Northwest Football League

Last updated
Northwest Football League
Sport American football
First season1935
Ceased1938
Claim to fameThe first football league to feature an all-Black football team
No. of teamsvaried (from 4 to 8)
Country United States
Last
champion(s)		 Des Moines Comets
Most titles La Crosse Lagers and Des Moines Comets (2)

The Northwest Football League (NWFL) was a professional American football minor league that played from 1935 to 1938, in the northern part of Midwestern United States. [1] The league had some relationships with the National Football League (NFL), and scheduled exhibition games against the Chicago Bears, Chicago Cardinals and Green Bay Packers through it existence.

Contents

The last remaining member of the NWFL, the Des Moines Comets, continued as independents through 1940. [1] [2]

League origin

Prior to the NWFL first season there was a circuit that operated in the Midwestern area called Tri-States Football League in 1934. [3] The "league" was more of a loose association between the teams, who also scheduled games against NFL [4] and other prominent independent or Canadian pro teams, without attempt to crown a champion as scheduling was left up to each team. Because of that there were wide variations, both in the overall number of games played and in the number played against other association members.

The Chippewa Falls Marines, [5] Gogebic Panthers, [6] La Crosse Old Style Lagers [7] and Minnesota All-Stars (then known as the Minnesota University All-Stars [8] ) would later form the Tri-States Division in the Northwest Football League.

1935

The season started with eight teams, four teams from the Tri-States Football League, and four from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area, divided to two separate divisions. The St. Paul Bears folded after only two games (both loses), while the Minneapolis Ewalds decided to dropped out before the final week of the season.

Tri-States Division
TeamWLTPCT
La Crosse Old Style Lagers [9] 5001.000
Gogebic Panthers* [10] 610.857
Chippewa Falls Marines [11] 332.500
Minnesota All-Stars [12] 341.437
Twin Cities Division
TeamWLTPCT
Minneapolis Jerseys [13] 332.500
Minneapolis Ewalds † [14] 141.250
Minneapolis Flour City [15] 152.250
St. Paul Bears † [16] 020.000

  Northwest Football League champions.
†Folded mid-season.

Championship Game: Minneapolis Jerseys 0 vs. La Crosse Old Style Lagers 25 (November 24, 1942 in Minneapolis, MN)

Lagers star Halfback Russ Cycmanick was killed in a car accident on his way to the game, while starting Guard Herman ("Max") Gay was seriously injured and had to retire from football. A week after the season La Crosse played All-Star benefit exhibition game against "Northwest Football League All-Stars", winning the match 18–13, and donating the earnings to the players families. [17]

1936

After the dissolution of the Tri-States Division, the league dropped the two-division format, and decided the championship solely on the regular season results. On October 11, La Crosse decided to run the score against Madison (winning 100–0), because they wanted the Cardinals to drop out of the league, as they failed to attract former Wisconsin Badgers stars as promised. The Cardinals folded few days later. [17]

TeamWLTPCT
La Crosse Lagers [18] 711.833
Des Moines Comets [19] 621.722
Gogebic Panthers [20] 211.625
Duluth Eskimos [21] 111.500
Rock Island Independents [22] 240.333
Minneapolis Millers [23] 260.250
St. Paul Saints [24] 140.200
Madison Cardinals [25] 020.000

  Northwest Football League champions.

1937

The league returned for the 1937 with only four teams. Des Moines were able to defeat La Crosse in both meetings, finishing the season with a perfect 6–0 record and winning their first championship.

TeamWLTPCT
Des Moines Comets [26] 6001.000
La Crosse Lagers [27] 320.600
Cedar Rapids Crushers [28] 140.200
St. Paul Bears [29] 040.000

  Northwest Football League champions.

1938

The two-time champions La Crosse failed to field a team for the 1938 season, with only Des Moines and Cedar Rapids returning from previous season. To compensate, the league added lower level independent teams, but none offer a real competition to the Comets, who ran out the league for their second and final NWFL championship. The league disbanded at the end of the season, with most teams folded.

The only other important team that season was the Chicago Brown Bombers, an all-black team that played almost exclusively on the road. The Brown Bombers played a year earlier against league members as a non-league opponents, but made history in 1938 when they joined the NWFL full-time, as the first all-black football team in a pro football league. [17]

TeamWLTPCT
Des Moines Comets [30] 8001.000
Cedar Rapids Crushers [31] 210.667
St. Paul Saints [32] 010.000
Chicago Brown Bombers [33] 020.000
Peoria Wildcats [34] 030.000
Macomb Eagles [35] 030.000

  Northwest Football League champions.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gogebic County, Michigan</span> County in Michigan, United States

Gogebic County is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,380. The county seat is Bessemer. Gogebic County is the westernmost county in Michigan, and is one of four Michigan counties within the Central Time Zone. Gogebic County borders Wisconsin to the south, and has a shoreline on Lake Superior to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ironwood, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Ironwood is a city in Gogebic County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, about 18 miles (29 km) south of Lake Superior. The city is on US Highway 2 across the Montreal River from Hurley, Wisconsin. It is the westernmost city in Michigan, situated on the same line of longitude as Clinton, Iowa and St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 5,045 at the 2020 census, down from 5,387 at the 2010 census. The city is bordered by Ironwood Township to the north, but the two are administered autonomously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Island Independents</span> American football team in Rock Island, Illinois

The Rock Island Independents were a professional American football team, based in Rock Island, Illinois, from 1907 to 1926. The Independents were a founding National Football League franchise. They hosted what has been retrospectively designated the first National Football League game on September 26, 1920 at Douglas Park. The Independents were founded in 1907 by Demetrius Clements as an independent football club. Hence, the team was named the "Independents."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Widseth</span> American football player (1910–1998)

Edwin Clarence Widseth was an American professional football player who was a tackle for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team of the University of Minnesota, where he was a consensus All-American in 1935 and 1936. Widseth was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 1937 NFL Draft, and was chosen for the Pro Bowl in 1938. He was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

John Martin Spirida, Jr. was an American football end in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins.

Charles R. "Tod" Goodwin was an American athlete who played football collegiately at West Virginia University. Playing the position of end, Goodwin spent the 1935 and 1936 season playing professional football for the New York Football Giants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Reynolds</span> American football player (1938–2019)

Allen F. Reynolds was an American college and professional football guard who played eight seasons in the American Football League from 1960-1967 for the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs. Allen is an alumnus of Tarkio College in Tarkio, Missouri where he was inducted into the Tarkio College Hall of Fame in 1987.

The Wisconsin–La Crosse Eagles football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Wisconsin–La Crosse competes at the NCAA Division III level and is a member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). The Eagles play their home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Wisconsin–La Crosse has won three national titles: the NAIA Division II Football National Championship in 1985 and the NCAA Division III Football Championship in 1992 and 1995, all during the tenure of Roger Harring, who served as head coach from 1969 to 1999 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

Louis Thomas Midler was an American football guard and tackle who played two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Green Bay Packers. He played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and was selected by the Pirates in the fifth round of the 1938 NFL Draft.

Paul William Miller was a halfback in the National Football League (NFL). He played with the Green Bay Packers for three seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NWFL Premiership</span> Top-level womens soccer league in Nigeria

The NWFL Premiership (formerly Nigeria Women Premier League) is the top-level league for women's association football in Nigeria. It is the women's equivalent of the men's league, the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL). The Nigeria Women Football League(NWFL) organizes the Nigeria Women Premier League and the Nigeria Women Pro-league. In November 2017, Aisha Falode was elected chairperson of the league board, and was officially designated in January 2017.

The Wilmington Clippers were a professional American football team that played from 1937 to 1942, and from 1946 to 1949. They played in the American Association from 1939 to 1941, later returning for the 1946 to 1949 seasons when the league was known as the American Football League. They were located in Wilmington, Delaware. The Clippers played as an independent team from 1937 to 1938, and in 1942.

The Eastern Pennsylvania Football League (EPFL) was a professional American football minor league that played in 1938. The league was made up of four teams. Some of their players were from the American Association and the Dixie League. The league only lasted one season.

Clois Francis Key (1909–1970) was a college and professional football player in the 1930s. Known as "Shorty," Key was probably most widely known at the time for his violation of college eligibility rules while starring for UCLA in 1935.

Philip Francis Flanagan was an American football guard. He was the 81st and last selection in the 1936 NFL Draft.

The Professional Football League of America (PFLA) was an American football minor league that operated in the Midwest region of the United States from 1965 through 1967. With franchises based in the Midwest, the league played three seasons before merging some teams into the Continental Football League.

The Quad City Raiders were a professional American football team based in the Quad Cities region, which includes Rock Island, Illinois and neighboring Davenport, Iowa. In 1965, the Raiders joined the Professional Football League of America (PFLA) as the Rock Island Raiders became charter members. The Quad City Raiders remained in the PFLA until its merger with the Continental Football League in 1968, with the franchise evolving to become the Las Vegas Cowboys.

The Des Moines Warriors were a professional American football team based the Des Moines, Iowa from 1965 to 1967. In 1965, the Warriors became charter members of the Professional Football League of America (PFLA) and played exclusively in the league.

The Joliet Chargers was the final nickname of the professional American football franchise based in Joliet, Illinois from 1964 to 1967. The Joliet Explorers played the 1964 season as members of the United Football League. In 1965, Joliet became charter members of the Professional Football League of America (PFLA) and played the next three seasons in the league. The 1967 Joliet Chargers were an affiliate of the San Diego Chargers.

The Lincoln Comets were a professional American football team based in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1965. The Comets joined the Professional Football League of America (PFLA) as charter members.

References

  1. 1 2 "Coffin Corner: Other Minor Leagues" (PDF). Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  2. ↑ "1940 Des Moines Comets - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Fort Atkinson Blackhawks meets Chippewa Falls Marines". Ironwood Daily Globe. October 20, 1934.
  4. ↑ "Green Bay Packers 28, Fort Atkinson Blackhawks 7" . Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  5. ↑ "1934 Chippewa Falls Marines (TSFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  6. ↑ "1934 Gogebic Panthers - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  7. ↑ "1934 La Crosse Old Style Lagers (TSFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  8. ↑ "1934 Minnesota University All-Stars (TSFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  9. ↑ "1935 La Crosse Old Style Lagers (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  10. ↑ "1935 Gogebic Panthers (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  11. ↑ "1935 Chippewa Falls Marines (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  12. ↑ "1935 Minnesota All-Stars (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  13. ↑ "1935 Minneapolis Jerseys (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  14. ↑ "1935 Minneapolis Ewalds (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  15. ↑ "1935 Minneapolis Flour City (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  16. ↑ "1935 St. Paul Bears (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  17. 1 2 3 Bob Gill, with Tod Maher. Outsiders: Minor League And Independent Football, 1923-1950, p. vii. St. Johann Press, 2006. ISBN   187828245X
  18. ↑ "1936 La Crosse Lagers (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  19. ↑ "1936 Des Moines Comets (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  20. ↑ "1936 Gogebic Panthers (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  21. ↑ "1936 Duluth Eskimos (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  22. ↑ "1936 Rock Island Independents (MWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  23. ↑ "1936 Minneapolis Millers (MWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  24. ↑ "1936 St. Paul Saints (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  25. ↑ "1936 Madison Cardinals (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  26. ↑ "1937 Des Moines Comets (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  27. ↑ "1937 La Crosse Lagers (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  28. ↑ "1937 Cedar Rapids Crushers (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  29. ↑ "1937 St. Paul Bears (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  30. ↑ "1938 Des Moines Comets (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  31. ↑ "1938 Cedar Rapids Crushers (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  32. ↑ "1938 St. Paul Saints (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  33. ↑ "1938 Chicago Brown Bombers (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  34. ↑ "1938 Peoria Wildcats (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
  35. ↑ "1938 Macomb Eagles (NWFL) - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved Apr 21, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.