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Vol. 29, No. 3 2007 PFRA-ternizing Writing Awards 2 AAFC vs NFL: The Attendance Battle 3 Howard “Cub” Buck 8 Differential Scores 10 The Two and Only 12 Wilbur & Orville for the HOF 13 Ozzie Newsome - 3 16 Ozzie Newsome - 2 15 Bosh Pritchard 19 PFRA Committees 20 Pro Football Lore 22 Fred BILETNIKOFF Classifieds 24 THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 29, No. 3 (2007) PFRA-ternizing PAST WRITING AWARD WINNERS THE 2006 PFRA WRITING AWARDS 2005 We are happy to report that once more each Pre-1960 Andy Piascik – Why the AAFC Browns Were the nominee for a PFRA Writing Award received Best Team in Football 1946-49; World War II and votes. We believe that proves both the quality the Hall of Fame Winning Percentages Post-1960 Mark L. Ford & Massimo Foglio – The First NFL of the articles and the variation in readers’ Europe interests. Personality Chris Willis – Wilbur Henry; Don Hutson; Gale Sayers The winners: 2004 Pre-1960 Roy Sye – Kenosha aroons 1924 PRE 1960: Post-1960 Tim Brulis – Post-Season Football Annoucers 1. Tom Benjey: “Birth of Modern Football” 1948-2003; Chronology of Pro Football on TV 2. Joel Bussert :”Pro Bowl Teams of the Fifties” Personality Jim Sargent – Ron Kramer; Al Dorow; Jerry Groom; Walt Kowalczyk POST 1960: 1. Ed Gruver: “When Eagles Dared” 2003 Pre-1960 John Hogrogian – 1939 College All-Star Game 2. Coach Troup: “J.D. Smith and the 1961 49ers” Post-1960 Doug Warren – Lions, Bears, and the First PERSONALITY: Thanksgiving Personality Jeff Miller – Ben Lee Boynton; Jim Kendrick; Sam 1. Tom Danyluk: “Art Rooney, Jr. – Interview” Dana 2. Andy Piascik: “Gene Hickerson,” “Darrell Dess” 2002 Thanks, all. Pre-1960 Chris Willis – Remembering the Oorang Indians Post-1960 Ed Gruver - The Greatest Game Never Played Personality Andy Piascik -Jim Ray Smith, Marion Motley, Lenny Moore 2001 THE COFFIN CORNER Pre-1960 Michael Berger – Good Year, Bad Year by the Bay Post-1960 Mark L. Ford – The Two-Day P.A.S.S. Vol. 29, No. 3 (2007) Personality Thomas Danyluk – Steve Sabol, & Larry Little 12870 Rt. 30, #39 2000 N.Huntingdon, PA 15642 Pre-1960 John Hogrogian – The NFL in 1939 Post-1960 Mark L. Ford – 25 Significant “Meaningless” NFL 724 863-6345 Games [email protected] Personality Jim Sargent – 3 biographies Website: www.footballresearch.com 1999 Pre-1960 Carl Becker – Ringers by the Van PFRA MEMBERSHIP $25 per year Post-1960 Richard Hack – Pro Football’s Most Consistent Contenders Bob Carroll, Editor Personality Mike Moran – Hap Moran, My Dad Melissa Thomas, Assistant 1998 Ken Crippen, Assistant Editor Pre-1970 Tom Farley – The 1960 Conference Races Frank Henkel, Website Editor Post-1970 Mike Sparrow – The All-Time Non-Pro Bowl Team Personality Ed Gruver – Remembering Ray Nitschke Check the label on your CC envelope for the state of your membership. Member thru All articles from the Coffin Corner (1979-2006) are available to members at no charge via e-mail (limit 5 per week). Print-outs are 2007 (to 29-6) means you are a member for this year. $1 each. You can receive a complete list either by e-mail (free) or regular mail ($1). 2 THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 29, No. 3 (2007) AAFC vs. NFL: THE ATTENDANCE BATTLE By Andy Piascik When the All-America Football Conference was formed Chicago turned out to be a trouble spot for the new in 1944, its founders adopted a two-pronged strategy league. By 1945, Chicago was the only city with two regarding franchise location. One part of that strategy NFL franchises, one of which was the powerhouse was to establish teams in Miami, Los Angeles, and San Bears. Ward did all he could to promote the AAFC, and Francisco, cities where the NFL had never ventured. In the Rockets were successful in securing Soldier Field, so doing, the AAFC became the first major sports not an insignificant fact both because it was newer league to locate in the South and on the West Coast, than Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park and larger than the first league indeed to be truly national. (The NFL the other two combined. In the end, although the had briefly had a team called the Los Angeles Rockets were not as much of a disaster at the gate as Buccaneers in 1926, but the franchise actually they were on the field, they finished behind the Bears operated out of Chicago and played all of its games and Cardinals in attendance all four years. east of the Mississippi). The battle in Cleveland never came off. Despite the At the time, the prevailing wisdom was that the South opposition of all of the NFL's other owners, Dan was college football country and would not go for a pro Reeves moved the Rams to Los Angeles in January of team. As for the West Coast, travel costs had been 1946. Even more than in Chicago and New York, too prohibitive to make locating franchises there stadium venue was an important issue in Cleveland. economically viable. That was less of a concern by The Browns signed a lease to play in Cleveland 1946, however, as air travel became more feasible Stadium, then less than 15 years old and with a financially. seating capacity of over 80,000. The Rams, on the other hand, had played all but a handful of their games The AAFC had the foresight to put teams in both Los in League Park in nine years in the NFL. Like the Angeles and San Francisco, which enabled visiting Yankees and Rockets, the Browns would play in a teams to stay over for a two-game road trip. When the stadium that was both larger and newer than their Rams moved, by contrast, they were the only NFL would-have-been rivals. team west of Chicago and they had to agree to share a larger percentage of gate proceeds to defray travel Reeves was also likely somewhat alarmed by the costs. steamroller that the Browns had become in their first year of operation. Owner Mickey McBride vigorously Attendance-wise, the AAFC venture into California promoted the new team and coach Paul Brown was an proved a rousing success. The Dons did very well in Ohio legend who consciously tapped into the strong their battle with the Rams even though they played in interest in the game in the state. Brown signed a the same division as the powerhouse Browns and significant number of players who had played at Ohio 49ers and never finished better than third. In San State, others who were Ohio natives and/or had played Francisco, meanwhile, the 49ers drew well enough that at other Ohio colleges, and some from other Big Ten they were one of only a few teams in either league to schools with whom Ohioans were very familiar. show a profit during the four years of AAFC-NFL competition. Over the 1946-49 period, only the Browns, Reeves took his team to Los Angeles knowing he Rams, and Bears outdrew San Francisco. would still have to face AAFC competition. Ben Lindheimer and a group of Hollywood producers and The second part of the AAFC strategy was to movie stars had been awarded the AAFC Dons, and challenge the NFL in Chicago, Cleveland, and New both teams signed leases to play in the Los Angeles York City. Initially the sole New York entry was the Coliseum. Lindheimer was at least as wealthy as Brooklyn Dodgers, but the AAFC got a big boost when Reeves and he proved himself willing to both spend Dan Topping brought his NFL franchise over to the money on his team and share it with struggling AAFC new league and took up residence in Yankee Stadium franchises. as the New York Yankees. That Yankee Stadium was larger and newer than the Polo Grounds was The AAFC also brought major league football back to undoubtedly a cause for concern to Giants' owner Tim Buffalo. The city had been an original entrant when the Mara and the rest of the NFL. NFL was formed as the American Professional Football Association in 1920 but had been without a team since AAFC founder Arch Ward was the sports editor of the 1929. Although things did not turn out well for Buffalo Chicago Tribune and he was determined to establish fans when the AAFC ended in 1949, for a three-year the AAFC there. However, it is not surprising that 3 THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 29, No. 3 (2007) period beginning in 1947 they proved themselves to be Rockets 7 195,627 27,947 among the best fans in either league. In 1947, the AAFC scored a major victory by turning As dismissive as they had been of the AAFC at the the tables on all accounts except for the race in time of its founding, people in the NFL hierarchy Chicago. The new league won the overall attendance certainly must have taken notice during the new battle by establishing a record for per game average league's first week of play in September of 1946. In the that stood until 1955. Both the Dons and Yankees AAFC's first-ever game, the Browns and the Miami outdrew their NFL rivals, while the Browns again Seahawks established a new attendance record for a finished first at 55,848 and also topped the Giants' regularly scheduled game when 60,135 fans attended 1946 record by averaging 47,573 for all games, home their game in Cleveland. Then a week later, the and away. Browns played the Rockets before 51,962, the largest crowd ever for a pro game in Chicago.