The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a 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 Brooklyn Dodgers were an American football team that played in the National Football League from 1930 to 1943, and in 1944 as the Brooklyn Tigers. The team played its home games at Ebbets Field of the baseball National League's team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1945, because of financial difficulties and the increasing scarcity of major league-level players because of the war-time defense requirements at the height of World War II, the team was merged with the Boston Yanks and were known as the Yanks for that season.
David William Sime was an American sprinter, multi-sport athlete at Duke University, and a pioneering ophthalmologist. He won a silver medal in the 100-meter dash at the 1960 Olympic Games. He held several sprint records during the late 1950s.
Morris Hiram "Red" Badgro was an American football player and football coach who also played professional baseball. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.
Charles Louis Trippi was an American professional football player for the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) from 1947 to 1955. Although primarily a running back, his versatility allowed him to fill a multitude of roles over his career, including quarterback, defensive back, punter, and return specialist. A "quintuple-threat", Trippi was adept at running, catching, passing, punting, and defense.
Clifford Franklin Battles was an American football halfback in the National Football League (NFL). Battles was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.
Frank Manning "Bruiser" Kinard Sr. was an American football tackle and coach and university athletic administrator. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1951 and into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
William Beattie "Big Chief" Feathers was an American football player and coach of football and baseball. He played college football and college basketball at the University of Tennessee.
Raymond Paul Flaherty was an American football player and coach in the National Football League, and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was part of three NFL Championship teams, one as a player and two as a head coach.
William Augustus "Dub" Jones is a former American football halfback who played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and the old All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily for the Cleveland Browns. He shares the NFL record for touchdowns scored in a single game, with six.
The 1937 National Football League Draft was the second draft held by the National Football League (NFL). The draft took place December 12, 1936, at the Hotel Lincoln in New York City. The draft consisted of 10 rounds, with 100 player selections, two of which would later become members of the Professional Football Hall of Fame. Notable for this draft were the league's draft selections for a planned expansion team, the Cleveland Rams, who were admitted into the league prior to the 1937 season. The Philadelphia Eagles used the first overall pick to select back Sam Francis, but ended up trading him to Chicago Bears two months later.
Gaynell Charles "Gus" Tinsley was an American football end and coach. He played professionally for the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) from 1937 to 1938 and in 1940. He attended Louisiana State University, where he was a consensus All-American for the LSU Tigers football team in 1935 and 1936. In 1937 he was drafted by the Cardinals, with whom he was an All-NFL selection in 1937 and 1938. During his three years in the NFL, Tinsley set or tied NFL single-season records with 674 receiving yards in 1937 and 41 pass receptions in 1938. He later served as the head football coach at LSU from 1948 to 1954. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1956.
George Cafego was an American football player and coach of football and baseball. He played college football at the University of Tennessee, earning varsity letters 1937 - 1939, and professionally in the National Football League (NFL) with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Washington Redskins, Boston Yanks. He served as the head baseball coach at the University of Wyoming in 1950 and at his alma mater, Tennessee, from 1958 to 1962. Cafego was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1969.
Robert James "Hunchy" Hoernschemeyer was an American football player. A native of Cincinnati, he played college football as a halfback for the Indiana Hoosiers football in 1943 and 1944 and as a quarterback for the Navy Midshipmen football team in 1945. He led the NCAA in both total offense and passing yards during the 1943 season.
Martin Owen Ruby was an offensive tackle and defensive tackle for the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers in the All-America Football Conference, New York Yanks of the National Football League, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Western Interprovincial Football Union. He lived in Waco, Texas, while he was a professional player.
Elmer Kenneth Strong was an American football halfback and fullback who also played minor league baseball. Considered one of the greatest all-around players in the early decades of the game, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1957 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and was named to the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team.
Edgar Francis "Special Delivery" Jones was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) and the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). Jones played college football at the University of Pittsburgh where he finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1941.
Eric Gordon Tipton was an American professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Athletics and Cincinnati Reds. Also known as a college football player, Tipton was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1965.
The 1946 AAFC season was the first season of the All-America Football Conference, a new professional league established to challenge the market dominance of the established National Football League. The league included eight teams, broken up into Eastern and Western divisions, which played a 14-game official schedule, culminating in a league championship game.
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