whoa! didn't expect my prospects this year to have much of an impact, but very cool to see billy gould get an opportunity and get off to such a quick start! hopefully he will live up to his name and get chicago back on top this season. also definitely cool to see the feds having success in washington. can't wait for the playoffs!

1953 Playoffs

East Division Play-Off: Buffalo Hammers @ Pittsburgh Shamrocks

A thin layer of snow had blanketed Oakland Stadium before its first ever postseason game, and Shamrocks fans showed up in droves to potentially see their team playing for a championship for the first time in nearly a decade. It’s a rematch of last year’s play-off, but both teams are in significantly different positions than they were last year.

Q1
For any fans wanting a rematch of last years’ playoff game between these two, they would be deprived of a high-scoring game. The defenses clicked in almost immediately, with Buffalo making Pittsburgh punt on a three and out, and the Shamrocks held the Hammers to only a single first down conversion before they punted the ball back over. Pittsburgh RB Marion Waters struggled to get the ball moving for the Shamrocks, only putting up 19 yards on the ground by the time the first quarter was over. Buffalo had similar issues on offense, as QB Don Melton threw a costly interception to DB Jerry Pruitt, who finally got some momentum rolling for the Shamrocks as the first quarter ended.
BUF 0, PIT 0

Q2
Waters finally got a head of steam on their first possession of the second quarter, darting around the Hammers defense for 41 yards, but was taken down at the 3 by DB Joe Merritt. Waters would get into the endzone only a few plays later, and the Shamrocks had taken the lead against the Hammers for the first time all season. Buffalo also got their gears turning following the Pittsburgh touchdown, as Melton found WR Ben Farrell on the sideline for a 21 yard catch to set them up in scoring range for the first time all game. The Shamrocks defense would stand strong, stopping RB Calvin Townsend from picking up the first down, forcing the Hammers to only three points on a field goal. Buffalo would get another chance at scoring almost immediately, as QB Clarence Stanley would get the ball tipped at the line by DL Ray Payne, where it fell down into the arms of LB Oliver Shoemaker. Buffalo would get further into scoring territory than their previous drive, but Townsend was once again stopped short of the endzone, resulting in another field goal by the Hammers. Pittsburgh would attempt to get one last score in before the half was over, but couldn’t get within scoring range and only had a 1 point lead with Buffalo ready to take back the lead in the second half
BUF 6, PIT 7

Q3
Buffalo would get the ball rolling when they came out of the locker room, with QB Don Melton finding WR Bernard Clarke wide open after DB Neil Harrington got tripped up at the line, and Clarke nearly made it all the way before getting knocked out of bounds by DB Jerry Pruitt. The play would go in vain, as the Pittsburgh front seven held strong for three straight plays, forcing Buffalo to kick a field goal to take the lead for the first time all game. The Shamrocks would have some offensive struggles this quarter, as RB Marion Waters failed to rush for more than 4 yards all quarter, and QB Clarence Stanley struggled to find his receivers, punting the ball away three times, with two of those drives three-and-outs. Buffalo would get a drive going in between Pittsburgh’s struggles, though it went about as well as it had previously, getting just into scoring range before allowing K Guy Moran to kick his fourth field goal of the day and extend their lead to 5.
BUF 12, PIT 7

Q4
The Shamrocks’ first attempt at any form of offense was quickly put out by the Hammers, stuffing them at the line on a crucial 4th and 1 in their own territory. This might have spelled doom for Pittsburgh, but their defense bailed them out on the ensuing drive. On third down, QB Don Melton looked to TE Dan Finley over the middle, but the ball was intercepted by LB Barry Moore, who took the ball back 70 yards for a touchdown. Buffalo’s winning hopes would not get any better after that, with QB Don Melton taking a massive hit from DL Archie Webber, which would hamper his throwing arm for the rest of the game. With the Hammers offense stalling out, all the Shamrocks had to do was coast to win the game. After winding down the clock, Pittsburgh would earn the right to play in the championship, and potentially win their first ever.
BUF 12, PIT 14

West Division Play-Off: Washington Federals @ Chicago Hogs

Union Stadium was as loud as it ever was on a snowy Thanksgiving night, with the typically raucous Hogs fans joined by Washington fans, who were equally as ready to have a successful team in town. It had been snowing in the Windy City all day, and Union Stadium was covered in a layer of snow before the game. Both teams are coming in red hot, and their playstyles would melt any snow left on the field. Washington HC Irving Barry is not a stranger to Chicago, clinching a playoff berth for the Federals in just his first season as a head coach after being the Hogs’ DC for the past 10 years.

Q1
Washington would get off to a great start, as QB Johnnie Sellers would feed the ball to WR Darius Sanderson on back-to-back-to-back plays to quickly get downfield.  Sanderson immediately made an impact, as he barely had to jump over DB Douglas Cross to make the third catch, sending the visiting crowd into a frenzy as he galloped for 40 yards before getting taken down by S Jeffery Irwin. RB Rip Rooney would run it up the gut a few plays later to give the Federals the first points of the game. Chicago made quick work in retaliation, with rookie sensation RB Billy Gould tearing through the young Washington defense to get right back in scoring range. QB Alfred Walton would attempt to throw to WR Nicholas Kramer on two straight plays, but was outplayed by DB Johnathan Moon on both, swatting the ball away on both pass attempts. After a failed rushing attempt by Gould, K Freddie Donnelly would kick the ball through the uprights for a field goal. Donnely’s ensuing kickoff would pin the Federals against their own endzone. Washington only managed to get out of the shadow of their endzone before being forced to punt, but the punt was blocked and recovered by DL Eric Forbes, allowing the Hogs to be just 10 yards away from the endzone. Gould would take it to the outside just two plays later to put Chicago on top. Washington would begin a grueling drive against the Hogs as the seconds wound down in the first quarter.
WAS 7, CHI 10

Q2
QB Johnnie Sellers would get past the stalwart Hogs defense in the same way he opened the quarter, by finding WR Darius Sanderson once again in a one-on-one, and used his height to receive the ball before getting pushed out of bounds after the catch for 31 yards. This momentum shifted in the Federals’ favor, as Sellers found WR Joseph Atkins for the touchdown just a few plays later to retake the lead. Washington’s momentum quickly died out after that drive, and so did Chicago’s, as neither could score throughout a majority of the second quarter. The Hogs would get some momentum with around 5 minutes left in the half. After getting the ball on their own 13 yard line, RB Billy Gould would show off his speed on first down, darting past the Federals defenders and it looked like he would go all the way for 6. He began to lose some steam, and was chased down by S Josh von Bank, who stopped him at the 1 yard line. Gould would not be back on the field the next play, as he limped to the sidelines after awkwardly landing on his left leg. The Hogs were down to their third string running back, RB Joseph Parker due to the season-ending injury to their primary starter Brian Bruce in week 3, at least until the end of the half. Parker was unable to penetrate past the surprisingly stout Washington defense, and Chicago kicked another three points to cut the lead to a single point by halftime.
WAS 14, CHI 13

Q3
Billy Gould’s injury worried Hogs fans entering the second half, but their woes were put to rest once news came out that he would only be out for the third quarter. Gould had only sprained his ankle, but it was serious enough that he was told to rest for an extra quarter to get back into the game. The Hogs would have to suffice without Gould for at least one quarter, and RB Joseph Parker would not have the same skills as Gould to get them places offensively. That was made clear on the Hogs’ first drive of the quarter, as Parker could not gain more than 3 yards on rushing attempts and Chicago punted the ball to Washington. Both teams traded punts after that, but then Washington finally started to put something together and began to march downfield. Sellers would trade between targeting Atkins and Sanderson and handing the ball off to Rooney on short yardage situations, which efficiently shred through the Hogs defense on their way to the endzone. Sellers would find Sanderson on a 3 yard slant for the touchdown to make it a two possession game. Chicago’s offense would not get going, as they once again punted the ball away to Washington. The Federals’ momentum would stop on this drive, as a handoff to RB Rip Rooney was stuffed just past the line of scrimmage by LB Arthur Conley, who stripped the ball out of the young players’ hands. Players dove into the ensuing scrum to try and gain possession of the ball, and it was rookie LB Killian Graves who would end up giving the ball back to Chicago within scoring range. The Hogs were desperately needing Gould at this point, as QB Alfred Walton was uncharacteristically missing his receivers and RB Joseph Parker was not filling the same role as Gould and struggled to get space to rush. Chicago would go three and out, but did score a field goal on the leg of K Freddie Donnelly to put the game back within a single possession. With their mistake fresh in their minds, the Federals began a drive once more as time ran out in the third
WAS 21, CHI 16

Q4
Washington would once again put on a clinic against the Hogs’ defense, effortlessly weaving through defenders to find yardage in places where many teams wouldn’t be able to. Sellers would hit Atkins for a 21 yard gain over the middle on a crucial third down, and then find Sanderson going up the sidelines one play later for another big gain to set themselves up in scoring range. After another Sanderson jump ball that almost got in for a touchdown, RB Rip Rooney plowed his way up the middle for his second TD of the day to put the game out of reach. It would be out of reach if not for Chicago RB Billy Gould’s return on the next drive for the Hogs. Union Stadium erupted in applause when Gould strutted back onto the field, and he immediately made an impact, taking a handoff to the outside for a massive 35 yard gain to reinvigorate the offense. The Hogs kept feeding the ball to Gould after that play, and he eventually got into the endzone after 7 straight plays of him getting the ball. This chewed up more time than the Hogs would have wanted to, leaving just 3 minutes left on the clock. The ball went back to the Federals, who only took a minute off before punting the ball back to the Hogs. Chicago kept handing the ball off to Gould to try and get an explosive play out of him, but it was too little and too late. With just 12 seconds on the clock and the ball at midfield, Gould took a handoff to the outside trying to get out of bounds for one last play, but in his state of exhaustion got pummeled by DB Johnathan Moon and fumbled the ball away. S Josh von Bank came out with the ball, celebrating over Gould laying on the ground in a state of shock and exhaustion. Washington had upset the mighty Hogs and clinched their way into their first-ever championship appearance in franchise history, and their first chance at a title since their days in Columbus. The image of the Washington defense celebrating their win over the Hogs with Gould laying in the foreground would become one of the most iconic images of the young league, and would spread like wildfire across the nation long after the clock hit zero.
WAS 28, CHI 23

Fourth American Football Championship
If anyone likes an underdog, then this matchup has two of them. The Pittsburgh Shamrocks were an underdog for a majority of the team’s existence, only getting the chance at 2 titles in their time in the NYPL in miracle runs that almost saw them win. This team isn’t as good as those other two teams, but they sure do play hard. Their defense has only played stronger with a majority of their starters falling to injury, and their offense is fighting to win. QB Clarence Stanley has been fighting all year to prove he can win as a starter, and he is one win away from cementing that he can. On the other hand are the true underdogs, the Washington Federals. In just their first year of existence, they almost won the West over three very strong teams, defeated the previous year’s division winner to make the playoff, and beat the perennial top team in the Chicago Hogs to get here. QB Johnnie Sellers has emerged as potentially the next best QB in the league, and the weapons he has at his exposure may have been enough to get him to a winning season. The defense has stepped up as well, with a top duo in the secondary and a threatening front seven have taken them to the next level and gotten them here earlier than expected. Pittsburgh is a team full of veterans, while Washington is a young team who are just now experiencing what it is like in the playoffs. That inexperience will make them falter under pressure, and Pittsburgh will narrowly win their first-ever championship
My Pick: Pittsburgh

C&C Appreciated! What's your pick for the championship?
 

Last edited by DireBear (4/05/2023 8:32 pm)

Thrilling. Cool to see Pittsburgh get over the Hammers for once. It's nice seeing the Feds win especially with Darius Sanderson making big plays. I like the underdog, and they have a "W" on the helmet, so I'm riding the Feds to the title. 

Even though I am a Rivermen fan, I will say this: Congratulations to the Washington Federals for pulling off a 1995-96 Colorado Avalanche and winning your first championship immediately after relocating from Columbus!

Anyway, to speculate on the offseason, I think Boston will be joined in the league by a NYPL team, likely the New York Dutch Lions or the Newark Tigers (Baltimore is also looking to the leave the NYPL, but since they are too close to D.C., they aren’t as likely IMO). This is just speculation on my behalf though, and I may be wrong in some parts.

Anyway, Congrats once again to the Federals and I can’t wait for the offseason!

The Wide World of American Football: 1953-54 Edition

MWFC ADDS THREE TEAMS, GETS NEW NAME
After president Virgil Bradshaw promised two new teams for this season, many were surprised when he not only announced that three new teams would join the league for its 1954 season, but the league would be getting a new name. All three teams were in surprising locations for the Midwestern-based league, as Bradshaw announced the addition of the Baltimore Barons, Richmond Patriots, and the Boston Rebels to the newly-named Premier American Football Championship. In the AFL’s push for the east coast, Bradshaw had the revelation that a majority of football talent was in the south, whose professional league was abandoned shortly after the U.S. joined WWII in 1944. The first step was negotiating the return of the Richmond Patriots, the Southern Football League’s most successful and recognizable team, with former owner Beau Tackett back at the helm to run the team once more. The other team that Bradshaw wanted for his “Southern Expansion Plan” that he persuaded to join were the NYPL’s Baltimore Barons. Baltimore owner John Simpson wanted to show how truly great his team had become, and agreed to join the PAFC with the guarantee that they could have additional subsidies to sign the top players from the 1952 national championship Calvert Terriers team. Bradshaw was more than willing to give up enough to help Baltimore reach its true potential, though this brought great ire from the other less funded teams in the PAFC. A majority of PAFC teams not named Chicago, Fort Wayne, or Indianapolis are struggling with financial and attendance issues. 3 teams have been struggling the most, as the Minneapolis Bears and St. Paul Saints are splitting fan bases while not providing the on-field content to warrant the split, and the St. Louis Arrows struggled both on the field and financially. With almost no intervention by the league, which was more interested in getting the new teams well acquainted, the St. Paul Saints were forced to merge with the Minneapolis Bears and the St. Louis Arrows merged with the Kansas City Cowboys, making the Saints and Arrows effectively defunct. Bradshaw was incensed at losing two teams within top cities, stating in a tone-deaf message that those teams should have done more to do well instead of calling it quits. He was more upset over losing the St. Louis market, stating in an interview with the Chicago Tribune “It’s a disaster that we lost St. Louis. It seems that [St. Louis fans] couldn’t be bothered to show up or support [the Arrows] in any meaningful way. It’s a let down. We have no choice but to move on to more deserving markets. We have three joining us this year that should give us the support we want.” St. Louis fans were irate over Bradshaw’s claims, mainly due to the fact that the Arrows had one of the highest average attendance in the MWFC, and that Bradshaw had no interest in bringing the city another team. The PAFC/MWFC has doubled in size since the split, and already the league is seeing the downsides on the sole focus of expansion. Bringing three relatively successful teams may be enough to bring the league the stability it needs, but the lack of focus on keeping parity within the league is a major problem. The league has still not instituted a draft and still relies on teams to sign their own players, with very few teams making transactions with other teams, with the Chicago Stars and Indianapolis Flames being the only two teams making moves. While the PAFC may have more teams, at this point the AFL has eclipsed it in popularity, and it’s only a matter of time before Bradshaw and the PAFC admit defeat.

NYPL TO CEASE OPERATIONS
Even with the NYPL down to 6 teams, the league still struggled financially. Only the New York Dutch Lions turned a profit this year, as they were by far the most popular among fans in the league. The Philadelphia situation the league had was supposed to improve, but the Philadelphia Americans went bankrupt just 5 weeks into the season, folding immediately after their last game against the Newark Tigers. The Dutch Lions and Tigers would dominate with the limited playing pool, with the Dutch Lions winning their 6th championship over Newark in the title game. However, that would be the last bright moment for the league. The Baltimore Barons rightfully jumped ship to the PAFC, thus leaving only 4 teams for the 1954 season. The Bronx Bulldogs and Brooklyn Kings were about to go bankrupt as well, leaving just New York and Newark as the sole teams with solid financial and fan support. League president Luther Cryer had one last chance to save the NYPL and keep it alive for at least a few more years, and that was the hope that 3 Brooklyn College players would sign with NYPL teams. After 4 successful years at Brooklyn College, including a national championship this year to end their college careers, QB Brendan Turnbull, RB Jesse Brown, and WR Joey Stanikovski were heavily scouted while in college by NYPL teams in hopes that they each would sign with a NYPL and bring a new spotlight to the league. However, in a massive shock, each player declared for the AFL draft this year. Cryer resigned as president in shame shortly after, stating in the New York Times “This was the final nail in the coffin for New York football relevance. The writing is on the wall: football is a Midwestern sport. With 4 teams, we have no sense of credibility as a league. It’s a shameful day for the sport.” Cryer practically abandoned the Bronx Bulldogs and the league at that point, leaving the team without a majority owner and the NYPL without a leader. In the power vacuum, New York Dutch Lions owner Peter Stuyvesant became the de facto president of the dying league, and swiftly worked to provide at least one last season of an inter-New York City league. First, he and Newark Tigers owner Robert Ritchie took control over the Bronx Bulldogs, allowing them to survive for at least one season. Secondly, he expanded his talks with the AFL and commissioner Donovan Hasenkamp in a potential merger, knowing that the league was going to expand to Boston within the next two years. Hasenkamp and the AFL graciously accepted the proposal, as Stuyvesant wanted the AFL owners to join him in New York for their annual spring meetings in March. Stuyvesant’s olive branch may have saved football in New York, but the meetings in Manhattan in March can make or break the future of football on the East Coast.

NEFL STABLE, RESTRUCTURING IN WORKS?
Surprisingly, even with one its “premier” teams leaving for the PAFC, the NEFL enjoyed a year of relative stability. The Portland Lumberjacks solidified themselves as the best team in the league, winning their 3rd championship in 4 years with a dominating win over the New London Captains. However, this stability may be short-lived, as the Boston Globe first reported in January that Boston Bards owner and acting NEFL commissioner Robert McNamara wanted to reorganize the league once it became the farm league for the AFL. This came from plans of where he was going to move the Boston Bards to once the new Boston team joins the AFL, which also had some potential locations of other cities in the Eastern United States for teams. From people close to him, McNamara didn’t say which teams would be moved or folded, just that he wanted to keep the league at 10 teams while redistributing teams outside of just New England. The NEFL has been centrally located around Boston for the longest time, and only recently started expanding outwards, so it may be more likely that if this reorganization were to occur a lot of the smaller teams may be at risk of either folding or relocating. The Montpelier Greens and New London Captains were the two named teams in the Boston Globe article that seemed most at risk of being moved, being in small markets that seemed too small to support even a minor league team. These rumors are becoming more like reality recently, as the Greens announced their relocation to Burlington, VT on the campus of Vermont University for better facilities than in Vermont’s capital. Montpelier was one of the few NEFL teams that did not have a stadium with at least a capacity of 10,000, and desperately needed a permanent home that wasn’t a temporary field or shared with a high school team. This move could either be seen as preeminent or just a coincidence, but the truth about these plans could be revealed as soon as the meetings in March.

C&C Appreciated Any predictions for the Spring Meetings?