Highlighted Year: Harvey Johnson, 1949

Guard/Linebacker/Placekicker, New York Yankees

Age:  30

4^th season in pro football & with Yankees

College: William & Mary

Height: 5’11” Weight: 210

Prelude:

Johnson was chosen by the Brooklyn Dodgers in the sixth round of the 1943 NFL draft but served in the US Navy during World War II and signed with the Yankees of the AAFC afterward. He played tackle, guard, fullback, and linebacker for the Yankees, although he was primarily known for his placekicking. Johnson connected on 6 of 8 field goal attempts in 1946 and 7 of 8 in ’47, when he led the league with 49 extra points out of 51 attempts and scored a career-high 70 points. He also rushed for 63 yards in 1946 and caught a total of three passes for 25 yards.

1949 Season Summary

Appeared in all 12 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Kicking

Field goals – 7 [1]

Most field goals, game – 1 on seven occasions

Field goal attempts – 15 [1]

Field goal percentage – 46.7 [2]

PATs – 25 [5]

PAT attempts – 25 [5]

Longest field goal – 40 yards vs. San Francisco 10/23

Interceptions
Interceptions – 1

Int. return yards – 1

Int. TDs – 0

Scoring

Field Goals – 7

PATs – 25

Points – 46 [7]

Postseason: 1 G (AAFC First Round Playoff at San Francisco)

Field goals – 0

Field goal attempts – 0

PATs – 1

PAT attempts – 1

Yankees went 8-4 to finish third in the AAFC and qualify for the playoffs. Lost First Round playoff to San Francisco 49ers (17-7).

Aftermath:

Following the merger of the AAFC with the NFL in 1950, Johnson, along with many other members of the Yankees, was assigned to the New York Yanks. He chose to coach high school football instead but came back as a linebacker and placekicker in 1951 for one final season, making good on 6 of 14 field goal attempts and all 31 of his tries for extra point. Overall, in four AAFC seasons Johnson kicked 22 field goals out of 38 attempts (57.9 %) and was successful on 147 of 149 extra points, including a streak of 133 straight. Johnson’s total of 213 points ranked sixth in AAFC history. He went into pro coaching, first in Canada, where he led the minor league Kitchener team to four championships. Johnson later joined the Buffalo Bills of the new AFL in ’60 at the behest of his former college teammate Buster Ramsey, who was the new club’s first head coach. Johnson remained with Buffalo for many years, serving as interim head coach twice, in 1968 and ’71, and also in the front office.

--

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

1946: Yankees Avoid Upset by Miami with Late TD Drive

The lowly Miami Seahawks were at 1-6 in the inaugural All-America Football Conference season as they faced the powerful New York Yankees on November 3, 1946. The Seahawks had many players from Southern schools on their roster, but they were under-financed and had played only one home game thus far, which was delayed by a hurricane. Head Coach Jack Meagher was gone after six games and Hamp Pool replaced him. Pool began shifting personnel, moving tackle Don Reece to fullback, his natural position, and speedy end Lamar Davis to defensive halfback.

The Yankees were 5-2-1 and clearly established as the best team in the new league’s Eastern Division. Coached by Ray Flaherty, who had led the Washington Redskins to two NFL titles, the team ran a single-wing offense and had two effective tailbacks in Ace Parker (pictured above), a former NFL star with Brooklyn, as a capable passer and rookie Spec Sanders, who was better at running the ball. The line was solid with tackles Bruiser Kinard and Nate Johnson, and ends Jack Russell and Bruce Alford were good receivers.

There were 18,880 fans in attendance at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards to a touchdown, scored by back Lloyd Cheatham on a 15-yard pass from tailback Bob Perina. Harvey Johnson added the extra point. Miami responded with a 90-yard series ending when Don Reece powered in for a TD from inside the one yard line and Dick Erdlitz converted to tie the score at 7-7.

Shortly thereafter, Harvey Johnson kicked an 18-yard field goal that put the home team back in the lead. Still in the opening period, Miami FB Stan Koslowski fumbled the ball away and New York cashed in when Ace Parker recovered and ran 22 yards for touchdown. Johnson’s PAT put the Yankees ahead by ten points.

The score remained 17-7 throughout the second quarter as the defenses, aided by good punting, took control. Three minutes into the third quarter, the floodlights were turned on but the teams still were stymied on offense. Finally, in the fourth quarter a long pass from QB Kay Eakin to end Lamar Blount advanced the Seahawks into New York territory and Reece ran for a 13-yard TD. Erdlitz’s point after narrowed the score to 17-14.

The Yankees had to kick the ball away, but Parker booted a punt toward the coffin corner that went out of bounds at the Miami one. The Seahawks remained pinned deep in their territory and, kicking from his own end zone, Eakin boomed a punt that traveled all the way to the New York 31. Miami then got a break when LB Al Wukits intercepted a pass by Spec Sanders and returned it 14 yards to the New York 24. Three plays later, QB Cotton Price threw into the end zone to HB Monk Gafford for a 19-yard touchdown. Erdlitz again added the extra point and, with five minutes left to play, the Seahawks were ahead by 21-17.

Facing a potential major upset, Parker rallied the Yankees to a 71-yard drive in 11 plays. Parker threw to end Jack Russell for a 10-yard TD with 22 seconds left, Johnson converted, and New York won the hard-fought game by a final score of 24-21.

The Yankees led in total yards (375 to 214), with 210 of that total coming on the ground, and first downs (15 to 10). New York also turned the ball over twice, to one by the Seahawks.

New York recovered from the close call to win four of the remaining five games and breeze to the Eastern Division title with a 10-3-1 record. The Yankees lost the AAFC Championship game to the Cleveland Browns.

The Seahawks continued to struggle and finished at the bottom of the division at 3-11. Don Reece's two touchdowns against the Yankees were his only ones of the season and the running game continued to be the league’s least productive. Kept afloat by infusions of cash from the other owners, and lacking fan support, the franchise was sold and relocated to Baltimore in 1947.

1947: Browns Defeat Yankees for Second AAFC Championship

The second Championship game of the All-America Football Conference on December 14, 1947 featured the same two teams as the first, the Cleveland Browns and New York Yankees. The Browns had beaten New York in four of five meetings thus far in the AAFC’s two-year existence, which included the ’46 title game and the first regular season matchup in ’47 in Cleveland. They rallied to overcome a 28-0 deficit and salvage a tie a few weeks earlier in New York.

The powerful Browns, coached by the innovative Paul Brown, had compiled a 12-1-1 record in topping the Western Division once again. QB Otto Graham (pictured above) was named MVP by the league and was the AAFC’s top passer while end Mac Speedie, with 67 catches and 1146 yards, was the preeminent receiver and had an able counterpart in end Dante Lavelli. FB Marion Motley rushed for 889 yards with an impressive 6.1-yard average. The league’s highest-scoring team, Cleveland was equally tough on defense.

New York, under the direction of Head Coach Ray Flaherty, operated a single-wing offense that featured tailback Spec Sanders, the AAFC’s leading rusher (1432 yards) and scorer (19 touchdowns, 114 points). Diminutive and fast HB Buddy Young added another 712 yards on the ground and the line was good on both sides of the ball. The Yankees put together an 11-2-1 record in topping the Eastern Division.  

There were 61,879 fans in attendance at Yankee Stadium on a cold day with the temperature near freezing. The turf was frozen, which seemed to affect the home team more than the visitors from Cleveland, and the teams agreed to wear cleats rather than sneakers.

The Yankees had the first possession and quickly found that Cleveland had made defensive adjustments to prevent a repeat of New York’s 28-point first half performance in the previous meeting. Late in the first quarter, following an exchange of punts, the Browns put together a 67-yard drive that was highlighted by a 51-yard carry by Marion Motley and culminated in a touchdown on a quarterback sneak by Otto Graham, who had also completed five of his first six passes. Lou Groza kicked the extra point.

The Yankees came right back as the game headed into the second quarter. Buddy Young (pictured at left) and Spec Sanders spearheaded an advance that reached the Cleveland five yard line before stalling, primarily as a result of the poor footing, and Harvey Johnson kicked a 12-yard field goal. Cleveland had two more chances to score, but Groza missed two field goals and the score remained 7-3 at halftime.

In the third quarter, DHB Tom Colella intercepted a Sanders pass and returned it to the New York 41. Motley ran for 16 yards, tosses by Graham to HB Edgar “Special Delivery” Jones and HB Lewis Mayne picked up another 19 yards and, three plays later, Jones ran four yards for a TD. Lou Saban, who had booted 10 extra points during the regular season, successfully converted.

As the game headed into the fourth quarter, the Yankees drove to the Cleveland 18, but Young fumbled a lateral and Saban recovered at the 31. Another New York series highlighted by a 22-yard carry by Sanders reached the 23 but was blunted by a penalty for unnecessary roughness that moved the Yankees out of range for a score. Cleveland held on to win by a final score of 14-3.

The Browns had the edge in total yards (284 to 212) and first downs (15 to 13). The Yankees turned the ball over three times, to one suffered by Cleveland. The Browns gained 172 yards on the ground, with 109 generated by FB Marion Motley (pictured below) on 13 carries. Otto Graham completed 14 of 21 passes for 112 yards, giving up no interceptions, and also ran the ball four times for 21 yards and a touchdown. Mac Speedie had four pass receptions for 25 yards and Dante Lavelli gained 37 yards on his three catches.

Suffering from a bad ankle, Spec Sanders was held to just 40 yards on 12 carries and failed to score a touchdown for the first time all season. He also completed 7 of 17 passes for 89 yards and was intercepted once. Buddy Young rushed for 69 yards on 16 attempts and caught two passes for a team-leading 25 yards, but fumbled twice.

“Neither team could play its best on that field,” said Paul Brown. “However, we tried to take advantage of the conditions by creating one-against-one situations on our pass patterns, and this worked pretty well on Otto Graham’s flat tosses.”

“I can’t overemphasize how much that slick footing cost us,” summed up Coach Flaherty for the Yankees.

The Browns went on to an even better season in 1948, compiling a perfect 14-0 record and winning a third AAFC Championship. They met Buffalo, not the Yankees, for the title as New York dropped to 6-8 and a third place finish in the Eastern Division.

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.

1949: Blocked Extra Point Preserves Win for Yankees Over Dons

The Los Angeles Dons still held out the faint hope of securing a postseason berth as they hosted the New York Yankees in an All-America Football Conference game on November 24, 1949. With the league down to seven teams, the divisions had been discarded in favor of a format in which the top four would qualify for the playoffs.

The Dons were known for their explosive offense and, under Head Coach Jimmy Phelan, the attack had been geared to the passing of star tailback Glenn Dobbs. However, Dobbs was suffering through an injury-plagued season and much of the time it was George Taliaferro at tailback, who was an outstanding runner but mediocre passer. As a result, and despite having good receivers, the Dons were a ground-oriented team with an inconsistent defense and were sporting a lackluster 4-7 record going into the season finale.

The Yankees, coached by Red Strader, were in a far better situation. After a down year in 1948, they had benefited from being combined with the Brooklyn Dodgers for the ’49 season and also picked up some outstanding rookie talent, including DHB Tom Landry. Having converted to the T-formation, New York was lacking at quarterback, and lost star tailback Spec Sanders to injury, but still had a good stable of running backs that included halfbacks Buddy Young and Sherman Howard and FB Bob Kennedy. The Yankees were 8-3 and certain of a playoff berth, and had beaten the Dons in a 10-7 defensive battle in New York.

There were 20,096 fans in attendance for the Thanksgiving Day game at the LA Memorial Coliseum. As had been the case in the first meeting, the first three quarters were again dominated by the defenses.

In the first quarter, Landry punted to the LA 11 and it was fielded by HB Tom McWilliams, who lateraled to C/LB “Big John” Brown, who in turn made it to the New York 49 for an overall 40-yard return. FB Hosea Rodgers gained five yards and then Taliaferro put the Dons ahead with a bolting 44-yard run off tackle for a touchdown. The 7-0 score stood up until the fourth quarter, but the last quarter was an exciting one.

45 seconds into the final period, Bob Kennedy plowed into the end zone from a yard out to conclude a 12-play, 52-yard drive for the Yankees. Harvey Johnson kicked the extra point to tie the contest. On the ensuing kickoff, HB Billy Grimes fumbled the ball and DB Otto Schnellbacher recovered at the LA 28. QB Don Panciera threw to Buddy Young for a 20-yard gain. Three runs into the line gained five yards to the three yard line and Johnson put New York ahead by 10-7 with a 16-yard field goal.

The Dons regained possession at their 29. With Taliaferro running and end Len Ford making an outstanding one-handed catch, they made it to the New York 19. The drive stalled and Bob Nelson kicked a 26-yard field goal to again tie the score at 10-10.

LA tried an onside kick but it failed disastrously when end Bruce Alford recovered for the Yankees and returned it to the Dons’ 47. Highlighted by a 27-yard gain on a pass from Kennedy to Alford that put the ball on the three yard line, New York drove down the field to another one-yard TD carry by Kennedy. Johnson’s 100th consecutive successful conversion made it 17-10.

The next Los Angeles possession ended with an interception, but New York had to punt as the clock ticked down to 30 seconds. On a spectacular play, Taliaferro ran the kick back 52 yards for a touchdown, but instead of salvaging a tie, the all-important extra point attempt by Nelson was blocked by New York end Jack Russell. There were just 13 seconds left and the Yankees came away with a hard-fought 17-16 win.

The statistics were as evenly matched as the final score. The Dons edged New York in total yardage by just a single yard, 246 to 245. LA outrushed the Yankees (151 to 138) while New York had more passing yards (107 to 95) and first downs (13 to 10). George Taliaferro accounted for 112 rushing yards on 14 carries.

While it was the season finale for the Dons, who ended up tied for fifth with the Chicago Hornets at 4-8, the Yankees had one more game to play. They headed up the coast to San Francisco, where they lost to the 49ers three days later to finish in third place with an 8-4 record. They fell again to the 49ers in the first playoff round.

With the merger with the NFL, the AAFC ceased to exist, and that included the Dons and Yankees. However, many of the players on both teams moved on to NFL clubs. 19 of the Yankees made the roster of the New York Yanks (a separate franchise from the AAFC club, they had played as the New York Bulldogs in ‘49), including Buddy Young, Bruce Alford, Bob Kennedy, Harvey Johnson, and Jack Russell. The Yanks also hired Red Strader to be head coach. Several other ex-Yankees went to the Giants, most notably Tom Landry, Otto Schnellbacher, and DT Arnie Weinmeister. Don Panciera played for the Detroit Lions.

Of the ex-Dons, George Taliaferro joined several of his former antagonists on the Yanks and Billy Grimes went to Green Bay. Len Ford joined the Browns, one of three AAFC clubs (along with the 49ers and Colts) that were taken in by the NFL, and moved on with his Hall of Fame career as a defensive end. Glenn Dobbs took his passing arm to Canada instead.

1949: Scores by Defense Propel Browns Over Yankees

The Cleveland Browns had won three All-America Football Conference championships and were unbeaten in 26 straight games (they were tied twice, including the ’49 season opening game against Buffalo) as they took on the New York Yankees on September 18, 1949. The powerful club added DB Warren Lahr and tackle Darrell Palmer for its fourth season, as well as HB Les Horvath (pictured at right), a former Heisman Trophy winner at Ohio State who had played two years for the NFL Rams. Typically, the Browns had no trouble scoring points with their well-balanced offense, but on this day it would be up to the defense to pull out another win.

The Yankees, now combined with the defunct Brooklyn Dodgers for the AAFC’s fourth season, were coached by Red Strader and were operating out of the T-formation for the first time. Don Panciera was the starting quarterback, and the backfield also featured halfbacks Buddy Young and Sherman Howard and FB Bob Kennedy, although it was missing star running tailback Orban “Spec” Sanders, who had twice led the league in rushing but missed all of ’49 with a knee injury. The line included tackles Arnie Weinmeister and Martin Ruby, guard Joe Signaigo, and center Brad Ecklund, and the defensive backfield had outstanding players in Tom Landry, Otto Schnellbacher, and Harmon Rowe. While the Browns had played two games and gone 1-0-1, New York opened its season just the previous week at Buffalo and was 1-0.

There were 26,312 fans at Municipal Stadium on a rainy day in Cleveland. They saw the visitors score first, on a 25-yard field goal by Harvey Johnson. But still in the first quarter, Horvath picked up a fumble by New York’s Young and ran 84 yards for a touchdown.

The Yankees outplayed the Browns, who were without star FB Marion Motley due to a rib injury, and put heavy pressure on star QB Otto Graham (who no doubt missed Motley’s outstanding blocking as well as his running). But while New York was inside Cleveland’s 20 yard line on six occasions, and three times inside the 10, the Yankees couldn’t put any more points on the board.

After turning the ball over on downs in the third quarter at the one foot line, the Yankees missed an opportunity to score a defensive touchdown of their own when Graham, fading back into his own end zone, threw a pass that hit G Johnny Mastrangelo in the stomach, but he dropped the ball.

Late in the fourth quarter, DB Tommy James intercepted a pass by Panciera and returned it 27 yards for a TD. Lou Saban, kicking in place of Lou Groza, added his second extra point and the Browns survived to win, 14-3.

New York outgained the Browns (311 yards to 125) and led in first downs (15 to 5). Otto Graham completed just 4 of 10 passes for 36 yards and the Cleveland offense never penetrated deeper into New York territory than the 47 yard line.

The Browns went on to win two more games before being beaten convincingly by their arch-rivals, the 49ers. While that briefly put them in second place, they went 5-0-1 the rest of the way to top the AAFC (which went without divisions in its last year, due to the reduction to seven teams) with a 9-1-2 record. Along the way, they handily defeated New York at Yankee Stadium by a 31-0 score. The Yankees finished third at 8-4 and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the second-place 49ers. Cleveland defeated Buffalo in the first round and San Francisco for a fourth league title before moving on to the NFL.

Les Horvath, who was strictly a reserve, retired after the ’49 season to go into dentistry (he had a successful practice for many years in Los Angeles). Tommy James (pictured below), who had started his career in the NFL with Detroit in 1947 before moving over to the Browns in ’48, stayed with Cleveland for another six seasons before finishing up with the Baltimore Colts in 1956. His interception against the Yankees was one of 34 that he accumulated (8 in the AAFC, 25 in the NFL) and his only one that he returned for a touchdown, although he did score on a fumble recovery in 1953.

1946: 49ers Lose to Yankees in AAFC Debut

On September 8, 1946 two members of the new All-America Football Conference (AAFC) took the field for the first time in regular season action in San Francisco. The host 49ers had been founded by Tony Morabito, a partner in a lumber company. With John Blacklinger as general manager, the team drew heavily on Bay Area talent to stock the roster, starting with Head Coach Buck Shaw from Santa Clara. Two Stanford stars, left-handed QB Frankie Albert and FB Norm Standlee were signed, as was Santa Clara end Alyn Beals. Another Stanford product who had already established himself in the NFL, G Bruno Banducci, was snagged away from the Philadelphia Eagles.

The visiting Yankees were owned by Dan Topping, also an owner of the baseball Yankees (giving the new club a famous name as well as venue to play at), who had operated the NFL’s Brooklyn franchise until switching leagues. Ray Flaherty, a proven winner with the NFL Redskins, was hired as head coach and there were plenty of resources to sign talent that included ex-Dodgers tailback Ace Parker (a past MVP in the older league; pictured above), tackle Bruiser Kinard, and end Perry Schwartz, plus another ex-MVP with the Detroit Lions, tailback Frank Sinkwich. There were also promising rookies in tailback Orban “Spec” Sanders, FB Eddie Prokop, and ends Bruce Alford and Jack Russell.

There were some 35,000 fans present on a foggy day at Kezar Stadium. San Francisco scored first when Albert passed to HB John Strzykalski, who then lateraled to HB Len Eshmont at the New York 41, and Eshmont proceeded to run the rest of the way for a touchdown. Joe Vetrano kicked the extra point to make the score 7-0.

New York’s Coach Flaherty, taking advantage of his team’s depth, revamped the lineup in the second quarter and the Yankees got on the board thanks to a deflected punt. With the 49ers backed up deep in their own territory, Vetrano punted and tackle Derrell Palmer got a hand on the kick. Wingback Lowell Wagner grabbed the ball on the run at the San Francisco 40 and returned it for a touchdown. Harvey Johnson’s extra point tied the score.

Shortly into the third quarter, the Yankees drove 52 yards to score. Asserting their strong running game, only one pass was thrown, by Parker to HB Bob Sweiger for 13 yards. Parker, FB Pug Manders (another ex-Dodger), and QB Bob Morrow alternated carries until Parker ran seven yards off tackle for the go-ahead TD.

In the fourth quarter, New York drove 72 yards to put more points on the board. Spec Sanders operated at tailback and passed effectively while FB Dewey Proctor handled the bulk of the running, including going three yards for the final touchdown. Wearing the 49ers down with their ball-controlling single-wing attack, the Yankees won by a convincing score of 21-7.

New York outgained the 49ers (194 yards to 180), with 132 yards coming on the ground. The Yankees also had the edge in first downs, with 13 to San Francisco’s 6.

Not surprisingly, New York went on to dominate the Eastern Division, finishing well ahead of the pack at 10-3-1. The Yankees lost a closely-fought AAFC Championship game to the Cleveland Browns. Ace Parker, in the final season of his Hall of Fame career, ranked second in passing while Spec Sanders led the new league in rushing (709 yards).


The 49ers recovered from the opening defeat to put together a 9-5 record, second to the Browns in the Western Division. While they had difficulty scoring against the Yankees, they were runners-up to Cleveland in points scored (307). Frankie Albert proved to be a proficient passer and the team led the league in rushing yards (2175) with Norm Standlee pacing the club with 651.

It would be the story throughout the remainder of the AAFC’s four-year existence – overshadowed by the powerful Browns, the 49ers ended up being the league’s second-best team and very successful at the gate as well. Ultimately, San Francisco joined Cleveland in the NFL.

1948: Sanders Leads Yankees to Win Over Brooklyn

The All-America Football Conference kicked off its 1948 season with games in Brooklyn and Chicago on August 27. The contest in Brooklyn featured the league’s two New York City-based teams, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees. Both operated out of single-wing offenses, but the similarities ended there.

The Dodgers had struggled during the AAFC’s first two seasons, losing money while posting identical 3-10-1 records. The franchise had been purchased by the baseball Dodgers at the suggestion of Branch Rickey, the pioneering major league executive who hoped to prove equally adept at operating a pro football team. The Dodgers had a new head coach, Carl Voyles, and a star rookie tailback in Bob Chappuis from Michigan to join holdover Bob Hoernschemeyer.

The Yankees had been much more successful under Head Coach Ray Flaherty, who had led the NFL Redskins to championships, dominating the Eastern Division in 1946 and ’47 while posting a combined 21-5-2 regular season tally. They had lost the league championship game in both instances to the Cleveland Browns, but were a talented team that included small (5’5”, 170-pound) but quick HB Buddy Young, ends Jack Russell and Bruce Alford, and most significantly, tailback Orban (Spec) Sanders (pictured above), an all-around talent who led the AAFC in rushing in each of the first two seasons, including 1432 yards and 19 touchdowns in ’47.

There were 16,411 fans in attendance at Ebbets Field for the game played on a Friday night in 92-degree heat. That it felt far more like baseball than football weather was enhanced by those in attendance who were listening to the game between the baseball Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds on portable radios.

Brooklyn outplayed the Yankees in the first half, although both teams appeared sluggish in the heat. Chappuis and Hoernschemeyer led the passing attack, but the Dodgers managed to score only once, on a 17-yard Lee Tevis field goal in the second quarter to hold a 3-0 lead at halftime.

New York’s offense came alive in the third quarter, and it was Sanders who keyed the rally. Four minutes into the second half, he gained 27 yards on consecutive carries, including an eight-yard run for a touchdown as he powered into the end zone with DB Carl Allen on his back.

Following Brooklyn’s next possession, the Yankees moved the ball to their 40 yard line and Sanders ran off tackle and went untouched for a 60-yard TD. In sudden fashion, New York had taken a 14-3 lead and control of the game.

While Sanders keyed the offense and with the game still in the third quarter, rookie tailback Tom Casey came up with the most sensational play of all when he returned a punt an AAFC-record 94 yards for a touchdown. Harvey Johnson followed with his third extra point of the game, giving him a total of 43 straight to break his own prior record of 42.

There was no further scoring, but the three-touchdown outburst in the third quarter was more than enough to propel the Yankees to a 21-3 win.

New York outgained the Dodgers, 333 yards to 233, with 250 of that total coming on the ground. The Yankees also accumulated 15 first downs, to Brooklyn’s 11. Spec Sanders carried the ball just 11 times, but gained 147 yards and scored two touchdowns.

The opening win was not a prelude of another division-winning season for the Yankees, however. They lost their next four games, by which point the highly-regarded Flaherty was gone and replaced by Red Strader. While the team rallied somewhat in the second half of the year, it could not overcome the 2-6 start and finished in third place at 6-8 – still only a game behind the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Colts, who tied for the division title at 7-7 (the Bills won the playoff, thus earning the dubious honor of being the team thrashed by the undefeated Browns in the title game).

Despite Branch Rickey’s efforts, the Dodgers finished last with their worst record of all, 2-12. The baseball Dodgers sold the franchise back to the league, and it was merged with the Yankees for the AAFC’s last season in 1949.

Running into injury problems over the course of the season, Spec Sanders didn’t lead the league in rushing in ’48, but finished fourth with 759 yards on 169 carries that included nine TDs. Adding in 918 passing yards, Sanders generated 1677 yards of total offense to rank seventh in the league (just behind Brooklyn’s Chappuis with 310 yards on the ground and 1402 through the air for a total of 1712). A knee injury knocked him out of the 1949 season, but he returned to play for the New York Yanks of the NFL in 1950 and, as a defensive back, led the league with 13 interceptions.

Past Venue: Yankee Stadium

New York, NY (Bronx)



Year opened: 1923
Capacity: 67,000

Names:
Yankee Stadium, 1923-2010

Pro football tenants:
New York Yankees (AFL/NFL), 1926-28
New York Yankees (AFL), 1936-37
New York Yankees/Americans (AFL), 1940-41
New York Yankees (AAFC), 1946-49
New York Yanks (NFL), 1950-51
New York Giants (NFL), 1956-73

Postseason games hosted:
AAFC Championship, Browns 14 Yankees 3, Dec. 14, 1947
NFL Championship, Giants 47 Bears 7, Dec. 30, 1956
NFL Eastern Conf. playoff, Giants 10 Browns 0, Dec. 21, 1958
NFL Championship, Colts 23 Giants 17, Dec. 28, 1958
NFL Championship, Packers 16 Giants 7, Dec. 30, 1962

Other tenants of note:
New York Yankees (MLB – AL), 1923-73, 1976-2008
New York Generals (NPSL/NASL), 1967-68
New York Cosmos (NASL), 1971, 76

Notes: Both the Yankees and Yankees/Americans of the second and third AFL split their home games between Yankee Stadium and the then-Randall’s Island Stadium (aka Downing Stadium). Also hosted one home game of NFL Boston Yanks in 1945. NFL Giants played one home game at the stadium in 1973 before it was closed for major renovations. Underwent significant renovation between 1973 and ’76. Built and originally owned by baseball’s Yankees after they were evicted from the Polo Grounds by the Giants. Hosted many college football games, most notably Army vs. Notre Dame in 1946, and including NYU, Army, Notre Dame, and Fordham Univ. First football game played at the stadium was a college contest between Syracuse and Pittsburgh on Oct. 20, 1923. Last was also a college game involving Central State of Ohio and Grambling on Sept. 12, 1987.

Fate: Demolished in 2010, the site is to be used as a park.

1946: Browns Defeat Yankees for First AAFC Championship

The first season of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) culminated in the Championship game at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium on December 22, 1946. There were 41,181 fans in attendance on a cold and windy day to see if the Browns could cap their outstanding initial year with a title.

Under Head Coach Paul Brown, Cleveland had roared through the Western Division for a 12-2 record. QB Otto Graham (pictured above), a rookie ex-single wing tailback out of Northwestern, had proven adept at operating in the T-formation. Ends Mac Speedie and Dante Lavelli were outstanding, as was the running game led by FB Marion Motley and HB Edgar “Special Delivery” Jones. The Browns were every bit as sound defensively and did not allow an opponent to score in double digits in the first six games of the season (eight overall). In short, they scored the most points (423) and gave up the fewest (137).

The New York Yankees won the Eastern Division with a 10-3-1 tally under Head Coach Ray Flaherty, who had twice led the NFL’s Redskins to titles. Operating a single-wing offense, they had former Brooklyn star Ace Parker as the passing tailback and rookie Orban “Spec” Sanders, the AAFC’s leading rusher (709 yards). Other ex-NFL veterans who contributed heavily were G Bruiser Kinard and FB/LB Pug Manders. End Jack Russell led the receiving corps.

The Browns had not lost to an Eastern Division team during the course of the 14-game season, including the Yankees, a club they defeated twice (once by shutout). They were heavy favorites coming into the game – which proved to be a motivating factor for New York.


It was the Yankees scoring first in the opening period. Following FB/DB Eddie Prokop’s interception of a Graham pass that he returned to the Browns’ 34 yard line, Parker threw a 16-yard pass to Russell and Sanders ran 14 yards to the four. The Cleveland defense held and New York came away with a 21-yard field goal by Harvey Johnson (pictured at left).

A Cleveland drive to the Yankees’ three yard line came up empty, but the Browns came back in the second quarter with a 70-yard possession that was capped by a two-yard run by Motley. Graham completed five passes for 55 yards along the way. The score was 7-3 at the half.

Following a missed field goal attempt by Cleveland’s Lou Groza, the Yankees regained the lead in the third quarter thanks to an 80-yard possession that ended with Sanders plowing in for a touchdown, also from two yards out. The extra point attempt was missed, holding New York to a lead of 9-7.

It seemed as though the two-point margin might be enough for the upset, but the Browns put together a drive in the fourth quarter that culminated in a Graham pass to Lavelli for a 16-yard touchdown. Along the way, “Special Delivery” Jones made a shoestring catch to keep the drive alive at the New York 42. After missing on a pass intended for Speedie at the goal line, Graham threw to Lavelli who lateraled to HB Don Greenwood for an eight-yard gain. Following a seven-yard run by Jones and an 11-yard gain on a lateral to HB Tom Colella, Graham threw the TD pass.

New York wasn’t done yet, and Sanders returned the ensuing kickoff to the Cleveland 45. Tackle Lou Rymkus threw Prokop for a 12-yard loss, but Parker regained the yardage on a pass to end Perry Schwartz. However, Parker’s next throw was intercepted by Graham to snuff out the threat. The Browns won by a score of 14-9.

Cleveland outgained the Yankees (325 yards to 146) and had the edge in first downs (18 to 10). The vaunted New York rushing attack was held to just 65 yards on 29 attempts. The Yankees turned the ball over twice, while the Browns did so once on the early interception.

One of Cleveland’s problems was that Lou Groza, suffering from an ankle injury in the season finale against Brooklyn, had an uncharacteristically bad day kicking the ball, missing field goal attempts from 20, 42, and 48 yards. Chet Adams also was wide on a 37-yard try.


Otto Graham completed 16 of 27 passes for 213 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Dante Lavelli and Mac Speedie each caught six passes, with Lavelli gaining 87 yards and scoring a TD while Speedie had 71 yards. Marion Motley (pictured at right) ran for 98 yards on 13 attempts that included a 51-yard carry in the third quarter and a score.

Ace Parker, who came under a strong pass rush throughout the game, was successful on 8 of 18 passes for 81 yards and had the one late interception. Spec Sanders was the leading rusher for the Yankees with 55 yards on 14 carries and a TD. Jack Russell caught 5 passes for 58 yards.

The championship season was just the beginning for the Browns, who would dominate the AAFC in its four years of existence before moving on to the NFL.

The game was the last for Ace Parker, who had starred for six years in the NFL before coming to the AAFC. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972.