Los Angeles Dons
The Los Angeles Dons were an American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and was based in Los Angeles , California .
founding
In 1944, the AAFC was launched as a competitive league for the National Football League (NFL). The league was founded by a sports journalist from Chicago , who was able to gather numerous investors interested in football. The league awarded a total of eight franchises . A partnership around the businessman Ben Lindheimer, who settled the team in Los Angeles, acquired a license to play. Co-owners of the team included Don Ameche , Bing Crosby and Bob Hope .
Each team was responsible for putting the team together. The AAFC began playing in 1946. Coach of the team was Dudley DeGroot , previously the Washington Redskins had trained. DeGroot was replaced during the season by Mel Hein the following year , who in turn had to make way for Jimmy Phelan in 1948 . The Dons played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum .
successes
The Dons was able to win seven of 14 games in their first year of play in 1946, including a win against the Cleveland Browns led by Otto Graham , who also won the championship that year. With the outcome of the championship, the Dons had nothing to do in the following two years, although in 1947 they managed to win again against the Browns. They finished both rounds of the game with seven wins and seven losses. After a season with only four wins, the Dons, like the entire AAFC, had to stop playing.
Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Other well-known players
Web links
- History of the AAFC ( Memento of February 13, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 61 kB)