1950 AAFC Draft

[Jay Z]

Does anyone know of an amateur draft the AAFC did for 1950 prior to folding after the 1949 season?

This came up in research I am doing for Stan West for the 1951 Rams book. There is an article that claims that West's rights were held by the LA Dons and the New York Giants before the merger. Then the merger came, and West was drafted again by the LA Rams.

[TodMaher]

Does anyone know of an amateur draft the AAFC did for 1950 prior to folding after the 1949 season?

This came up in research I am doing for Stan West for the 1951 Rams book. There is an article that claims that West's rights were held by the LA Dons and the New York Giants before the merger. Then the merger came, and West was drafted again by the LA Rams.

What article?

[Jay Z]

Does anyone know of an amateur draft the AAFC did for 1950 prior to folding after the 1949 season?

This came up in research I am doing for Stan West for the 1951 Rams book. There is an article that claims that West's rights were held by the LA Dons and the New York Giants before the merger. Then the merger came, and West was drafted again by the LA Rams.

What article?

From the article "Sports Parade", by Frank Finch, in the August 25, 1952 issue:

"West was drafted by the Los Angeles Dons and New York Giants in 1950. Came the marriage of the two leagues and he was tossed back into the pot. The Rams wasted no time grabbing him."

This implies that there was some sort of AAFC draft for college players for 1950. Perhaps one of those "secret" drafts for the first few rounds that leagues become fond of whenever there is direct competition. Then the leagues merged, and the whole thing had to be done over, because the Browns, 49ers, and Colts weren't going to be competing directly for amateurs any more. But I've never seen any other documentation that this happened.

[Rupert Patrick]

I was always under the impression that going into the later stages of the 1949 AAFC season, everybody knew the league was going to fold and Cleveland and San Francisco and possibly one other team was going to move to the NFL. The mistake they made was in choosing Baltimore as the third team instead of choosing a stronger team like the Yankees.

[Jay Z]

I was always under the impression that going into the later stages of the 1949 AAFC season, everybody knew the league was going to fold and Cleveland and San Francisco and possibly one other team was going to move to the NFL. The mistake they made was in choosing Baltimore as the third team instead of choosing a stronger team like the Yankees.

Most of the AAFC Yankees wound up on the 1950 New York Yanks, who were owned by Ted Collins. Collins had moved the Boston Yanks to New York in 1949 to play as the Bulldogs. A few players, including Tom Landry, were given to the Giants as ransom for having the temerity to play in Yankee Stadium. The 1950 Yanks also inherited the AAFC coach, Red Strader.

The NFL's lost 12th tribe is really that New York Yankees team. It was a much stronger team than the Ted Collins teams or the 1947-50 Colts. The through line runs back to the Brooklyn Dodgers team. It was a missed opportunity that the NFL couldn't make things work with Dan Topping. I suppose Topping had his heart set on New York and Yankee Stadium, and he got his wish in another sport. There's a number of alternate histories that are interesting, either the AAFC remaining in place for a longer period, or the NFL being more willing to forget the favorite sons bit with the Maras.

[rhickok1109]

I was always under the impression that going into the later stages of the 1949 AAFC season, everybody knew the league was going to fold and Cleveland and San Francisco and possibly one other team was going to move to the NFL. The mistake they made was in choosing Baltimore as the third team instead of choosing a stronger team like the Yankees.

Most of the AAFC Yankees wound up on the 1950 New York Yanks, who were owned by Ted Collins. Collins had moved the Boston Yanks to New York in 1949 to play as the Bulldogs. A few players, including Tom Landry, were given to the Giants as ransom for having the temerity to play in Yankee Stadium. The 1950 Yanks also inherited the AAFC coach, Red Strader.

The NFL's lost 12th tribe is really that New York Yankees team. It was a much stronger team than the Ted Collins teams or the 1947-50 Colts. The through line runs back to the Brooklyn Dodgers team. It was a missed opportunity that the NFL couldn't make things work with Dan Topping. I suppose Topping had his heart set on New York and Yankee Stadium, and he got his wish in another sport. There's a number of alternate histories that are interesting, either the AAFC remaining in place for a longer period, or the NFL being more willing to forget the favorite sons bit with the Maras.

Well, it was a bit more than a "favorite sons bit"; the NFL's constitution and by-laws give a team exclusive rights over its home territory, which is all the territory within 75 miles of its location. No other franchise can locate anywhere within another team's territory without permission from that team. That's been the rule at least since 1922; in fact, it's the reason that C.C. Pyle and Red Grange formed the first AFL in 1926, because they were denied an NFL franchise in New York.

[Saban1]

I was always under the impression that going into the later stages of the 1949 AAFC season, everybody knew the league was going to fold and Cleveland and San Francisco and possibly one other team was going to move to the NFL. The mistake they made was in choosing Baltimore as the third team instead of choosing a stronger team like the Yankees.

It was George Preston Marshall (Redskins' owner) that caused Baltimore to be the 3rd team. With Baltimore coming into the NFL, Washington would get some money because Baltimore was "infringing on their territorial rights."

The Mara family (Giants' owners) were not about to let the AAFC Yankees enter the NFL because they did not want the competition in New York. Instead they allowed the weak Bulldogs franchise (Yanks in 1950) stay in the NFL.

I think a more logical franchise than Baltimore to enter the NFL in 1950 would have been Buffalo, who was supporting the Bisons/Bills team at the gate.

[Reaser]

I think a more logical franchise than Baltimore to enter the NFL in 1950 would have been Buffalo, who was supporting the Bisons/Bills team at the gate.

Yup, Buffalo would have been logical. Though not really in place of anyone (Baltimore, for example) but to have a 14-team league instead of the 13 they ended up with.

[Saban1]

The AAFC Yankees also would have been a logical 3rd or 4th team to enter the NFL in 1950, but of course, the Mara's, who had a lot of clout, did not want the Yankees in the NFL. Instead, the Giants got to pick any 6 players from the Yankees. Giants coach Steve Owen, who was a defensive specialist, picked players like tackle Arnie Weinmeister, one of the best defensive linemen in football, as well as defensive backs Tom Landry, Harmon Rowe, and Otto Schnellbacher. Those added players turned the Giants (6 and 6 in 1949) into a powerhouse as they gave the AAFC 4 time champion Cleveland Browns more trouble than anyone.

The Cleveland Browns were forced to give the great Doak Walker to the Detroit Lions, even though they had drafted him in the AAFC drafts of 1948 and 1949. The Browns had to settle for Detroit's 2nd round draft pick and took tackle John Sandusky. Cleveland also lost out on tough running back Lynn Chandnois, who they also had picked up in an AAFC draft. Chandnois ended up with the Steelers.

Losing Walker came back to haunt the Browns. Doak made a 67 yard touchdown run against Cleveland in the 1952 NFL Championship game for Detroit.