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Historical Moments
1926:As the 1925 season came to an end, the Chicago Bears shook up the sports world, by signing Red Grange from Illinois, the top star in College Football. Grange helped bring Professional Football respect it had never had before. With Red Grange on the team the Bears embarked on a barnstorming tour to build the sport, and help some struggling teams. A game with Grange and the Bears at the Polo Ground, saved the New York Giants from folding after their first season. With Red Grange being such a big star, he and his agent C.C. Pyle wanted ownership into the Bears. However, George Halas refused as Red Grange and his agent nicknamed Cash and Carry Pyle sought to create a team of their own in New York. However, attempts for a second team in New York were blocked by Giants Owner Tim Mara who was afraid Grange would take away fans from his own team. Rebuffed by the NFL, Pyle and Grange formed their own league the American Football League with Red Grange playing on the New York Yankees, sharing the stadium with the team whose name they took in the Bronx. Red Grange and his Yankees were the biggest draw in the AFL, drawing crowds of 22,000 or more. The Yankees would post a record of 10-5 and embark on their own barnstorming tour. However, the AFL would be embarrassed when it’s league champion the Philadelphia Quakers losing in the snow to the New York Giants 31-0. While the Yankees were out west with the Los Angeles Wildcats he AFL would announce that it would fold after one season.
1927:As the AFL folded after one season, a NFL team in Brooklyn too was unable to play in a second season. New York Giants Owner Tim Mara would get the rights to the Brooklyn Hosemen a team that was a merger of a former AFL team and the NFL’s Brooklyn Lions. Mara would then lease the rights to team to C.C. Pyle and allow the Yankees to join the NFL under certain conditions. The conditions would limit the amount of home games the Yankees could play at Yankee Stadium, making the team play most of the games on the road to help showcase Red Grange and continue to build the league’s brand. The New York Yankees would win their first NFL game on October 2nd beating the Dayton Triangles 6-3. The Yankees would also beat the Cleveland Bulldogs and Buffalo Bisons, before facing the Chicago Bears. The Bears would hand the Yankees their first loss 12-0 at Wrigley Field. After their losing two of their next three games the Yankees would face the Bears again, in their first home game on November 8th, winning 26-6. However, Red Grange suffered a serious knee injury and missed the rest of the season. While the Yankees were able to beat the Pottsville Maroons and Chicago Cardinals, but would not win another game as they went winless in their last six games, including a pair of shutout losses to the New York Giants. The Yankees would finish their first NFL season with a record of 7-8-1, finishing in sixth place.
1928:Red Grange would miss the entire season recovering from his knee injury as the Yankees struggled without their top player. The Yankees would win just one of their first eight games as they had trouble finding any offense. Despite their season long struggles, the Yankees would close the seasons strong, with three wins in their final four games, including a pair of wins over the New York Giants. The Yankees would beat the Giants 7-6 in their final game at Yankee Stadium on December 16th. Without Red Grange the Yankees finances suffered even worse than the team’s performance on the field as they were forced to suspend operations, following a 4-8-1 season. Red Grange would return to football in 1929, playing with the Chicago Bears until 1934. Yankee Stadium would host another NFL from 1949-1951 that used the name Bulldogs and Yanks, before the New York Giants themselves took over the stadium in 1956.
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Historical Moments
1946: Dan Topping who was a longtime owner of the NFL’s Brooklyn Dodgers and President of the New York Yankees in baseball, was forced to merge with the Boston Yanks in 1945 due to a shortage of players and financial struggles. Instead of reestablishing the Dodgers, Topping agreed to join the All-American Football Conference and formed a team called the New York Yankees. Topping was able to take several players along with him to the AAFC’s Yankees and also had a top coach in Ray Flaherty who had won the 1942 NFL Championship with the Washington Redskins. It was clear early that the Yankees were one of the best teams in the AAFC as they won their first game on the road against the San Francisco 49ers 21-7 on September 8th. Due to the baseball season, the Yankees had to start the season on the road, posting a 2-1-1 record. The Yankees would beat the Buffalo Bisons 21-13 in their home debut on October 4th. Following a 7-0 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Columbus Day, the Yankees would run off a five game winning streak that clinched the Eastern Division in the AAFC. The Yankees would go on to finish the regular season with a record of 10-3-1, which was seven games better than any other team in the AAFC East. The Yankees would face the Cleveland Browns in the first AAFC Championship Game on December 22nd. The Browns who had beaten the Yankees twice in the regular season again won the game 14-9 at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium.
1947: Despite opening the season with a 28-24 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the New York AAFC Yankees were even better in their second season. They would rebound from their opening week loss by beating the Chicago Rockets 48-26 in their home opener, before embarking on a four game road trip in which they took three of four games, losing only to the Cleveland Browns 26-17. The Yankees would go unbeaten in their final eight games, with the only blemish being a 28-28 tie against the Browns at Yankee Stadium on November 23rd. The New York Yankees would finish the season with a record of 11-2-1 and once again easily won the Eastern Division in the All-American Football Conference. The Yankees would face the Cleveland Browns for the AAFC Championship again on December 14th, with the game this time at Yankee Stadium. However, the result was the same as the Browns the dominant team of the league would eventually win the AAFC Championship Game all four seasons beat the Yankees 14-3.
1948: After losing the first two AAFC Title Games, the New York Yankees looked to be the best team in the East again, as they began the season with a solid 21-3 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. However, the Yankees struggled over the next three weeks, including two losses to the Baltimore Colts, which would cost Coach Ray Flaherty his job. Flaherty’s replacement Red Strader would not fare much better in Week 5, losing 20-10 to the Los Angeles Dons. Following a win over the Buffalo Bills, the Yankees would lose another two straight the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns. After a 2-6 start the Yankees would finish strong, taking four of their last six games, but a return trip to the AAFC Championship Game was just out of reach as they finished with a record 6-8, just one game behind the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Colts who finished tied atop the division at 7-7.
1949: Heading into their fourth and final season, the New York Yankees merged with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The team would become the Brooklyn-New York Yankees, but were Brooklyn in name only as the Yankees management remained in place. After struggling most of 1948, the Yankees rose again to be one of the top teams in the AAFC which now was down to seven teams in one division, with the top four teams reaching the playoffs. The Yankees started the season strong, winning six of their first seven games. The only loss was to the Cleveland Browns in Week 2. The Yankees would stumble at the end of the season, losing three of their last five games as they slipped to third place with a record of 8-4. In the playoffs the Yankees would face the San Francisco 49ers, who beat them in the final game of the regular season 35-14 to earn home field for their playoff match. Once again the 49ers would best the Yankees, winning 17-7 to advance to the AAFC Championship Game, where they would lose to the Browns. The Cleveland Browns would win the AAFC in all four seasons, and along with the 49ers and Baltimore Colts joined the NFL in 1950. With two New York teams already in the NFL, the Yankees despite their success would be on the outside looking in. The Yankees would fold along with the All-American Football Conference as their players were divided between the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Bulldogs. The Bulldogs, would become the New York Yanks and takeover Yankee Stadium, playing just two seasons before moving to Dallas. Yankee Stadium would later become home to the New York Giants.
Yankee Stadiums
Yester Year Yankees
C.C. Pyle Owner 1926-1928 | Wes Fry 1926-1927 | Red Maloney 1926-1927 | Ralph Scott 1926-1927 | Edie Tryon 1927 | Red Grange 1926-1928 |
Mike Michalske 1926-1928 | Red Badgro 1927-1928 | Bo Molenda 1927-1928 | Dick Rauch 1928 | Red Grange with the New York Yankees in color Photo colorized by John Turney, Pro Football Journal | |
Yesterday's Yankees
Tim Mara Owner 1925-1957 | Benny Friedman 1929-1931 | Jack McBride 1925-1928, 1932-1934 | Morris “Red” Badgro 1927-1935 | Ray Flaherty 1928-1935 | Ed Danowski 1934-1941 |
Tuffy Leemans 1936-1943 | Al Blozis 1942-1944 | Mel Hein 1931-1945 1938 NFL MVP | Ward Cuff 1937-1945 | Hank Soar 1937-1944, 1946 | Ken Strong 1933-35, 1939, 1941-47 |
Steve Owen Coach 1930-1953 | Arnie Weinmeister 1950-1953 | John Cannady 1947-1954 | Tom Landry 1949-1955 | Eddie Price 1950-1955 | Emlen Tunnell 1948-1958 |
Bill Svoboda 1954-1958 | Bob Schnelker 1954-1960 | Harland Svare 1955-1960 | Charlie Conerly 1948-1961 1959 NFL MVP | Kyle Rote 1951-1961 | Cliff Livingston 1954-1961 |
Pat Summerall 1958-1961 | Ray Weitecha 1953-1962 | Rosey Grier 1955-1962 | Sam Huff 1956-1963 | Dick Modzelewski 1956-1963 | Frank Gifford 1952-1964 1956 NFL MVP |
Jack Stroud 1953-1964 | Alex Webster 1955-1964 | Don Chandler 1956-1964 | Andy Robustelli 1956-1964 | Erich Barnes 1961-1964 | Y.A. Tittle 1961-1964 1963 NFL MVP |
Rosey Brown 1953-1965 | Jim Patton 1955-1966 | Dick Lynch 1959-1966 | Del Shofner 1961-1967 | Jim Katcavage 1956-1968 | Darrell Dess 1959-1964, 1966-1969 |
Homer Jones 1964-1969 | Aaron Thomas 1962-1970 | Fran Tarkenton 1967-1971 | Tucker Frederickson 1965, 1967-1971 | Joe Morrison 1959-1972 | Greg Larson 1961-1973 |
Willie Williams 1965, 1967-1973 | Pete Gogolak 1966-1974 | Carl “Spider” Lockhart 1965-1975 | Willie Young 1966-1975 | Ron A. Johnson 1970-1975 | Craig Morton 1974-1976 |
Bob Tucker 1970-1977 | Jack Gregory 1972-1978 | Larry Csonka 1976-1978 | Doug Van Horn 1968-1979 | Joe Pisarcik 1977-1979 | Doug Kotar 1974-1979, 1981 |
George Young GM 1979-1997 | Wellington Mara Owner 1937-2005 | Brian Kelley 1973-1983 | Brad Van Pelt 1973-1983 | Terry Jackson 1978-1983 | Lawrence Taylor 1981 Defensive Rookie |
Scott Brunner 1980-1983 | Dave Jennings 1974-1984 | Earnest Gray 1979-1984 | Brad Benson 1978-1987 | George Martin 1975-1988 | Harry Carson 1976-1988 |
Jim Burt 1981-1988 | Lawrence Taylor 1981 & 1982 Defensive Player & 1986 Defensive Playe & MVP | Phil Simms Super Bowl XXI MVP | Phil McConkey 1984-1988 | Joe Morris 1982-1989 | Terry Kinard 1983-1989 |
Bill Parcells Coach 1983-1990 | Lionel Manuel 1984-1990 | Mark Bavaro 1985-1990 | Gary Reasons 1984-1991 | Maurice Carthon 1985-1991 | Leonard Marshall 1983-1992 |
Carl Banks 1984-1992 | Jeff Hostetler 1984-1992 | Bills PK Scott Norwood Super Bowl XXV | Ottis Anderson 1986-1992 Super Bowl XXV MVP | Pepper Johnson 1986-1992 | Stephen Baker 1987-1992 |
Mark Ingram 1987-1992 | Matt Bahr 1990-1992 | Phil Simms 1979-1993 | Lawrence “LT” Taylor 1981-1993 | Perry Williams 1984-1993 | Sean Landeta 1985-1993 |
Bart Oates 1985-1993 | Mark Collins 1986-1993 | Steve DeOssie 1989-1993 | William Roberts 1984-1994 | Erik Howard 1986-1994 | Dave Meggett 1989-1994 |
Doug Riesenberg 1987-1995 | Jumbo Elliot 1988-1995 | Brian Williams 1989-1996, 1999 | Rodney Hampton 1990-1997 | Chris Calloway 1992-1998 | Phillippi Sparks 1992-1999 |
Brad Daluiso 1993-2000 | Howard Cross 1989-2001 | Jessie Armstead 1993-2001 | Michael Strahan 2001 Deffensive Player | Jason Sehorn Michael Strahan | Keith Hamilton 1992-2003 |
Jim Fassel Coach 1997-2003 | Kerry Collins 1999-2003 | Michael Barrow 2000-2003 | Ron Dixon 2000-2003 | Ike Hilliard 1997-2004 | Ron Dayne 2000-2004 |
Will Allen 2001-2005 | Will Peterson 2001-2005 | Tiki Barber 1997-2006 | Luke Petitgout 1999-2006 | Michael Strahan 1993-2007 | Jeremy Shockey 2002-2007 |
David Tyree 2003-2007 | Gibril Wilson 2004-2007 | Amani Toomer 1996-2008 | Plaxico Burress 2005-2008 Super Bowl Winning TD | Sam Madison 2006-2008 | R.W. McQuarters 2006-2008 |
Jeff Feagles 2003-2009 | Fred Robbins 2004-2009 | Antonio Pierce 2005-2009 | Jay Alford 2007-2009 | Rich Seubert 2001-2010 | Shaun O’Hara 2004-2010 |
Barry Cofield 2006-2010 | Kevin Boss 2007-2010 | Steve Smith 2007-2010 | Kareem McKenzie 2005-2011 | Mario Manningham Kareem McKenzie | Jake Ballard 2010-2011 |
Deon Grant 2010-2011 | Eli Manning Super Bowl XLII & XLVIMVP | Osi Umenyiora 2003-2012 | Chase Blackburn 2005-2012 | Ahmed Bradshaw 2007-2012 | Domenik Hixon 2007-2012 |
Lawrence Tynes 2007-2012 | Kenny Phillips 2008-2012 | Michael Boley 2009-2012 | David Diehl 2003-2013 | Chris Snee 2004-2013 | Brandon Jacobs 2005-2011, 2013 |
Justin Tuck 2005-2013 | Corey Webster 2005-2013 | Kevin Boothe 2007-2013 | Aaron Ross 2007-2013 | Terrell Thomas 2008-2013 | Linval Joseph 2010-2013 |
David Baas 2011-2013 | Andre Brown 2011-2013 | David Wilson 2012-2013 | Mathias Kiwanuka 2006-2014 | Antrel Rolle 2010-2014 | Spencer Paysinger 2011-2014 |
Steve Weatherford 2011-2014 | Tom Coughlin Coach 2004-2015 | Hakeem Nicks 2009-2013, 2015 | Prince Amukamara 2011-2015 | Rueben Randle 2012-2015 | Jon Beason 2013-2015 |
Cullen Jenkins 2013-2015 | Damontre Moore 2013-2015 |