1946: Browns Surge in Second Half to Defeat Dons

The undefeated Cleveland Browns faced a major test in the inaugural All-America Football Conference season as they hosted the Los Angeles Dons on October 20, 1946. The Browns were off to a sensational start under innovative Head Coach Paul Brown and had a 6-0 record. Brown had assembled a team that included many players that he was familiar with from coaching in the college and service ranks, such as QB Otto Graham, ends Dante Lavelli and Mac Speedie, FB Marion Motley (pictured at right), G Bill Willis, and OT/PK Lou Groza, and they were all excelling.

The Dons were at 3-1-1 under Head Coach Dudley DeGroot. Viewed as the more glamorous team coming into the AAFC season, LA had several established pro veterans. They also had QB Angelo Bertelli, the Heisman Trophy winner out of Notre Dame, although Charlie O’Rourke had done the better job thus far behind center.

There were 71,134 fans in attendance, which was the largest crowd in pro football history at the time. The Browns threatened first as they reached Los Angeles territory thanks to a pass from Otto Graham to Dante Lavelli that gained 46 yards, but they came up empty when a fake field goal attempt failed. The Dons then drove 67 yards, resulting in QB Charlie O’Rourke throwing to end Bob Nowaskey for an 18-yard touchdown. Joe Aguirre added the extra point to make it 7-0.

Los Angeles was able to keep the Browns in check on offense for the remainder of the first half, but was also unable to add more points. In the second quarter, Cleveland stopped another advance by the Dons when Graham, showing his skill on defense, intercepted an O’Rourke pass at his 31 and returned it to the LA 45. HB Don Greenwood ran for two yards and two passes were incomplete but the Browns scored on a 48-yard Lou Groza field goal. The score remained 7-3 at halftime.

In the third quarter Cleveland’s offense came to life and put together an 85-yard drive. Key plays were runs by HB Edgar “Special Delivery” Jones for 15 yards and FB Gaylon Smith for 16 before a pass from Graham to Lavelli gained 36 yards and set up Graham’s two-yard carry for a TD. Groza added the point after and the Browns were in front by 10-7.

As the fourth quarter started, Joe Aguirre of the Dons attempted a 34-yard field goal that was blocked by tackle Chet Adams. Three plays later, Graham connected with Mac Speedie for a 47-yard touchdown, Groza again converted, and the home team’s lead was up to 17-7.

LA responded with a 50-yard series but, after reaching the Cleveland 26, had to turn the ball over on downs. Two running plays, the longest for 17 yards by Greenwood, got the ball past midfield and then, with the Dons looking for a pass, Marion Motley broke away for a 48-yard TD. Groza added the extra point to make it 24-7.

The Dons again drove into Cleveland territory, going 62 yards. Following an O’Rourke throw to Nowaskey to make it first-and-goal on the six, O’Rourke kept the ball himself on the next play, running around end for a touchdown. Aguirre’s PAT made it a ten-point game, but it didn’t take long for the Browns to respond. On their first play from scrimmage after the ensuing kickoff, Motley struck again, running 68 yards for a touchdown. Groza converted, thus sealing the 31-14 Cleveland win.

The Dons had the edge in total yards (395 to 353) and first downs (21 to 10), outrushing Cleveland by 274 yards to 224, but the Browns made the bigger plays in the second half that overcame LA’s statistical edge. Each team turned the ball over three times.

With the two long touchdowns, Marion Motley rushed for 143 yards on just eight carries. Otto Graham completed four of 10 passes for 129 yards with a touchdown and an interception. For the Dons, Charlie O’Rourke and Angelo Bertelli combined for 10 pass completions out of 20 attempts for 121 yards and a touchdown along with an interception.

The Browns finally lost the next week to another Western Division rival, the San Francisco 49ers. They were defeated again in the rematch with the Dons but didn’t lose another game on the way to a 12-2 record and a title game victory over the New York Yankees. Los Angeles placed third in the Western Division at 7-5-2.

Otto Graham went on to lead the AAFC in touchdown passes (17) and yards per attempt (10.5) and placed second in passing yards (1834) and completion percentage (54.6). He received first-team All-AAFC honors. Marion Motley rushed for 601 yards on just 73 carries for an 8.2 average and five touchdowns.

Highlighted Year: Charlie O’Rourke, 1946

Quarterback/Defensive Back, Los Angeles Dons

Age: 29

2^nd season in pro football, 1^st in AAFC & with Dons

College: Boston College

Height: 5’11” Weight: 175

Prelude:

“Chuckin’ Charlie” O’Rourke starred at Boston College, where he passed for 1108 yards and 14 touchdowns and led the 1940 team to an undefeated record and victory in the Sugar Bowl. He was chosen by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 1941 NFL draft and joined the club in ’42, backing up QB Sid Luckman and throwing for 951 yards and 11 TDs. O’Rourke then entered the US Navy for the remainder of World War II and signed with the Dons of the new AAFC in 1946.

1946 Season Summary

Appeared in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 182 [4]

Completions – 105 [2]

Yards – 1250 [5]

Completion percentage – 57.7 [1]

Yards per attempt – 6.9 [4]

TD passes – 12 [5]

Most TD passes, game – 3 vs. Miami 9/20, vs. Buffalo 12/1

Interceptions – 14 [2, tied with four others]

Passer rating – 68.7 [3]

Rushing

Attempts – 47

Yards – 50

Yards per attempt – 1.1

TDs – 1

Kickoff Returns

Returns – 1

Yards – 28

TDs – 0

Punting

Punts – 8 [17, tied with Fred Evans]

Yards – 312 [17]

Average – 39.0

Punts blocked – 0

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points – 6

Dons went 7-5-2 to finish third in the AAFC Western Division.

Aftermath:

O’Rourke found himself in competition with QB Glenn Dobbs, who was obtained from Brooklyn a week into the 1947 season, but proved the better fit in the T-formation offense and passed for a career-high 1449 yards with 13 touchdowns. With the shift to a spread formation geared to Dobbs in 1948, O’Rouke was sold to the Baltimore Colts where he acted as a player/coach backing up QB Y.A. Tittle for the last two seasons of his career, ending with the dissolution of the AAFC in ’49. Overall in the AAFC, O’Rourke passed for 3088 yards and 28 touchdowns. Of that, 2699 passing yards and 25 TDs came with the Dons.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

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.