1944 Boston Yanks season

Last updated

1944 Boston Yanks season
Owner Ted Collins
Head coach Herb Kopf
Home field Fenway Park
Results
Record2–8
Division place4th NFL Eastern
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 1944 Boston Yanks season was its inaugural season in the National Football League. The team won two games [1] and failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Contents

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenue
1 Bye
2September 26 Philadelphia Eagles L 7–280–1 Fenway Park
3 Bye
4October 8 New York Giants L 10–220–2Fenway Park
5October 15 Washington Redskins L 14–210–3Fenway Park
6October 22at Philadelphia Eagles L 0–380–4 Shibe Park
7October 29at Brooklyn Tigers W 17–141–4Ebbets Field
8November 5at New York Giants L 0–311–5 Polo Grounds
9November 12at Chicago Bears L 7–211–6 Wrigley Field
10November 19 Brooklyn Tigers W 13–62–6Fenway Park
11November 26at Washington Redskins L 7–142–7 Griffith Stadium
12December 3at Detroit Lions L 7–382–8 Briggs Stadium
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

NFL Eastern Division
WLTPCTDIVPFPASTK
New York Giants 811.8896–1–120675W4
Philadelphia Eagles 712.8756–0–2267131W2
Washington Redskins 631.6674–3–1169180L2
Boston Yanks 280.2002–682233L2
Brooklyn Tigers 0100.0000-869166L10
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
NFL Western Division
WLTPCTDIVPFPASTK
Green Bay Packers 820.8007–1238141W1
Chicago Bears 631.6674–3–1258172W2
Detroit Lions 631.6674–3–1216151W4
Cleveland Rams 460.4004–4188224L2
Card-Pitt 0100.0000–8108328L10
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Roster

The NFL used an active roster of just 28 players during the wartime seasons of 1943 and 1944. According to the league's preseason guidebook, [2] the 1944 roster for the Boston Yanks consisted of the following:

NFL Draft

The 1944 NFL draft was held on April 19, 1944, at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia. By agreement of league owners, the new Yanks franchise received the first pick of the first round and then dropped to 11th in the order of draft selection, making their next choice at 27. [3]

Although there were 32 rounds in the 1944 draft, each of the league's 11 teams selected 30 players, for a total of 330 players picked. [4] The five worst-finishing teams of the 1943 season picked alone in rounds 2 and 4, while the five best-finishing teams plus the expansion Yanks picked alone in rounds 31 and 32.

Boston's top draft pick, Heisman Trophy-winning Notre Dame quarterback Angelo Bertelli, had enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1943 and never played in the NFL, instead making his professional debut with the Los Angeles Dons of the rival All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1946.

The complete list of players drafted by the Boston Yanks in 1944 follows. [5] Due to the demands of World War II, none of these players actually played for the Yanks during the 1944 season.

1944 Boston Yanks draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
11 Angelo Bertelli   Quarterback Notre Dame 1943 Heisman Trophy winner (Played in AAFC in 1946)
327 Babe Dimancheff   Halfback Purdue Played with Yanks in 1945
543Larry Rice  Center Tulane
654John "Butch" Parker  Tackle Loyola (CA)
765Mike Andrews  End NC State
876Bob Musick  Back USC
987 Caleb "Tex" Warrington   Guard Auburn Played in AAFC in 1946
1098Angelo Sisti Tackle Boston College
11109Gene Long Guard Kansas
12120 Ed Fiorentino  End Brown Played with Yanks in 1947
13131Mike Zeleznak Back Kansas State
14142John Maskas Guard VPI
15153John Bond Back TCU
16164Roger Antaya Guard Dartmouth
17175 Marshall Shurnas  End Missouri Played in AAFC in 1947
18186Reldon Bennett Tackle LSU
19197 Art Faircloth  Back Guilford Played in NFL in 1947
20208Tony Bilotti Guard Saint Mary's (CA)
21219Bill Furman Tackle Washington & Lee
22230Clare Morford Guard Oklahoma
23241Dilton Richmond EndLSU
24252Courtney Lawlor Back Richmond
25263Howard Debus Back Nebraska
26274Bill Portwood End Kentucky
27285Harold Collins Guard Southwestern (TX)
28296Aubrey Gill Center Texas
29307Chet Wasilewski Back Holy Cross
30318Gus Letchas Back Georgia
31324 Ralph Calcagni  Tackle Penn Played with Yanks in 1946
32330Walton Roberts BackTexas

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References

  1. ↑ 1944 Boston Yanks
  2. ↑ George Strickler (ed.), National Football League 1944 Roster Manual. Chicago: National Football League, 1944; pp. 6–7.
  3. ↑ George Strickler (ed.), Record and Rules Manual, 1944. Chicago: National Football League, 1944; p. 87.
  4. ↑ Strickler (ed.), Record and Rules Manual, 1944, pp. 77–87, passim.
  5. ↑ "1944 Boston Yanks Draftees," Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com/
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