammy Baugh (1963), Dutch Clark (1963), Jimmy Conzelman (1964), Paddy Driscoll (1965), Otto Graham (1965), Sid Luckman (1965), Bob Waterfield (1965), Arnie Herber (1966), Bobby Layne (1967), Y. A. Tittle (1971), Norm Van Brocklin (1971), and Ace Parker (1972). Friedman's frustration grew as he continued to be overlooked. In February 1976, more than 40 years after his NFL career had ended, he wrote a letter to The New York Times pleading his case. It was not until 2005, 23 years after his death, that Friedman was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A group of 40 to 50 players who played for him at Brandeis printed brochures and lobbied for his induction. He was then nominated by the Hall's veterans committee and received the requisite votes by a 39-member panel of selectors.
Friedman was married in February 1931 to Shirley Immerman, a resident of Brooklyn. The wedding was held at a Long Island country club with Guy Lombardo and his orchestra providing the entertainment. They were married for more than 50 years.
In 1949, Friedman became Brandeis University's first athletic director. He also served as head football coach until the school dropped the program. He went on sabbatical in September 1962 and resigned the following April, citing business pressures and the growth of his boys' quarterback school at Camp Kohut in Oxford, Maine. He sold the camp in 1969.
In his later years, Friedman suffered from multiple health problems. He battled and beat cancer, underwent back surgery, and suffered from heart disease and diabetes. In April 1979, Friedman developed a diffused clot of arteries in his left leg that resulted in gangrene. He underwent a partial amputation of his left leg below the knee.
In November 1982, he was found dead in his apartment in New York City as the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He left a note indicating that he was "severely depressed." Friedman was survived by his wife, Shirley, a brother, and a sister.
Professional wrestler Maxwell Jacob Friedman claims to be a relative of Friedman.
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Friedman's mother was referred to as Mayme in the 1910 US Census and as Mamy in the 1930 US Census.
The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives: 1981–1985 - Kenneth T. Jackson - Google Books
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1910 US Census entry for Louis Friedman and family. Census Place: Cleveland Ward 20, Cuyahoga, Ohio; Roll: T624_1171; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0302; FHL microfilm: 1375184. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line].
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Evans, Billy (November 25, 1924). "Friedman Is Michigan's Big Find". The News-Palladium (Benton Harbor, Mich.). p. 5 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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"YOSTMEN STRIKE THROUGH AIR TO NIP STATE, 39–0: EASY FOR MICHIGAN". Chicago Daily Tribune. October 4, 1925. p. A3.
"Michigan Crushes Indiana by 63–0: Wins Easily Behind Brilliant Work of Friedman, Who Is Star of Game". The New York Times. October 11, 1925.
"Michigan Eleven Leads in Big Ten: Decisive Victory Over Wisconsin Puts Yost's Team in Van – Chicago Has Great Defense". The New York Times (AP story). October 19, 1925.
Vidmer, Richards (November 1, 1925). "Michigan Crushes Navy Eleven, 54–0: Yost's Great Wolverine Machine Rolls Relentlessly Over the Middies Eight Times; Excels in Every Phase; Powerful Line Blocks Navy While Friedman and Other Backs Execute Plays at Will". The New York Times.
Hackleman, Jack (December 5, 1956). "1925 Version of Michigan Eleven Called Greatest Work of Pigskin Artist Yost". The Commerce Daily Journal.
Crusinberry, James (November 1, 1925). "Michigan Sinks Navy Gridiron Craft, 54 to 0: Baffling Passes Rout Midshipmen; Near Point a Minute". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. A1.
Crusinberry, James (November 3, 1925). "Brains Replace Beef on Winning Football Teams: Michigan Victory Proves Value of Wits". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 25. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
Crusinberry, James (November 22, 1925). "Michigan Ruins Gophers' Title Hopes, 35 to 0: Victory Gives Them Claim on Title". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. A1.
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"All-America Roster" (PDF). NCAA. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 1, 2007. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
Will Perry, The Wolverines, pp. 109–112 (Chapter 18 concerning the 1925 and 1926 seasons is titled "The Benny-To-Bennie Show.")
"What's a Michigan Man?". Maize and Blue Football Fans. January 5, 2011.
Parker, Dick. "Friedman to Oosterbaan" (PDF). LA84 Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 13, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
Jordan Krumey (March 22, 2009). "Benny To Bennie: The Connection That Changed College Football". Bleacher Report.
Greenberg, Murray (2008). Passing Game: Benny Friedman and the Transformation of Football. Public Affairs. ISBN 9781586484774.
"Benni Oosterbaan: Class of 1987". Muskegon Ara Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
"Benny Friedman Selected as Captain of Michigan's 1926 Football Squad". The Detroit Free Press. November 24, 1925. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"1926 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
"Benny Friedman, Jewish Football Star, Honored". Jewish Daily Bulletin. November 3, 1926.
"2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 26, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
"Middle West Given The Lion's Share in All-American Selections". The Huntington Press. Indiana. December 5, 1926 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"Seven Western Players Named On Collier's All-American; Big Three Teams Are Slighted". Charleston Daily Mail. December 6, 1926.
Brown, Norman (December 13, 1926). "Six Mid-West Stars Are On Nation's All-American Football Selection: Mythical Team of Million Grid Fans Released; 500 Newspapers Conduct Poll to Get Genuine Football Eleven". The Davenport Democrat And Leader.
"Fans Select First All-American Grid Team". Billings Gazette. December 13, 1926.
"All-American Is Chosen By New York Sun". Athens Messenger. November 28, 1926.
"These Players Honored by Eckersall with Places on All-America Team". Detroit Free Press. December 12, 1926. p. 29.
""Big Ten" Trophy Goes To Friedman". The Lincoln Star. December 19, 1926. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"Benny Joins Cleveland Pros". The Des Moines Register. August 7, 1927. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"NFL Career Passing Touchdowns Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
"The Little Giant: Former Michigan star called 'best I ever played against' by Red Grange". Lansing (MI) State Journal (AP story). August 5, 2005. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"Ben Friedman Signs To Coach City College". Plainfield, N.J., Courier News. February 5, 1934. p. 16.
"Friedman Named Navy Coach". Montana Standard. August 30, 1942. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"Benny Friedman Has Hands Busy In Navy Instead of Football". The Fresno Bee. July 28, 1945. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"Friedman Set to Tackle Auto Business". Detroit Free Press. November 28, 1945. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"Benny Friedman Named Brandeis Athletic Head". The News Journal. June 16, 1949. p. 42 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"Building Sports at Brandeis U.: Friedman Turns Trailblazer". Detroit Free Press. October 31, 1950. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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"Benny Friedman Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on August 5, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
"Friedman Left Without Football". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 22, 1960. p. 31 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"Friedman Quits Brandeis Post". The Des Moines Register. April 29, 1963. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"Name 32 Players, 21 Coaches To Football's Hall of Fame". Ironwood Daily Globe. November 5, 1951. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"The man that fame forgot". The Boston Globe. January 30, 2005.
"Class of 2005 Clippings". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
"Sports Editor's Mailbox: Football Hall of Fame/N.F.L. Essay/Hockey Soreheads". The New York Times. February 8, 1976.
"Friedman to be inducted to Football Hall of Fame". Jewish Post. April 6, 2005. p. 16.
Wilner, Barry (August 5, 2005). "NFL pioneer Friedman headed to Hall posthumously". The Anniston Star (AP story). p. 24 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"Six Named To Michigan Fame Hall". The News-Palladium (Benton Harbor, Mich.). May 15, 1961. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"1976 Inductees". Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
"Benny Friedman profile". International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
"Friedman heads Hall of Honor". Detroit Free Press. July 11, 1980. p. 6D – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor". Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
"Inductees". jewishsports.org. Archived from the original on February 13, 2007.
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"Cupid Wins This Game". The Eugene Guard. February 12, 1931. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"Friedman Resigns Post In Athletics at Brandeis". The New York Times. April 29, 1963.
"Benny Friedman Holds Quarterback 'School'". The Portsmouth (NH) Herald. August 13, 1963. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"Friedman Sells Maine Grid Camp; Planning to Open Seven More". Fitchburg Sentinel. July 8, 1969. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"More Injuries Now Than '27 For Quarterbacks – Friedman". Florence Morning News. October 14, 1977. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
Kirshner, Sheldon (December 2, 2009). "American Jewish Football Player Revolutionized the Game". The Canadian Jewish News.
"Wolverine great Friedman has his left leg amputated". Detroit Free Press. April 28, 1979. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
"Ex-Wolverine QB Friedman found dead". Detroit Free Press. November 24, 1982. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
Tuite, James (November 24, 1982). "Benny Friedman, Star Passer At Michigan And With Pros". The New York Times.
"Bennie Friedman NFL Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
Bob Curran, Pro Football's Rag Days. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1969.
Barry Gottehrer, The Giants of New York: The History of Professional Football's Most Fabulous Dynasty. New York, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1963.
Murray Greenberg, Passing Game: Benny Friedman and the Transformation of Football. New York: Public Affairs, 2008.
Francis J. Powers, "Friedman of Michigan Team is One of Big Ten Stars: Splendid Showing of Wolverines is Credited to Him," Springfield [OH] News-Sun, Nov. 10, 1924, pp. 12–13.
Morris Hiram "Red" Badgro was an American professional football and baseball player. He played as an end in the National Football League. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.
A native of Orillia, Washington, he attended the University of Southern California (USC) where he played baseball, basketball, and football. He then played nine seasons of professional football for the New York Yankees (1927–1928), New York Giants (1930–1935), and Brooklyn Dodgers (1936). He was selected as a first-team All-Pro in 1931, 1933, and 1934. He scored the first touchdown in the first NFL Championship Game and was a member of the 1934 New York Giants team that won the second NFL Championship Game.
Badgro also played professional baseball as an outfielder for six years from 1928 to 1933, including two seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Browns (1929–1930). After his career as an athlete was over, Badgro served as a football coach for 14 years, including stints as the ends coach for Columbia (1939–1942) and Washington (1946–1953).
Badgro played 10 seasons of professional football. During the 1927 season, he appeared in 12 games for the New York Yankees. The Yankees folded after the 1928 season, and Badgro opted to focus on professional baseball. He did not play professional football in 1929.
After playing Major League Baseball in 1929 and 1930, Badgro qualified as a free agent in professional football and signed with the New York Giants for $150 a game. He gained his greatest acclaim as the starting left end for the Giants from 1930 to 1935. He was regarded as a sure-tackling defender and an effective blocker and talented receiver on offense. Giants coach Steve Owen said of Badgro: "He could block, tackle, and catch passes equally well. And he could do each with the best of them."
In 1930, he appeared in 17 games at left end, 14 as a starter, and was selected by the Green Bay Press-Gazette as a second-team end on the 1930 All-Pro Team.
In 1931, he appeared in 13 games, 11 as a starter, and was selected by the NFL as a first-team end on the official 1931 All-Pro Team.
In 1932, he appeared in 12 games, 11 as a starter.
In 1933, he appeared in 12 games, 10 as a starter, and was selected by the Chicago Daily News as a second-team end on the 1933 All-Pro Team. He helped lead the Giants to the 1933 NFL Championship Game where he scored the first touchdown in the first NFL Championship Game, a 29-yard touchdown on a pass from Harry Newman.
In 1934, he appeared in 13 games, all as a starter, for the Giants team that won the 1934 NFL Championship Game. He was selected by the NFL and the Chicago Daily News as a first-team end on the 1934 All-Pro Team. He also led the NFL with 16 receptions.
Playing against the Boston Redskins in 1935, Badgro blocked a punt, and teammate Les Corzine returned it for a go-ahead touchdown.
Badgro also played professional baseball. He played minor league ball in 1928 for the Tulsa Oilers in the Western League and the Muskogee Chiefs in the Western Association, compiling a .351 batting average in 513 at bats. He also played for the Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association in 1929.
In June 1929, Badgro made his major league debut with the St. Louis Browns. Over the 1929 and 1930 season, he appeared in 143 games, 80 of them as a right fielder and 13 as a center fielder. He compiled a .257 batting average in 382 major league at-bats and appeared in his final major league game on September 18, 1930.
Badgro continued to play in the minor leagues for several years, including stints with the Wichita Falls Spudders of the Texas League (1931–1932) and Seattle Indians of the Pacific Coast League (1933).
In 1937, Badgro returned to USC to finish the credits he needed to graduate. At the same time, he was a member of Howard Jones' football coaching staff at USC, responsible for working with USC's frosh players.
In June 1938, Badgro was hired as the football coach at Ventura High School in Ventura, California. He also coached football, baseball, and basketball for Ventura Junior College.
In June 1939, he was hired as an assistant coach (responsible for ends) under Lou Little at Columbia. He remained at Columbia through the 1942 season.
In 1944, Badgro was employed in a Seattle war plant.
In February 1946, Badgro was hired as an assistant football coach at the University of Washington. When Howard Odell took over as Washington's head coach, he retained Badgro as his ends coach. Badgro was again retained when John Cherberg took over as head coach in 1953. He resigned his coaching post at Washington in January 1954 in order to pursue private business in Kent, Washington.
Badgro was married to Dorothea Taylor. After retiring from football, Badgro worked for the Department of Agriculture in the State of Washington.
In 1967, Badgro was inducted into the Washington State Sports Hall of Fame. Badgro was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981 at age 78. At that time, he was the oldest person to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Badgro died in July 1998 at age 95 in Kent, Washington. He had been hospitalized after a fall.
"Red Badgro". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
Census entry for Walter Badgro and family. Son Morris H. age 7 born in Washington State. Census Place: Orillia, King, Washington; Roll: T624_1657; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 0027; FHL microfilm: 1375670. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line].
Census entry for Walter Badgro and family. Son Morris age 16 born in Washington State. Census Place: Orillia, King, Washington; Roll: T625_1925; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 55. Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line].
"Morris "Red" Badgro". Greater Kent Historical Society. Retrieved October 1, 2017.[permanent dead link]
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"Red Badgro Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
Clarence McKay "Ace" Parker was an American football and baseball player and coach. He played professional football as a quarterback in the National Football League for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1937–1941) and Boston Yanks (1945) and in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the New York Yankees. He was an All-American halfback at Duke University in 1936. Parker also played Major League Baseball during 1936 and 1937 with the Philadelphia Athletics. He served as the head baseball coach at Duke from 1953 to 1966. Parker was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972.
Parker was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers as the third pick of the second round in the 1937 NFL draft. Sammy Baugh was the only passer drafted ahead of Parker. Parker, who played for the Philadelphia Athletics of Major League Baseball beginning in 1937, originally had no intention of playing in the NFL. Baseball was the glamour pro sport at the time and the NFL had a rough, vulgar reputation. But perhaps because of his .117 batting average that year, he asked for and received permission from the A's to play football. Parker thus became a true two-sport phenomenon, playing both Major League Baseball and NFL football in both 1937 and 1938. Parker, playing various infield positions, batted .179 over two seasons with the A's, scoring 20 runs with 25 RBI over 94 games. Parker was the first American League player (and second player overall, behind National Leaguer Eddie Morgan) of only a handful of Major League Baseball players to hit a home run as a pinch-hitter in their first at bat.
When Parker joined the Dodgers in 1937, Brooklyn had been a perennial NFL cellar-dweller in the East Conference since 1930. With his running, passing, and punting ability, he brought them instant credibility. He led the team in passing in 1937 and every year he played. In 1938, he led Brooklyn to a .500 record and led the NFL in passing yards with 865. When legendary coach Jock Sutherland joined the Dodgers in 1940, Parker's career took off. In 1940, he threw for 817 yards and 10 touchdowns, rushed for 306 yards, caught 3 passes, including 2 for touchdowns, and led the league in points after touchdowns. The Dodgers finished only one game out of first, with an 8–3 record, and Parker was named the NFL MVP. In 1941, Parker continued to shine, but the Dodgers again finished second to the New York Giants, despite beating their New York rivals twice during the season. Parker's NFL career went on hold in 1942, as he, like many NFL players, left football to enlist in the Armed Services. After serving for over two years, Parker returned to the NFL, this time with the short-lived Boston Yanks, but at age 33, he took on a minor role.
He rejoined the former owner of the Dodgers, Dan Topping, in 1946 as part of the New York Yankees of the new All-America Football Conference (AAFC). Coached by former Washington Redskins coach Ray Flaherty and led by Parker, the Yankees won the AAFC East, giving Parker his only division title in pro football. The Yankees met the powerful Cleveland Browns in the championship game. The Yankees played well, but eventually succumbed to the Browns. Parker was 8 of 18 passing, for only 81 yards and an interception. Parker retired after the game, completing a fine career at age 34. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1972.
After his playing days, Parker became the head baseball coach (1953–1966) and assistant football coach (1947–1965) at Duke University. He was manager of the Durham Bulls from 1949 to 1952, serving as player-manager for the first three seasons and finishing with a record of 303–266 (.533). He was Piedmont League manager of the year in 1949 and 1951. He was also a founding member of the Elizabeth Manor Golf and Country Club in Portsmouth, Virginia.
On August 13, 2008, Parker was part of the inaugural class inducted into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame, honoring athletes, coaches and administrators who made contributions to sports in Southeastern Virginia.
At the time of his death, Parker was the oldest living member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the oldest living former professional football player and the last living person to play on the same major league baseball field as Baseball Hall of Fame member Rogers Hornsby. On May 7, 1937, Parker appeared for the Philadelphia Athletics while Hornsby played one of his last games for the St. Louis Browns.[4] Before his death, Parker and Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr were the last men to play on the same field as baseball immortal Lou Gehrig.
Parker died the morning of November 6, 2013 at the age of 101. He is the first member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to have lived past their 100th birthday.
Bowling, Lewis (November 2013). "The Ace of them all: Duke legend Ace Parker passes away at age 101; was the oldest living Pro Football Hall of Famer". GoDuke the Magazine. 5 (3). Winston-Salem, North Carolina: Blue Devil IMG Sports Network: 14–16.
"Ace Parker Celebrates 100th Birthday Today – Duke University Blue Devils | Official Athletics Site". GoDuke.com. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
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"April 26, 1938 New York Yankees at Philadelphia Athletics Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. April 26, 1938. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
Frank Manning "Bruiser" Kinard Sr. was an American football tackle and coach and university athletic administrator. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1951 and into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
A native of Pelahatchie, Mississippi, he played college football for Ole Miss from 1935 to 1937. He was the first player from any Mississippi school to receive first-team All-American honors, receiving those honors in both 1936 and 1937.
Kinard was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in the third round of the 1938 NFL Draft and played seven years in the National Football League for the Dodgers/Tigers from 1938 to 1944. He was selected as a first-team All-Pro in six of his seven years in the NFL (1938, 1940–1944). After missing the 1945 NFL season due to wartime service in the United States Navy, he played two years in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the New York Yankees from 1946 to 1947 and was selected as a first-team All-AAFC player in 1946.
Kinard also served as an assistant coach for New York Yankees in 1947 and for the Ole Miss football program from 1948 to 1970, as Ole Miss' athletic director from 1971 to 1973, and as its assistant dean of student personnel from 1974 until 1978.
Kinard was selected by the Brooklyn Dodgers in the third round (18th overall pick) of the 1938 NFL Draft. He made $1,974 as a rookie, a sum that Kinard recalled "was a lot of money back then." Even in 1938, Kinard was small for a lineman at 210 pounds, but he noted: "I had enough ability to offset my size. And my speed was a lot better than any of the linemen." He was a two-way player known for making "crushing blocks" on offense and as a "smothering, dominant tackler" who made "stops all over the field" on defense.
Joe Stydahar, a fellow Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee who played against Kinard, recalled: "The Brooklyn team used to have plays designed just for the blocking of Kinard. They'd get Frank out there against a defender and he'd just mow them down."
Kinard spent seven seasons with the Dodgers from 1938 to 1944 and developed a reputation as one of the toughest and most durable players in the NFL. According to his Pro Football Hall of Fame biography, he "rarely needed a rest and near-60-minute performances were the rule, rather than the exception." He appeared as a starter at tackle in every game for the Dodgers in 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1943, and 1944. During his seven years in the NFL, he missed only two games, those coming in the 1940 season after an opposing player stepped on his hand and gangrene threatened amputation of the hand. Kinard was also a regular on the NFL's annual All-Pro teams receiving first-team recognition from one or more selectors in six of his seven years in the NFL: in 1938 from the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA); in 1940 from the NFL, Associated Press (AP), United Press (UP), and International News Service (INS); in 1941 from the NFL and UP; in 1942 from the INS; and in 1943 and 1944 from the AP. He received second-team All-Pro honors in 1939 from the NFL, UP, and PFWA.
Although used principally as a tackle, Kinard scored 42 points for the Yankees, scoring touchdowns on receptions in 1943 and a fumble recovery in 1941, kicking a field goal in 1943, and converting 27 of 30 extra-point kicks.
With Jock Sutherland as head coach, the Dodgers ranked among the top teams in the NFL, finishing second in the NFL East with records of 8–3 in 1940 and 7–4 in 1941. Sutherland left the team in 1942, and the club dropped to 2–8 in 1943 and 0–10 in 1944.
After the Dodgers winless 1944 season, Kinard enlisted in the United States Navy in April 1945. He served until March 1946. Kinard and his brother George Kinard played at tackle and guard, respectively, for the Fleet City Navy football team based at Camp Shoemaker in Dublin, California. Kinard was named to the All-Service football team selected by West Coast sports writers in December 1945.
n January 1946, Dan Topping, owner of the New York Yankees of the newly-formed All-America Football Conference (AAFC), signed the Kinard brothers and four others from the Navy's Fleet City football team. Bruiser Kinard started all 14 games for Yankees in 1946, helping the team to a 10–3–1 record, good for first place in the AAFC's East Division. The team then lost in the AAFC championship game to the 1946 Cleveland Browns. At the end of the 1946 season, Kinard was selected by the AP, UP, and AAFC as a first-team All-AAFC player.
Kinard returned to the Yankees in 1947 and appeared in all 14 games, but in only three as a starter. Kinard was also an assistant coach for the Yankees during the 1947 season. He announced his retirement as a player in January 1948 at age 33.
In February 1948, Kinard was hired as the line coach at Ole Miss under Johnny Vaught. He remained on Vaught's staff for 21 years. During the 12-year span from 1952 to 1963, Ole Miss won six SEC championships and was ranked in the top 11 of the final AP Poll 10 times, including No. 2 finishes in 1959 and 1960 and a No. 3 finish in 1962. Kinard had offers to become a head coach in the NFL for the Boston Patriots and New York Giants, but opted to stay at Ole Miss.
Kinard also served as acting head coach at Ole Miss for the last half of the 1970 season after Vaught suffered a heart attack on October 20. In six games under Kinard, the 1970 Rebels won three games and lost three, including losses to rivals Mississippi State and LSU and to Auburn in the 1971 Gator Bowl. However, Ole Miss credits the entire 1970 season to Vaught.
In January 1971, Ole Miss hired Kinard as its athletic director and his younger brother Billy Kinard as its head football coach. In 1971, the Kinards led the 1971 Ole Miss team to a 10–2 record and a No. 15 ranking in the final AP Poll. However, the team's fortunes declined in 1972 with a 5–5 record. In September 1973, after Ole Miss lost two of the first three games, the university fired Billy Kinard as head coach and relieved Bruiser of his duties as athletic director.
Bruiser remained employed by Ole Miss and was appointed assistant dean of student personnel in June 1974. He held that position until he retired in 1978.
Kinard received numerous honors and awards for his accomplishments as a football player, notably including induction into the two major football halls of fame. He was inducted as a charter member into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951, and in 1971 he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"Bruiser Kinard". pro-football-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
1920 U.S. Census entry for Major H. Kinard and family. Son Frank M. was age 5 and born in Mississippi. Census Place: Martinsville, Copiah, Mississippi; Roll: T625_874; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 46. Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line].
"Bruiser Kinard On Another A-A Team". The Clarion-Ledger. November 7, 1962. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
1930 U.S. Census entry for Major H. Kinard and family. Son F. M. was age 15 and born in Mississippi. Census Place: Utica, Hinds, Mississippi; Roll: 1148; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0036; FHL microfilm: 2340883. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line].
Jerry Potter (August 25, 1980). "The quiet life of a past legend". The Clarion-Ledger. pp. C1, C3 – via Newspapers.com.
"Brusier Kinard: Former player, coach left his mark on Ole Miss' athletic program". The Ledger (Lakeland, Florida). September 14, 1985. p. 5D.
"Ole Miss football great 'Bruiser' Kinard dies". The Clarion-Ledger. September 8, 1985. pp. 1A, 12A – via Newspapers.com.
"Bruiser Kinard". National Football Foundation. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
"Ole Miss Rebels School History". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
ESPN College Football Encyclopedia. ESPN Books. 2005. p. 1169. ISBN 1401337031.
Davis J. Walsh (December 1, 1936). "Widseth Only Big 10 Man To Rate". The Hammond (IN) Times. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.(INS)
Kenneth Gregory (December 3, 1936). "L.S.U. Places Seven Men On All–Southeastern Elevens". The Daily Times-News. p. 8. Retrieved May 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. (AP)
Dayton Moore (December 1, 1936). "Representative Pick Made in Southeastern". The Anniston Star. p. 8. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. (UP)
Death record for Frank Kinard, 10/23/14–9/7/85, enlisted April 17, 1945, discharged March 17, 1946. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 [database on-line]. Original data: Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
"Fleet City in Pro Tilt Today". Oakland Tribune. October 14, 1945. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
Pursuer Hewitt (December 9, 1945). "Sports". The Clarion-Ledger. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
"Topping Signs Six Fleet City Grid Players". Los Angeles Times. January 7, 1946. p. II-7 – via Newspapers.com.
"1946 New York Yankees Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
"Bruiser Kinard To Forsake Pro Football Ranks". Kingsport (TN) Times. January 12, 1948. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
Carl Walters (February 7, 1971). "Bruiser Kinard Is State's Only Pro Grid Hall of Fame Member". The Clarion-Ledger. p. C5 – via Newspapers.com.
"Kinard All-Time All-American". Enterprise-Journal. November 25, 1949. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
"Bruiser Kinard Is Rated 'Best Ole Miss Athlete Of All Time". McComb (MS) Enterprise Journal. March 21, 1950. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
"Bruiser Kinard Day Slated For Vandy Game Saturday". The Clarion-Ledger. October 9, 1953. p. 3-2 – via Newspapers.com.
"Dr. Byrd Named To Helms Grid Coaches Hall of Fame". Baltimore Sun. September 23, 1955. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
"Hall of Fame Has 4 Greats". The Clarion-Ledger. April 9, 1961. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
"Bruiser Kinard Given Top Honor As All-Time Gridders Selected". The Clarion-Ledger. September 18, 1969. p. D5 – via Newspapers.com.
"Bruiser Kinard to be honored as all time great". The Delta Democrat-Times (Greenville, MS). September 24, 1969. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
"UM names athletic dorm for Kinard; presents award". The Northside Sun (Jackson, MS). October 2, 1986. p. 7A – via Newspapers.com.
"Kinard Hall dedicated at Ole Miss". The Magee Courier. September 4, 1986. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
"Team of the Century". The Clarion-Ledger. April 25, 1993. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
"Ole Miss Notebook". The Times (Shreveport, LA). December 29, 1999. p. 4C – via Newspapers.com.
"Kinard Signs As Ole Miss Line Coach". The Clarion-Ledger. February 4, 1948. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
"John Vaught suffers mild heart attack". Hattiesburg American. October 22, 1970. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
"Ole Miss AD Lauds Coach". The Clarion-Ledger. January 22, 1971. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
"It's Official – Billy Kinard Replaces Vaught at OM". The Clarion-Ledger. January 22, 1971. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
"Ole Miss Replaces Kinard With Vaught". The Greenville (SC) News (AP story). September 26, 1973. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
"Vaught". The Clarion-Ledger. June 26, 1974. p. 4C – via Newspapers.com.
"Bruiser Kinard On Collegiate All-Star Grid Squad: Ole Miss Tackle Is A Winner". The Clarion-Ledger. July 27, 1938. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
"Deaths: Frank M. Kinard". The Clarion-Ledger. September 9, 1985. p. 2B – via Newspapers.com.
"Mildred (Midge) Kinard". The Clarion-Ledger. November 6, 2006 – via Newspapers.com.
"Bruiser Kinard Is Dead at 70; Headed Mississippi Sports". The New York Times. United Press International. September 9, 1985. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
Clifford Franklin Battles was an American football halfback in the National Football League. Battles was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.
After college, Battles got many offers from NFL teams including the New York Giants and Portsmouth Spartans, among other NFL teams. But he signed with the Boston Braves (now the Washington Commanders) in 1932, who offered him $175 per game, compared with a high of $150 from the other teams.
In 1932, Battles won the NFL's rushing title as a rookie. He also performed well during the 1933 season and on October 8, 1933, Battles, playing for the newly named Boston Redskins, became the first player to exceed 200 rushing yards in a game, finishing with 215 yards on 16 rushes and one touchdown against the Giants.
In 1937, the Redskins moved from Boston to Washington, D.C. and acquired quarterback Sammy Baugh. For the 1937, Baugh and Battles combined their talents just as everyone had anticipated. During their last regular-season game, Battles scored three touchdowns and the Redskins beat the Giants for the Eastern Division title. In the 1937 NFL Championship against the Chicago Bears a week later, Battles scored the first touchdown in a 28–21 victory that gave the Redskins their first NFL title.
In what would end up being his last regular-season game on December 5, 1937, Battles ran for 165 yards against the Giants at the Polo Grounds. This was the record for most rushing yards for a player in the final regular-season game of his NFL career until Tiki Barber broke the record on December 30, 2006, with 234 rushing yards.
In the 1937 NFL season, Battles was again the league's leading rusher with 874 yards on 216 carries and won all-league honors for the fifth time in six years. In six seasons, Battles totaled 3,511 yards rushing. A two way threat, he also finished his career with 15 interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
After 1937, Battles hoped for a raise in salary. George Preston Marshall, the owner of the Redskins, refused to pay him more than $3,000 a year (the amount Battles had been paid since his rookie season). Battles chose retirement instead, and left the game as a player at the end of 1937.
After the 1937 season, Cliff Battles accepted a $4,000 job as an assistant football coach at Columbia University coached there from 1938 to 1943. While at Columbia, Battles was also the head coach of the men's basketball team from 1942 to 1943. He then served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. After the war, Battles became head coach of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1947.
After the end of his coaching career, Battles became an associate with General Electric in the Washington Metropolitan Area before retiring in 1979. He died on April 28, 1981 in Clearwater, Florida, and is buried in Parklawn Memorial Park in Rockville, Maryland.
The Brooklyn Dodgers was an American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946 to 1948. The team is unrelated to the Brooklyn Dodgers that played in the National Football League from 1930 to 1943. The team folded prior to the 1949 season and was merged with the New York Yankees to form the Brooklyn-New York Yankees.
The Brooklyn Dodgers of the new AAFC held their first training camp in the summer of 1946 out west in central Oregon in the small town of Bend. Led by head coach Mal Stevens, some 62 members of the team assembled in Bend in the middle of July of that year. The team played two preseason games in the Pacific Northwest, the first in Portland against the Chicago Rockets at Multnomah Stadium on August 18, and the following Saturday night in Spokane against the New York Yankees at Gonzaga Stadium.
The star of the Dodgers was passing halfback Glenn Dobbs, an All-American at the University of Tulsa. The team went 3-10-1 in its first two seasons. In 1948, the Dodgers went 2-12 which led them to merge in the New York Yankees. 1n 1949, the merged team 8-4 but lost in the semi-final round in the AAFC playoffs, this was the last year of the AAFC.
The Brooklyn Dodgers were an American football team that played in the National Football League from 1930 to 1943, and in 1944 as the Brooklyn Tigers. The team played its home games at Ebbets Field of the baseball National League's team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1945, because of financial difficulties and the increasing scarcity of major league-level players because of the war-time defense requirements at the height of World War II, the team was merged with the Boston Yanks and were known as the Yanks for that season.
This old NFL franchise was not related to the earlier (second incarnation) American Football League II with a franchise that played as the Brooklyn Tigers for the first half of the 1936 season before moving to Rochester, New York and playing as the Rochester Tigers. Another NFL team that played in the Brooklyn borough was the Brooklyn Lions (which became the Brooklyn Horsemen after merging with a team from an earlier first incarnation AFL of the same name) in 1926.
In 1946, co-owner and partner Dan Topping pulled the Tigers team out of the old NFL and placed it in the newly established rival professional league, the All-America Football Conference, which shortly lasted until 1949, until several stronger teams from the AAFC merged with and entered a reorganized NFL in 1950.
The team began play in 1930 after two Brooklyn businessmen bought the Dayton Triangles for $2,500 and moved the NFL franchise to Ebbets Field. These two individuals were Bill Dwyer, a past owner of the New York Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates of the National Hockey League, and Jack Depler, a player-coach for the NFL's Orange Tornadoes. Dwyer and Depler then renamed the Triangles the Brooklyn Dodgers, borrowing the name of Brooklyn's then major league baseball team.
The 1930 Dodgers were merged with and built largely from the roster of the 1929 Tornadoes, with the Triangles' players likely being on the bench and many not being able to relocate their families during the Great Depression. The Dodgers finished fourth in the NFL with a 7–4–1 record, a massive improvement upon the Triangles' disastrous final seasons in Dayton. The high point of their season consisted of a 7–6 upset over the New York Giants at the end of November. The Dodgers star back was Jack McBride, a former Giant. He led the league in scoring with a total of 56 points in 1930. However, the 1931 season saw the Dodgers post a 2–12 record. Once the season ended, Benny Friedman was brought in as the team's new player-coach.
The 1932 season started off promising with wins over the Staten Island Stapletons and the new Boston Braves (later renamed the Redskins). However, the team soon hit a five-game losing streak. The streak ended with a 3–0 win over the Chicago Cardinals, however that win was followed by four more losses. The Dodgers ended their season 3–9.
At the end of the 1932 season, Bill Dwyer had enough of professional football. His three years with the Dodgers had cost him an estimated $30,000. The Dodgers were then purchased by two former New York Giants players, Chris Cagle and John Simms Kelly for $25,000. Cap McEwen, a successful college football coach, was then brought in to replace Friedman, who would continue to play tailback for the Dodgers through half of the upcoming season. The 1933 season also saw the NFL split into two divisions. The Dodgers were placed in the Eastern Division. Dodgers had a chance for first place, by posting a 5–2–1 record, however a 10–0 loss to the Giants in front of 28,000 Brooklyn fans at Ebbets Field ended that chance in November.
The following season, Dan Topping bought Chris Cagle's half of the team. Topping would later become an owner and president of baseball's New York Yankees. Meanwhile, Cagle continued to play in the Brooklyn backfield. However, the only positive story to come out of the season for Brooklyn was the signing of Ralph Kercheval. Kercheval would go on to become one of the great NFL kickers. He returned to play for Brooklyn for the next seven seasons. He also scored every point for the Dodgers in their last six games as they finished with a 4–7 record.
In 1935, Paul Schissler. the former coach of the Chicago Cardinals, took over as the Dodgers coach. However, the team's stars Cagle, Friedman, and Kelly all retired. As a result, the Dodgers line-up consisted of 15 rookies. The 1935 season did show the team posting a 5–6–1 record and second place in the Easter Division. Over the next four seasons, the Dodgers placed either in the fourth or third place in the Eastern standings. Several of the star players to wear a Dodgers uniform during this time included Harold "Bunker" Hill, Bob Wilson, and Bill Lee. The roster also included future Hall of Famers, Red Badgro and Ace Parker. Both men had played professional baseball in the majors. Badgro played for the St. Louis Browns before playing in the NFL for the Giants and Yankees. Meanwhile, Parker played under Connie Mack, while as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics. He is best known for hitting a home run his first time at bat as a pinch hitter, becoming the first player in American League history to do so. Another future Hall of Famer joined the team in 1938, Frank Kinard. Kinard would play for Brooklyn for the rest of the franchise's history.
The Dodgers made NFL history on October 22, 1939. That day, at Ebbets Field, the Dodgers played the Philadelphia Eagles in the first NFL game shown on television. The Dodgers won the game 23–14. In 1940, the Dodgers chose Jock Sutherland as their team's next coach. Sutherland brought to Brooklyn the Single-wing formation, which he had used at Lafayette College and Pitt. Under Sutherland, Brooklyn finished in second place in the Eastern standings behind the Redskins. Meanwhile, Parker was awarded the Joseph Carr Trophy as the league's Official Most Valuable Player. During this time, Dodger staples Mike Gussie All American from West Virginia University, Dick Cassiano and Ben Kish, who played for Sutherland at Pitt; George Cafego and Banks McFadden were signed by the team. In 1941, the team again landed in second place of the Eastern Division, behind only the Giants. Dodger Clarence "Pug" Manders won the NFL rushing title that season with 486 yards. His title still represents the smallest number of yards carried to ever win this title. Warren Alfson and Merlyn Condit joined the team that season. Sutherland's 1940 and 1941 campaigns would be the most successful during the franchise's history.
Beginning in 1942, the team went into a steep decline, as World War II caused a shortage of players and fans. Coach Sutherland, along with Ace Parker and several other players left the team to join the military. Mike Getto took over the coaching duties; however, with the core of the team gone, the Dodgers sank to a 3–8–0 record. A year later, the team ended up winning only two games.
In 1944, the team was renamed the Tigers, but suffered an 0–10 regular season record. In a desperate attempt for survival, the team merged with the Boston Yanks for the 1945 season. The merged team played four home games in Boston and one in New York, but fans from neither city cared as they finished with a 3–6–1 record. The merger occurred on April 10, 1945 after the 1945 NFL Draft. In December 1945, Topping announced his intentions to accept the All-America Football Conference's New York franchise. In response to this defection, the NFL immediately cancelled his NFL team franchise, and all of its players were assigned to Boston.
Meanwhile, the AAFC planted another team in Brooklyn called the Dodgers, and the two teams would merge in 1949. Topping's Yankees employed several former Dodgers players in 1946 and 1947 such as Parker, Kinard and Manders, and the Yankees reached the AAFC Championship Game in both years (being beaten by the Cleveland Browns in both Games).
The sequence of events begun by the demise of the Brooklyn Dodgers NFL team eventually resulted in the creation of what is now the Indianapolis Colts. The Boston Yanks moved to New York as the Bulldogs in 1949. After the 1949 season the NFL added three teams from the AAFC. The AAFC Yankees players were split between the Giants and Bulldogs. The Bulldogs renamed themselves the New York Yanks in the same season.
After the 1951 season, Yanks owner Ted Collins sold the franchise back to the league. The NFL then sold it to a new owner, Giles Miller, who moved the team to Dallas and renamed it the Dallas Texans. Miller returned his franchise to the league in the middle of the 1952 season, and the NFL operated it as a traveling team before folding it at the end of the season. In 1953, the NFL granted an expansion franchise to a Baltimore-based group and awarded it the remains of the Texans organization. The team, named the Colts, relocated to Indianapolis in 1984. However, the NFL currently does not consider the Colts to be a continuation of the franchise once known as the Brooklyn Dodgers.
"Topping Names Gallery". The New York Times. April 11, 1944.
Brooklyn Tigers and Boston Yanks may become one eleven, Lawrence Journal-World, April 10, 1945
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