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The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a major professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations to the game. However, the AAFC was ultimately unable to sustain itself in competition with the NFL. After it folded, three of its teams were admitted to the NFL: the San Francisco 49ers, the Cleveland Browns and the original Baltimore Colts.
The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The first team to bear the name, it was a member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1947 to 1949 and then joined the National Football League (NFL) for one season before folding. The Colts were one of the least successful teams in the AAFC and NFL both on and off the field, winning only 11 of their 54 games in their history. In 1953, Baltimore was granted an expansion team that revived the Colts name. That franchise moved in 1984 and became the Indianapolis Colts.
The 1950 NFL draft was held January 20–21, 1950, at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. With the league absorbing the Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns, and San Francisco 49ers from the All-America Football Conference, these three teams were combined with the other NFL clubs in a single ranking to determine the order of the draft.
Charles Christopher "Chuckin' Charlie" O'Rourke Sr. was an American football player and coach. He played college football as a quarterback at Boston College and professionally with Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) and the Los Angeles Dons and Baltimore Colts of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC).
Oliver Monroe Cline was a college and professional American football fullback who played for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions in the 1940s and 1950s. A standout high school athlete in his hometown of Fredericktown, Ohio, Cline attended Ohio State University starting in 1944. He became the football team's primary fullback that year as the school went unbeaten and was ranked second in the nation in the AP Poll. The following year, Cline was named the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference, rushing for 936 yards as Ohio State built up a 7–2 record and was ranked 12th in the AP Poll. Following a brief stint in the U.S. Army at the end of World War II, Cline returned to Ohio State for a final season in 1947.
The 1948 Cleveland Browns season was the team's third in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). After winning the AAFC crown in 1946 and 1947, the league's first two years of existence, the Browns repeated as champions in 1948 and had a perfect season, winning all of their games.
Chester A. Mutryn was an American professional football halfback and return specialist who played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Steagles in the 20th round of the 1943 NFL Draft.
The 1949 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 17th season in the National Football League. The Eagles won their second-consecutive NFL championship.
Lucien Anthony "Lu" Gambino was an American football running back. He played college football for Indiana University, and after military service in the Second World War, the University of Maryland. While playing for Maryland, he set the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) season scoring high for 1947 with 16 touchdowns and 96 points and was named the 1948 Gator Bowl most valuable player. Gambino played professional football for two years with the Baltimore Colts in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), an early competitor of the National Football League (NFL).
The 1951 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 19th in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 6–6, winning only four games. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
The 1950 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 18th in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 11–1, winning only six games. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.
William Frank Hillenbrand was an American professional football halfback and return specialist who played professionally in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). He attended Indiana University, where he played for the Indiana Hoosiers. In 1942, he was a consensus All-American and was drafted by the New York Giants in the 1st round in the 1944 NFL Draft. After serving with the Army during World War II, he played three seasons in the AAFC from 1946 to 1948 for the Chicago Rockets and Baltimore Colts. He was a versatile player, who scored 186 points gained over 4,000 all-purpose yards in three years of professional football—1,987 receiving, 1,042 on kickoff returns, 889 rushing, and 612 on punt returns. He also had a 48-yard interception return, a 96-yard kickoff return, and an 89-yard punt return. In 1948, his total of 970 receiving yards, and his average of 11.2 yards per touch was the best in the AAFC, and his total of 2,067 all-purpose yards was second best in the league.
The 1946 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1946 Big Nine Conference football season. In their ninth year under head coach was Fritz Crisler, the Wolverines compiled a 6–2–1 record, outscored opponents 233 to 73, and finished the season in second place in the Big Nine Conference and ranked No. 6 in the final 1946 AP poll. The team's two losses came against an undefeated Army team that was ranked No. 2 in the final AP poll and against an Illinois team that won the Big Nine championship and was ranked No. 5 in the final AP poll. Michigan won its last four games by a combined score of 162 to 19, starting a 25-game winning streak that continued for nearly three years until October 8, 1949. In the final game of the 1946 season, Michigan defeated Ohio State, 58–6, the Buckeyes' worst defeat since joining the conference in 1913.
On December 9, 1949, the National Football League absorbed three teams from the All-America Football Conference.
Benito Modesto "Ben" Pucci was a professional American football tackle who played three seasons for the Buffalo Bisons, Chicago Rockets and Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) between 1946 and 1948.
Thomas Edward "Shorty" McWilliams was an American football player who played one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the eighth round of the 1948 NFL Draft and the Los Angeles Dons in the 16th round of the 1948 AAFC Draft. He played college football at Mississippi State University and the United States Military Academy.
Herbert Edward Coleman was an American football center who played three seasons in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) with the Chicago Rockets and Baltimore Colts. He was drafted by the Boston Yanks in the twelfth round of the 1945 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame and attended Chester High School in Chester, West Virginia.
Robert Edward Livingstone was an American football halfback who played two seasons in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) with the Chicago Rockets/Hornets and Buffalo Bills. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) in the 22nd round of the 1945 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame and attended Hammond High School in Hammond, Indiana.
The 1947 AAFC draft was the first collegiate draft of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). It used an inverse order to the teams' final standings in the 1946 season. The Buffalo Bills, which had finished with the same record as the Brooklyn Dodgers, drafted second in each round, with Brooklyn drafting third.
The 1949 AAFC draft was the third and last collegiate draft of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The teams traded draft choices for the first time in league history. New York sent their first round pick to Chicago, which selected Pete Elliott. Brooklyn traded their second round pick to New York, which selected Lou Kusserow. Chicago traded their third round pick to Buffalo, which selected Hugh Keeney.
References
- ↑ "1948 AAFC Draft" (PDF). Profootballresearchers.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 17, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2020.