1949 Champions Cup Final [scoreworm]
Date: July 30, 1949
Location: New York Runty Park, New York, NY
Weather: 90℉ (32℃), Sparsely Cloudy
Wind: Moderate Breeze
Attendance: 35,000

While it was a little on the hot side temperature-wise, the skies were clear and there was a cool wind blowing from the Atlantic on New York Runty Park. On one side of the field were the 11-0-1 Buffalo Panthers, looking to become the first professional runty team to go undefeated throughout a full season. On the other were the Bronx Bears, playing their first Champions Cup game and looking to play spoiler on the Panthers. As the game was played in New York, there were many more Bears supporters than Panthers supporters.

The pace to start was actually pretty conservative, as the two teams attempted to see through each other’s strategies. Despite this, they exchanged points within the first three minutes, and Ray Paul kicked a goal a minute later, off a beautiful shot from 25 yards out. Defense prevailed for the next chunk of time, with neither team getting any great chances. Eventually, after the halfway point of the quarter, the pace would increase. Both teams had some great looks, though all they could muster was a point each. Off the jump-ball after the last point, Nestor Wright recovered the ball for Buffalo, brought the ball up the field, and was fouled in the penalty arc, drawing a penalty shot. He easily converted to put the Panthers up by two goals, and that lead would remain until the end of the quarter.

AFTER 1: The Bronx 2-10 Buffalo

The second half started on a bizarre note, as just a few seconds in, a high-arching kick by Christian Charpentier was aided by a strong wind, going just wide of the net for a point. The shot came from inside his own half. Over the next 4 minutes, the two teams exchanged points once more, making it 12-3 for the Panthers. The Bears controlled the ball for almost all of the remainder of the quarter. However the Panthers defense showed why they were the best backline in the league, as the Bears could get barely anything through. When the Bears did manage to get into the penalty arc, they were quickly smothered by 2 or 3 players, and gave up the ball. All the Bronx could manage were long shots, most of which were inaccurate. In the 19 minutes after Buffalo’s last point, all the Bears could manage with their constant rushes were two points. As the half drew to a close, the neutral supporters at the NYRP gave the Panthers defense a standing ovation, as they still had a multiple-possession lead despite the constant pressure from the Bears.

AT THE HALF: The Bronx 5-12 Buffalo

Bears coach Ron Murphy, known across the NERC as a “Perennial Optimist” gave words of encouragement to the Bears at halftime, telling them not to give up hope. This seemed to work, as 3:18 into the third quarter, Cedric Ekling finally gave the Bears their first goal of the game. The Panthers got a point back, then the offense exploded. In 3:01 of play, Benoit Peak and Calvin Bernard both scored to put the Bears up 17-13, then Charpentier deflected in a cross from Artie Booth to tie the game back up. The Panthers added a point to take the lead again, and there was a short dry spell with no real chances. The action would ramp back up before the end of the quarter, as Charpentier kicked home a rebound for his second of the game, a stat unheard of for a fullback. The Bears, knowing that another Panthers goal would be game over, controlled the ball for the remainder of the quarter, and were rewarded with a goal from RU Jim McConnell, who just punched a shot over the goal line. This brought the Bears within 1, setting the stage for a nail-biting fourth quarter.

AFTER 3: The Bronx 21-22 Buffalo

The Bears won the jump-ball to start the fourth, so they took their time to make sure they had the best chance of getting a score to tie or take the lead. They made it to the penalty arc and were inches away from taking the lead. However, the shot from Bernard just ticked off the post before going in, resulting in a point instead of a goal. The game was now tied at 22, and neither team wanted to make a mistake, resulting in a stalemate. The two teams tried to take rushes, but the other wouldn’t budge. Eventually, with 9:23 to play, Buffalo’s Allen Formock took a shot from a tight angle that froze McConnell, giving the Panthers the decisive go-ahead goal. This was a dagger to the Bears, and they just collapsed after. The Panthers would get the ball right back, and on their next rush, Michael Anthony acrobatically beat McConnell, effectively sealing the game. The Panthers, showing no mercy, would score twice more on their next two rushes, taking a 16-point lead with 6:12 left in the game. The Bears had pretty much already accepted defeat, and didn’t do much to get back in the game. As the final whistle blew, the Panthers ran down to where their loud and proud supporters were, celebrating the culmination of their historic season with them. 

Of the 13 games the Panthers played, they won twelve, and drew one. In those games, they scored 369 points and allowed only 223. It was a season for the record books, one nobody in the city of Buffalo would ever forget, one they would recount to their children and grandchildren.

FINAL SCORE: The Bronx 22-38 Buffalo



1949 Championship Flag:


There’s the 1949 Final Post! Look out for the NERC’s first offseason post next, where I’ll ask for your help to name the league’s first expansion team! (And since I have no idea who reads this, your idea very well might be the one I end up going with).

Congrats to Buffalo on an undefeated season! Hopefully the Isles can turn things around soon.

Looking forward to expansion8.7.3

Manhattan Tycoons, Manhattan Sounders (RCA, Columbia and Decca were all HQ'd in the Borough)

Before I start: I haven't disregarded the submitted names, I've incorporated them into this post, more info on voting will be in the notable events section of this post.

1950 NERC Season

For the first time in league history, the NERC announced it was using the same playoff format for consecutive seasons, the one introduced in 1949. Three teams would make the playoffs, with seeds 2 and 3 playing for the right to face the #1 seed in the Champions Cup.

The NERC’s 5th season began on May 6, 1950, with all 6 teams playing at the traditional 3:00 time slot. It was a great opening week, as all 3 games were close. The Bears defeated the Riders 25-21 in Boston, the Panthers edged the Clippers 23-17, and the Islanders won a 26-25 nailbiter over the Knights.

Overall, if was the league's most even season in terms of win-loss record, and also the league's highest-scoring season, with an average of 6 more points per game than in 1949.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Week 1: New York 25-26 Staten Island
Week 2: Boston 26-28 Buffalo
Week 3: Boston 29-23 Staten Island
Week 4: Boston 24-26 New York
Week 5: Staten Island 13-17 Hempstead
Week 6: Staten Island 19-25 New York
Week 7: Hempstead 27-25 Boston
Week 8: Buffalo 25-24 the Bronx
Week 9: Hempstead 23-24 the Bronx
Week 10: the Bronx 23-22 New York
Week 11: New York 27-34 Boston
Week 12: Boston 30-24 Hempstead
Week 13: the Bronx 25-34 Buffalo

1. THE BRONX BEARS
Leading Goalscorer: Charles Wentz (18)

For the second consecutive year, the team that lost in the Champions Cup the previous year finished first overall. This season, that team was the Bronx Bears. Despite the average team score per game being 3 points higher than in 1949, the Bears #1 defense did a great job at stopping their opponents’ best players. On offense, the emergence of Charles Wentz brought their offense from terrible to average, as he set an NERC record for goals in a season. The Bears finished with a record of 9-3-0, Their best during their time in the NERC.

2. BUFFALO PANTHERS
Leading Goalscorer: Christian Charpentier (14)

It was a step back for the Panthers in 1950, as their defense fell down from #1 to #5 in the league. This was most likely due to the positional change of Christian Charpentier, who moved to forward from fullback after his amazing Champions Cup performance in 1949. However, despite the defensive struggles, the addition of Charpentier up front made their already scary offense even scarier, as they averaged over 25.5 points per game. Allen Formock was also a big factor up front, finishing in the top 10 in goals. The Panthers finished at 7-4-1.

3. NEW YORK KNIGHTS
Leading Goalscorer: Victor Kattie (14)

Coming in third was a huge surprise, the New York Knights. Despite a 2-10 record in 1949 and not much to look forward to, their offensive core finally clicked and their defense was solid. Of all the breakout players, the most notable was Victor Kattie, an exciting prospect signed in 1948 who hadn’t lived up to expectations. Solomon Benward was another breakout player, playing solid on the backline. The Knights stumbled late in the season, but still hung on to the final playoff spot, finishing at 6-5-1.

4. BOSTON RIDERS
Leading Goalscorer: Gerald Winkler (12)

It was another disappointing year for the Riders, who were penned in by sportswriters to have a bounceback year. Instead, they lost 6 of their first 7 games, a hole too deep for them to get out of. The main reason for their underperformance was their defense, who allowed almost 3 more points per game than the closest team. Injuries weren’t an excuse either, their defensive play just declined sharply, and previously solid players like the Addison Brothers fell off a cliff in terms of skill. On the flip side, their offense was 2nd in the league in points scored, making their defensive woes even more infuriating. Boston finished at 4-6-2.

5. HEMPSTEAD CLIPPERS
Leading Goalscorer: Joe Pitts (10)

Finishing 5th were the Hempstead Clippers, who missed the playoffs for the first time in the NERC. Their 8-4 1949 season was considered an overachievement, but pundits were not expecting them to drop as far as they did. In 1950, Their offensive talent went down, their defensive struggles went up, and they went through the whole season without winning consecutive games. Overall, it was a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad season for the Clippers, as they finished 4-7-1.

6. STATEN ISLAND ISLANDERS
Leading Goalscorer: Cyril Dinker (12)

For the 5th consecutive season, coming in last place were the Staten Island Islanders. However, despite their constant futility overall, they finally had some realistic hope. For the first time in their NERC history, one of their players scored double-digit goals in back-to-back years. As well, they had two very impressive victories against the defending champion Buffalo Panthers. Many pundits were certain that 1950 would be the last year the Islanders would be at the bottom for the foreseeable future, with one saying “I see no scenario where this team does not make the playoffs in 1951”. Staten Island finished at 3-8-1.

​

Miscellaneous Stats:     
      -   Leading Goalscorer Trophy (Retroactively Awarded): Charles Wentz (BRX) (18 Goals)
      -   Largest Home Victory: Boston 24-37 the Bronx (Week 6)
      -   Largest Away Victory: New York 37-22 Buffalo (Week 7); Buffalo 31-16 Staten Island (Week 12)
      -   Most Combined Points: 61 (New York 27-34 Boston, Week 11)

Notable Events:
      -   The Week 10 game between The Bronx and New York featured a line brawl after players from both teams made unnecessarily hard and illegal tackles on each other. In total, 3 multiple-game suspensions were given out, including one 15-game suspension to the Bears’ William McArthur.
      -   The American Runty Federation succeeded the Runty Federation as the governing body of the sport.
      -   Sideline referees were introduced, to help the game’s head referee know when the ball has been kicked out, and what type of kick to award when that happens.
      -   The Manhattan Runty Club announced three finalists for their official nickname, from a name-the-team contest. The three finalists were: The Tycoons, the Sounders, and the Archers. To gain more appeal throughout NYC, the team asked for the public’s opinion of their names based on a final vote (That’s you guys). Below this post feel free to vote on which name you feel fits best. If you submitted a name, feel free to vote for your own submission.

(I didn’t choose one submitted name because I felt it would fit much better with another expansion team to be announced next offseason) There’s the post for the 1950 season! Let me know what you think!

I'm gonna have to vote for my Archers suggestion, but I like all three options. Excited to see what you have in store!