The Dallas Texans entered the 1952 NFL season with great
expectations, having purchased the assets of the failed New York Yanks
franchise with the intent of establishing a viable team in the football hotbed
of Texas .
Instead, the Texans averaged just 15,000 fans per game for four losses at the Cotton
Bowl and the owners pulled out, with the league taking over operation of the
club for the remainder of the schedule. The team wasn’t even based in Dallas any longer, having become a traveling club based
out of Hershey , Pennsylvania .
Coached under these difficult circumstances by Jimmy Phelan,
the Texans had talent on the roster, most notably halfbacks George Taliaferro
and Buddy Young on offense and rookie DE Gino Marchetti and second-year DT Art
Donovan on defense. But there were not nearly enough quality players and the
team’s record stood at 0-9 as it hosted the Chicago Bears in Akron , Ohio
on November 27.
There were just 3000 in attendance at the Rubber Bowl for
the Thanksgiving Day contest – far fewer than the 14,800 who turned out in the
morning for a high school game. The first quarter was scoreless and then the
Bears put the first points on the board when DHB Don Kindt tackled Buddy Young
in the end zone for a safety. However, turnovers set up scores by the Texans
during the second quarter.
First, LB Pat Cannamela recovered a fumble by HB Eddie Macon
at the Chicago
45 and five plays later, FB Zollie Toth scored from two yards out, although the
extra point attempt failed. Then, just before the half, end Gene Schroeder
fumbled at his own 38 and DHB John Petitbon recovered for the Texans. The ensuing
four-play drive resulted in George Taliaferro throwing to end Dick Wilkins for
a 13-yard TD. This time the PAT was successful and the score stood at 13-2 in
favor of Dallas
at the half.
In the third quarter, DHB Stan Williams intercepted a pass for
the Texans and returned it 25 yards to the Chicago 40. Dallas kept the ball on the ground, taking
seven plays to score on a one-yard carry by QB Frank Tripucka. But the 20-2 lead
proved to not be safe.
While Chicago
had two drives end with pass interceptions in the fourth quarter, the Bears still
rallied furiously to score three touchdowns and take the lead. DE Ed Sprinkle
recovered a Tripucka fumble at the Dallas
one to set up an easy TD for HB Billy Stone. George Blanda threw to HB Babe
Dimancheff for a 41-yard touchdown and then to Schroeder for another TD from 35
yards out. Blanda successfully added the extra points after each and, with a
23-20 edge it appeared that the Bears would send the unfortunate Texans to
another defeat.
However, with a minute to go Dallas drove 75 yards to score
the deciding touchdown, including six pass completions by Tripucka – the last
and biggest an 18-yard throw to end Tom Keane that moved the ball to the
Chicago two yard line (he also hit Toth and ends Barney Poole and Ray Pelfrey
along the way). For the second time Tripucka gained the last yard himself,
diving into the end zone with 34 seconds left on the clock. The Texans came
away with an unlikely 27-23 win.
Frank Tripucka (pictured at right) completed 16 of 26 passes for 205 yards for Dallas and also scored on
the two short touchdown carries. George Blanda completed 9 of 16 aerials for
138 yards and two TDs in nearly pulling out a win for Chicago .
“Unaccustomed as I am to winning, I feel all right,” said a
happy Coach Jimmy Phelan.
“It’s pretty hard for a team like ours to keep morale up
with no home ties,” added Phelan. “We have nobody to play for except (NFL
Commissioner) Bert Bell.”
It was the high
point of a dismal season for the Texans. They lost
their remaining two games to finish at the bottom of the National Conference
with a 1-11 record before fading into oblivion – the last NFL franchise to fold.
The Texans were replaced the following year by the re-born Baltimore Colts, and
while just 13 players who had been with Dallas
made the Baltimore
roster, they included Buddy Young and George Taliaferro, as well as the future
Hall of Famers Gino Marchetti and Art Donovan. Frank Tripucka, the fourth-year
quarterback, moved on to Canada
and eventually the American Football League in 1960.
The Bears ended up a spot above Dallas in the standings with a 5-7 tally –
the club’s worst since 1945.
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