All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was an American American football league from 1946 to 1949. The league's dominant teams were the Cleveland Browns and the New York Yankees . The Cleveland Browns won all four titles that were pitted.
history
The All-America Football Conference was founded in 1944 by the American sports journalist Arch Ward of the Chicago Tribune . This succeeded in rallying numerous investors interested in football. Including entrepreneur Anthony Morabito with the San Francisco 49ers , who had previously unsuccessfully applied for an NFL license, actor Don Ameche with the Los Angeles Dons , James F. Breuil with the Buffalo Bisons and Mickey McBride with the Cleveland Browns .
Before the first season in 1946, the league awarded a total of eight franchises . The AAFC was a rival league to the National Football League (NFL). It is considered innovative that it organized a nationwide competition for the first time, which was made possible by a contract with United Airline . In addition, zone defense established itself, while man marking continued to dominate in the NFL. By hiring a number of college football coaches and promising higher salaries, many players moved from the NFL to the AAFC. It also broke the taboo not to employ dark-skinned players.
In response to the AAFC, the NFL responded by allowing the Cleveland Rams to move to Los Angeles in 1946. The league's executive director was former college football star Jim Crowley .
During the short period of existence, the Cleveland Browns were the measure of all things. They won their division in all seasons (1948 even without defeat; a so-called perfect season ) and all championship games. Despite higher audience numbers compared to the NFL, both leagues had financial difficulties. Shortly before the final of the AAFC, the merger of the NFL and AAFC to form the National American Football League was announced.
The Cleveland Browns, the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Colts complemented the ten teams of the NFL, the remaining teams dissolved, the players were integrated into other teams. The Baltimore Colts played in the NFL for one year in 1950 before going bankrupt. Commissioner was Bert Bell, who had already held this position in the NFL. As early as March 1950, the name changed back to NFL.
Teams
- Baltimore Colts , 1947-1949
- Brooklyn Dodgers , 1946-1948
- Buffalo Bisons, 1946, renamed Buffalo Bills , 1947–1949
- Chicago Rockets , 1946–1948, renamed Chicago Hornets, 1949
- Cleveland Browns , 1946-1949
- Los Angeles Dons , 1946-1949
- Miami Seahawks , 1946
- New York Yankees , 1946-1949
- San Francisco 49ers , 1946-1949
Championship games
- 1946: Cleveland Browns 14, New York Yankees 9
- 1947: Cleveland Browns 14, New York Yankees 3
- 1948: Cleveland Browns 49, Buffalo Bills 7
- 1949: Cleveland Browns 21, San Francisco 49ers 7
Web links
- Annual statistics 1946
- Annual statistics 1947
- Annual statistics 1948
- Annual statistics 1949
- History of the AAFC ( Memento of February 13, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 61 kB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dieter Hoch / Holger Korber / Dirk Ladwig: The history of the NFL. From the small beginnings to the rise to the largest professional league in the world. Berlin 2016, page 44.
- ^ 3 Sep 1944, Page 13 - The Pittsburgh Press at Newspapers.com. Retrieved May 19, 2020 (English).
- ↑ Dieter Hoch / Holger Korber / Dirk Ladwig: The history of the NFL. From the small beginnings to the rise to the largest professional league in the world. Berlin 2016, page 45.
- ↑ Dieter Hoch / Holger Korber / Dirk Ladwig: The history of the NFL. From the small beginnings to the rise to the largest professional league in the world. Berlin 2016, page 47.