| American Football League (1936) | |
|---|---|
| Sport | American Professional Football |
| Founded | 1935 |
| First Season | 1936 |
| Last Season | 1937 |
| Claim to Fame | 2nd competitor of National Football League |
| No. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with Auto racing Grand Prix racing - Main article 1935 Grand Prix season. Events May 8: Jockey Ralph Neves was involved in a racing accident at Bay Meadows Racetrack in San Mateo California and mistakenly pronounced Auto racing Grand Prix racing - Main article 1937 Grand Prix season. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. of teams | 6 |
| Country |  United States |
| Last champions | Los Angeles Bulldogs |
| Disbanded | 1937 |
Sometimes called AFL II, the second American Football League (AFL) was a professional American football league that operated in 1936 and 1937. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Los Angeles Bulldogs were a professional American football team that competed from 1936 to 1948 (the last year as the Long Beach Bulldogs) American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with The AFL operated in direct competition with the more established National Football League (NFL) throughout its existence. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. [1] While the American media generally ignored its operation (often relegating game coverage to "page filler" status), the second AFL was the first "home" of the Cleveland Rams, which joined the National Football League after one year in the AFL. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The St Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. [2]
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 Los Angeles Bulldogs were a professional American football team that competed from 1936 to 1948 (the last year as the Long Beach Bulldogs) The Western United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American West or simply the West &mdashtraditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The All-America Football Conference (AAFC was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL from 1946 The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami Florida Metropolitan Area. [3]
Contents |
Origin of League
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 15, 1935. The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York City suburb of East Rutherford New Jersey. Dr Harry A March, the man credited with convincing Tim Mara to purchase a National Football League franchise for New York City, was 64 years old when Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 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. Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Cleveland is a City in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state Jersey City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The City of New York Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Syracuse (locally ˈsɛrəkjuːs sometimes ˈsɪrəkjuːs or /ˈsɪərəkjuːs/ by non-natives is a city in Central New York, USA. [4]
Within a few months, Jersey City, Providence, and Philadelphia pulled out and Rochester was granted a franchise. Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York State, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Two weeks later, the newest franchise was transferred to Brooklyn even though there was no stadium available at the time. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. [5]
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. The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team based in the Washington D Similarly the Cleveland Rams signed their head coach, Damon Wetzel, from the backfield of the Chicago Bears. Damon Wetzel was a fullback for the Chicago Bears and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. [6]
Teams
Boston Shamrocks. The offensive powerhouse of the AFL in the 1936 season, the George Kenneally[7]-led 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. The team folded along with the league at the end of the 1937 season.
Brooklyn Tigers. 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) despite the failure of another AFL based in that city mere weeks before. [8] 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. Richard Paul Palm (born February 13, 1925, in Boston, Massachusetts) is a former Relief pitcher in Major League Baseball Harry L Newman ( September 5, 1909 &mdash May 2, 2000) was an American football Quarterback who played for the University
Cleveland Rams. The St Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St Owned by Homer Marshman, 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). Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West 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. Sidney "Sid" Gillman ( October 26, 1911 - January 3, 2003) was an American football coach and innovator [9]
New York Yankees. 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. John F McBride (born November 30, 1901, date of death unknown was an American football player who played the positions of |halfback, fullback Elmer Kenneth Strong Jr ( April 21 1906 - October 5 1979) was a college and professional American football player [10] 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.
Pittsburgh Americans. While the 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. Forbes Field was a Baseball park in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania from 1909 to 1971 The Americans were not without stars: they signed former Pirates Ben Smith and Loran Ribble. Ben Smith or Benjamin Smith may refer to Ben Smith (football player (born 1911 American football player Ben Smith (American football
Syracuse Braves. The existence of the Braves was doomed from lack of fan support while losing every game (Don Irwin and end Red Badgro were the head coaches). Donald Emerson Irwin ( July 22, 1913 &ndash June 1983 was an American football Running back in the National Football League Morris Hiram "Red" Badgro ( December 1, 1902 - July 13, 1998) was a professional American football end in the 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 Rochester (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. [11] Soon afterwards, another AFL team (Brooklyn) followed the Braves to Rochester in an effort to survive the 1936 season.
Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati Bengals was the name of a short-lived professional football team that played in Cincinnati Ohio. Not related to the current NFL franchise, the Bengals joined the AFL for the 1937 season. The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Playing at Crosley Field, the team was a steady draw despite the team having a losing record. Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park located in Cincinnati, Ohio. 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. American Football League (1936 or American Football League (1926 --> Origin of league Although the third American Football Hal Pennington was the team's originator; he was also the first head coach and general manager of the Bengals. [12]
Los Angeles Bulldogs. The Los Angeles Bulldogs were a professional American football team that competed from 1936 to 1948 (the last year as the Long Beach Bulldogs) While an independent team, the Bulldogs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in 1936. The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [13] After being turned down for the NFL for the 1937 season, the Bulldogs joined the AFL became the first professional football team to play its home games on the West Coast. Averaging 14,000 in attendance for its home games, 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 pro team to win its league title with a perfect record. When the league folded at the end of the season, the Gus Henderson-led Bulldogs[14] 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. Elmer Clinton "Gus" Henderson ( March 10 1889 - December 16 1965) nicknamed "Gloomy Gus" was an American 1938 American Football League membership Chicago Indians Cincinnati Blades (left league at end of 1938 season Dayton Rosies (became the Origin of league History of professional football in California before 1937 Prior to 1936 the history of professional football in California was not a hopeful one
League standings
Final 1936 standings
| Team | W | L | T | Pct. The 1936 American Football League season is the first season of the second American Football League, the formation of which was announced by Harry March, former personnel | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Shamrocks | 8 | 3 | 0 | . 727 | 133 | 97 |
| Cleveland Rams | 5 | 2 | 2 | . The St Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St 714 | 123 | 77 |
| New York Yankees | 5 | 3 | 2 | . 625 | 75 | 74 |
| Pittsburgh Americans | 3 | 2 | 1 | . 600 | 78 | 65 |
| Syracuse/Rochester Braves | 1 | 6 | 0 | . 147 | 51 | 113 |
| Brooklyn/Rochester Tigers | 0 | 6 | 1 | . 000 | 58 | 82 |
Final 1937 standings
| Team | W | L | T | Pct. The 1937 American Football League season is the second season of the second edition of the AFL. | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Bulldogs | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1. The Los Angeles Bulldogs were a professional American football team that competed from 1936 to 1948 (the last year as the Long Beach Bulldogs) 000 | 219 | 69 |
| Rochester Tigers | 3 | 3 | 1 | . 500 | 94 | 115 |
| New York Yankees | 2 | 3 | 1 | . 400 | 57 | 115 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2 | 3 | 2 | . Cincinnati Bengals was the name of a short-lived professional football team that played in Cincinnati Ohio. 400 | 102 | 89 |
| Boston Shamrocks | 2 | 5 | 0 | . 286 | 76 | 98 |
| Pittsburgh Americans | 0 | 3 | 0 | . 000 | 7 | 69 |
All-League selections
There was no All-League team named for the 1936 season. [15]
1937
Bill Moore, Los Angeles (end)
Bill Steinkinber, Cincinnati (tackle)
Pete Mehringer, Los Angeles (guard)
Lee Mulleneaux, Cincinnati (center)
Alex Drobnitch, New York (guard)
Harry Fields, Los Angeles (tackle)
Red Fleming, Boston (end)
Harry Newman, Los Angeles (quarterback)
Don Geyer, Cincinnati (halfback)
Al Nichelini, Los Angeles (halfback)
Gordon Gore, Los Angeles (fullback)
Demise of the second AFL
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. Red Fleming was the 15th head College football coachfor the Virginia Military Institute Keydets located in Lexington Virginia and he held that position Harry L Newman ( September 5, 1909 &mdash May 2, 2000) was an American football Quarterback who played for the University The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team based in the Washington D Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D 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. Jack "Manassa Mauler" Dempsey ( June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983) was an American boxer who held the world Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular [16]
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 led to 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. [17]
With the optimism that began the 1937 season gone, the second American Football League closed up shop at the end of the season.
After the second AFL
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 (in contrast to the Los Angeles Buccaneers, an NFL team that was actually based in Chicago). The Los Angeles Buccaneers were a Traveling team in the National Football League during their one season 1926 The success of the Boston Shamrocks was a prod for George Preston Marshall to move his Boston Redskins south to Washington. George Preston Marshall (1896 &ndash 1969 was the long-time owner and president of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL
The AFL was the first "home league" of the Cleveland Rams, which continue to exist as the St. Louis Rams. The St Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St The Los Angeles Bulldogs returned to the independent circuit in 1938, as did the Cincinnati Bengals, which joined the fledging minor league, the American Professional Football Association, in 1939 and became a charter member of the third AFL in 1940. 1938 American Football League membership Chicago Indians Cincinnati Blades (left league at end of 1938 season Dayton Rosies (became the American Football League (1936 or American Football League (1926 --> Origin of league Although the third American Football The Bulldogs also joined the APFA for 1939, before becoming a charter member of the Pacific Coast Professional Football League in 1940. Origin of league History of professional football in California before 1937 Prior to 1936 the history of professional football in California was not a hopeful one
References
- ^ Bob Carroll, Michael Gershman, David Neft, and John Thorn, Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (HarperCollins 1999) ISBN 0-060-39232-0
- ^ Bob Carroll, Michael Gershman, David Neft, and John Thorn, Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (HarperCollins 1999) ISBN 0-060-39232-0
- ^ Bob Carroll, Michael Gershman, David Neft, and John Thorn, Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (HarperCollins 1999) ISBN 0-060-39232-0
- ^ Bob Carroll, Michael Gershman, David Neft, and John Thorn, Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (HarperCollins 1999) ISBN 0-060-39232-0
- ^ Bob Carroll, Michael Gershman, David Neft, and John Thorn, Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (HarperCollins 1999) ISBN 0-060-39232-0
- ^ George Gipe, The Great American Sports Book (Doubleday 1978) ISBN 0-385-13091-0
- ^ 1999 ESPN Information Please Sports Almanac (ESPN Books, 1998), ISBN 0-7868-8366-9
- ^ History of Football in Western New York
- ^ George Gipe, The Great American Sport Book (Doubleday 1978) ISBN 0-385-13091-0
- ^ George Gipe, The Great American Sport Book (Doubleday 1978) ISBN 0-385-13091-0
- ^ History of Football in Western New York
- ^ Hal Pennington Biography - Xavier University Basketball Hall of Fame
- ^ Pay Dirt: The Business of Professional Team Sports
- ^ 1999 ESPN Information Please Sports Almanac (ESPN Books, 1998), ISBN 0-7868-8366-9
- ^ The Best of the Rest, Part One - Pro Football Research Association (1983)
- ^ Bob Carroll, Michael Gershman, David Neft, and John Thorn, Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (HarperCollins 1999) ISBN 0-060-39232-0
- ^ George Gipe, The Great American Sport Book (Doubleday 1978) ISBN 0-385-13091-0
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