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Dallas Texans

Frank Fleming
Author: 
Frank Fleming
6 mins
October 31st, 2023
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  • First Game Played September 28, 1952

  • Final Game Played December 13, 1952

HISTORICAL MOMENTS:

1952:

After Ted Collins sold the New York Yanks back to the NFL, a Dallas-based group led by a pair of young millionaires, Giles Miller and his brother, Connell, bought the team and the players and established the first Professional Football team in Texas, calling their team the Dallas Texans. Expecting big crowds in Texas, the Millers were disappointed when only 17,499 fans showed up at the 75,000 seat Cotton Bowl to see the Texans face the New York Giants in their first game on September 28th. The Texans coached by Jim Phelan scored the game’s first touchdown, but missed the extra point and los 24-6. The Texans were clearly lacking talent and attempted to find anybody that could play for them, acquiring 11 players from the Los Angeles Rams for the draft rights of Les Richter. Unfortunately the 11 players were basically football players in name only as none contributed to the Texans fortunes. Attendance at the Cotton Bowl would continue to dwindle as the Texans continued to rack up the losses. On November 9th less than 10,000 fans were on hand to see the Texans fall to the Rams 27-6, dropping their record to 0-7. The Millers would be forced to give up the team following the loss as they failed to get business support from Dallas and missed payroll. For the remainder of the season the Texans would operate out of Hershey, Pennsylvania with the NFL managing the team. Following two more losses on the road, the Texans would play a home game in Akron, Ohio against the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving. The game how so few spectators, that Texans Coach Jim Phelan suggested the players greet the fans personally after the win. The Texans would jump out to a 20-2 lead against the Bears second stringers, the Bears would make a late charge but the Texans would get their only win 27-23. The Texans would lose their final two games, including a 41-6 loss to the Detroit Lions at Briggs Stadium, in a game originally scheduled for the Cotton Bowl. Following their disastrous 1-11 season, the Texans would fold. Most of the Texans players would end up playing for the Baltimore Colts. However, the Colts never claimed any association with the Texans and were considered an expansion team in 1953. The Dallas Texans would be the last NFL team to fold. The league’s popularity would exploded with the growth of television, as the sport was perfect for the new medium. The NFL would return to Dallas in 1960 with the expansion Dallas Cowboys, a team called the Dallas Texans also made their debut for the upstart AFL. Despite winning the 1962 AFL Championship, the Texans would move to Kansas City and become the Chiefs, as the Cowboys popularity grew making them “America’s Team” in the 1970’s.

1959:

A 26-year-old Texan, frustrated by his unsuccessful attempts to gain a pro football franchise in the National Football League, embarked on an alternate course that was to drastically change the face of pro football forever. The young man was Lamar Hunt, who founded the American Football League with six original cities Dallas, New York, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis (Buffalo and Boston were added, and Oakland replaced Minneapolis). Lamar Hunt was the cornerstone, the integrity of the league. Without him, there would have been no AFL.

1960:

Lamar Hunt’s own team, the Dallas Texans, who shared its name with a previous NFL team, would face direct competition from the NFL’s newest expansion team, the Dallas Cowboys. For their inaugural season in the Cotton Bowl, the Texans had a strong home-state identity with quarterback Cotton Davidson (Baylor), fullback Jack Spikes (TCU), and running back Abner Haynes (North Texas State). Haynes, who was named the league’s Player of the Year, led the league in rushing with 875 yards and touchdowns with nine. The Texans had a flashy, high scoring club, and only three close losses kept them from challenging for the division title, as they finished second with an 8-6 record. The Texans averaged 24,500 for their home games, the highest average in the league.

1961:

The Texans would struggle, with a midseason five-game losing streak in their second season, posting a disappointing record of 6-8 while finishing a distant second in the AFL West.

1962:

After a disappointing 6-8 season, the Texans sign Len Dawson, who toiled around in the NFL for six years, without much success. Another critical addition was Rookie of the Year FB Curtis McClinton, who helped RB Abner Haynes, enjoyed his finest season with 1,049 yards and an AFL-high 13 touchdowns. The Texans would go on to finish with an 11-3 record and the AFL’s Western Division Title. In the AFL Championship Game, the Texans would face their inner state rival Oilers in Houston. The Texans would jump out to a 17-0 as Abner Haynes scored two Touchdowns, but the Oilers would score 17 unanswered points in the 2nd half to send the game to overtime. The two teams went through the first OT without a score, which created the first ever-double OT game in Pro-Football history. The Texans would end the long day victorious as Tommy Brooker nailed a 25-yard FC to win their first AFL title.

1963:

Shortly after the AFL Championship Game, owner Lamar Hunt decided for the best interest of his team and the future of the league to move to Kansas City. The Texans fared well in Dallas but had trouble convincing fans that they were on a level with NFL’s Cowboys. In Kansas City, they had a city without pro-football, and a new market to spread to the new league.

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS

1962 AFL Champions

Dallas Texans

TEXANS STADIUMS

Cotton Bowl

1960-1962

TERRIFIC TEXANS

Lamar Hunt

Owner 1960-1962

Hank Stram

Coach 1960-1962

Chris Burford

1960-1962

Cotton Davidson

1960-1962

Abner Haynes

1960-1962

1960 AFL Player of the Year

Sherrill Headrick

1960-1962

Johnny Robinson

1960-1962

Jack Spikes

1960-1962

Tommy Brooker

1961-1962

E.J. Holub

1961-1962

Curtis McClinton

1962

1962 AFL Rookie of the Year

The Dallas Texans in action at the Cotton Bow

TEXANS STADIUMS

Cotton Bowl

1952

TOP TEXANS

Jim Phelan

Coach 1952

Jack Adkisson

1952

(Fritz Von Erich)

Sisto Averno

1952

Art Donovan

1952

Brad Ecklund

1952

Weldon Humble

1952

Tom Keane

1952

Gino Marchetti

1952

Chuck Ortman

1952

George Taliaferro

1952

Frank Tripucka

1952

Dick Wilkins

1952

Buddy Young

1952

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Author

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