1941 American Football League season

The 1941 American Football League season was the second season of the third American Football League. After deeming the 1940 season to be a success, the league made overtures of expansion, even going to the point of having a press conference to announce the addition of new teams (July), but when the press conference was held, the Boston Bears had withdrawn from the league and the new Detroit franchise deferred entry for the 1942 season (interests representing Philadelphia and Baltimore also applied for membership and were denied). [Bob Carroll, Michael Gershman, David Neft, and John Thorn, "Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League" (HarperCollins 1999) ISBN 0-060-39232-0 ]

The New York Yankees were sold to promoter and agent Douglas Hertz in January; by mid-summer, the AFL revoked the franchise in light of controversies involving Hertz’s finances. A syndicate headed by William Cox was awarded the franchise in August, but Hertz kept the name for his new independent team (which later in the season became a traveling team in the American Association). Cox and the new owners of the AFL franchise redubbed the team the Americans. In Buffalo, a less contentious change of ownership resulted in the Indians becoming the Tigers. [Bob Carroll, Michael Gershman, David Neft, and John Thorn, "Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League" (HarperCollins 1999) ISBN 0-060-39232-0 ]

The Columbus Bullies successfully defended their 1940 AFL championship. Their 5-1-2 record edged the 5-2-1 of the Americans and the 4-3-1 of the Milwaukee Chiefs. [ George Gipe, "The Great American Sports Book" (Doubleday 1978) ISBN 0-385-13091-0]

Final standings

"W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage"

1941 All-League Team

Earl Ohlgren, Milwaukee (end)
Alec Shellogg, Buffalo (tackle)
Ted Livinston, Columbus (guard)
Paul Humphrey, Milwaukee (center)
Tex Akin, Milwaukee (guard)
Bob Eckl, Milwaukee (tackle)
Joe Kruse, Cincinnati (end)
Bob Davis, Columbus (quarterback)
Charlie Armstrong, New York (halfback)
Bill McGannon, Cincinnati (halfback)
John Kimbrough, New York (fullback)

After the 1941 season

The Saturday after the last regular season AFL game, Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese military forces. The euphoria of a successful season gave way to the realization that the military demands of the American participation in World War II would put the continued success of the AFL (and the NFL, for that matter) into question. As both major football leagues were losing personnel to military service, both made plans for a 1942 season (the AFL as a six team loop with a new Detroit franchise). [ George Gipe, "The Great American Sports Book" (Doubleday 1978) ISBN 0-385-13091-0] Ironically, the NFL came close to suspending operations, [Bob Carroll, Michael Gershman, David Neft, and John Thorn, "Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League" (HarperCollins 1999) ISBN 0-060-39232-0] but continued as a ten-team league, but on September 2, 1942, the AFL suspended operations “until the end of the war.” [George Gipe, "The Great American Sports Book" (Doubleday 1978) ISBN 0-385-13091-0] AFL president William Cox announced the suspension, stating “We do not have the time to go into the football business this fall. I want to stress that there is no financial problem involved. Each team definitely has enough finances to continue.”

The league did not return after the end of World War II. In 1946, a minor league, the American Association, appropriated the American Football League name for itself, and the All America Football Conference replaced the suspended league as the primary rival of the National Football League.

References

ee also

*1941 NFL season
*1940 American Football League season