Highlighted Year: George Ratterman, 1949

Quarterback, Buffalo Bills

Age:  23 (Nov. 12)

3^rd season in pro football & with Bills

College: Notre Dame

Height: 6’1”   Weight: 190

Prelude:

An outstanding all-around athlete in college who lettered in four sports, Ratterman primarily backup up quarterbacks Frank Dancewicz and Johnny Lujack. He signed with the Bills in 1947 and passed for 1840 yards and 22 touchdowns, although with an AAFC-high 20 interceptions, as a rookie. He followed up in ’48 by throwing for 2577 yards and 16 TDs, again topping the league with 22 interceptions. Not averse to taking risks, Ratterman was an accurate passer with good ball-handling skills and sound leadership qualities.

1949 Season Summary

Appeared in 11 of 12 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 252 [4]

Completions – 146 [3]

Yards – 1777 [4]

Completion percentage – 57.9 [1]

Yards per attempt – 7.1 [4]

TD passes – 14 [3, tied with Y.A. Tittle]

Most TD passes, game – 3 at Baltimore 11/27

Interceptions – 13 [5, tied with Johnny Clement]

Passer rating – 76.8 [3]

Rushing

Attempts – 36

Yards – 85

Yards per attempt – 2.4

TDs – 4 [9, tied with four others]

Scoring

TDs – 4 [19, tied with eight others]           

Points – 24

Postseason: 1 G (AAFC First Round playoff at Cleveland)

Pass attempts – 39

Pass completions – 21

Passing yardage – 293

TD passes – 3

Interceptions – 2

Bills went 5-5-2 to finish fourth in the AAFC. Lost AAFC First Round playoff to Cleveland Browns (31-21).

Aftermath:

With the demise of the AAFC, Ratterman joined the New York Yanks of the NFL in 1950 and led the league in both TD passes (22) and interceptions (24) while throwing for 2251 yards, which ranked second. He jumped to Montreal of the CFL in ’51 but re-joined the Yanks at midseason, although with far less impressive results. Ratterman spent the remaining five years of his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns, where he backed up star QB Otto Graham. Given the opportunity to start in 1956, he lasted four games before suffering a career-ending knee injury. Overall, Ratterman passed for 10,473 yards and 91 touchdowns while giving up 96 interceptions, with 6194 yards and 52 TDs with 55 INTs coming in the AAFC.

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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

1948: Bills Rally Past Colts in AAFC East Division Playoff

The Baltimore Colts hosted the Buffalo Bills on December 12, 1948 in a playoff to determine the winner of the All-America Football Conference’s Eastern Division. The Colts had forced the playoff a week earlier by defeating the Bills soundly by a score of 35-15 in the regular season finale, with the clubs thus finishing in a dead heat at 7-7. The records were mediocre, to be sure, and they benefited from the collapse of the New York Yankees, who dominated the division in the AAFC’s first two seasons. But it still meant a chance to play in the league championship game – even if that meant facing off against the powerful, and undefeated, Cleveland Browns.

The Bills, coached by Red Dawson, actually had a better record in 1947, when they finished second to New York. QB George Ratterman (pictured above) was the key player on offense and had a productive receiver in end Al Baldwin, who caught 54 passes during the regular season. HB Chet Mutryn was an outstanding all-purpose back who led the AAFC with 2288 total yards and 96 points and FB Lou Tomasetti ran effectively between the tackles.

Baltimore, under Head Coach Cecil Isbell, was the more surprising participant in the contest. The Colts were coming off a 2-11-1 campaign in ’47. Added to holdover HB Billy Hillenbrand and end Lamar Davis were a fine rookie crop that included QB Y.A. Tittle, HB Bob Pfohl, DHB Jack Leight, and FB/PK Rex Grossman. The team had won three of its last four games, including the convincing win over Buffalo, and appeared to have the momentum heading into the playoff.

There were 27, 327 fans on hand at Babe Ruth Stadium. The Colts took the early lead on a 16-yard field goal by Rex Grossman in the first quarter. George Ratterman tossed a five-yard jump-pass to end Bill O’Connor to give Buffalo the lead at 7-3, which was the score at halftime as the defenses controlled the game.

The Colts appeared to take command in the third quarter. A 71-yard drive ended with FB Bus Mertes running for a touchdown from nine yards out. Baltimore then put together an 88-yard series that also ended with a Mertes TD, this from a yard. Both were followed by Grossman extra points and the home team was up by 17-7 heading into the final period.

Five minutes into the fourth quarter, Buffalo’s Ratterman passed to HB Bill Gompers, who was all alone for a 66-yard touchdown, and with Graham Armstrong’s PAT, that narrowed the score to 17-14.

A key play occurred with five minutes left on the clock when Chet Mutryn caught a short pass from Ratterman, but then dropped the ball. Tackle John Mellus recovered what he – and many of those present – thought was a fumble for the Colts, but sideline judge Tommy Whelan ruled it an incomplete pass. Six plays later, with the Baltimore defense reeling following the disputed incompletion, the Bills scored when Ratterman connected with Al Baldwin for a 25-yard touchdown. Armstrong tacked on the extra point.

Buffalo’s lead was padded when LB Ed “Buckets” Hirsch intercepted a Tittle pass and returned it 20 yards for a TD. The final score was 28-17 as the Bills won the Eastern Division title.

Police had to escort the officials to the locker room after the game due to the partisan crowd that was angered over the incomplete pass call. The AAFC’s deputy commissioner, O.O. Kessing, spoke with the official, Whelan, afterward and quoted him as saying of the disputed call, “That’s the way I saw it and I’d call it that way seven days a week.”

The Colts outgained Buffalo (393 yards to 297) and had far more first downs (24 to 11). Both teams were productive on the ground, with the Colts rushing for 176 yards to Buffalo’s 162. Each team turned the ball over three times – although a turnover-that-wasn’t was the most discussed play of the game.

George Ratterman completed 10 of 18 passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, and was at his best with the game on the line in the late going. Lou Tomasetti led the Bills with 56 rushing yards on 12 attempts and Chet Mutryn was right behind with 54 yards on 11 carries. Bill Gompers had 52 yards on 14 rushes and, with his 66-yard scoring catch, led the club in pass receiving yards. Al Baldwin and Bill O’Connor each caught three passes, for 21 and 20 yards, respectively, and one TD apiece.

For the Colts, Y.A. Tittle was successful on 17 of 36 throws for 217 yards with no TDs and one intercepted. Bus Mertes, who scored the two third quarter touchdowns, ran for 73 yards on 15 attempts and Bob Pfohl contributed 63 yards on 16 carries. Billy Hillenbrand, who ran six times for five yards, was the top receiver with 7 catches for 75 yards. Lamar Davis had 73 yards on his 5 pass receptions.

The come-from-behind win over the Colts did not translate into an upset in the AAFC Championship game for Buffalo. As expected, the Bills were routed by the Browns, 49-7, who won their third consecutive league title. Buffalo went 5-5-2 in 1949 and made the postseason again in the restructured league’s final season, again falling to the Browns in the first playoff round. Baltimore, however, dropped to the cellar with a 1-11 record. 

1947: Improved Bills Upset Yankees in Season-Opening AAFC Contest

The New York Yankees, defending champions of the All-America Football Conference’s Eastern Division, opened their second season on August 31, 1947 at Buffalo. New York, running a single-wing offense under Head Coach Ray Flaherty, had gone 10-3-1 before losing a close-fought title game to the Cleveland Browns to cap the AAFC’s first year. The Yankees lost veteran tailback Ace Parker to retirement but still had the league’s best running tailback in Spec Sanders. They also had plenty of talent across the board and had also added a talented rookie in the diminutive (5’5”, 170) but fast HB Buddy Young out of Illinois.

Buffalo was 3-10-1 in 1946 but had made some changes. While still coached by Red Dawson, the team’s nickname had been changed from Bisons to Bills. A promising rookie quarterback had been signed in George Ratterman (pictured above), mostly a backup to Heisman Trophy-winning Johnny Lujack at Notre Dame but a star in the College All-Star Game upset of the Chicago Bears, the defending NFL Champions (Young also was a key player for the All-Stars). He had good ends to throw to in holdover Fay King and newcomer Al Baldwin, and there was talent at running back, most notably up-and-coming HB Chet Mutryn.

There were 32,385 fans at War Memorial Stadium in what was at the time the largest pro football crowd in Buffalo history. A Sanders pass to FB Eddie Prokop reached the Buffalo four yard line to set up New York’s first touchdown of the game as Prokop then carried for the remaining four yards. However, later in the first quarter Buffalo LB Vic Kulbitski intercepted a Sanders pass to set up the home team’s first TD. Ratterman passed to Mutryn for 19 yards and finished the series with a one-yard quarterback sneak.

The teams traded touchdowns again in the second quarter, this time with Buffalo scoring first when Ratterman connected with King on a 39-yard pass play. Sanders ran for a 17-yard TD and, with all extra points successfully added, the halftime tally was even at 14-14.

In the third quarter, Buddy Young showed off his speed in the open field as he took a pass from Sanders for a 50-yard touchdown. Following the long scoring play, the Bills responded with a scoring drive. End Alton Coppage made two outstanding catches of Ratterman passes, the second moving the ball to the New York one from where HB George Koch powered in for the TD.

With the score tied at 21-21 heading into the fourth quarter, tailback Frank Sinkwich passed the Yankees into scoring territory and Harvey Johnson kicked a 15-yard field goal to put New York ahead.

Ratterman led the Bills back on a drive that concluded with a fourth down scoring pass of eight yards to Mutryn in the corner of the end zone with six minutes remaining. The touchdown proved to be decisive, but the finish was dramatic as the Yankees again drove into Buffalo territory with time running down. A pass from Sanders moved them to the 10 yard line but a throw intended for FB Lloyd Cheatham at the three fell incomplete as time ran out. The Bills pulled off the upset by a score of 28-24.

George Ratterman had a successful debut, completing 9 of 13 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. For the Yankees, Buddy Young (pictured at left) rushed for 81 yards on 13 carries and added the 50-yard pass receiving TD.

The Bills continued to both play and draw well and were in contention until losing badly to the Yankees in New York by a score of 35-13 in the next-to-last week of the season. They finished second with a record of 8-4-2. New York was 11-2-1 to again top the East – and again fell to the powerful Browns.

Ratterman went on to have a solid rookie season, throwing for 1840 yards with 22 touchdowns. Chet Mutryn rushed for 868 yards while averaging 6.2 yards per carry and leading the AAFC in kickoff returns (32.9 avg).

Spec Sanders had a spectacular season, rushing for 1432 yards and scoring 19 touchdowns while generating 2265 all-purpose yards. Buddy Young put together a fine first year, running for 712 yards on 116 carries (6.1 avg.) and catching 27 passes for 303 more yards. His rushing total placed fifth in the league, behind the fourth-ranked Mutryn who also finished second to Sanders in total yards with 1933.

1955: Weed’s 3 Field Goals Help College All-Stars to Edge Browns

The 22^nd College All-Star Game on August 12, 1955 had a different twist than its predecessors in that a group of former pro coaches, led by Head Coach Curly Lambeau, directed the All-Stars rather than the usual college coaches. Lambeau, founder and long-time coach of the Green Bay Packers, had more recently coached the Chicago Cardinals and Washington Redskins. His assistants included Hunk Anderson, a noteworthy line coach with the Bears; Steve Owen, who coached the Giants for 23 years; and Hamp Pool, former head coach of the Rams.

The All-Star roster contained Notre Dame QB Ralph Guglielmi, Heisman Trophy-winning FB Alan “The Horse” Ameche from Wisconsin, and outstanding linemen in OT Jim Ray Smith of Baylor and Notre Dame C Dick Szymanski. But along with Guglielmi and HB L.G. Dupre of Baylor, the key player for the collegians would be diminutive (5’6”, 146 pounds) HB-PK Tad Weed of Ohio State (pictured above).

Representing the NFL were the Cleveland Browns, coached by Paul Brown. The team had dominated the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) before moving to the NFL in 1950, and added a second NFL title in 1954. But QB Otto Graham had retired and the Browns would be starting George Ratterman, the backup quarterback for the previous three seasons, in his place.

There were 75,000 fans present along with a national television audience. Weed started off the scoring in the first quarter with a 31-yard field goal for the All-Stars. The Browns responded with Ratterman sneaking over from a foot out for a touchdown.

The All-Stars came back quickly with a 48-yard kickoff return by Marquette HB Ron Drzewiecki. Dupre had a 19-yard run and the drive was capped when HB Frank Eidom from SMU ran for a three-yard touchdown. Cleveland put together a 10-play, 76-yard series that ended with HB Ray Renfro taking a pitchout and running 18 yards for a TD. The Browns were ahead again by 14-10.

The All-Stars once more drove to another score, highlighted by Dupre’s running. End Henry Hair from Georgia Tech caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Guglielmi and it was the collegians back on top at 17-14. Cleveland roared back as Ratterman threw to end Dante Lavelli for a 42-yard gain and then to Renfro for a 25-yard TD. Lou Groza’s extra point attempt was blocked but the Browns took a 20-17 lead into halftime.

Following the back-and-forth second quarter, there was just one score in the third quarter as Weed booted a 14-yard field goal to tie the game at 20-20. In the final period, Guglielmi passed to Dupre for a 19-yard gain to the Cleveland one that set up a touchdown carry by FB Mel Triplett of Toledo. QB Dave Leggett of Ohio State ran for the extra point and a 27-20 lead for the All-Stars. Weed made it a ten-point game with a 34-yard field goal that would prove to be decisive.

Late in the game the Browns put together an 80-yard scoring drive that concluded with HB Curly Morrison running for a five-yard TD, but time ran out on Cleveland as the All-Stars hung on to win by a score of 30-27.

The All-Stars outrushed the Browns, 200 yards to 163, and had an edge of 329 total yards to Cleveland’s 325. They also had more first downs, 20 to 15.

Ralph Guglielmi (pictured at left) played the full game for the All-Stars and completed 10 of 19 passes for 129 yards and had one picked off. L.G. Dupre rushed for 74 yards on 12 carries and gained another 39 on three pass receptions. Tad Weed kicked three field goals and two extra points.

For the Browns, QB George Ratterman was successful on 9 of 18 throws with two interceptions.

“This is the greatest offensive team I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing with,” said a triumphant Ralph Guglielmi. “Man, I never saw such blocking and tackling.”

“We have a lot to do,” said a disappointed Paul Brown in a quiet Cleveland locker room. “Our defense was poor but I thought George Ratterman did a pretty fair job. They got us. That’s the only thing to say. We were outplayed and soundly defeated. They had a great bunch of running backs and fine coaching, and earned everything they got.”

The Browns continued to struggle in the preseason until Otto Graham was persuaded to come out of retirement. Cleveland went 9-2-1 during the regular season and won another NFL title, after which Graham left for good.

The 30 points were the most for the All-Stars since the start of the series (a record they would exceed three years later). Curly Lambeau coached them for the next two years, but the All-Stars did not win again under his guidance.

Tad Weed played one season in the NFL with the Steelers, connecting on three of six field goal attempts and all 12 of his extra point attempts. Ralph Guglielmi, the first round draft choice of the Washington Redskins, had an undistinguished seven-year pro career. L.G. Dupre was drafted by the Colts in the third round and also played for seven years, contributing to a back-to-back NFL Championship team in Baltimore before finishing up with the fledgling Dallas Cowboys.

1950: Ratterman Passes Yanks to Win Over Lions

The NFL had a new look in 1950, following the merger with the All-America Football Conference that brought three new clubs into the league. There were now 13 teams and there was realignment as the Eastern and Western Divisions were renamed American and National Conferences, respectively. Two National Conference teams that had showed promise in the early going met on September 29 in New York.

The host New York Yanks were owned by Ted Collins, who had operated the unsuccessful Boston Yanks from 1944 to ’48 and then started a new franchise called the New York Bulldogs in 1949. The Bulldogs, sharing the Polo Grounds with the Giants, went a dismal 1-10-1, but had undergone a significant transformation for ’50. Collins purchased the assets of the AAFC’s New York Yankees, and while the Giants were given first choice on the team’s best players, it still meant a significant improvement in personnel. Only three players from the ’49 Bulldogs remained on the roster of the team that was now called the Yanks, having moved into Yankee Stadium. The club also got a new head coach in Red Strader, who had guided the AAFC club to an 8-4 record in 1949.

The visiting Detroit Lions were far better established in the NFL, but were also undergoing a transformation. Under Head Coach Bo McMillan, the team had a new quarterback, Bobby Layne, who played for the Bulldogs the previous year. HB Bob “Hunchy” Hoernschemeyer was added from the AAFC and the rookie crop included HB Doak Walker, end Leon Hart, and linemen Lou Creekmur and Thurman McGraw.

The Lions had won their first two games while the Yanks split their first two contests on the road.

There were 12,482 fans at the Polo Grounds on a Friday night, where the game was shifted in order to not disturb the Yankee Stadium turf for the forthcoming World Series. In the first quarter, QB George Ratterman (pictured above), another ex-AAFC star, threw to end Dan Edwards for a 45-yard gain that set up a 21-yard touchdown pass to HB George Taliaferro. However, the Lions evened the score when DHB Bob Smith returned an intercepted pass 35 yards for a TD.


In the second quarter, Ratterman twice connected with FB Sherman Howard for scores of 36 and 31 yards to give New York a 21-7 halftime lead. The Yanks poured it on in the third quarter as Layne was tackled in his end zone by DB Duke Iverson for a safety and then Ratterman tossed his fourth touchdown pass, of six yards to end Jack Russell. It was 30-7 entering the final period.

In the fourth quarter, Detroit finally got on the board again when Walker went in from a yard out and added the extra point. However, Howard promptly returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a TD and the Yanks maintained a commanding lead of 37-14.

New York’s last touchdown was set up when DHB Spec Sanders, yet another former AAFC star, intercepted a Layne pass at the Detroit 24 and returned it to the five. Taliaferro went the rest of the way on a pitch-out. The Lions scored one last, meaningless TD as HB Lindy Pearson ran in from two yards out, and the final tally was a convincing 44-21 win for the Yanks.

New York outgained the Lions (359 yards to 267) and had the edge in first downs (16 to 14). Both teams turned the ball over three times and were penalized on five occasions.

George Ratterman completed 15 of 29 passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns, with three intercepted. For Detroit, Bobby Layne was successful on just 10 of 30 throws for 118 yards.

The Yanks continued to put points on the board and win games, peaking at 6-1 before losing four straight. They ended up at 7-5 and in third place in the National Conference. The Lions were right behind in fourth with a 6-6 record.

George Ratterman led the NFL with 22 touchdown passes, but also 24 interceptions (tied with Jim Hardy of the Cardinals and Green Bay’s Tobin Rote). He finished second in passing yards (2251) to Bobby Layne (2323).

Sherman Howard, the second-year back who scored three touchdowns, ended up with 9 TDs for the year. He ran for 362 yards on 71 attempts (5.1 avg.) and three touchdowns, caught 12 passes for 278 yards (23.2 avg.) and five TDs, and had the score on the kickoff return (the only kick return for a touchdown by any of the Yanks).

While the Yanks were the better team on this day, and ended up with the better record (although the Lions won handily in the rematch in Detroit), the fate of the two franchises sharply diverged. By 1952, the Lions were on their way to the NFL Championship, while the Yanks no longer existed. Ratterman and several other players jumped to the Canadian League, and the team suffered on the field accordingly in ‘51. While Ratterman eventually rejoined the club, the final record was a dismal 1-9-2. Never a good draw even when the team played well, Ted Collins pulled the plug on the Yanks and sold the franchise back to the league.