1952 AFL Draft


The 8 AFL owners gathered in a conference room in the historic Blackstone Hotel in Chicago for the first ever Player Selection Meeting on January 18, 1952. A few of the top players were in attendance, along with some media personnel to relay the information to newspaper and radio companies of the teams’ cities. After some final deliberations between teams, Commissioner Hasenkamp gave a final few words before stepping aside to let team representatives announce their picks for the draft, starting with Detroit with the first pick.

Round 1
1 - Detroit - WR Paul Kent - Washington State - DireBear
2 - Columbus - RB Rip Rooney - Chicago Christian - Dan O’Mac
3 - Cleveland - OL Charles Harvester - North Carolina - idm
4 - Detroit (From TRI) - OL Kelly Molesworth - Michigan - Wallflower
5 - Pittsburgh - LB Barry Moore - Wisconsin State - idm
6 - Buffalo - DL Larry Corn - Rogers Clark - Dan O’Mac
7 - Cincinnati - DB Bobby Richmond - U. Cleveland - DireBear
8 - Chicago - LB Barry Reynolds - Illinois - Wallflower

Most would have thought that Rip Rooney would be going first overall, but the Knights had already extended RB Jeffery Holmes the previous year, so instead they replaced the open hole they traded away by taking WR Paul Kent. Kent’s ability to catch almost anything and outrun a majority of defenders made him one of the top prospects available, even if he has some temper issues while on the field. RB Rip Rooney didn’t wait long to get picked, as he got dealt to Columbus, who were looking for an upgrade at the RB spot and couldn’t pass up the Bernheim winner. Rooney  could just about run through anyone, and if he couldn’t run a defender over he'd just use his surprising speed to get away from them. The next two picks would be OL Charles Harvester and OL Kelly Molesworth to Cleveland and Detroit, respectively, who didn’t like the top options and wanted to improve the offensive line. Harvester was one of the best all-around linemen, and the Knights selected Molesworth over top option Phillip Lee because Molesworth was better at run blocking than pass blocking, and the fact he played local. LB Barry Moore had the honor of being the first defensive player taken in the draft, with Pittsburgh selecting him because of his football smarts, with some saying he is better at knowing the offensive plays better than the other offensive players. The Hammers selected DL Larry Corn, who needed a great all-rounder like him to pair with their other linemen. The remaining two teams this round also selected positions of great need, with Cincinnati selecting workhorse DB Bobby Richmond and Chicago taking LB Barry Reynolds to improve their linebacking core with his run stopping ability.


Round 2
9 - Detroit - OL Phillip Lee - Pittsburgh State - idm
10 - Columbus - LB Howard Treadaway - U. Cleveland - ZO82
11 - Cleveland - DL Karl Lowery - Louisiana - DireBear
12 - Tri-Cities - WR Max Ausloos - U. Tri-Cities - Dan O’Mac
13 - Cincinnati (from PIT) - DL Dave Patricia - Wisconsin State - idm
14 - Buffalo - QB Adrian Alfonso - Philadelphia State - Darknes
15 - Cincinnati - WR Jim Ferris - Chicago Christian - DireBear
16 - Chicago - OL Bart Pangle - Indiana Tech - Wallflower

Detroit took another offensive lineman to begin the second round, taking the biggest steal so far with OL Phillip Lee dropping into the second. The first quarterback shockingly fell into the second round, as Buffalo selected Adrian Alfonso as a potential successor to their starting QB Don Melton. The Hawks made their first selection this round, taking local WR Max Ausloos to revitalize their aging offensive core.

Round 3
17 - Detroit - DL Gordon Spijker - Macatawa State* - Wallflower
18 - Columbus - OL Greg Campbell - Pittsburgh State - Kingsfan11
19 - Tri-Cities (from CLE) - RB Spike Roosevelt - Michigan - Darknes
20 - Detroit (from TRI) - DB Lynn Sharp - Colorado State - DireBear
21 - Pittsburgh - QB O.J. DeMille - Chicago Christian - idm
22 - Buffalo - DB Joe Dudley - Colorado State - DireBear
23 - Cincinnati - QB Addison Golden - Nebraska State - Kingsfan11
24 - Chicago - S Carl Allyn - Chicago Christian - Wallflower

The Knights continued on taking local talent, selecting DL Gordon Spijker out of Macatawa State, who was the best player coming out of the Lower Division of the AACA. Tri-Cities made the first trade in the draft, gaining the 19th pick from Cleveland in exchange for DB Barry Roach. The Hawks were not satisfied with his play last season, especially giving up the game-winning touchdown against the Rivermen that cost them a trip to the championship last year. Tri-Cities would select their replacement for Herman Gibbons, and selected RB Spike Roosevelt, who was expected to be a top 5 pick but slid all the way down into the third.


Two quarterbacks were selected this round, with O.J. DeMille went to Pittsburgh as a potential replacement to their aging QB options, and Addison Golden became a backup in Cincinnati to new starter Lester Parker.


Round 4
25 - Detroit - OL Jack Enderle - Chicago Christian - Wallflower
26 - Columbus - TE Bill Danowski - Iowa A&M - Wallflower
27 - Cleveland - WR Jerry O’Keefe - Massachusetts State - idm
28 - Tri-Cities - DB Karl Bach - Kentucky Commonwealth - idm
29 - Pittsburgh - RB Maxwell Starks - Ohio - ZO82
30 - Buffalo - LB Stefan Stauer - Wisconsin State - idm
31 - Cincinnati - RB Pete Abbott - Michigan -idm
32 - Chicago - OL Lawrence Acker - Wisconsin State - Wallflower

Two players that were in the top 20 players fell down into the fourth, as TE Bill Danowksi slid down from #17 to #26 when he was selected by Columbus to compete for the starting TE spot, and two picks later #20 ranked RB Maxwell Starks was selected 29th overall by Pittsburgh as a backup and potential successor to RB Marion Waters. After trading away a DB the previous round, the Hawks spent their pick on Karl Bach to gain some depth in the secondary before their defensive stars retire. Other notable picks include WR Jerry O’Keefe going to Cleveland, becoming the first player from the Northeast to be drafted into the Midwestern-based league, potentially paving the way for a more national draft in the future.

Round 5
33 - Detroit - WR Spencer Ficklin - Central Michigan - idm
34 - Columbus - OL Kevin Lowder - New York State - idm
35 - Cleveland - QB Steve Doerr - Kentucky Commonwealth - Dan O’Mac
36 - Tri-Cities - S Tom Meltzger - Wisconsin State - idm
37 - Pittsburgh - DB Kevin Prince - Miami Valley State* - Dan O’Mac
38 - Buffalo - DL Lothar Einhorn - Rogers Clark - ZO82
39 - Cincinnati - QB Maurice Hawkins - U. Buffalo - Kingsfan11
40 - Chicago - RB Joseph Parker - Wisconsin State - Rugrat

The final two quarterbacks available went in the last round, with Steve Doerr backing up second-year starter Ronnie Hart in Cleveland, and Maurice Hawkins joined the Rivermen and their many options at backups behind Lester Parker. Chicago would have the final pick of the first draft, strengthening their running back depth by taking Joseph Parker from Wisconsin State.


Undrafted
S Perry Fink - U. Tucson - DireBear | Buffalo
RB Tyler Dye - Missouri - idm | Buffalo
RB Darnell Hodge - Chicago Christian - Kingsfan11 | Pittsburgh
S Marshall Ledger - U. Kansas City - idm | Pittsburgh
RB Max Panders - Ohio - Wallflower | Cleveland
TE Donnie Leblanc - Miami State - DireBear | Buffalo
LB Gene Archer - Toledo State* - DireBear | Tri-Cities
K Bryan Birch - Wisconsin State - Wallflower | Pittsburgh

1952 Playoffs

West Division Play-off: Chicago Hogs @ Cincinnati Rivermen
River Field had a brief warm episode in the few days before the game on Thanksgiving, with the temperature dropping back into the mid-30s from a high of the mid-50s the two days prior. It didn’t stop Rivermen and Hogs fans from flocking to River Field to see the post-season rematch of the championship from last year. These two teams last faced each other just 2 weeks prior, and Cincinnati wanted revenge for losing that game and almost losing their division title.

Q1
The Rivs got off to a slow start on their first possession, punting the ball away on a three-and-out but got the ball back once the Hogs did the same. Cincinnati got hot for a minute, as QB Lester Parker hit top WR Alfred Dunn for a 46 yard gain to put them within scoring range. However, Chicago’s front 7 were a bit too much to handle, failing to advance any further and K Bryan Singer scored 3 to give the Rivermen the first lead of the game. The Hogs quickly retaliated, with QB Alfred Walton carving up the weak Cincinnati secondary, hitting TE Glenn Chambers and WR Donnie Stout for big gains before handing off the ball to RB Brian Bruce on the goalline to put themselves in the lead by the end of the first quarter.
CHI 7, CIN 3

Q2
Chicago’s stout defense caved slightly during the second quarter, preventing the Rivermen from making any huge plays but giving them enough ground to make their way down the field for chances to score. WR Alfred Dunn was almost completely locked up by DB Clarence Newman, forcing QB Lester Parker to make plays elsewhere. TE Floyd Rankin did make a 23 yard catch up the middle, but the Hogs defense stopped the advance of RB Billy Garcia and forced the Rivermen to score another field goal. The one drive in the first seemed to be all the Hogs could muster offensively in the first half, as they failed to get into scoring range and punted away their two possessions this quarter. Cincinnati had a slightly better time on offense, but once again were stopped short of the endzone and scored another field goal with a minute remaining in the half to go into the locker rooms with a 2 point lead.
CHI 7, CIN 9

Q3
The Hogs didn’t waste any time coming into the second half, with QB Alfred Walton finally found his top target WR Nicholas Kramer open for a decent 32 yard gain to get the ball rolling for the Hogs. RB Brian Bruce would add a couple of carries before Walton would connect with Kramer in the endzone on a 3 yard pass to put the Hogs back on top. Cincinnati tried to regain a little momentum, but once again were stopped short of reaching the endzone and settled for another 3 points. While Chicago punted away their next possession, Cincinnati would give them another chance on their next drive. QB Lester Parker handed the ball off to RB Billy Garcia, who nearly made it past the line of scrimmage before Chicago DL Joel Valentine punched the ball from his hands. DB Douglas Marks found the ball in the scrum, and ran back 40 yards for the touchdown to put the Hogs up two possessions at the end of the third.
CHI 21, CIN 12

Q4
That fumble at the end of the third must have lit a fire on the Rivermen, as they finally tore their way through the stalwart Chicago defense determined to make it into the endzone. QB Lester Parker finally found TE Floyd Rankin on a 2 yard pass to score a touchdown and cut their deficit to 2. Chicago wanted to chew out as much clock as possible to win the game, but were a little too good in advancing the ball down the field. RB Brian Bruce was supposed to go down on a short 3 yard run, but broke loose for 20 yards before finally downing himself when he realized he was supposed to chew clock. He went down at the 8 yard line, and the second-year player was immediately pulled from the game by coach Donovan Hasenkamp for potentially throwing the game away. The Hogs had to kick a field goal, but were only up by 5 and left Cincinnati with 2 minutes left to score a touchdown. QB Lester Parker began to show why he won Offensive Player of the Year, threading the needle to find WR Alfred Dunn for a massive 60 yard gain, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. Parker’s heroics were short lived though, as two plays later he found the wrong team, throwing the ball into the hands of DB Clarence Newman, as Chicago narrowly avoided embarrassment and clinched their way into their third consecutive championship appearance.
CHI 24, CIN 19

East Division Play-off: Pittsburgh Shamrocks @ Buffalo Hammers
It was a fairly cold and hazy day in Buffalo, with intermittent snow showers and a thin layer of smoke covering Roesch Stadium. Temperatures were in the low 30’s, but snow showers covered the field with a thin layer of snow that had to be cleared off shortly before game time. That didn’t stop fans from both teams from showing up in droves for the AFL’s newest rivalry between these two expansion teams.

Q1
Pittsburgh made quick work out of starting with the ball, with RB Marion Waters getting the ball on the majority of their first drive, and eventually punched it into the endzone after taking up nearly 7 minutes of clock. They would go up by 7, but the normally automatic K Vernon Hebert’s kick would be blocked by DL Ray Payne, and Buffalo would have a chance to take the lead on their next possession. Hammers QB Don Melton would carve through the weaker Shamrocks secondary, hooking up with his primary targets of WR Bernard Clarke and Ben Farrell to capitalize on the momentum from the blocked PAT. Buffalo would reach the endzone only a few plays later, this time with RB Calvin Townsend breaking loose for a 15 yard run that ended with him waltzing in to put Buffalo up by 1. Pittsburgh QB Clarence Stanley could not get the offense moving on the next drive and stalled out, and the Shamrocks punted the ball away after a single set of downs. Melton and the Hammers immediately capitalized on the Shamrocks’ stalling out, as Melton found Clarke open for a 30 yard gain that put Buffalo in prime scoring range, and another big run by Townsend set the Hammers up on the 1. However, Pittsburgh’s stout defense finally showed up to stuff Townsend on three straight plays, forcing Buffalo to kick a field goal and increase their lead at the end of the quarter
PIT 6, BUF 10

Q2
Shamrocks QB Clarence Stanley would continue to stall out the offense through the air, as the Hammers had stuffed RB Marion Waters all game up to this point. Pittsburgh would punt away their next possession back to the Hammers, and again Buffalo would carve through the Pittsburgh defense on their drive. The Shamrocks would stop the Hammers a little further from the endzone, shutting down RB Calvin Townsend on the 19 yard line and force K Guy Moran back onto the field for another 3 for Buffalo. Pittsburgh’s offense woes would continue, as RB Marion Waters was getting continuously stuffed by the Hammers’ front 7, especially All-Star DL Ray Payne. QB Clarence Stanley was trying to get the passing attack up and working, but made another mistake when trying to throw to WR David Rice. He underestimated Rice’s speed, and underthrew the ball right into the hands of Buffalo DB Joe Merritt. Merritt bobbed and weaved through the Shamrocks trying to take him down, and walked into the endzone for a touchdown with no Pittsburgh player within 20 yards of him. Pittsburgh head coach James O’Leary was furious with Stanley throughout the season for his miscues, and benched the veteran for former starter Leslie Snow. Snow handed the ball off to Waters to end the first half with the Hammers having clear momentum and the Shamrocks continuing to have their offensive woes without their rushing attack
PIT 9, BUF 17

Q3
The potent Hammers offense seemed to cool down after a hot first half, with the Shamrocks forcing Buffalo to put after stopping them at midfield, their first punt since early in the second. Pittsburgh got moving with QB Leslie Snow under center, though the rushing attack led by RB Marion Waters actually broke through the Buffalo front 7 for the first time since their opening drive. Their success would peter out once they crossed the 40, with the Hammers defense getting a grip on the run game. K Vernon Hebert would kick another 3 for the Shamrocks to cut the deficit to 5, but it was not looking bright for Pittsburgh. Buffalo had some similar issues, as they could not fully push through the Shamrocks defense on their 2 drives this quarter. QB Don Melton was not able to find anyone to convert on the 19 yard line on the first, and RB Calvin Townsend was stopped on a 3rd and inches on the second drive. Both resulted in a field goal for the Hammers, almost assuring their victory even with another quarter to play in full.
PIT 12, BUF 26

Q4
It seemed like the Shamrocks’ luck could not get any worse entering the fourth, but on their first drive it seemed like any chance they had at winning was lost. QB Leslie Snow was looking for someone to pass to on a crucial third down, but was blindsided by LB Oliver Shoemaker, who crushed him and forced a fumble. Buffalo would recover the fumble in scoring territory, but Snow would not get up after the play. Snow had to be helped off the field after writhing in pain, and coach James O’Leary had to make a choice at quarterback after Buffalo’s possession was over. Even though they had excellent field position, the Hammers were stuffed by the Pittsburgh defense, and after a three-and-out series kicked another field goal as insurance. With some time to think it over and to help breathe some life into the dead offense, O’Leary decided to put in unproven rookie QB O.J. DeMille instead of starter Clarence Stanley. DeMille’s youth got the offense moving, as the passing attack was revitalized with a 20 yard pass to WR Henry Simpson to cross midfield, and another 34 yard shot to WR David Rice to put the Shamrocks on the 2 yard line a few plays later. RB Marion Waters dove into the endzone a play later, as the Hammers were now only up by 7 after holding a comfortable lead the whole game. Buffalo QB Don Melton quickly put together a comeback drive to reinsure their win, teaming up with WR’s Bernard Clarke and Ben Ferrell to shred through the Pittsburgh secondary and quickly get into scoring range. The Shamrocks’ front seven was once again proved too much for RB Calvin Townsend to handle, and the Hammers kicked a field goal once again to increase their lead to 10. DeMille had something to prove with the Shamrocks, as the following drive he threw a dart to WR David Rice, who outran most of the Buffalo secondary before getting tripped up at the 7 yard line by S Wilbert Richie. After two attempts to run it in by RB Marion Waters proved ineffective, DeMille tossed a short pass into the arms of TE Harry Worley for 6 to keep the game close with only 4 minutes left to play. Buffalo tried to run out the clock, but failed to convert on third down after only taking two minutes off the clock. They punted it back to Pittsburgh and hoped that the red-hot Shamrocks would stall out at the right time. QB O.J. DeMille stayed hot, and tossed a jump ball to WR Henry Simpson, who came out on top and fought for 10 additional yards for a stellar 25 yard catch to put the Shamrocks in the right position to score. This time though, the Buffalo defense stepped up, and forced a crucial 4th down conversion on the 34 yard line with 40 seconds to go in the game. DeMille took the snap and threw it to Simpson, but the ball was swatted away by DB Joe Merritt, ending any potential comeback hopes from Pittsburgh. Buffalo ran out the remaining clock, and would play in the Championship in their first year in the AFL.
PIT 26, BUF 32

Third American Football Championship
Both teams were expected to be here in predictions from before the season, but they are certainly not where most had expected them to be. Chicago was thought to have fallen off after starting with a .500 record, but has won 5 straight games to reach this point. Buffalo was the better team entering the playoffs, but their playoff matchup showed that a good defense can shut down the run game and limit what MVP QB Don Melton can do with the ball. While the Hogs’ defense is not at the same level of the Shamrocks’ defense, it would be foolish to say that they are not capable. DL Eric Forbes has been terrorizing offensive lines all year, and the Hogs’ secondary is an upgrade over the Shamrocks’. It will be a close game between the old and new powerhouses of the league, but Chicago getting hot where they needed is all they will need to win their second championship
My Pick: Chicago

C&C Appreciated!

Last edited by DireBear (2/02/2023 7:07 pm)

wow, a couple of fun games, complete with both winning teams almost blowing it! hard to ask for anything more exciting. definitely great to see oj out there killing it. hopefully he gets some more chances next season because I'm sure he'll fit like a glove. pulling for the hogs to grab another title. keep up the good work!

yeah baby let's go hogs! great to see them get another title, but also great to see that buffalo was competitive and that these new teams are working out. hopefully that'll inspire more teams to join. obviously I'm waiting on one city in particular, lol, but the more the merrier. looking forward to the offseason!

The Wide World of American Football: 1952-53 Edition

MWFC EXPANDING AGAIN, FOR BETTER OR WORSE?
The move of the Columbus Buckeyes to Washington seemed to have sparked something inside of MWFC president Virgil Bradshaw, as he swiftly announced the addition of a team in Columbus beginning in 1953 as well as two more teams joining the league in 1954. Former owner Randolf Durant had no influence on the new franchise, instead Bradshaw put investment banker Peter Issacs in charge of the new team, named the Columbus Aviators. While he did not say where the two teams would be at, he assured the press that the two new teams would expand the footprint of the league further than it had ever been before. Many guessed that Bradshaw was trying to lure in teams from other leagues like how the AFL did, and many have circulated that these teams could come anywhere from the NYPL to the former teams of the Southern Football League, which folded during the 1944 season. Sports pundits were perplexed at the moves, mainly the expansion back to Columbus. Even Donovan Hasenkamp chimed in on the move, stating “[The Buckeyes] were second fiddle to the University of Ohio in attendance in both of the leagues they were in. What do [Bradshaw and Isaacs] have that will make it any different?” The Buckeyes struggled in attendance ever since their peak in the 1920’s, consistently filling up only 10,000 seats in the 60,000 seat stadium after the war. If the MWFC is trying to establish itself as a mid-major tier football league, then this would be a decent move. However, Bradshaw is still proclaiming the Championship as the best football league in America, so putting a new team in a struggling market is baffling to say the least. As for how the two newest teams in the Championship did, they were awful. Louisville finished dead last in the league, only winning a single game against the other expansion team in Kansas City. KC did slightly better, winning three games but facing some poor play all around. Lack of parity has plagued the MWFC since the 6 founding AFL teams left, with the Chicago Stars, Indianapolis Flames, and Fort Wayne Generals finishing in the top 3 every year since 1950. This included this year, as Bradshaw’s Chicago Stars reclaimed the Bradshaw Cup by manhandling the defending champs in the Indianapolis Flames. Bradshaw rebutted the lack of parity during the awards ceremony, stating “We just lost half of our league to that asinine traitor [Hasenkamp]. Of course the rest of the league blows. We’ll be back up to snuff in a few years.” Many noted the irony of Bradshaw stating that his own league is not great quality-wise while he was standing under a banner proclaiming that the Stars were “World Champions of Football”. Some of the newer teams in the MWFC took great offense to their president calling them bad, and their relationship with Bradshaw might begin to dwindle if he continues to build up the top teams and ignore the middle and bottom of the league. With new teams joining, the MWFC might be expanding faster than the AFL, but it is definitely lacking the quality the latter has gained over the past 3 years. The Championship hopes to regain the glory it once had, and time will tell if they will recapture their old glory or fall into pieces like the other regional leagues.

NYPL ON LAST LEGS
Even with the restructuring down to 6 teams for this year, the NYPL’s future is not looking bright. The Long Island Islanders and Philadelphia Federals have played their last games in the NYPL this year, as the former will fold and the latter will merge into the Philadelphia Americans. The Long Island Islanders had great success in the early years of the NYPL, winning two championships in 1929 and 1931, and staying constantly in the top half of the league during the Great Depression. However, the team fell apart during the war, and was the resident cellar dweller of the league during this time. It was no wonder the NYPL decided to fold the team, fan support was almost non-existent and the team was bleeding money. The Federals were the other team that regularly joined the Islanders in the basement, winning their sole championship in 1938, but never coming close to the point since. The reduction in teams might provide some temporary relief for the downtrodden league, but in the long term it looks far more bleak. The seasons since 1941 have not been great for the league, losing 8 teams in that time span, including Buffalo and Pittsburgh who have been revitalized in the AFL in just 1 season. Commissioner and Bronx Bulldogs owner Luther Cryer is on an incredibly hot seat. New York Dutch Lions owner Peter Stuyvesant was the most vocal about replacing the failing commissioner, who wanted Cryer to do something about the competing MWFC and AFL instead of focusing on just teams in the New York City area. Stuyvesant is the most vocal opposition to Cryer’s leadership, but outside of Newark Tigers owner Robert Ritchie there wasn’t anyone else who was going to oppose the founder of the league. While this power struggle was happening, the Philadelphia Americans were struggling off the field. They did get runner-up this year, but it looks more of a flash in the pan more than anything. The Americans did gain some assets from the Federals to hopefully keep them afloat for a few more years, but the general ignorance from the teams favoring Cryer’s leadership, primarily Bronx Bulldogs and Brooklyn Kings. There have been rumors that the teams opposing Cryer, those being Baltimore, Newark, and New York, are looking for a way out of the NYPL, and will jump at any opportunity to leave the failing league. Representatives from the AFL, MWFC, and NEFL have been rumored to have been around the owners of Baltimore, Newark, and New York, so to see any of them leaving soon might be more likely than not. The NYPL is becoming a trainwreck too horrible not to look away from, and any developments from this will most likely come sooner rather than later.

AFL-NEFL TALKING MERGER
Talks between the AFL and NEFL for a possible merger between the two leagues have stalled over the past year, with Boston Rebels owner Frank Goldstein’s demands that both Boston teams be allowed into the league repeatedly being denied by the AFL and Boston Bards owner Leslie Watson. AFL commissioner Donovan Hasenkamp has been quite firm over the fact that there can be only 1 team from Boston, stemming from a potential reason to bar MWFC president Virgil Bradshaw from attempting to join the AFL with his own Chicago team. However, negotiations have stalled immensely due to Watson’s health. Watson had been bed-ridden most of 1952, leaving most of the Rebels’ day-to-day operations with his son-in-law Robert McNamara. McNamara has the complete opposite view of Frank Goldstein, and is a little more willing to merge the two Boston teams just to join the more prestigious AFL, leaving the two constantly clashing during NEFL league meetings. Watson unfortunately passed away in January of 1953, and control of the Boston Bards passed to McNamara as the new owner. McNamara had gained prominence among the NEFL for his willingness to change, especially in a league as deep in tradition as the NEFL is. An alumnus of the prestigious Armitage University in Boston, where the Boston Bards got their name, his marketing and advertising businesses made him gain good cohorts with the other NEFL owners, even sitting in on several meetings because of the other owner’s respect for him. McNamara sitting in on these meetings made the tensions between him and Frank Goldstein hard to make up, constantly bickering over what the league is to do in the current football landscape. It was also not a surprise that he was almost unanimously elected as the next president of the NEFL, with the only dissenting vote being Goldstein. This puts McNamara in charge of any potential talks the league will have with other leagues. McNamara was in attendance for the AFL Championship game in Buffalo, and loved what he saw out of Buffalo, knowing that a Boston team could have great potential if on the same level as either Buffalo or Pittsburgh were this season. Hasenkamp has invited both Watson and McNamara to join the AFL’s spring meetings to talk further matters about the Boston scenario and what to do with the rest of the NEFL with its two marquee teams gone. The next spring meetings for the AFL will be crucial for the young league’s future, with many saying that whether or not Boston will join the AFL will launch it into stardom or flounder with another rejection. If it’s anyone’s guess, the AFL will announce at least 1 new team that will be entering the league in the near future, but no one is quite sure what will happen between both of the Boston teams and the remaining teams of the NEFL.

TL;DR:
- MWFC is expanding to Columbus in 1953 and two other locations TBD in 1954. The league is suffering from lack of parity while league president Virgil Bradshaw still claims it is the most prestigious of football leagues.
- NYPL is about to collapse. Owners are actively trying to leave the league while it is downsizing, with the three teams most wanting to leave being the Baltimore Barons, New York Dutch Lions, and Newark Tigers.
- NEFL has a new commissioner, Robert McNamara, the son-in-law of Boston Bards owner Leslie Watson. McNamara is well liked among the NEFL owners, though is constantly at odds with Boston Rebels owner Frank Goldstein. Both McNamara and Goldstein have been invited by AFL commissioner Donovan Hasenkamp to attend the league's meetings for a potential merger.

C&C Appreciated! Any thoughts on the futures of these leagues? Send in those prospects if you still have any!