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 Boston Yanks were a National Football League team based in Boston, Massachusetts, that played from 1944 to 1948. The team played its home games at Fenway Park. Any games that conflicted with the Boston Red Sox baseball schedule in the American League were held at Braves Field of the cross-town National League team, the Boston Braves. Team owner Ted Collins, who managed singer and television show host Kate Smith (1907–1986) for thirty years, picked the name Yanks because he originally wanted to run a team that played at New York City's old Yankee Stadium. The Yanks managed only a 2–8 record during their first regular season.
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.
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.
Richard J. Barwegen was an American professional football player who was an offensive lineman for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected to four Pro Bowls during his career. He is one of only four members of the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team to not be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Professional Football Researchers Association named Barwegan to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2008.
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.
Donald Matthew Panciera was an American football quarterback, halfback, and defensive back in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Football League (NFL). He played for the New York Yankees (AAFC), the Detroit Lions, and the Chicago Cardinals. He played college football for the Boston College Eagles and the San Francisco Dons.
William G. Fisk was an American football player and coach. He played professionally as an end and defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) and All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1940 to 1948.
Linus Parker "Bullet" Hall was an American football quarterback, tailback and punter who played for the Cleveland Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. He was drafted in the first round with the third overall pick in the 1939 NFL draft.
Robert James Steuber was an American football halfback who played one season in National Football League (NFL) and three seasons in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). He played college football for the Missouri Tigers, where he quickly became one of the country's most productive runners and scoring threats. He was second in the country in 1942 with more than 1,000 yards of rushing. Steuber was drafted by the NFL's Chicago Bears and played one game for the team, appearing as a substitute on September 26, 1943, in the Green Bay Packers' home opener, which ended in a 21–21 tie. The next day, Steuber entered the United States Navy and was transferred to DePauw University for pre-flight training. Despite having gone from amateur status to professional football, Steuber was allowed to return to college football six days later and led the DePauw Tigers to a 50–0 win over Illinois Normal College, rushing for 225 yards and scoring 25 points in the first half. Playing for DePauw's football team in 1943, he led the nation in scoring.
Robert Lee Sneddon was an American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and the Detroit Lions. Sneddon also played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the Los Angeles Dons. He played college football at St. Mary's College of California and was drafted in the tenth round of the 1944 NFL draft. Sneddon died in Sandy, Utah in 2012 at the age of 90.
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.
Charles Bernard Fenenbock was an American football player who starred in college at UCLA, and professionally in the Pacific Coast Professional Football League (PCPFL), the National Football League (NFL), the All America Football Conference (AAFC), and the Canadian Football League (CFL). Notably he was a running back for the Detroit Lions in the NFL, and for the Los Angeles Dons in the AAFC where he led the league in numerous offensive categories.
Jack C. Carpenter was an American football player. He played at the tackle position for the University of Michigan in 1946. He played professional football for the Buffalo Bills of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1947 to 1949 and for the San Francisco 49ers of the AAFC in 1949. He also played five years in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1950–1951) and Toronto Argonauts (1952–1954).
Floyd Walter Konetsky was an American college and professional football player who was an end in the National Football League (NFL) and All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for three seasons during the 1940s. Konetsky played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the NFL's Cleveland Rams and AAFC's Baltimore Colts.
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.
Donald Gene "Flip" McDonald was an American football player who played at the end position on both offense and defense. He played college football for Tulsa and professional football for the Brooklyn Tigers, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Yankees.
