Not trying to shift focus, but with Cincinnati doing so well, how is Edgar Abney doing? Haven't seen him mentioned recently.

1957 AFL Championship

Temperatures were reaching near 60° right before Christmas in Cincinnati as River Field hosted its second straight championship game. Rivermen fans once again filled the stadium over its capacity, but fell short of following up on last year’s crowd. Many New York fans made the trek over to watch their miracle team make it to the championship game, and if their last two games were any precedent then they’ll make it rough for the home team.

Q1
New York wanted to make a statement on their opening drive, opting to start out their first title game with the ball. Having not played all year, the normally stout Rivermen defense could not stop the Lions’ ground game. RB Felix Philipow tore through the Cincinnati front seven, pretty much single-handedly carrying the Lions downfield and right onto the goal line. After a rush by RB Bernard Parks went nowhere, Philipow went right back out and beat the Rivermen secondary to the outside for the first score of the game. The Cincinnati offense seemed a bit shaken after New York’s first drive, as QB Lester Parker couldn’t seem to get his offense moving well enough and they stalled out just past midfield. They took a chance at kicking it from 45 yards out, and the wind blowing behind K Brian Singer got the ball through the uprights. The Rivermen still seemed to have trouble stopping Philipow and the Lions, but they managed to clamp down at the right time to stop the Lions, forcing New York K Gene Fitzpatrick to hit a chip-shot to put the Lions’ lead at a touchdown. The Rivermen offense went slightly better on their second drive of the game, but an incomplete pass on third down forced them to make another field goal. K Brian Singer had an easier time on his second kick, easily making it from half the distance of his first.
CIN 6, NY 10

Q2
With Cincinnati failing to make it into the endzone on two fairly lengthy drives in the first quarter, New York appeared to have the upper hand. The Lions attempted to open up the passing game, with QB Freddie Hughes rolling out on a fake handoff to Philipow. Hughes tried a short pass to RB Bernard Parks, but Cincinnati DB Kerry Lantz stepped right in front for the interception. The Rivermen only had half the field to work with, and this time their running game seemed impossible to stop. RB Perry Ferguson bulldozed his way through the Lions secondary for two big pickups, and RB Billy Garcia stepped in to run the remaining 12 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. K Brian Singer got a bad snap and made a rare miss for his extra point attempt. The Lions were the first team to punt halfway through the quarter, crossing midfield before retreating behind it after two unsuccessful pass plays. Cincinnati QB Lester Parker continued to add on to his team’s momentum, finding gaps in the young Lions secondary for the first real opening of their passing game. His receivers were finally getting open, and Parker finished the drive off on a 12 yard pass to the corner of the endzone for WR Alfred Dunn. The Lions were unable to generate any momentum of their own and went into halftime unable to match the Rivermen in scoring.
CIN 19, NY 10

Q3
The second half kickoff did not get very far for the Rivermen, only making it to the 15 yard line. QB Lester Parker wanted to get moving quickly, and realized that WR Jimmy Woods had broken free from his defender and heaved it towards him. It was a perfectly placed pass to Woods, and Woods brought the goods to the endzone for an electric 85 yard touchdown to open the half. New York would not stand by idly, marching their way down field, though significantly slower than Cincinnati’s approach. The Rivermen defense finally seemed to be shutting down RB Felix Philipow, as he was ineffective in moving the ball for the first time all game. QB Freddie Hughes had to make something out of nothing, hitting his receivers for short gains. They worked their way all the way to the 3 yard line, and Philipow had just enough strength to run it up the middle for a touchdown. The Rivermen appeared to be taking the pedal off the gas, taking their sweet time to move downfield and take away any chance of New York getting back into the game. The Rivemen capped off their drive that took nearly the entire quarter on a 2 yard plunge by RB Perry Ferguson. New York’s miracle run looked to be nearing its end, but they would strive a little further to keep it alive
CIN 33, NY 17

Q4
The Lions unfortunately struggled on that ensuing drive, only making a single new set of chains before Cincinnati LB Edgar Abney forced QB Freddie Hughes to cough up the ball for his third turnover of the game. The Rivermen ate up more clock, but were unable to add to their lead and punted it away. New York was clearly out of steam at this point, and limped downfield until they could get no further. K Gene Fitzpatrick kicked in a field goal to make it a two touchdown game, but at this point the Lions did not seem in any state of coming back. The Rivermen rubbed salt in the wound by bringing in their backups for their last drive, and ran out the remaining time to win their second championship. It took Cincinnati 22 years to win their second ever championship. This time around in the AFL it took them just 2 years.
CIN 33, NY 20



Cincinnati QB Lester Parker would win his second championship MVP, throwing for 2 touchdowns and setting a championship record for most passing yards in a game at 286. Their performance in the league over the past three years has jettisoned them into the best of the league, and perhaps have now dethroned Chicago as the best team west of D.C., or perhaps as the best team in all of professional football. Cincinnati owner Dennis Delaney thought so too, parading the Rivermen around Cincinnati on Christmas Day by proclaiming them “World Champions”, a title normally given to teams who won the PAFC.



C&C Appreciated!