The 1947

1947 in sports

-American football:* Chicago Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Eagles 28-21 to win the NFL championship.-Association football:England* First Division – Liverpool win the 1946-47 title.* FA Cup – Charlton Athletic beat Burnley 1-0 after extra time...

 Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 season was the team's second season with the All-America Football Conference

All-America Football Conference

The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...

. The Browns were coached by Paul Brown

Paul Brown

Paul Eugene Brown was a coach in American football and a major figure in the development of the National Football League...

, and ended their season with a record of 12–1–1, winning the Western Division for the second straight year. The team was once again led by quarterback

Quarterback

Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 Otto Graham

Otto Graham

Otto Everett Graham, Jr. was a professional American football and basketball player who played for the Cleveland Browns in both the All-America Football Conference and National Football League, as well as the Rochester Royals in the National Basketball League.-Early life:Born in Waukegan,...

 and fullback

Fullback (American football)

A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...

 Marion Motley

Marion Motley

Marion Motley was a professional football player, a fullback for the Cleveland Browns, and briefly for the Pittsburgh Steelers.-Early years:...

, who paved the way for the team's second straight AAFC Championship Game win against the New York Yankees

New York Yankees (AAFC)

The New York Yankees were a professional American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. The team played in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and often played in front of sold-out crowds . They were owned by Dan Topping, who brought many of his Brooklyn...

, winning 14–3. The team's top draft choice was fullback Dick Hoerner.

The Cleveland Browns opened the season on a strong note, defeating the Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills (AAFC)

The Buffalo Bills was an American Football team, based in Buffalo, NY, that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. During its first season in 1946, the team was known as the Buffalo Bisons...

, 30–14, and went on to win their first five games. The Browns lost only their second home game in two years to the Los Angeles Dons

Los Angeles Dons

The Los Angeles Dons were an American football team in the now defunct All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949 that played in the Los Angeles Coliseum....

 when the Dons came into Cleveland and defeated the Browns, 13–10. Attendance would fall off by nearly half the next week when the Chicago Rockets

Chicago Rockets

The Chicago Rockets was an American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. During the 1949 season, the team was known as the Chicago Hornets...

 visited Cleveland. The Browns only won by three points, establishing another five-game winning streak. The team would then suffer their first tie in franchise history when the Browns and the Yankees tied, 28–28, in Yankee Stadium. However, the Browns would rebound and win their final two games of the season, ending the season with a blow-out victory over the Baltimore Colts

Baltimore Colts (1947-50)

The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The first team to bear the name Baltimore Colts, they were members of the All-America Football Conference from 1947–1949, and then joined the National Football League for one season before folding...

, 42–0.

Otto Graham would be awarded the league's MVP trophy following the season while leading the league in passing with 2,753 yards and 25 touchdown passes. Wide receiver

Wide receiver

A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...

 Mac Speedie

Mac Speedie

Mac Speedie was a football player who starred as a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns in both the All-America Football Conference and National Football League for seven years, and later served for two years as head coach of the American Football League's Denver Broncos.-Early life:Speedie was...

 would end the season leading the league in receiving with 1,146 yards and six touchdown receptions.

The Browns played all of their home games in Cleveland Stadium

Cleveland Stadium

Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...

. The team drew their largest crowd of the season versus the Yankees on October 5, bringing in over 80,000 fans.

1947 AAFC Championship Game

For the second year in a row, the Cleveland Browns and the New York Yankees

New York Yankees (AAFC)

The New York Yankees were a professional American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. The team played in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and often played in front of sold-out crowds . They were owned by Dan Topping, who brought many of his Brooklyn...

 faced off in the AAFC Championship Game. The result would be the same as it was in 1946

1946 in sports

-American football:* All-America Football Conference begins play. Cleveland Browns win the championship by beating New York Yankees 14-9.* Chicago Bears win the NFL crown by defeating the New York Giants 24-14 in New York.-Association football:England...

, with the Browns defeating the Yankees in Yankee Stadium, 14–3. Quarterback

Quarterback

Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 Otto Graham

Otto Graham

Otto Everett Graham, Jr. was a professional American football and basketball player who played for the Cleveland Browns in both the All-America Football Conference and National Football League, as well as the Rochester Royals in the National Basketball League.-Early life:Born in Waukegan,...

 drew first blood for the Browns when he ran for a one-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Running back

Running back

A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...

 Edgar Jones would provide the Browns with their second touchdown in the third quarter, a four-yard run.

Pre-season results

Week	Date	Opponent	Results		Stadium	Attendance
			Score	Record
1	1947	Baltimore Colts	W 28–0	1–0	Rubber Bowl Rubber Bowl The Rubber Bowl is a stadium in Akron, Ohio primarily used for American football. From 1940 to 2008, it served as the home field of the University of Akron's Zips football team...	35,106

Regular season results

Week	Date	Opponent	Results		Stadium	Attendance
			Score	Record
1	September 5, 1947	Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills (AAFC) The Buffalo Bills was an American Football team, based in Buffalo, NY, that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. During its first season in 1946, the team was known as the Buffalo Bisons...	W 30–14	1–0	Cleveland Stadium Cleveland Stadium Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...	63,263
2	September 12, 1947	@ Brooklyn Dodgers Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC) The Brooklyn Dodgers was an American Football team that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1948. The team is unrelated to the Brooklyn Dodgers that played in the National Football League from 1930 to 1943...	W 55–7	2–0	Ebbets Field Ebbets Field Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...	18,876
3	September 21, 1947	Baltimore Colts Baltimore Colts (1947-50) The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The first team to bear the name Baltimore Colts, they were members of the All-America Football Conference from 1947–1949, and then joined the National Football League for one season before folding...	W 28–0	3–0	Cleveland Stadium	44,257
4	September 26, 1947	@ Chicago Rockets Chicago Rockets The Chicago Rockets was an American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. During the 1949 season, the team was known as the Chicago Hornets...	W 41–21	4–0	Soldier Field Soldier Field Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...	18,450
5	October 5, 1947	New York Yankees New York Yankees (AAFC) The New York Yankees were a professional American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. The team played in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and often played in front of sold-out crowds . They were owned by Dan Topping, who brought many of his Brooklyn...	W 26–17	5–0	Cleveland Stadium	80,067
6	October 12, 1947	Los Angeles Dons Los Angeles Dons The Los Angeles Dons were an American football team in the now defunct All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949 that played in the Los Angeles Coliseum....	L 13–10	5–1	Cleveland Stadium	63,124
7	October 19, 1947	Chicago Rockets	W 31–28	6–1	Cleveland Stadium	35,266
8	October 26, 1947	@ San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...	W 14–7	7–1	Kezar Stadium Kezar Stadium Kezar Stadium is a stadium located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. It is the former home of the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL, and of the San Francisco Dragons of MLL. It also served as the home of the...	54,483
9	November 2, 1947	@ Buffalo Bills	W 28–7	8–1	War Memorial Stadium War Memorial Stadium (Buffalo) War Memorial Stadium is the name of a stadium that formerly stood in Buffalo, New York. The stadium was on a rectangular block near the downtown area. Its main entrance was at Jefferson Avenue to the east and Best Street to the south...	43,167
10	November 9, 1947	Brooklyn Dodgers	W 13–12	9–1	Cleveland Stadium	30,279
11	November 16, 1947	San Francisco 49ers	W 37–14	10–1	Cleveland Stadium	76,504
12	November 23, 1947	@ New York Yankees	T 28–28	10–1–1	Yankee Stadium	70,060
13	November 27, 1947	@ Los Angeles Dons	W 27–17	11–1–1	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...	45,009
14	December 7, 1947	@ Baltimore Colts	W 42–0	12–1–1	Memorial Stadium Memorial Stadium (Baltimore) Memorial Stadium was a sports stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, that formerly stood on 33rd Street on an over-sized block also bounded by Ellerslie Avenue , 36th Street , and Ednor Road...	20,574

Post-season results

Week	Date	Opponent	Results		Stadium	Attendance
			Score	Record
Championship game	December 12, 1947	@New York Yankees New York Yankees (AAFC) The New York Yankees were a professional American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. The team played in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and often played in front of sold-out crowds . They were owned by Dan Topping, who brought many of his Brooklyn...	W 14–3	1–0	Yankee Stadium	61,879

Final standings

Western Division
	W	L	T	PCT
Cleveland Browns	12	1	1	.857
San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...	8	4	2	.571
Los Angeles Dons Los Angeles Dons The Los Angeles Dons were an American football team in the now defunct All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949 that played in the Los Angeles Coliseum....	7	7	0	.500
Chicago Rockets Chicago Rockets The Chicago Rockets was an American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. During the 1949 season, the team was known as the Chicago Hornets...	1	13	0	.071