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NFL New York Yankees

Frank Fleming
Author: 
Frank Fleming
12 mins
November 1st, 2023
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  • First Game Played October 2, 1927

  • Last Game Played December 16, 1928

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.

  • First Game Played September 8, 1946

  • Last Game Played December 4, 1949

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

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Author

Frank Fleming
Frank Fleming founded the Sports Ecyclopedia in 2001 & is a passionate Devils fan.