By Stephen Juza,

April 5th, 2025

This last week, the NFL announced that statistics from the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) would now be incorporated into their official record books. While this short-lived league only lasted for four years in the aftermath of World War 2, it produced some revolutionary football that impacted the NFL history books. Now, the statistics from those four years will be incorporated into the NFL books for good. In the upcoming blog series, we look at several ways the integrated history books now are influenced by the addition of the AAFC records.

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But first, what was the AAFC?

The Founding of the All American Football Conference

In 1944, in the midst of WWII, the idea for a new rival league to the NFL was created. This was not the first time people had tried to start a competing league to the NFL - but it was arguably the first successful league. In fact, there were two other rival leagues that were beginning the very same year. However, both the United States Football League and the Trans-America Football League would fold the next year.

Not the AAFC, however. Waiting until after the war ended, the new league and their eight teams began play in the fall of 1946. There were many reasons why the AAFC was better positioned than the failed competitor leagues.

With the war ending, many young men were returning to the USA after serving overseas. Some of these men played in military teams, and despite having college eligibility, could have opted for professional teams instead. The rapid influx of potential players allowed for the increase in competitive teams, almost overnight.

Additionally, commercial air travel was now an option, allowing the league to spread out. Earlier leagues, such as the Ohio Valley League (1925-1929) or the American Football League (1934) basically had to have teams that were accessible in a day by road or by train. Even the NFL from just a decade before only had teams as far west as Green Bay, and as far south as Philadelphia. From the very beginning, the AAFC put a team in Miami and San Francisco.

1946: League Play Begins

While there were many successes for the league right out of the gate, it was not smooth sailing for everyone. While the first season was played with the Miami Seahawks, it was a disastrous initial, and only, season for the franchise. Hurricanes, poor performance, and dismal ticket sales led to the team’s bankruptcy after only one season. However, outside of Miami, there was a lot to celebrate for the new league.

The Cleveland Browns were the definition of excellence for the brief run of the AAFC. They played the first ever game in AAFC history, a 44-0 dismantling of the Miami Seahawks that set the standard for the Browns success. Cleveland went on to win the AAFC championship that season, defeating the New York Yankees 14-9.

But beyond the Browns, many of the teams had stronger attendance than comparable NFL teams, which initially bid the upstart league well. Unfortunately, there was a major competition gap between the best teams (e.g. Cleveland) and the worst teams (e.g. Miami). This would eventually help to lead to the demise of the league.

1947: Financial Struggles Emerge

As with the early NFL days, financial success was not a given. The Miami Seahawks folded after a single season, and several teams played in front of an increasing number of empty seats during the league’s second season. But the top of the league remained strong and stable, with the Cleveland Browns winning the championship again over the New York Yankees. No team in either league drew more fans than the Cleveland Browns as residents turned out to support their championship-winning team.

1948: Cleveland Continues to Dominate

One of the issues with the AAFC was that the top of the league may have been too good relative to the competition. By the time the third season rolled around, the Browns had won both championships over the Yankees, and nothing would change in 1948. Their main rival in the Western division was the San Francisco 49ers, finishing second to the Browns each year (and thus out of the postseason). However, they hoped 1948 would be different.

Both the Browns and the 49ers entered their Week 10 showdown undefeated. A record 82,769 fans as the 49ers kick returner fumbled the opening kickoff, leading to a Browns touchdown a mere three plays later on an Otto Graham QB keeper. The 49ers would rebound, scoring a touchdown on their next drive, but the Browns would deliver the decisive points to win on their first drive of the second half, a 14-7 defensive struggle.

By the end of the 14-game schedule, the Browns would emerge victorious each game, logging only the third perfect season in pro football history.

1949: League Dissolution and the NFL Merger

Financial struggles were plaguing both leagues, and serious talks of merging with the NFL ramped up. One of the sticking points was how many teams were going to join the league. While the top of the AAFC was very strong, the bottom of the league left a lot to be desired. Not only that, but there were several teams in the AAFC that were in direct geographical competition with the NFL.

Chicago already had two NFL teams (Cardinals and the Bears), they didn’t want a third (Hornets) from the AAFC. Same with New York (Giants and the Bulldogs) sharing the same space with the Yankees (AAFC). In Los Angeles, the NFL had the Rams. They didn’t also need the Dons. However, the league would have happily taken the Browns and the 49ers.

The final deal also included bringing the Baltimore Colts over in the merger, while the Dons merged with the Rams. The remaining teams folded, a footnote in the history of professional football. Meanwhile, with the merger deal behind them, the final AAFC championship game took place, with the Browns beating their new NFL companion, the 49ers, 21-7.

Initial Impact on NFL History

Cleveland felt they could compete with the best of the NFL, and they quickly proved it. After winning all four AAFC championships, they continued their winning ways with three NFL championships in their first six years in the new league. In addition, they won their conference championship seven of their first eight years in the NFL.

The 49ers were clearly the second best team in AAFC history, but they did not have the same immediate success when they joined the NFL like the Browns. It took them more than 20 years before they won their first playoff game in their new league, but that was still a better result than the third team included in the merger - the Baltimore Colts.

The team that the NFL didn’t want to take showed almost right away why they should have folded with the other teams. Having never achieved a winning record in the AAFC, the Colts continued their losing ways in 1950, their first and only NFL season. The team finished 1-11, dead last in the league, and they folded due to financial pressure, becoming the last team to ever be contracted by the NFL.

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