All-America Football Conference playoffs

All-America Football Conference playoffs

Modern rendition of league logo
Sport	American football
Founded	1944
First season	1946
Ceased	1949
No. of teams	2 (1946, 1947) 3 (1948) 4 (1949)
Country	United States
Last champion	Cleveland Browns (1946–1949)

The All-America Football Conference playoffs were the postseason games of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), an American football league which challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949.

From 1946 to 1948, the AAFC determined its champion in a title game between the winners of its two divisions. In 1948, a special playoff game was needed to break a first-place tie in one of the divisions. In 1949, the league contracted to a single division, so it determined its champion by a four-team single-elimination tournament.

Just five teams participated in the AAFC playoffs in four years: the Cleveland Browns (all four years), the New York Yankees (three times), the Buffalo Bills (twice), the Baltimore Colts, and the San Francisco 49ers. The Cleveland Browns won all four AAFC titles, however their domination and the lack of balance that it demonstrated ultimately hurt the league by diminishing attendance. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

AAFC playoff records, as with AAFC records in general, are recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame but were not included in the NFL's record book until 2025. ^{[5] [6]}

1946

Championship game

Cleveland Browns 14, New York Yankees 9

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Yankees	3	0	6	0	9
Browns	0	7	0	7	14

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

• Date: December 22, 1946
• Game attendance: 41,181
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter NY – Harvey Johnson 21-yard field goal. 3–0 NY Second quarter CLE – Marion Motley 2-yard rush (Groza kick). 7–3 CLE Third quarter NY – Spec Sanders 2-yard rush (kick blocked). 9–7 NY Fourth quarter CLE – Dante Lavelli 16-yard pass from Otto Graham (Groza kick). 14–9 CLE Top passers NY – Ace Parker – 8/18, 81 yards, 1 INT CLE – Otto Graham – 16/27, 213 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Top rushers NY – Spec Sanders – 14 rushes, 55 yards, 1 TD CLE – Marion Motley – 13 rushes, 98 yards, 1 TD Top receivers NY – Jack Russell – 5 receptions, 58 yards CLE – Dante Lavelli – 6 receptions, 87 yards

The two teams had met twice in the regular season, with Cleveland (12–2) defeating the Yankees (10–3–1) both times by scores of 24–7 on September 26 in Cleveland and 7–0 on October 12 at Yankee Stadium. On what was described as a chilly day of 29-degree weather, the Yankees nearly defied the expectations as 14-point underdogs to lead for most of the fourth quarter on the strength of making a field goal (while Cleveland went 0-for-4 with two kickers) and a touchdown run by Spec Sanders. ^[7] With less than five minutes remaining in the game, the Browns were trailing 9-7 before Otto Graham led Cleveland to a 76-yard drive that culminated with a pass to Dante Lavelli that saw him catch it and run in from the six-yard line to the endzone to give them the lead with 4:13 remaining to give Cleveland the lead they would not relinquish. The Yankees tried to drive down the field, but Ace Parker was intercepted by Graham (playing safety) to clinch the championship for Cleveland. ^[8]

This was the final game for Ace Parker, who retired after the game ended.

Individual shares for Cleveland players were $931. While the AAFC never instituted a trophy for winning the championship (instead giving a lapel pin), the Cleveland players pooled together to commission two trophies: one was given to team majority owner Arthur B. McBride and the other was given to minority owner Daniel Sherby; included was the names of all 38 players. These two trophies are the only ones of a Cleveland football championship to exist (the four NFL championships won by Cleveland were in the era where the trophy was given on a rotating basis; they had a replica trophy created for the 1964 championship decades later); one of the trophies was donated to the organization in 2013 after the grandson of Sherby discovered the trophy in a box in his garage in Raleigh, North Carolina. ^{[9] [10]}

Starting lineup

Note: Players often played both offense and defense in this period. Although free substitution existed from 1943, what are today considered defensive starters were categorized as "substitutes" in this era. Pro Football Reference lists Lloyd Cheatham as under the "BB position", although Ace Parker, who is not listed as starting in the game, threw all but two passes (with Spec Sanders throwing those passes) for the team.

Hall of Fame inductee

New York	Position	Cleveland
Lineup
Lloyd Cheatham	QB	Otto Graham
Eddie Prokop	FB	Marion Motley
Spec Sanders	LH	Edgar Jones
Lowell Wagner	RH	Don Greenwood
Bruce Alford	RE	Dante Lavelli
Jack Russell	LE	Mac Speedie
Bruiser Kinard	LT	Ernie Blandin
Jack Baldwin	LG	Ed Ulinski
Tom Robertson	C	Mike Scarry
Charley Riffle	RG	Lin Houston
Nate Johnson	RT	Lou Rymkus
Head coach
Ray Flaherty		Paul Brown

Statistics

Statistics	Yankees	Browns
First Downs	10	18
Rushing Yards	65	112
Yards per carry	2.2	3.0
Passing yards	81	213
Total Yards	146	325
Fumbles-Lost	2–1	3–0
Turnovers	2	1
Penalties-Yards	4–20	5–25

1947

Championship game

Cleveland Browns 14, New York Yankees 3

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	7	0	7	0	14
Yankees	0	3	0	0	3

at Yankee Stadium, New York, New York

• Date: December 22, 1946
• Game attendance: 61,879
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter CLE – Otto Graham 1-yard rush (Lou Groza kick). 7–0 CLE Second quarter NY – Harvey Johnson 12-yard field goal. 7–3 CLE Third quarter CLE – Edgar Jones 4-yard rush (Lou Saban kick). 14–3 CLE Top passers CLE – Otto Graham – 14/21, 112 yards NY – Spec Sanders – 7/17, 89 yards, 1 INT Top rushers CLE – Marion Motley – 13 rushes, 109 yards NY – Buddy Young – 16 rushes, 69 yards Top receivers CLE – Dante Lavelli – 3 receptions, 37 yards NY – Buddy Young – 2 receptions, 25 yards

The two teams had met twice in the regular season: Cleveland (12–1–1) defeated New York (11–2–1) at home on October 5 by a score of 26–17 while the two teams tied in the November 23 matchup in New York. In weather conditions that saw the field have bits of ice and snow for a slippery feel (the infield portion of Municipal Stadium was frozen solid), the two teams mutually agreed to only wear regulation cleats rather than sneakers. Cleveland's T-formation offense against New York's single-wing formation saw the two teams combine for 17 points of offense. Marion Motley had a 100-yard rushing game for Cleveland, who never trailed. Cleveland players took $1,191.99 each for their share, while Yankee players received $794.66 each. ^[11]

Starting lineup

Hall of Fame inductee

Cleveland	Position	New York
Lineup
Otto Graham	QB/TB	Spec Sanders
Marion Motley	FB	Buddy Young
Cliff Lewis	LH / WB	Bob Sweiger
Tommy Colella	RH / BB	Lloyd Cheatham
George Young	LE	Jack Russell
Lou Groza	LT	Bruiser Kinard
Ed Ulinski	LG	Roman Bentz
Lou Saban	C	Lou Sossamon
Bill Willis	RG	Dick Barwegen
Chet Adams	RT	Nate Johnson
John Yonakor	RE	Bruce Alford
Head coach
Paul Brown		Ray Flaherty

Statistics

Statistics	Browns	Yankees
First Downs	15	13
Rushing Yards	172	123
Yards Per Carry	5.2	3.7
Passing Yds	137	112
Sack Yds Lost	25	23
Net Passing Yards	112	89
Total Yards	309	235
Fumbles-Lost	2–1	3–2
Turnovers	1	3
Penalties-Yards	7–45	3–21

1948

Division playoff

Buffalo Bills 28, Baltimore Colts 17

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	7	0	21	28
Colts	3	0	14	0	17

at Baltimore Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

• Date: December 12, 1948
• Game attendance: 27,325
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter BAL – Rex Grossman Sr. 16-yard field goal. 3–0 BAL Second quarter BUF – Bill O'Connor 8-yard pass from George Ratterman (Graham Armstrong kick). 7–3 BUF Third quarter BAL – Bus Mertes 8-yard rush (Grossman kick). 10–7 BAL BAL – Bus Mertes 1-yard rush (Grossman kick). 17–7 BAL Fourth quarter BUF – Bill Gompers 66-yard pass from George Ratterman (Armstrong kick). 17–14 BAL BUF – Al Baldwin 25-yard pass from George Ratterman (Armstrong kick). 21–17 BUF BUF – Buckets Hirsch 19-yard interception return (Armstrong kick). 28–17 BUF Top passers BUF – George Ratterman– 10/18, 135 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT BAL – Y.A. Tittle – 17/36, 217 yards, 1 INT Top rushers BUF – Lou Tomasetti – 12 rushes, 56 yards BAL – Bus Mertes – 15 rushes, 73 yards, 2 TD Top receivers BUF – Bill Gompers – 1 reception, 66 yards BAL – Billy Hillenbrand – 7 receptions, 75 yards

The Bills and Colts were each tied for first in the Eastern Division with records of 7–7 due to the last game of the season, in which Baltimore defeated Buffalo 35–15 at Baltimore Municipal Stadium on December 5. One week later at the same venue, the Bills returned the favor and defeated Baltimore to reach the AAFC Championship Game, with George Ratterman tossing for two touchdowns in the span of three minutes to give Buffalo the lead after they trailed by ten to start the fourth. Buckets Hirsch closed the scoring with an interception return for a touchdown off Y. A. Tittle. ^[12]

The Baltimore crowd was so unsatisfied by the calls of sideline judge Tommy Whelan that players and police were used to escort him to the dressing room when the game was over. ^[13]

Championship game

Cleveland Browns 49, Buffalo Bills 7

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	0	7	0	7
Browns	7	7	14	21	49

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

• Date: December 19, 1948
• Game attendance: 22,981
• Referee: Samuel H. Giangreco
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter CLE – Edgar Jones 3-yard rush (Lou Groza kick). 0:10, 7–0 CLE Second quarter CLE – George Young 18-yard fumble return (Groza kick). 12:35, 14–0 CLE Third quarter CLE – Edgar Jones 9-yard pass from Otto Graham (Groza kick). 12:58, 21–0 CLE CLE – Marion Motley 29 run (Groza kick). 4:25, 28–0 CLE BUF – Al Baldwin 10-yard pass from Jim Still (Graham Armstrong kick). 0:10, 28–7 CLE Fourth quarter CLE – Marion Motley 31-yard rush (Groza kick). 14:16, 35–7 CLE CLE – Marion Motley 5-yard rush (Groza kick). 5:16, 42–7 CLE CLE – Lou Saban 39-yard interception return (Groza kick). 3:11, 49–7 CLE Top passers BUF – Jim Still – 6/18, 80 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT CLE – Otto Graham – 11/24, 118 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Top rushers BUF – Rex Bumgardner – 11 rushes, 34 yards CLE – Marion Motley – 14 rushes, 133 yards, 1 TD Top receivers BUF – Bill O'Connor – 3 receptions, 41 yards CLE – Edgar Jones – 3 receptions, 39 yards, 1 TD

Cleveland had beaten Buffalo in both of the regular season matchups: 42–13 in Buffalo on September 12 and 31–14 on October 17 in Cleveland. Miserable weather that had snow fall on and off for a good portion of the day leading up to the game, combined with rumors of a merger with the NFL, led to less than 25,000 people attending the game. This was the first time the city of Buffalo had competed in a professional championship game and the first time a pro team was in championship discussion since the 1921 NFL Championship controversy 27 years earlier. ^[14]

Edgar Jones opened the scoring for Cleveland with 0:10 seconds to go in the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, George Young recovered a Rex Bumgardner fumble at the 18-yard line and returned it to the end zone to give Cleveland a 14-0 lead that they held at halftime. Two minutes into the third quarter, Otto Graham delivered a touchdown pass to Edgar Jones to increase the score. Marion Motley increased the scoring with a 29-yard touchdown run. The Bills got their only score of the game when they replaced George Ratterman with Jim Still (already serving as punter) at quarterback, where he delivered a ten-yard touchdown pass with a few seconds to go in the third quarter. The fourth quarter saw two further Motley touchdown runs and a Lou Saban interception return for a touchdown to end the game. Cleveland, nursing a record of 14–0, thoroughly dominated the Bills here to complete the first perfect season by a football team since the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the third rendition of the American Football League in 1937 and retroactively is considered the first perfect season by a major professional team. The city of Buffalo would next compete for a professional championship game in 1964 with the American Football League.

The winner's share for each Cleveland player was $594.18 while each Buffalo player received $386.22. ^[15]

Starting lineup

Note: Players often played both offense and defense in this period. Although free substitution existed from 1943, what are today considered defensive starters were categorized as "substitutes" in this era. ^[15]

Hall of Fame inductee

Buffalo	Position	Cleveland
Lineup
George Ratterman	QB	Otto Graham
Lou Tomasetti	FB	Marion Motley
Chet Mutryn	LH	Edgar Jones
Rex Bumgardner	RH	Dub Jones
Bill O'Connor	RE	Dante Lavelli
Al Baldwin	LE	Mac Speedie
Graham Armstrong	LT	Lou Groza
Hal Lahar	LG	Ed Ulinski
Art Statuto	C	Frank Gatski
Rocco Pirro	RG	Bob Gaudio
John Kerns	RT	Lou Rymkus
Head coach
Red Dawson		Paul Brown

Statistics

Statistics	Bills	Browns
First Downs	13	20
Rushing yards	63	215
Yards per carry	1.9	5.3
Passing yards	104	118
Total Yards	167	333
Punts-Avg.	6–42.5	3–32.7
Fumbles-Lost	3–3	6–3
Turnovers	8	4
Penalties-Yards	7–27	9–90

1949

First-round games

Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns 31, Buffalo Bills 21

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	14	7	0	21
Browns	10	0	14	7	31

at Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

• Date: December 4, 1949
• Game attendance: 17,270
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter CLE – Dante Lavelli 51-yard pass from Otto Graham (Lou Groza kick) CLE – Lou Groza 31-yard field goal BUF – Lou Tomasetti 4-yard pass from George Ratterman (Chet Adams kick) BUF – Chet Mutryn 8-yard pass from Ratterman (Chet Adams kick) CLE – Edgar Jones 2-yard run (Lou Groza kick) BUF – Chet Mutryn 30=yard pass from George Ratterman (Chet Adams kick) CLE – Dub Jones 49-yard pass from Otto Graham (Lou Groza kick) CLE – Warren Lahr 52-yard interception return (Lou Groza kick) Top passers BUF – George Ratterman – 21/39, 293 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT CLE – Otto Graham – 22/43 326 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Top rushers BUF – Rex Bumgardner – 10 rushes, 37 yards CLE – Marion Motley – 8 rushes, 38 yards Top receivers BUF – Chet Mutryn – 6 receptions, 81 yards, 2 TD CLE – Mac Speedie – 7 receptions, 113 yards

The 9–1–2 Browns had both of their ties come at the hands of the 5–5–2 Bills, one in Buffalo to start the season on September 5 and the other in Cleveland on November 13. As it turned out, this was the final game played by the Bills, who would not be voted in alongside the Browns, 49ers and Baltimore Colts to play in the NFL for 1950. Buffalo would have to wait until 1960 with the new Buffalo Bills in the American Football League for professional football.

San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Yankees

San Francisco 49ers 17, New York Yankees 7

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Yankees	0	7	0	0	7
49ers	7	3	7	0	17

at Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, California

• Game attendance: 41,393
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter SF – Verl Lillywhite 40-yard rush (Joe Vetrano kick) 7–0 SF Second quarter NY – Sherman Howard 1 yard rush (Harvey Johnson kick). 7–7 TIE SF – Joe Vetrano 38-yard field goal. 10–7 SF Third quarter SF – Don Garlin 10-yard pass from Frankie Albert (Joe Vetrano kick). 17–7 SF Top passers NY – Don Panciera – 5/14, 94 yards, 1 INT SF – Frankie Albert – 8/17, 96 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT Top rushers NY – Sherman Howard – 16 carries, 37 yards, 1 TD SF – Frankie Albert – 9 carries, 51 yards Top receivers NY – Buddy Young –3 receptions, 56 yards SF – Sam Cathcart – 2 receptions, 30 yards

The matchup of the second-place 49ers (9–3) against the third-place Yankees (8–4) previously had seen the two teams split their regular season matchups: the Yankees beat the 49ers in New York on October 23 while the 49ers had defeated the Yankees on November 27 in San Francisco.

This was the final game played by the AAFC Yankees, who had been merged with the Brooklyn Dodgers for the 1949 season to keep afloat as the "Brooklyn-New York Yankees". The Yankees players would be dispersed among the two National Football League teams in New York in the New York Giants and New York Bulldogs, who rebranded to become the "New York Yanks" in 1950.

Championship game

Cleveland Browns 21, San Francisco 49ers 7

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	0	0	0	7	7
Browns	7	0	7	7	21

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

• Date: December 11, 1949
• Game attendance: 22,550
• Referee: Thomas A. Timlin
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter CLE – Edgar Jones 2-yard rush (Lou Groza kick) Third quarter CLE – Marion Motley 63-yard rush (Groza kick) Fourth quarter SF – Paul Salata 23-yard pass from Frankie Albert (Joe Vetrano kick) CLE – Dub Jones 4-yard rush (Groza kick) Top passers SF – Frankie Albert – 9/24, 108 yards, 1 TD CLE – Otto Graham – 7/17, 128 yards Top rushers SF – Frankie Albert – 5 rushes, 41 yards CLE – Marion Motley – 8 rushes, 75 yards, 1 TD Top receivers SF – Paul Salata – 3 receptions, 37 yards, 1 TD CLE – Dante Lavelli – 4 receptions, 56 yards

The final AAFC Championship matched two teams that had finished 1-2 in all four AAFC seasons with Cleveland and San Francisco. The two teams split their regular season matchups: The 49ers defeated the Browns 56–28 in San Francisco on October 9 while the Browns defeated the 49ers 30–28 in Cleveland on October 30. On a field of mud and slush, the two teams managed to have zero turnovers and just one penalty combined. Likely the standout play of the game was Marion Motley scoring a 63-yard touchdown run on a trap play that saw him burst up the middle to give Cleveland a 14-0 lead in the third quarter. The 49ers did respond with a 74-yard drive in the fourth quarter that saw Frankie Albert throw a touchdown pass to Paul Salata. However, Dub Jones ran in for a four-yard touchdown that served as the final touchdown in AAFC history, with Lou Groza scoring the last point in league history on the PAT. Browns players received $266.11 each while 49ers players received $172.61 each. ^[16]

Starting lineup

Hall of Fame inductee

San Francisco	Position	Cleveland
Lineup
Frankie Albert	QB	Otto Graham
Norm Standlee	FB	Marion Motley
Len Eshmont	LH	Edgar Jones
Joe Perry	RH	Dub Jones
Alyn Beals	E	Dante Lavelli
Hal Shoener	LE	Mac Speedie
Bob Mike	LT	Lou Groza
Homer Hobbs	LG	Ed Ulinski
Bill Johnson	C	Frank Gatski
Visco Grgich	RG	Lin Houston
John Woudenberg	RT	Lou Rymkus
Head coach
Buck Shaw		Paul Brown

Statistics

Statistics	49ers	Browns
First Downs	14	16
Rushing yards	122	217
Yards per carry	3.6	5.2
Passing yards	125	154
Sack yards lost	17	26
Net passing yards	108	128
Total yards	247	371
Fumbles-Lost	2–0	0–0
Turnovers	0	0
Penalties-Yards	0–0	1–5

References

1. The NFL's Official Encyclopedic History of Professional Football, 1977: The AAFC, pgs. 245-251
2. America’s Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation, by Michael MacCambridge, 2005, pg. 51
3. The Coffin Corner, Volume 2, 1980 Archived January 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine , published by the Professional Football Researchers Association: All-America Football Conference, by Stan Grosshandler
4. Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League, 1999, The History of the National Football League, pg. 23
5. The NFL's Official Encyclopedic History of Professional Football, 1977: Introduction, pgs. 7-8
6. Smith, Michael (April 1, 2025). "NFL will include stats from 1946-49 All-America Football Conference in official records". Yahoo Sports.
7. "The Lima News Newspaper Archives, Dec 23, 1946, p. 14". NewspaperArchive.com. December 23, 1946. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
8. "Circleville Herald Newspaper Archives, Dec 23, 1946, p. 8". NewspaperArchive.com. December 23, 1946. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
9. McManamon, Pat (November 15, 2013). "Browns get title trophy back". ESPN.
10. Reed, Tom (November 16, 2013). "Cleveland Browns recoup 1946 AAFC championship trophy and it's getting the white-glove treatment". Cleveland.com.
11. "AAFC Championship Game - 1947". Golden Rankings. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
12. "Olean Times Herald Newspaper Archives, Dec 13, 1948, p. 11". NewspaperArchive.com. December 13, 1948. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
13. "Lincoln Nebraska State Journal Archives, Dec 13, 1948, p. 6". NewspaperArchive.com. December 13, 1948. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
14. "AAFC Championship 1948". Golden Rankings. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
15. Carroll, Bob. "THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 18, No. 4 (1996): 1948 AAFC CHAMPIONSHIP: PERFECT ENDING" (PDF). Professional Football Researchers Association. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
16. Carroll, Bob. "THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 18, No. 2 (1996): 1949 AAFC CHAMPIONSHIP: FINISHING IN STYLE" (PDF). Professional Football Researchers Association. Retrieved November 19, 2025.

• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League ( ISBN   0-06-270174-6)