American Football League (1936)

The American Football League (AFL) was a professional American football league that operated in 1936 and 1937. It started as a rival to the more famous National Football League (NFL). Even though many people did not pay much attention to it, this league was important because it was where the Cleveland Rams began their journey before joining the NFL.

In 1937, something very special happened. The Los Angeles Bulldogs became the first professional football team to win a league championship without losing or tying any games. They played all their home games on the West Coast, which was new and exciting at the time. Their perfect season happened many years before other famous teams like the Cleveland Browns and the Miami Dolphins also achieved this amazing feat.

Origin

The American Football League started because a man named Harry March had an idea. He announced plans for the new league on November 12, 1935. Many cities wanted to join, and in April 1936, eight cities were chosen: Boston, Cleveland, Jersey City, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, and Syracuse.

Later, some cities left, and Rochester joined instead. But then Rochester gave its spot to Brooklyn, even though Brooklyn didn’t have a stadium yet. The league wanted players to help run the teams. Harry March was the first leader, but he stepped down in October and was replaced by James Bush, who was president of the New York Yankees team in the league.

Many new teams in the league took players from nearby teams in the bigger National Football League. For example, the Cleveland Rams got their coach, Damon Wetzel, from the Chicago Bears.

Teams

The American Football League (AFL) had several teams during its time in 1936 and 1937.

Boston Shamrocks were a strong team in 1936 but struggled the next year and folded when the league ended.

Brooklyn Tigers had a short and difficult time, moving to Rochester and eventually disappearing.

Cleveland Rams were one of the best teams and later joined the National Football League (NFL). They are the only team from this league that still exists today as the Los Angeles Rams.

New York Yankees featured talented players but lost many to the NFL in 1937.

Pittsburgh Americans had some star players but folded after just a few games in 1937.

Syracuse Braves moved to Rochester during their short time in the league before folding.

Cincinnati Bengals joined in 1937 and kept playing after the AFL ended.

Los Angeles Bulldogs became the first professional team to win a league championship without any losses or ties. They also were the first team to play home games on the West Coast.

League standings

Final 1936 standings

Main article: 1936 American Football League season

Final 1937 standings

Main article: 1937 American Football League season

Team	W	L	T	Pct.	PF	PA
Boston Shamrocks	8	3	0	.727	133	97
Cleveland Rams	5	2	2	.714	123	77
New York Yankees	5	3	2	.625	75	74
Pittsburgh Americans	3	2	1	.600	78	65
Syracuse/Rochester Braves	1	6	0	.147	51	113
Brooklyn/Rochester Tigers	0	6	1	.000	58	82

Team	W	L	T	Pct.	PF	PA
Los Angeles Bulldogs	8	0	0	1.000	219	69
Rochester Tigers	3	3	1	.500	94	115
New York Yankees	2	3	1	.400	57	115
Cincinnati Bengals	2	3	2	.400	102	89
Boston Shamrocks	2	5	0	.286	76	98
Pittsburgh Americans	0	3	0	.000	7	69

All-League selections

There was no special team chosen for the league in 1936.

1937

Here are some of the best players from that year:

Bill Moore, Los Angeles (end)
Bill Steinkemper, Cincinnati (tackle)
Pete Mehringer, Los Angeles (guard)
Lee Mulleneaux, Cincinnati (center)
Alex Drobnitch, New York (guard)
Harry Field, Los Angeles (tackle)
Red Fleming, Boston (end)
Harry Newman, Rochester (quarterback)
Don Geyer, Cincinnati (halfback)
Al Nichelini, Los Angeles (halfback)
Gordon Gore, Los Angeles (fullback)

Demise of the second AFL

The American Football League faced many challenges during its short time. Some teams, like Boston, Cleveland, and the Yankees, drew large crowds, but others struggled to attract fans. Pittsburgh only had about 2,500 people at each home game, and Syracuse moved to Rochester but folded after just one game. Brooklyn didn’t even have a permanent home field.

In 1937, the league made several changes, bringing in new leaders and adding teams in cities like Cincinnati and Los Angeles. However, interest in the league stayed mostly local, with few newspapers outside the teams’ cities reporting on its games.

The Los Angeles Bulldogs quickly became a strong team, winning many games and drawing crowds of around 14,000 people. But as other teams lost players to the more established National Football League, their performance dropped. By the end of the season, the league could no longer continue.

After the second AFL

The second American Football League only lasted a short time, but it had a bigger impact than many thought. It brought major league football to the West Coast for the first time, with a team based in Los Angeles. Before this, the Los Angeles Buccaneers, an NFL team, traveled from Chicago to play their games.

The success of the Boston Shamrocks helped George Preston Marshall decide to move his team, the Boston Redskins, to Washington. The AFL was also where the Cleveland Rams began; today, this team is known as the Los Angeles Rams.

After the league ended, the Los Angeles Bulldogs and the Cincinnati Bengals moved to other leagues. The Bengals later became part of a new league in 1939 and then joined another league in 1940. In 1968, the Bengals name was used again for a new team in Cincinnati.