History Of The American Football League (1940)

The American Football League, also known retrospectively as the AFL III to distinguish it from earlier organizations of that name, was a professional American football league that operated from 1940 to 1941. It was created when three teams, the original Cincinnati Bengals, the Columbus Bullies, and the Milwaukee Chiefs, were lured away from the minor-league American Professional Football Association and joined three new franchises in Boston, Buffalo, and New York City in a new league. It competed against the National Football League, the oldest existing professional football league, which had been established in 1920 and reorganized in 1922.

The organization was the third major league to bear the name American Football League. Its establishment resulted in the dissolution of the American Professional Football Association, which had just announced its intentions to compete with the NFL as a major league organization. In 1941, the American Football League became the first football league to play a double round robin schedule (five home games and five away games). However, it folded after the end of the 1941 season (Commissioner William D. Griffith photo above).

Although the third American Football League was not directly connected to any previous American football leagues of the same name, its formation was at the cost of an already-existing minor football league of the same name.

In the spring of 1940, the former American Professional Football Association announced intentions of turning itself into a major league with the addition of a Milwaukee team for the upcoming season, over the protests of the Green Bay Packers.

As the teams prepared for the upcoming season, the announcement of a rival major league resulted in the collapse of this edition of the American Football League. On July 14, 1940, a press conference introduced a new American Football League - not a continuation of the former minor league, but a new one with franchises in New York, Boston, and Buffalo. Bill Edwards, the president of the first AFL of 1926, was slated to be both the president of the new league and co-owner of the New York Yankees franchise, while Joseph Carr Jr., the son of recently deceased NFL president and Columbus Panhandles founder Joe Carr, was touted as a potential backer of the Columbus franchise.

The group of businessmen based on the American East Coast behind the formation of the new league had resorted to a trick done by the first two AFLs: they raided the established minor league by enticing APFA members Cincinnati, Columbus, and the new Milwaukee team to jump to their circuit.

The move fractured the APFA as two of its members decided not to field teams for 1940, while one the Los Angeles Bulldogs had already resigned from the league, and there were only three teams left with only two months to go before the start of the new season. After the Kenosha Cardinals and St. Louis Gunners applied to join the new league (and were subsequently rejected), the APFA went out of business.

After a 30-hour-long meeting of the owners (and other representatives) of the six invited teams in Buffalo's Hotel Lafayette, the bylaws and officials of the new league were determined. Each team was scheduled to play a double round robin schedule (five home games, five away games), with games on either Sunday or Wednesday to reduce the likelihood of conflicts with baseball teams sharing the stadium in five of the six AFL cities (all except Buffalo). The agreement was signed by the team owners on October 5, 1940.

While Bill Edwards did not take over the league as previously announced (that job eventually went to former Ohio State University publicity director William D. Griffith), the 1940 season began with six teams owned by people who were, for the most part, in better financial standing than their NFL counterparts. In the NFL, many of the owners had their franchise as their primary investment and source of income, while the AFL of 1940 had most of the owners with money invested in many other fields, such as local newspapers.

The third American Football League had teams playing in six U.S. markets. The Boston Bears disbanded in 1941, before the beginning of the second AFL season. The Buffalo Indians became the Buffalo Tigers for the 1941 season after a change in ownership. The Cincinnati Bengals, previously a member of the second AFL, and the American Professional Football Association, the "original Bengals" joined the third AFL with traditional rival Columbus Bullies. The Columbus Bullies a former APFA member which won the AFL championship both years the league was in existence. Quarterback Jay Arnold, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles, led the team in 1940; when Arnold returned to the Eagles in 1941, John LeBay took over the signal calling role. The Milwaukee Chiefs a former APFA member joined the AFL without being in an official APFA contest. The New York Yankees, the third major league professional football team with the name, it became the New York Americans in 1941 after a change of ownership.

Encouraged by the success of the New York and Columbus franchises, Detroit, Baltimore, and Philadelphia applied to join the league for the 1941 season. While the Detroit application was accepted for play in 1942, the latter two were turned down by a league that was not interested in further expansion.

Promoter Douglas Grant Hertz purchased the New York Yankees, changed their name to the New York Americans, and then announced (in August) the team's withdrawal from the league. The league refused to acknowledge the "withdrawal." Boston folded before the start of the 1941 season. Buffalo changed the team name upon new ownership assuming control of the team. New York Americans president William D. Cox became the new AFL league president in 1941.

Columbus was league champion again in 1941, with a final record of 5-1-2.

Although the AFL lost the Boston Bears franchise prior to the beginning of the 1941 season, its owners were optimistic about the league's long-term future. Although the league's average attendance was less than that of the more-established NFL, the AFL seemed to be on as firm a financial footing as the older league. By the end of the 1941 season, a new franchise was awarded to Detroit for the 1942 season. The league was the first major football league to complete a double round robin schedule, in which each team played each other twice.

All the plans for 1942 came to a sudden stop upon the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States' entry into World War II on December 7, 1941. During the winter of 1941–42, numerous players from both leagues were drafted into the U.S. military. So many players went overseas that several AFL and NFL teams were left with barely enough players to field viable teams. It soon became apparent to the AFL owners that the success of the league was very much in question.

On September 2, 1942, AFL president William D. Cox announced the league would suspend operations for the war's duration.

We do not have the time to go into the football business this fall. I want to stress that there is no financial problem involved. Each team definitely has enough finances to continue.

The league did not return. The NFL was without a competitor until the formation of the All-America Football Conference in 1946, one year after the end of World War II.

Sources

 Frank P. Josza and John J. Guthrie, Relocating Teams and Expanding Leagues in Professional Sports (Greenwood Publishing Group 1999) ISBN 1-56720-193-8

 Gipe, G., The Great American Sports Book (Doubleday 1978) ISBN 0-385-13091-0

 NFL Competitors: 1926-1975

 Kenosha Cardinals:Life on the Fringe (1983) Archived March 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine

 Indians Occupy Faded Spot in Buffalo’s Football Scrapbook Archived November 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine – Joe Marren, Professional Football Research Association (1997)

 Bob Carroll, Michael Gershman, David Neft, and John Thorn, Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (HarperCollins 1999) ISBN 0-06-039232-0

 Crippen, K. R., The Original Buffalo Bills: A History of the All-America Football Conference Team, 1946-1949 (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2010), p. 6.

 Kenosha Cardinals: Life on the Fringe (1983) Archived March 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine

 David L. Porter, ed., Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: Football (Greenwood Press 1987) ISBN 0-313-25771-X, p. 142

https://www.gridiron-uniforms.com/GUD/AFL_1940/controller/controller.php?action=main

The Story And Significance Of Arnie Weinmeister - Dominant Defensive Tackle In 3 Different Leagues

Arnold George Weinmeister was a Canadian professional football player who was a defensive tackle. He went to four Pro Bowls, but with only a six-year tenure in the All-America Football Conference and National Football League combined, his career is one of the shortest of any Pro Football Hall of Fame member. He also played in the Canadian Football League. He was born in Rhein, Saskatchewan.

Weinmeister was a two-time All-City tackle in high school, and played end, fullback and tackle during a 4-year tenure at the University of Washington which was interrupted by four years of army service. He was scouted by New York Yankees (AAFC) head coach Ray Flaherty while playing fullback.

Weinmeister turned professional in 1948 and played defensive tackle for the New York Yankees in the All-America Football Conference until 1949, and for the New York Giants from 1950 to 1953. During his final season in New York, he served as the team captain. In 1949, Weinmeister won second-team All-AAFC as a rookie followed by first-team All-AAFC honors, was voted All-NFL Choice for four consecutive years (1950–1953), and was selected to play in the NFL's Pro Bowl every year from 1950 to 1953.

He was on the inaugural roster for the BC Lions in 1954, and played for the team for two seasons. He is one of five Saskatchewan natives to make it to the NFL (the other four being Jon Ryan, Rueben Mayes, Ben Heenan, and Brett Jones).

Few players ever have been so dominant at their position in pro football than Arnie Weinmeister was in his six-year stint as a defensive tackle that began with the New York Yankees of the All-America Football Conference in 1948 and ended with the New York Giants of the NFL in 1953.

He won second-team All-AAFC as a rookie followed by first-team All-AAFC honors in 1949 and then was a unanimous All-NFL choice all four years with the Giants. He also was selected to play in the NFL's Pro Bowl each of the first four years in the NFL.

Arnie was one of the first defensive players to captivate the masses of fans the way an offensive ball-handler does. At 6-4 and 235 pounds, he was bigger than the average player of his day and he was widely considered to be the fastest lineman in pro football.

Blessed with a keen football instinct, he was a master at diagnosing opposition plays. He used his size and speed to stop whatever the opposition attempted, but it was as a pass rusher that he really caught the fans’ attention. A natural team leader, he was the Giants co-captain in his final season in New York.

In high school Arnie was a two-time All-City tackle. He played end, fullback, and tackle in his four-year tenure at the University of Washington, a tenure interrupted by a four-year Army stint. New York Yankee Coach Ray Flaherty first spotted Weinmeister as a fullback but wisely made him into a two-way tackle when he turned pro in 1948. When he moved to the Giants, Arnie was used almost exclusively on defense. With a six-year tenure in the AAFC and NFL, his career is one of the shortest of any Pro Football Hall of Fame member.

Sources

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/

https://www.profootballarchives.com/index.html

https://americanfootballdatabase.fandom.com/wiki/Football_Wiki

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https://www.profootballhof.com/hall-of-famers/

 https://leaderpost.com/sports/football/canada-150-arnie-weinmeister

 Goldstein, Richard (July 7, 2000). "Arnie Weinmeister, 77, a Giants Star in the 50s, Is Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

 https://profootballresearchers.com/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/04-03-088.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiZ7qbsqJ-KAxUj5skDHZcTLOkQFnoECC0QAQ&usg=AOvVaw2HMF0-1Ra8IDZGnc7Tj1SV

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 https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/02/18/Weinmeister-Finally-Makes-Hall-of-Fame/2350445928400/

The Story And Significance Of Morris (Red) Badgro - NFL Champion And Receptions Co-Leader in 1934

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.

Sources

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/

https://www.profootballarchives.com/index.html

https://americanfootballdatabase.fandom.com/wiki/Football_Wiki

https://www.gridiron-uniforms.com/GUD/controller/controller.php?action=main

https://www.profootballhof.com/hall-of-famers/

"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]

 Richard Whittingham (1984). What a Game They Played: An Inside Look at the Golden Era of Pro Football. University of Nebraska Press. p. 46. ISBN 0803298196.

 "'Red' Badgro Is All-Around Star". Santa Ana Register. March 18, 1927. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.

 "Badgro on All-Coast Basketball Team". Los Angeles Times. March 10, 1927. p. 37 – via Newspapers.com.

 "Morris Badgro Named On 3 All-Coast Teams". The Courier-Journal. May 15, 1927. p. 72 – via Newspapers.com.

 Whittingham, "What a Game They Played", pp. 47-48.

 Richard Whittingham (1984). What a Game They Played: An Inside Look at the Golden Era of Pro Football. University of Nebraska Press. p. 45. ISBN 0803298196.

 "1933 NFL Championship Game". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 1, 2017.

 "Giants Defeat Redskins, 17-6, In Early Attack". Chicago Tribune. October 21, 1935. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.

 "Red Badgro Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 1, 2017.

 "Red Badgro Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 1, 2017.

 Whittington, "What a Game They Played", p. 51.

 "Troy Drills on Defense". Los Angeles Times. September 21, 1937. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.

 "Badgro Will Coach At Ventura High". The San Bernardino County Sun. June 4, 1938. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.

 "Badgro to Coach Ends at Columbia". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 23, 1939. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.

 "Stars Serving Under Uncle Sam". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 17, 1942. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.

 "Huskies Sign Red Badgro". Los Angeles Times. February 19, 1946. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.

 "Reggie Root and Red Badgro Named Husky Grid Aides". Los Angeles Times. January 17, 1948. p. 31 – via Newspapers.com.

 "Huskies Name Back Coach". Corvallis Gazette-Times. March 14, 1953. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.

 "Huskies Lose Coach Badgro". Statesman Journal. January 29, 1954. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.

 "Sports Figures Honored". The Daily Chronicle. January 25, 1967. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.

 "Badgro to become Hall of Fame's oldest enshrinee". The Akron Beacon Journal. July 29, 1981. p. E1 – via Newspapers.com.

 Frank Litsky (July 15, 1998). "Red Badgro, 95, Football Hall of Famer, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2017.

The Story And Significance Of Ray Flaherty - Won Three NFL Championship Teams, One As A Player And Two As A Head Coach

Raymond Paul Flaherty was an American football player and coach in the National Football League, and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was part of three NFL Championship teams, one as a player and two as a head coach.

Flaherty began his professional football career in 1926 with the Los Angeles Wildcats of the American Football League, a team of western players based in Illinois. It played all its games on the road in its only season, which ended with a post-season barnstorming tour through the South against league rival New York Yankees. Flaherty then played in the National Football League for eight seasons, first with the Yankees (1927–1928) with Red Grange, until the franchise folded following the 1928 season. He joined the New York Giants, 1929 through the 1935 season, except for 1930, when he returned to Spokane as the head coach at his alma mater, Gonzaga. He also coached the Bulldog basketball team for a season (1930–1931). At the end of the 1935 season, Flaherty's jersey number 1 was 'taken out of circulation', thus making Flaherty the first professional football player to have his number retired.

At age 26, Flaherty played a season of minor league baseball in 1930, as a second baseman with the Providence Grays of the Eastern League.

Following his playing career, Flaherty was hired by George Preston Marshall, owner of the NFL's Boston Redskins, as head coach for the 1936 season. The team won the division title that year, then relocated to Washington, D.C. for the 1937 season, and picked up future hall of fame quarterback Sammy Baugh in the first round of the 1937 NFL draft. In seven seasons at the helm of the Redskins, Flaherty won four division titles (1936, 1937, 1940, 1942) and two NFL Championships (1937, 1942). Among his innovations on offense, Flaherty is credited with inventing the screen pass in 1937.

The Redskins held their 1940 training camp in Spokane at Gonzaga; the previous year's camp was also held in Spokane County, at Eastern Washington College in Cheney. In 1941 and 1942, the Redskins trained in California in San Diego at Brown Military Academy.

Flaherty served as an officer in the U.S. Navy during World War II, then returned to pro football in 1946 as a head coach in the new All-America Football Conference (AAFC). With the New York Yankees, he won division titles in each of his two full seasons at the helm, but lost to the Cleveland Browns in the title games. After a poor start in 1948, owner Dan Topping relieved Flaherty of his duties in mid-September. Several months later he was hired as head coach of the AAFC's Chicago Hornets, known as the Rockets in their three previous seasons. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976 for his contributions as a coach.

After the end of the AAFC in 1949, Flaherty returned to the Spokane area to enter private business as a beverage distributor, and lived in nearby northern Idaho. During football season, he was a part-time columnist for the Spokane Daily Chronicle. A college friend of Bing Crosby, Flaherty participated in the singer's Spokane memorial service in 1977.

After an extended illness, Flaherty died in 1994 in Hayden, Idaho at the age of 90; he and his wife Jackie (1921–2007) are buried at St. Thomas Cemetery in Coeur d'Alene.

Sources

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/

https://www.profootballarchives.com/index.html

https://americanfootballdatabase.fandom.com/wiki/Football_Wiki

https://www.gridiron-uniforms.com/GUD/controller/controller.php?action=main

https://www.profootballhof.com/hall-of-famers/

Blanchette, John (July 20, 1994). "NFL legend Ray Flaherty dies". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. C1.

 Blanchette, John (November 2, 1983). "Papa Bear met his match in Ray Flaherty". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. C1.

 Godes, Kerry (March 30, 1987). "Gonzaga Prep selects six for its new Hall of Fame". Spokane Chronicle. Washington. p. C5.

 "Ray Flaherty Gonzaga coach". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. May 4, 1980. p. 1, sports.

 "RAY FLAHERTY". Gonzaga Bulldogs. Retrieved August 8, 2024.

 Derrick, Merle (January 27, 1976). "Flaherty honored". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. p. 17.

 "Irish casaba tossers hit winning stride; play Spokane Sparklers Saturday night". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. January 7, 1931. p. 15.

 Berry, Allison (February 2, 2012). "Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About the New York Giants". Time Magazine. p. 7.

 Eisen, Michael. "Malik Nabers to wear No. 1 with permission from Flaherty family". www.giants.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.

 "Flaherty to coach Boston Redskins". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. December 24, 1935. p. 1.

 Blanchette, John (July 22, 1994). "Flaherty earned due respect". Spokesman-Review. p. C1.

 "Legends: Flaherty in 'same class'". Ellensburg Daily Record. Washington. UPI. September 4, 1980. p. 8.

 "Flaherty sends Redskins into first practice grind". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. August 6, 1940. p. 11.

 "Pro grid squad begins practice". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. August 8, 1939. p. 11.

 "Redskins will train on Gonzaga field starting August 6". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. July 24, 1940. p. 11.

 Johnson, Bob (January 19, 1959). "Woo Redskins". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. p. 13.

 Johnson, Bob (January 28, 1972). "Two trips west". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. p. 13.

 "Training camp history". Redskins RVA. Retrieved February 7, 2014.

 "Yankees "fire" Ray Flaherty as grid coach". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. September 18, 1948. p. 11.

 "Ray Flaherty named coach of Chicago Rockets". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. January 30, 1949. p. 24.

 "Ray Flaherty to get Chappuis and others". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. United Press. February 1, 1949. p. 11.

 Missildine, Harry (January 27, 1976). "Flaherty named to pro grid hall". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 11.

 "Ray Flaherty gains Hall induction today". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. July 24, 1976. p. 13.

 Hewins, Jack (August 22, 1951). "Flaherty won't coach unless offer "too good to decline" appears". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. p. 13.

 "Flaherty to conduct football dope column". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. September 3, 1954. p. 11.

 "Flaherty experts on football again". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. September 5, 1958. p. 11.

 "Crosby service set". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. October 17, 1977. p. 3.

 Smith, Jim (October 19, 1977). "Memorial rites held for city favorite, Bing Crosby". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 7.

 "NCAA Statistics; Coach; Ray Flaherty". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved January 19, 2025.

The Story And Significance Of Ken Strong - 16 Professional Football Seasons Playing In New Jersey And New York

Elmer Kenneth Strong was an American football halfback and fullback who also played minor league baseball. Considered one of the greatest all-around players in the early decades of the game, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1957 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and was named to the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team.

A native of West Haven, Connecticut, Strong played college baseball and football for the NYU Violets. In football, he led the country in scoring with 162 points in 1928, gained over 3,000 yards from scrimmage, and was a consensus first-team selection on the 1928 College Football All-America Team.

Strong played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) for the Staten Island Stapletons (1929–1932) and New York Giants (1933–1935, 1939, 1944–1947), and in the second American Football League for the New York Yankees (1936–1937). He led the NFL in scoring in 1934 and was selected as a first-team All-Pro in 1930, 1931, 1933, and 1934. He also played minor league baseball from 1929 to 1931, but his baseball career was cut short by a wrist injury.

Strong played 16 seasons of professional football from 1929 to 1940 and 1944 to 1947. He earned a reputation as a triple-threat man and a versatile athlete who played on offense and defense and in the kicking game. The Pro Football Hall of Fame's biography of Strong states: "Strong could do everything – run, block, pass, catch passes, punt, placekick, and play defense with the very best."

Unable to reach terms with the New York Giants, Strong signed instead with the Staten Island Stapletons. He played for the Stapletons for four years from 1929 to 1932. While statistics are not available for the 1929 NFL season, Strong was regarded as one of the best backs in the NFL. He started all 10 games at halfback for the 1929 Stapletons. In his first NFL game, he threw a long forward pass to set up the Stapleton's first touchdown and scored all of the team's 12 points on two short touchdown runs. He also had a 70-yard run in a scoreless tie with the Orange Tornadoes on November 3, 1929. Two days later, Strong had a 50-yard touchdown run against the Providence Steam Roller. At the end of the 1929 season, Strong was selected by Collyer's Eye and the Green Bay Press-Gazette as a second-team All-Pro.

In 1930, Strong appeared in all 12 games for the Stapletons and scored 53 points on two rushing touchdowns, five receiving touchdowns, one field goal, and eight extra points. His point total ranked third in the NFL in 1930, trailing only Jack McBride (56 points) and Verne Lewellen (54 points). On September 28, 1930, he caught two touchdown passes, threw a 40-yard pass that set up a third touchdown, and kicked three extra points in a 21–0 victory over the Frankford Yellow Jackets. In December 1930, he led the Stapletons to a 16–7 victory over the New York Giants for the pro football championship of New York City; Strong accounted for all 16 Stapleton points, running 98 yards for a touchdown, passing for a second touchdown, and kicking a field goal and an extra point. He was selected as a first-team player on the 1930 All-Pro Team by Collyer's Eye and the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

In 1931, Strong appeared in all 11 games for the Stapletons and scored 53 points on six rushing touchdowns, one punt return for a touchdown, two field goals, and five extra points. His 53 points ranked fourth in the NFL, trailing only Johnny Blood (84 points), Ernie Nevers (66 points), and Dutch Clark (60 points). On November 22, 1931, Strong scored all 16 points in a 16–7 victory over Cleveland; he had two rushing touchdowns, including a 50-yard run and kicked a field goal and an extra point. At the end of the 1931 season, Strong was selected as an All-Pro for the second year in a row, receiving first-team honors from the United Press (UP) and Collyer's Eye.

Strong's output dropped off in 1932 as he moved to the fullback position. He appeared in 11 games and ranked sixth in the NFL with 375 rushing yards, but scored only 15 points on two touchdowns and three extra points. At the end of the 1932 season, the Stapletons team folded.

In 1933, Strong signed with the New York Giants. The 1932 Giants had compiled a 4–6–2 record, but the 1933 Giants, with Strong at fullback and Harry Newman at quarterback, improved to 11–3 and advanced to the 1933 NFL Championship Game. Strong led the NFL with 64 points in 1933; his points were scored on three rushing touchdowns, two receiving touchdowns, a touchdown on an interception return, five field goals, and 13 extra points. On November 26, 1933, he became the first known player in NFL history to score on a fair catch kick. The 30-yard kick was made at the Polo Grounds in a win against the Green Bay Packers.[citation needed] After the 1933 season, Strong received first-team All-Pro honors from the United Press, Collyer's Eye, and the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

In 1934, Strong again played in every game for the Giants as a fullback. He rushed for 431 yards and scored 56 points (six rushing touchdowns, four field goals, and eight extra points) in the regular season. His greatest fame derives from his role in the Giants' comeback victory over the Chicago Bears in the 1934 NFL Championship Game; Strong scored 17 points for the Giants on a 38-yard field goal, two fourth-quarter touchdowns on runs of 42 and 8 yards, and two extra points. Strong received first-team All-Pro honors in 1934 from the NFL and others.

In 1935, Strong helped lead the Giants to their third consecutive NFL Championship Game. In a 10–7 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was only able to play a few minutes due to injury, but he still managed to score all of the Giants' points on a 24-yard touchdown run and a 24-yard field goal. Slowed by injury in 1935, he was described as "a celebrated invalid" who "hobbled" from the bench to kick a field goal for the Giants in a 3–0 victory over the Bears on November 17. In the 1935 NFL Championship Game, a 26–7 loss to the Detroit Lions, Strong scored all of the Giants' points on a long touchdown catch and run and the extra point.

In August 1936, Strong signed with the New York Yankees of the newly formed second American Football League. Strong's departure from the NFL was the new league's first raid on the NFL. Strong later recalled that Giants owner Jack Mara wanted Strong to accept a pay cut from $6,000 to $3,200; the Yankees agreed to pay him $5,000.

During the 1936 season, Strong earned a reputation as "the best blocker in the game." He also: kicked a field goal and two extra points in a 17–6 victory over Brooklyn on October 14; scored a touchdown and kicked the extra point in a 7–6 victory over Pittsburgh on October 21; and kicked three field goals in a 15–7 win over Cleveland on November 23.

Strong returned to the Yankees in 1937. However, he left the team after three games to assist Mal Stevens in coaching the NYU Violets football team.

In 1938, Strong was a player and head coach for the Jersey City Giants, the New York Giants' farm team in the American Association. He was barred from playing in the NFL because of his decision to jump to the American Football League in 1936. Tim Mara, owner of the Giants, reportedly negotiated a deal with Strong to play for Jersey City in exchange for which Mara would seek Strong's reinstatement in 1939. He kicked 13 field goals, scored 51 points, and was named to the all-league team.[28] He led the Giants to a 7–1 record and the league championship, scoring 10 points in Jersey City's championship game victory over the Union City Rams.

Strong returned to the New York Giants in 1939. He appeared in nine games and scored 19 points on four field goals and seven extra points. Strong is also believed to be the second player (after Mose Kelsch) to have devoted an entire season to placekicking; his 1939 season with the Giants had him playing very little outside of kicks.

In the summer of 1940, Strong became ill with stomach ulcers, underwent emergency surgery, and was hospitalized for four weeks. He said that he intended to return to playing when his health permitted. He played for the Jersey City Giants while recuperating in the fall of 1940, led Jersey City to another league championship, then announced his retirement as a player in November 1940.

He came out of retirement in 1942 to play for the Long Island Clippers, scoring 12 points in four games.

In 1944, with talent in the NFL depleted by wartime military service, Strong returned for a third stint with the New York Giants. He appeared in all 10 games for the 1944 Giants, including six as a starter. In his first three games with the Giants in 1944, Strong at age 38 accounted for 22 of the team's 48 points. He helped lead the team to the 1944 NFL Championship Game, scoring 41 points on six field goals and 23 extra points.

After the war ended, Strong remained with the Giants for another three years as the team's place-kicker and remained one of the league's leading scorers with 41 points in 1945, 44 points in 1946, and 30 points in 1947. His 32 extra points in 1946 ranked second in the league. In April 1948, at age 41, Strong announced his retirement as a player.

In 12 seasons in the NFL, Strong received first-team All-Pro honors four times (1930, 1931, 1933, and 1934) and scored 520 career points (including 36 points in the post-season) on 38 touchdowns, 39 field goals, and 175 extra points.

In October 1937, Red Cagle, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, rated Strong at the greatest all-around football player. Cagle said: "Strong ... can do everything. He's a great punter, place kicker, pass thrower, and how he could carry his 198 pounds! I played with and against Strong, and he always stood out. He is tops when the chips are down ... Ken is also a brilliant blocker, so I guess that makes him the class."

Walter Steffen, also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, said: "I'll tell you he is easily the greatest football player I ever saw – and I've been around over twenty-five years ... I can tell you honestly that since 1905 I've never seen a football player in his class for all-around stuff."

In 1939, Grantland Rice rated Strong and Jim Thorpe as the greatest players in football history. In Strong's favor, Rice cited Strong's "unusual speed", the "driving force in his legs", and his stamina.

Harry Grayson wrote: "An amazing runner, blocker, passer, kicker, and defensive man, Strong was, in the opinion of many who saw him, the greatest football player of them all." Grayson later called Strong "a runaway buffalo with the speed of an antelope."

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History Of The American Football League (1936)

The American Football League (AFL) was a professional American football league that operated in 1936 and 1937. The AFL operated in direct competition with the more established National Football League throughout its existence. While the American media generally ignored its operation (often relegating game coverage to "page filler" status), this second AFL was the first "home" of the Cleveland Rams, which joined the National Football League after one year in the AFL.

In 1937, the Los Angeles Bulldogs, the first professional football team to play its home games on the West Coast, also became the first professional football team to win a league championship with a perfect record (no losses, no ties), 11 years before the Cleveland Browns (AAFC) and 35 years before the Miami Dolphins (NFL) accomplished the same feat.

The brainchild of former New York Giants personnel director Harry March, plans for the formation of the second American Football League were announced on November 12, 1935. Fifteen cities bid for charter franchises for the new league, and on April 11, 1936, eight (Boston, Cleveland, Jersey City, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, and Syracuse) were awarded.

Within a few months, Jersey City, Providence, and Philadelphia pulled out and Rochester was granted a franchise. Two weeks later, the newest franchise was transferred to Brooklyn even though there was no stadium available at the time.

The league was envisioned to be a "players league", with veteran players involved in the management of the participating teams. March served as the AFL's president until his resignation in October. He was succeeded by James Bush, president of the New York Yankees AFL franchise.

Most of the new AFL franchises were built on the raiding of nearby NFL franchises in the league's first season. While first-season AFL champion Boston did not plunder the roster of the struggling Redskins team, the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Americans had no such qualms with their crosstown rivals, the Giants and the Pirates. Similarly the Cleveland Rams signed their head coach, Damon Wetzel, from the backfield of the Chicago Bears.

Boston Shamrocks were the offensive powerhouse of the AFL in the 1936 season, George Kenneally led the Shamrocks were in a three-way battle with Cleveland and New York for the league championship when Boston beat the other two on consecutive weeks at the end of the season. The following year, the Shamrocks were beset with player defections and struggled to a 2–7 record. Playing its home games at Fenway Park and Braves Field, the team folded along with the league at the end of the 1937 season.

Brooklyn Tigers were awarded a franchise in 1936 although no home field was available in Brooklyn, the Tigers had a short, troubled existence. In mid-November, the team moved to Rochester (changing its name to the Rochester Tigers) and played in Red Wing Stadium despite the failure of another AFL team based in that city mere weeks before. The team limped to the end of the 1937 season before fading into oblivion. The Tigers were coached by Mike Palm, who owned the team along with Harry Newman.

Cleveland Rams were owned by Homer Marshman and playing its home games in Cleveland Municipal Stadium, the Rams competed in the AFL for only one season (finishing second with a 5–2–2 record) with the league's stingiest defense and one of the league's two most potent offenses (along with Boston). When the NFL announced that it was willing to expand, Marshman applied for a franchise in the more-established league (along with representatives from Houston and Los Angeles). As a result, the Rams left the AFL for 1937 season, to be replaced by the people from Los Angeles whose NFL application was turned down. The 1936 Rams had Sid Gillman as a rookie end in his only season as an active professional player.

New York Yankees were the second New York Yankees football team for an American Football League was coached by Jack McBride and featured the talents of star back Ken Strong. Team president James Bush doubled as league president in the latter half of the 1936 season. Like the defending league champion Boston Shamrocks, the 1937 Yankees team was plagued by player defections to the NFL. Unlike the other New York Yankees football teams, the Yankees of AFL II had two home stadiums: Yankee Stadium and Triborough Stadium on Randall's Island.

Pittsburgh Americans were holding their own on the football field in 1936, they lagged the rest of the league in attendance (2500 average attendance for home games in Forbes Field); although the Americans survived the first season as a middle-of-the-pack AFL team, the team was folded after the third game in 1937. The Americans were not without stars: they signed former Pirates Ben Smith and Loran Ribble.

Syracuse Braves were the existence of the Braves was doomed from lack of fan support while losing every game at Municipal Stadium (Don Irwin and end Red Badgro were the head coaches). The team moved to Rochester at midseason and called itself the Rochester Braves for a few weeks before calling it quits. At the lone home game in Red Wing Stadium (November 1, 1936) the second half was delayed 40 minutes by Braves players demanding back pay. The game was finished; the franchise folded immediately afterward. Soon afterwards, another AFL team (Brooklyn) followed the Braves to Rochester in an effort to survive the 1936 season.

Cincinnati Bengals who are not related to the current NFL franchise, the Bengals joined the AFL for the 1937 season. Playing at Crosley Field, the team was a steady draw despite the team having a losing record. When the league folded at the end of the year, the Bengals continued as an independent team for 1938, joined the short-lived minor American Professional Football Association for 1939, and became a charter member of the third AFL in 1940. Hal Pennington was the team's originator; he was also the first head coach and general manager of the Bengals.

Los Angeles Bulldogs were an independent team, the Bulldogs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in 1936. After being turned down for the NFL for the 1937 season, the Bulldogs joined the AFL and became the first professional football team to play its home games on the West Coast. Averaging 14,000 in attendance for its home games in Gilmore Stadium, the Bulldogs were drawing twice as many fans per game as the rest of the league. Los Angeles did not lose or tie a game in its one season with the AFL, the first professional football team to win its league title with a perfect record. When the league folded at the end of the season, Gus Henderson led the Bulldogs continued on as an independent team before joining the minor league American Professional Football Association in 1939 and becoming a charter member of the Pacific Coast Professional Football League the following year.

While league champion contenders Boston, Cleveland, and the Yankees were consistent draws in 1936 (Boston nearly outdrawing the NFL rival Redskins, which moved to Washington the following year), the other four franchises presented problems for the AFL. Pittsburgh drew only 2500 customers per home game, Syracuse drew less than 5000 before moving to Rochester (and folding after one game), and Brooklyn didn't have a home until the team followed the Braves to Rochester. With the departure of two franchises (the Braves and the Rams), it was clear that change was in order for the AFL.

In the beginning of 1937, the league inaugurated its third president in less than 14 months, J. J. Schafer, added Jack Dempsey and Bing Crosby to its board, and proceeded to restock its franchise line-up with a franchise in a city in which an NFL franchise failed a mere three years earlier (Cincinnati) and a touring team based in Los Angeles whose application to join the more established league was turned down in favor of the Rams.

Unlike the NFL, AFL teams tended to have local interest only. Out-of-town newspapers rarely covered the league's activities, and when they did, the coverage was usually a bare-bones mention of the scores inserted as page filler.

Three weeks into the 1937 season, the poorly-drawing Pittsburgh Americans gave up the ghost while the other eastern teams were suffering the results of player raids by NFL teams (defending champion Boston was virtually gutted, leaving it in no shape to repeat its success).

The entry of the Los Angeles Bulldogs into the league also helped lead to the league's demise. The new team simply overwhelmed the rest of the AFL as the only team with a winning record. The Bulldogs played all of its away games in the first half of the season and then finished the demolition as they stayed home for the second half. While the Bulldogs had attendance figures comparable to that of the 1936 Shamrocks and Yankees (about 14,000 per home game), the former eastern powers lost their draw. Shamrocks owner Bill Scully noted that the team lost $37,000 in 1937; the rest of the league (excluding Los Angeles) fared worse.

With the optimism that began the 1937 season gone, the second American Football League closed up shop at the end of the season.

While the existence of the second American Football League was relatively brief, its influence in American sports was actually more than realized at that time. It introduced major league football to the West Coast, which had a team based in Los Angeles and played its games there (whereas the Los Angeles Buccaneers, a prior NFL team, was a traveling team based in Chicago).

The success of the Boston Shamrocks, particularly at the gate, was also a factor in George Preston Marshall moving his Boston Redskins to Washington. The AFL was also the first "home league" of the Cleveland Rams, which exist today as the Los Angeles Rams.

The Los Angeles Bulldogs returned to the independent circuit in 1938, as did the Cincinnati Bengals, which joined the fledgling minor league, the American Professional Football Association, in 1939 and became a charter member of the third AFL in 1940. The Bulldogs also joined the APFA for 1939 before becoming a charter member of the Pacific Coast Professional Football League in 1940.

In 1968, 27 years after the collapse of the third AFL, the Bengals name would be revived by Paul Brown for his Cincinnati expansion franchise in the fourth AFL, a team that continues to play in the NFL.

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History Of The American Football League (1926)

The first American Football League, sometimes called AFL I, AFLG, or the Grange League, was a professional American football league that operated in 1926. It was the first major competitor to the National Football League. Founded by Charles "C.C." Pyle, (1882–1939), and General Charles X. Zimmerman, (1865–1926), as vice president and starring Hall of Fame halfback Harold Edward "Red" Grange, (1903–1991), the short-lived league with nine teams competed against the more established – then six-year-old NFL, both for players and for fans. While Pyle's and Grange's New York Yankees team and the already established Philadelphia Quakers became reliable draws, the lack of star power and the uncertain financial conditions of the other seven teams led to the league's dissolution after one season.

The controversial ending of the National Football League's 1925 season led to the founding of the first AFL by Red Grange's agent, C. C. Pyle. In an era in which no professional football team had a prearranged schedule (each team was responsible for booking its own games, with virtually no limitations as to the number of games), the Pottsville Maroons were hailed as the NFL champions by several newspapers after Pottsville defeated the Chicago Cardinals on December 6, even though there were still two weeks left in the season.

Cardinals owner Chris O’Brien hastily arranged for two more games: one against the Milwaukee Badgers the following Thursday, another against the Hammond Pros two days later, even though both teams had already disbanded for the season. Two shutouts (59-0 and 13-0) later, the Cardinals claimed the top spot with an 11-2-1 record. Simultaneous with the Cardinals–Pros game was an exhibition game between Pottsville and an all-star team consisting of former Notre Dame players at Shibe Park, near the home of the Frankford Yellow Jackets, who protested the invasion of territorial rights by the Maroons.

Despite an order from NFL commissioner Joe Carr to cancel the exhibition, the Maroons proceeded to defeat the Notre Dame all-stars 9-7, scoring a field goal in the last minute. Carr immediately canceled the Maroons' scheduled game against the Providence Steam Roller and suspended the franchise. In the league meeting in January 1926, O’Brien refused to accept the championship, but the league record book remained unchanged, showing the Cardinals with an 11-2-1 record to the Maroons’ 10-2-0.

While NFL management was contemplating the penalties for the suspended Pottsville franchise (which was eventually reinstated with the payment of a moderate fine) in December, C. C. “Cash and Carry” Pyle surprised the league by requesting a franchise in New York City for himself and star back Red Grange and secured a five-year lease for baseball's Yankee Stadium, in direct competition to Tim Mara's year-old New York Giants. When Carr announced a ruling in favor of Mara's objection to Pyle's application for NFL membership, Pyle announced the formation of the first American Football League, featuring Grange and the New York Yankees. The NFL charter member Rock Island Independents left the then seven-year-old league to join the new AFL, and the upstart league matched the NFL in having a road team representing Los Angeles.

The new league chose former Princeton athlete, former New York City deputy of street cleaning, and former Newark, New Jersey chief of waste disposal Bill Edwards as its league president and prepared to compete against the older league, (established 1920 and reorganized in 1922), for its talent and spectators. The AFL and NFL went to head-to-head competition in New York (Yankees and Giants), across the East River in Brooklyn (Horsemen and Lions), in Chicago (Bulls vs Bears and Cardinals), and in Philadelphia (Quakers and Yellow Jackets). The AFL's Cleveland Panthers, previously independent, were also preparing to go face-to-face with their hometown counterpart Cleveland Bulldogs, the earlier NFL champions of 1924, when Bulldogs owner Sam Deutsch decided to suspend the operations for 1926.

Boston Bulldogs, coached by Herb Treat, Boston's first professional football team had been in financial difficulty from the beginning, having played only six games before folding in November 1926. Its lack of stars and lack of offense (only three points per game) doomed the franchise as the team failed to score a point in either of its two home games in a nearly empty stadium. Boston would wait until 1932 before it received another professional football franchise, the NFL’s Boston Braves, later briefly renamed the Redskins, and the Washington Redskins since 1937.

Brooklyn Horsemen, coached by Eddie McNeeley, the Horsemen featured Notre Dame Four Horsemen Harry Stuhldreher and Elmer Layden. Unlike the other New York AFL team, Brooklyn suffered at the turnstiles. After only four games, the team was forced to merge with its NFL counterpart (the Lions), played three games in the NFL as the Brooklyn Lions (all shutouts), and winked out of existence at the end of the season.

Chicago Bulls, owned and coached by Joey Sternaman (brother of Chicago Bears owner Dutch Sternaman), the Bulls featured the younger Sternaman as quarterback. While the Bulls' owner created havoc within the Chicago Cardinals by securing a lease for Comiskey Park (forcing the Cardinals into a much smaller Normal Field) and attempting to sign their star halfback Paddy Driscoll (who wound up on the Bears as a result of a trade), the Bulls quarterback provided the bulk of the team's offense, scoring 52 of the Bulls’ 88 points in 14 games. The Bulls were one of only four AFL teams still playing at the end of the season.

Cleveland Panthers, the Panthers had existed as an independent team since 1919, mostly playing teams from upstate New York. Coached by Roy Watts, the Panthers featured six players who played for the NFL’s Cleveland Bulldogs in the 1925 season: Al Michaels, Al Nesser, Dick Wolf, Dave Noble, Ralph Vince and Doc Elliott. Despite having a potent offense and a winning record, the Panthers drew poorly at home aside from the league-opening game. The team left the AFL hours after losing to the Los Angeles Wildcats road team on October 31; they would return to independent status until folding in 1933.

Los Angeles Wildcats (some news sources referred to the team as the "L.A. Wilson Wildcats"). Named after former University of Washington star halfback Wildcat Wilson and owned by C. C. Pyle and Red Grange, the Wildcats were strictly a traveling team based in Rock Island, Illinois. With only one exception, the entire roster consisted of players who competed for colleges located west of the Rockies. One of its 14 games was played in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (December 8: New York won, 28-0). Jim Clark was the head coach.

Newark Bears, owned by the New Jersey Athletic Association (William Coughlin, president) and coached by Hal Hansen, the Bears featured a backfield consisting of players who attended college in Georgia at Georgia Tech and Oglethorpe College. The Bears scored a touchdown in its first game, a 7-7 tie with Chicago, and then did not score again in its remaining four games. Newark was the first AFL to fold, calling it quits after playing Rock Island to a scoreless tie in front of 400 fans on October 24, 1926. For its final game, Newark changed its nickname to the Demons.

New York Yankees, coached by Ralph Scott, the Yankees showcased Red Grange, quarterback George Pease, and wingback Eddie Tryon, a backfield who dominated the league in all offensive categories as the team finished in second place with a 10-5 record. While the rest of the league was starving at the turnstiles, the Yankees were a consistent draw. The Yankees were the only AFL team to outlast the league itself: the league dissolved as the Yankees were on a barnstorming tour of the South and West, and the Yankees entered the NFL as a continuation of the just-defunct Brooklyn franchise for the 1927 season. While New York Giants owner Tim Mara was officially the owner of the “new NFL franchise”, he leased it to C. C. Pyle and Red Grange to compete as the Yankees.

Philadelphia Quakers, the Quakers were a revival of an independent team which played one season in 1921 as an independent, and, before that, as the Union Club of Phoenixville from 1907 to 1920. Owned by Leo Conway and coached by Bob Folwell, the Quakers were the AFL’s only league champion, finishing with an 8-2 record and possessing a formidable line anchored by tackles Bull Boehman and Century Milstead. On December 12, 1926, the Quakers played an exhibition game in a snowstorm against the New York Giants in front of 5000 windblown fans, and lost 31-0. Like Chicago and the traveling Wildcats, the Quakers were still alive at the end of the sole AFL season but folded along with the league at the end of the year.

Rock Island Independents, a charter member of the NFL, the Independents left the established league to make the unique accomplishment of being a charter member of a second professional football league, the AFL. Coached by Johnny Armstrong, the Independents played their first three games at Rock Island and then played the rest of their games as a traveling team before entering oblivion on November 21, 1926.

While the new nine-team AFL was competing against a National Football League that had expanded to 22 teams for the 1926 season, optimism yielded to economic reality for both leagues: most professional football franchises were on financially shaky ground.

The war for talent and audience had a disastrous effect on all but the strongest teams: of the 31 teams that were in existence across both leagues in 1926, only 12 survived to play in 1927, as eight folded, while heavy financial losses left the NFL with no option but to eliminate eleven of their 22 teams.

While the Yankees and the Quakers consistently drew large crowds, the rest of the AFL did not, and one by one AFL franchises went out of business, even with the financial assistance of C. C. Pyle.

The first sign of trouble occurred in mid-October, when Rock Island played its last home game (of three consecutive) and started wandering like the Wildcats. The following week, Brooklyn played its third (and last) home game in the AFL, in front of mainly empty stands. On October 24, 1926, the Newark Bears changed its nickname to the Demons, played a scoreless tie with Rock Island, and disbanded hours after the end of the game. The following week saw the Cleveland franchise collapse.

November 1926 was not much brighter for the house of cards that was the American Football League: the Brooklyn Horsemen played the last three games of its existence (all shutout losses) and left the league when it merged with its NFL counterparts, the Lions. By the middle of the month, the Boston Bulldogs folded, as did Rock Island a week later. By Thanksgiving of 1926, there were only four teams operating in the AFL (New York, Chicago, the Wildcats, and Philadelphia), with only the Quakers making a profit for the year, boosted in part by huge attendances stemming from the United States Sesquicentennial celebration, and the very large stadium capable of hosting them, while Pyle was spending his own money to keep the other three teams afloat.

While the Yankees went on a barnstorming tour and the Quakers attempted to arrange for a challenge game between the Champions of the two leagues, the Wildcats officially became inactive (in reality, they were touring with the Yankees as the "designated opponent").

After the top six NFL teams had all declined the Quakers' challenge due to scheduling and other issues, the NFL's seventh-place finisher New York Giants accepted, with both parties opting for a game at the Polo Grounds on December 12, 1926. The Quakers' hopes for both football credibility and a financial windfall evaporated as the game was played in a blustery snowstorm, and only 5000 fans witnessed the Giants' complete domination of the AFL Champions, with the Giants winning in a 31-0 blowout.

The same day, the Chicago Bulls and the New York Yankees met for the last American Football League game in Comiskey Park: the Yankees won, 7-3, and the league ceased to exist.

While the bulk of the AFL disappeared at the demise of the league, three members had an official existence after the Giants–Quakers game. Although the Brooklyn Horsemen disbanded after its last NFL game, the team's franchise was never withdrawn or cancelled by the league. Tim Mara purchased the franchise and proceeded to lease it to C. C. Pyle for his New York Yankees team. The agreement between the two rivals limited the number of home games that the Yankees were permitted to play in its namesake stadium (four in 1927) and forced Pyle's squad to be primarily a road team displaying the talents of Red Grange. This arrangement lasted for two years: the Yankees were no more after the 1928 season. The Cleveland Panthers, on the other hand, reverted to independent status, and played until 1934.

The AFL name would be used two more times as a professional football league name, one ultimately merged with the NFL in 1970.

Sources

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/

https://www.profootballarchives.com/index.html

https://americanfootballdatabase.fandom.com/wiki/Football_Wiki

https://www.gridiron-uniforms.com/GUD/controller/controller.php?action=main

https://www.profootballhof.com/hall-of-famers/

 1926 AFLG Standings, Stats and Awards. The "G" apparently refers to "Grange"

 David S. Neft, Richard M. Cohen, and Rick Korch, The Football Encyclopedia: The Complete History of Professional Football, From 1899 to the Present (St. Martin’s Press 1994), ISBN 0-312-11435-4

 George Gipe, The Great American Sports Book (Doubleday 1978) ISBN 0-385-13091-0

 The Grange League Archived October 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine - Pro Football Researchers Association, citing The New York Times, July 17, 1926

 "Bill Edwards Named President of A.F.L." The New York Times, March 8, 1926

The Story And Significance Of Mike Michalske - Seven Time All-Pro Offensive Guard

August Michael Michalske, sometimes known as "Iron Mike", was an American football player and coach. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its second induction class in 1964. He was also named in 1969 to the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team.

Born and raised in Cleveland, Michalske played college football, principally at the guard and fullback positions, for Hugo Bezdek's Penn State Nittany Lions from 1923 to 1925. He played professional football as a guard with the New York Yankees from 1926 to 1927 and with the Green Bay Packers from 1929 to 1935 and 1937. He led the Packers to three consecutive National Football League championships from 1929 to 1931 and was selected seven times as a first-team All-Pro between 1927 and 1935.

Michalske also had a long career as a football coach, including serving as Iowa State's head coach from 1942 to 1946 and as an assistant coach with Lafayette College (1936), the Green Bay Packers (1937), the Chicago Cardinals (1939), St. Norbert College (1940-1941), Baltimore Colts (1949), Baylor (1950-1952), Texas A&M (1953), and Texas (1954).

Michalske was born in Cleveland in 1903. His father, August Michalske, was a German immigrant who worked in 1910 as a teamster and in 1920 as "draying" contractor. His mother, Anna (Becker) Michalske (1872-1952), was also a German immigrant. Michalske had three older brothers (Arthur, Charles, and George) and two older sisters (Elizabeth and Laura). He attended Cleveland's West High School where he starred in three sports. Michalske attended Pennsylvania State University where he played for Penn State Nittany Lions football team from 1923 to 1925. He played as a guard in 1923 and at halfback and guard in 1924. Partway through the 1925 season, Penn State coach Hugo Bezdek moved Michalske from guard to fullback. He scored both Penn State touchdowns in a 13–6 victory over Michigan State, and by the end of the year he was rated as "one of the greatest defensive fullbacks of the season."

Michalske began his professional football career in 1926 as a guard for the New York Yankees of the first American Football League. The following year, the Yankees joined the National Football League (NFL). Michalske appeared in 14 and 13 games, respectively, for the 1927 and 1928 Yankees teams that compiled records of 7-8-1 and 4-8-1. While with the Yankees, Michalske established him as one of the best linemen in the NFL, securing first-team All-Pro honors in both 1927 and 1928.

In September 1929, Michalske signed a contract to play for the Green Bay Packers. By that time, he was already "rated as the best guard in the National Football league." He appeared in all 13 games for the 1929 Packers team that compiled a 12-0-1 record and won the franchise's first NFL championship. After the season, Ernie Nevers rated Michalske the best player in the NFL, calling him a "wonder" and adding, "There's nobody like him on the college or professional field today." Michalske was also selected as a consensus All-Pro for the 1929 season with first-team honors from Collyers Eye magazine, the Chicago Tribune, and the Green Bay Post-Gazette.

In 1930, Michalske returned to the Packers and helped lead the team to its second consecutive NFL championship. He was described as "one of the outstanding players in the country," and he was selected at the end of the season as a first-time All-Pro by the Green Bay Press-Gazette and Collyer's Eye.

In 1931, Michalske led the Packers to an unprecedented third consecutive NFL championship. On November 1, 1931, Michalske returned an interception 80 yards for a touchdown to account for every point in a 6–2 victory over the Chicago Bears. At the end of the season, Michalske was selected as a first-team All-Pro on the official NFL All-Pro team and by the United Press and the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

Michalske remained with the Packers for an additional five seasons from 1932 to 1935 and again in 1937. He was selected as a first-team All-Pro in 1934 by the Green Bay Press-Gazette and in 1935 by the NFL, Chicago Daily News, and Green Bay Press-Gazette.

In 1935, Michalske became an assistant coach under head coach Curly Lambeau, adding those duties to his responsibilities as a player. He retired as a player and left the Packers after the 1935 season, but in August 1937, he signed a contract to return to the Packers as a player and assistant coach for the 1937 season. His playing career ended on October 31, 1937, when he sustained a back injury after allegedly being kicked by an opposing player in a game against the Detroit Lions; he was hospitalized in Detroit for several days after the game. He confirmed his retirement as a player in August 1938.

Michalske was known by the nickname "Iron Mike" because despite playing 60 minutes a game, he missed only nine of 104 games during his tenure with the Packers, five of them following the back injury in his final season. He wore nine uniform numbers over his Packers career, the most by any player in team history: 19 (1932), 24 (1934), 28 (1931), 30 (1932), 31 (1933), 33 (1935), 36 (1929–30, 37), 40 (1935) and 63 (1934).

Michalske began his coaching career as the line coach at Ashland College in Ohio during the 1928 and 1929 seasons. While serving as an assistant coach at Ashland, he was also an All-Pro player in the NFL for the Yankees in 1928 and Packers in 1929.

In March 1936, Michalske returned to coaching as an assistant football coach under head coach Ernie Nevers at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Nevers and Michalske led Lafayette to a 1–8 record in 1936.

Michalske was an assistant coach for the Packers under Curly Lambeau during the 1935 and 1936 seasons. In late November 1937, Michalske returned to Lafayette College for his second year as the head coach of the basketball team.

In September 1939, Michalske was reunited with Ernie Nevers who had taken over as head coach of the Chicago Cardinals. Michalske was hired as an assistant football coach and scout for the Cardinals. The 1939 Cardinals compiled a 1–10 record, and neither Nevers nor Michalske returned to the club in 1940.

In the spring of 1940, Michalske was hired as the track coach at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. He also served as the line coach for the St. Norbert football team in 1940 and 1941. He remained at St. Norbert for two years. During that time, the football team compiled records of 3-3-1 in 1940 and 6–2 in 1941.

In August 1942, Michalske was hired as the line coach at Iowa State College. On October 14, 1942, he replaced Ray Donels as the head coach of the Iowa State football team. After mediocre seasons in 1942 and 1943, Michalske led Iowa State in 1944 to a 6–1–1 record (3–1–1 in conference) and a tie for second place in the Big Six Conference. The 1944 Iowa State team shut out Kansas (25–0) and Kansas State (14–0), ran up 288 rushing yards in a 19–6 victory over Nebraska, and suffered its sole loss to Oklahoma.

Michalske remained head coach at Iowa State through the 1946 season, though his teams stumbled to records of 4–3–1 in 1945 and 2–6–1 in 1946.[39] He resigned his position at Iowa State in February 1947.[40] His overall record as head football coach at Iowa State was 18–18–3 (8–9–2 against conference opponents).

In September 1947, Michalske joined the Packers' scouting staff.

In April 1949, he was hired as an assistant coach with the Baltimore Colts of the All-America Football Conference. The 1949 Colts compiled a record of 1–11.

In February 1950, Michalske was hired as the line coach at Baylor in Waco, Texas. He spent three years at Baylor under head coach George Sauer, with whom Michalske had played in Green Bay. During Michalske's three years at Baylor, the Baylor football team compiled records of 7–3, 8–2–1, and 4–4–2. Michalske resigned from in December 1952, effective at the end of his contract in March 1953.

In May 1953, Michalske was hired as the line coach at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. During Michalske's one-year tenure at Texas A&M, the 1953 Aggies were led by head coach Raymond George and compiled a 4–5–1 record.

In January 1955, he was hired by Texas as an assistant football coach on a one-year contract. He was the line coach for the 1955 and 1956 Texas teams that compiled 5–5 and 1–9 records under head coach Ed Price.

Michalske received numerous honors and awards for his accomplishments as a football player. In 1964, he was inducted as part of the second class of inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was the first guard to be inducted. In 1969, Michalske was selected by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a guard on the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team. He was also inducted in 1970 with the first group of inductees into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, and in 1971 he was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame.

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https://www.profootballarchives.com/index.html

https://americanfootballdatabase.fandom.com/wiki/Football_Wiki

https://www.gridiron-uniforms.com/GUD/controller/controller.php?action=main

https://www.profootballhof.com/hall-of-famers/

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 1910 Census entry for August Michalske and family. Census Place: Cleveland Ward 2, Cuyahoga, Ohio; Roll: T624_1166; Page: 14B; Enumeration District: 0066; FHL microfilm: 1375179. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line].

 Census entry for August Michalske and family. Census Place: Cleveland Ward 2, Cuyahoga, Ohio; Roll: T625_1360; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 15; Image: 57. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line].

 Cleveland city directories between 1907 and 1920 describe August Michalske as a "teaming contractor", "teamster", or "driver".

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 John Maxymuk (2003). Packers by the Numbers. Big Earth Publishing. p. 146. ISBN 1879483904.

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 "St. Norbert College 2016 Football Yearbook" (PDF). St. Norbert College. p. 45.

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 "Michalske To Scout For Pack; No More Sponge for Mel Welch". Green Bay Press-Gazette. September 4, 1947. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon

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 "Vic Bradford, Michalske New Baylor Aides". Arizona Republic. February 12, 1950. p. 44 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon

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 "Michalske, Hinkle Humbled By Honor". Green Bay Press-Gazette. September 11, 1974. p. P46 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon

 "'Nice Things' Surprise Modest Jim Conzelman". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 10, 2017.

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