The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was an American football league which challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949.
From 1946 to 1948, the AAFC determined its champion in a title game between the winners of its two divisions. In 1948, a special playoff game was needed to break a first-place tie in one of the divisions.
In 1949, the league contracted to a single division, so it determined its champion by a four-team single-elimination tournament.
The Cleveland Browns won all four AAFC titles, however their domination and the lack of balance that it demonstrated ultimately hurt the league by diminishing attendance.[1][2][3][4]
AAFC playoff records, as with AAFC records in general, are recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but are not included in the NFL's record book.[5]
 AAFC Official Logo | |
| Sport | American football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1944 |
| First season | 1946 |
| Ceased | 1949 |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | United States |
| Last champion(s) | Cleveland Browns |
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1946
Championship Game
Cleveland Browns 14, New York Yankees 9
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees (10–3–1) | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| Cleveland Browns (12–2–0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
December 22, 1946, at Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Scoring
- N.Y. – FG H. Johnson 21
- CLE. – Motley 2 run (Groza kick)
- N.Y. – Sanders 2 run (kick blocked)
- CLE. – Lavelli 16 pass from Graham (Groza kick)
1947
Championship Game
Cleveland Browns 14, New York Yankees 3
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns (12–1–1) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| New York Yankees (11–2–1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
December 14, 1947, at Yankee Stadium, New York, New York
- Scoring
- CLE. – Graham 1 run (Groza kick)
- N.Y. – FG H. Johnson 12
- CLE. – Jones 4 run (Groza kick)
1948
Division Playoff
Buffalo Bills 28, Baltimore Colts 17
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills (7–7–0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 28 |
| Baltimore Colts (7–7–0) | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
Dec. 12, 1948 at Municipal Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
- Scoring
- BAL. – FG Grossman 16
- BUF. – O'Connor 5 pass from Ratterman (Armstrong kick)
- BAL. – Mertes 9 run (Grossman kick)
- BAL. – Mertes 1 run (Grossman kick)
- BUF. – Gompers 66 pass from Ratterman (Armstrong kick)
- BUF. – Baldwin 25 pass from Ratterman (Armstrong kick)
- BUF. – Hirsch 20 pass interception (Armstrong kick)
Championship Game
Cleveland Browns 49, Buffalo Bills 7
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills (8–7–0) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Cleveland Browns (14–0–0) | 7 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 49 |
Dec. 19, 1948 at Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Scoring
- CLE. – E. Jones 3 run (Groza kick)
- CLE. – Young 18 fumble return (Groza kick)
- CLE. – E. Jones 9 pass from Graham (Groza kick)
- CLE. – Motley 29 run (Groza kick)
- BUF. – Baldwin 10 pass from Still (Armstrong kick)
- CLE. – Motley 31 run (Groza kick)
- CLE. – Motley 5 run (Groza kick)
- CLE. – Saban 39 interception return (Groza kick)
1949
First-round Games
Cleveland Browns 31, Buffalo Bills 21
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills (5–5–2) | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Cleveland Browns (9–1–2) | 10 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
Dec. 4, 1949 at Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Scoring
- CLE. – Lavelli 51 pass from Graham (Groza kick)
- CLE. – FG Groza 31
- BUF. – Tomasetti 4 pass from Ratterman (Adams kick)
- BUF. – Mutryn 8 pass from Ratterman (Adams kick)
- CLE. – E. Jones 2 run (Groza kick)
- BUF. – Mutryn 30 pass from Ratterman (Adams kick)
- CLE. – D. Jones 49 pass from Graham (Groza kick)
- CLE. – Lahr 52 interception return (Groza kick)
San Francisco 49ers 17, New York Yankees 7
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees (8–4–0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| San Francisco 49ers (9–3–0) | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
Dec. 4, 1949 at Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, California
- Scoring
- S.F. – Lilywhite 40 run (Veterano kick)
- N.Y. – Howard 1 run (H. Johnson kick)
- S.F. – FG Veterano 38
- S.F. – Garlin 10 pass from Albert (Veterano kick)
Championship Game
Cleveland Browns 21, San Francisco 49ers 7
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers (10–3–0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Cleveland Browns (10–1–2) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Dec. 11, 1949 at Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Scoring
- CLE. – E. Jones 2 run (Groza kick)
- CLE. – Motley 63 run (Groza kick)
- S.F. – Salata 23 pass from Albert (Veterano kick)
- CLE. – D. Jones 4 run (Groza kick)
References
- ^ The NFL's Official Encyclopedic History of Professional Football, 1977: The AAFC, pgs. 245-251
- ^ America’s Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation, by Michael MacCambridge, 2005, pg. 51
- ^ The Coffin Corner, Volume 2, 1980 Archived January 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, published by the Professional Football Researchers Association: All-America Football Conference, by Stan Grosshandler
- ^ Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League, 1999, The History of the National Football League, pg. 23
- ^ The NFL's Official Encyclopedic History of Professional Football, 1977: Introduction, pgs. 7-8
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)