1947: Dons Edge Out Rockets in Season-Opening AAFC Game

The second All-America Football Conference season commenced with the Los Angeles Dons traveling to Chicago to face the Rockets on August 29, 1947.

The Dons were coached by Dudley DeGroot, formerly of the NFL Redskins, and were coming off of a 7-5-2 record in 1946, although in the tough Western Division that put them behind the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. There was plenty of veteran talent on the roster and QB Charlie O’Rourke (pictured above) led the AAFC in completion percentage and outperformed Angelo Bertelli, the highly-touted Heisman Trophy winner out of Notre Dame.

Jim Crowley, once one of Notre Dame’s “Four Horsemen” and more recently the commissioner of the AAFC, was making his debut as head coach of the Rockets. It was hoped he could stabilize a club that went through multiple coaches in ’46 on the way to a 5-6-3 tally. There was promising young talent on the team, including all-purpose tailback Bob “Hunchy” Hoernschemeyer and HB Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch.

There were 41,182 fans in attendance for the Friday night game at Soldier Field. Five minutes into the first quarter, LA scored first on a long pass from Charlie O’Rourke to end Joe Aguirre that covered 31 yards. Ben Agajanian kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead. The Rockets responded with an 85-yard series that featured a 39-yard run by QB Al Dekdebrun and concluded with Dekdebrun tossing a four-yard TD throw to “Hunchy” Hoernschemeyer in the end zone. John Rokisky converted to tie the score.

In the second quarter, the Dons struck back with an eight-play, 52-yard possession. FB John Kimbrough finished it off with a two-yard touchdown carry around left end and Agajanian again booted the point after. Chicago once more came back with a score. Hoernschemeyer threw to end Max Morris to reach the LA 22 and, from there, FB Bill Daley blasted up the middle for a TD. Rokisky’s extra point tied the game at 14-14, which remained the tally at the half.

The Rockets moved ahead in the third quarter thanks to a razzle-dazzle play that involved Dekdebrun tossing 12 yards to “Crazy Legs” Hirsch, and he lateraled to HB Ray Ramsey who went the rest of the way for a 24-yard touchdown. Rokisky again booted the point after and the home team held a 21-14 edge. Later in the period, Agajanian kicked a 40-yard field goal for the Dons to narrow the margin to 21-17.

The game’s pivotal play came on the last play of the quarter when DHB Bob Kelly went high to intercept a Dekdebrun pass and returned it 22 yards to give the Dons the ball at the Chicago 46. O’Rourke completed a 19-yard pass to end Dale Gentry and Kimbrough and HB Bert Pigott ran the ball effectively to reach the three yard line, from where Kimbrough ran over left tackle for a touchdown. Agajanian added the extra point and Los Angeles held on to win by a final score of 24-21.

Chicago led in total yards (304 to 279) while the Dons had the edge in first downs (13 to 12). Each team turned the ball over twice. Charlie O’Rourke was the passing star for the Dons, setting up all three of the team’s TDs with his throws. Bill Daley (pictured at left) ran the ball effectively for the Rockets, who gained 129 yards on the ground, and scored once.

The next week the Dons swung a huge three-team trade involving the Rockets to obtain tailback Glenn Dobbs from the Brooklyn Dodgers, the AAFC’s reigning MVP. Chicago parted with Hoernschemeyer, who ended up in Brooklyn, and LA jettisoned Bertelli, who went to the Rockets. Dobbs struggled in his transition from the single-wing to T-formation and O’Rourke continued to see most of the action at quarterback. The Dons struggled as well, losing three of their next four games on the way to a disappointing 7-7 record that was once again well behind the Browns and 49ers. Coach DeGroot was forced to resign after the eleventh game. Jim Crowley also failed to last the year in Chicago as the Rockets collapsed to a dismal 1-13.

1949: Hornets Edge Bills in AAFC Season-Opening Game

The All-America Football Conference’s Chicago franchise had undergone significant alteration coming into the 1949 season. The league had installed new ownership and the nickname was changed from Rockets to Hornets. Ray Flaherty was brought in to coach the team, and he had experienced success with the NFL Redskins and AAFC Yankees. Most importantly, there were many new players on the roster, including ten alone who had come from the defunct Brooklyn Dodgers. For a team that was coming off a miserable 1-13 record, it could only be an improvement.

The Hornets opened the regular season on August 26 against the Buffalo Bills. The Bills had nearly been sold and relocated to Houston in the offseason, but strong community support kept the team in place. Head Coach Red Dawson’s club was coming off a 7-7 campaign in ’48 that was good enough to tie for first place in the mediocre Eastern Division and had advanced to the league title game, only to be pummeled by the mighty Cleveland Browns. QB George Ratterman had skillfully guided the productive offense, but he was holding out in a salary dispute and was thus unavailable for the first game of the new season. Untested backup QB Jim Still started in his place.

There were 23,800 in attendance at Soldier Field for the Friday night game. The Hornets unveiled a single-wing attack, taking advantage of the presence of tailbacks Bob “Hunchy” Hoernschmeyer (pictured at top), who was returning to the team after a hiatus with the Dodgers; Johnny Clement, formerly of the NFL Steelers; and Bob Chappuis, another Brooklyn refugee.

It was the Bills getting on the board first on a touchdown pass from Jim Still to end Al Baldwin that covered 18 yards. Not only did it put the visitors ahead by 7-0 after Chet Adams added the extra point, but it marked an AAFC-record seventh straight game, stretching back to the previous season, in which Baldwin (pictured below) had scored a TD.

The Hornets scored twice in the second quarter on big plays to take the lead. Bob Hoernschemeyer passed to wingback Ray Ramsey on a play that covered 63 yards for a touchdown. Johnny Clement then connected with wingback Paul Patterson for a 35-yard TD. With both PATs successfully added, Chicago led at halftime by a 14-7 tally.

Neither club scored during the third quarter. Buffalo had difficulty moving on offense while the Hornets proved to be adept at turning the ball over. The Bills got a break in the fourth quarter when a bad snap on a punt gave them possession on the Chicago 38. The series culminated in a 13-yard run by HB Chet Mutryn that, with the successful extra point, tied the score.

Late in the fourth quarter the Hornets had the ball in scoring territory and Jim McCarthy booted a 21-yard field goal that broke the deadlock. Chicago held on to win by a final tally of 17-14.

The Hornets significantly outgained Buffalo (305 yards to 193), with the Bills only able to generate 66 yards through the air. The visitors had the edge in first downs (9 to 7) and Chicago turned the ball over six times (two interceptions and four fumbles) to three suffered by Buffalo.

It was an encouraging – if sloppy – start for the Hornets, who were thrashed by the 49ers the following week but won their next two and had a 4-3 record before the bottom fell out. They lost their remaining games and ended up at 4-8, tying them for fifth in the division-less AAFC with the Los Angeles Dons.

Bob Hoernschmeyer and Johnny Clement continued to handle the bulk of the playing time at tailback. Hoernschmeyer threw more passes (167 to 114) for more yards (1063 to 906) but Clement was more accurate (50.9 to 41.3). Each passed for six touchdowns. Hoernschmeyer also led the team in rushing with 456 yards, with Clement next at 388.

Buffalo had George Ratterman back in the fold in short order and, after getting off to a 1-4-1 start that cost Coach Ramsey his job, finished strong. The Bills ended up with a 5-5-2 record that placed them fourth and gave them a spot in the playoffs. They lost to the Browns in the first round.

Al Baldwin’s streak of games with touchdown receptions ended the week following the opening game. He ranked second for the year in the AAFC with 53 pass receptions, 719 yards, and 7 scoring catches (tied with Dante Lavelli and Mac Speedie of the Browns).