.gif)
Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL)
Encyclopedia
The Brooklyn Dodgers were an American football
team that played in the National Football League
from 1930 to 1943, and in 1944 as the Brooklyn Tigers. The team played its home games at Ebbets Field
. In 1945, because of financial difficulties, the team was merged with the Boston Yanks
. The franchise is not related to the Brooklyn Dodgers
franchise that played in the All-America Football Conference
from 1946 to 1948; nor is it related to the American Football League
franchise that played as the Brooklyn Tigers for the first half of the 1936 season before moving to Rochester and playing as the Rochester Tigers. Another NFL team that played in Brooklyn was the Brooklyn Lions (which became the Brooklyn Horsemen
after merging with an AFL
team of the same name) in 1926.
for $2,500 and moved the team into Ebbets Field. These two individuals were Bill Dwyer
, a past owner of the New York Americans
and Pittsburgh Pirates
of the National Hockey League
, and Jack Depler
, a player for the NFL's Orange Tornadoes. Dwyer and Depler then renamed the Triangles the Brooklyn Dodgers, borrowing the name of Brooklyn's then major league baseball team.
The 1930 Dodgers finished fourth in the NFL with a 7-4-1 record. The high point of their season consisted of a 7-6 upset over the New York Giants
at the end of November. The Dodgers star back was Jack McBride
, a former Giant. He led the league in scoring with a total of 56 points in 1930. However the 1931 season saw the Dodgers post a 2-12 record. Once the season ended, Benny Friedman
was brought in as the team's new player-coach
.
The 1932 season started off promising with wins over the Staten Island Stapletons
and the new Boston Braves
(later renamed the Redskins). However the team soon hit a five game losing streak. The streak ended with a 3-0 win over the Chicago Cardinals, however that win was followed by four more losses. The Dodgers ended their season 3-9.
for the Dodgers through half of the upcoming season. The 1933 season also saw the NFL split into two divisions. The Dodgers were placed in the Eastern Division. Dodgers had a chance for first place, by posting a 5-2-1 record, however a 10-0 loss to the Giants in front of 28,000 Brooklyn fans at Ebbets Field, ended that chance in November.
The following season Dan Topping
bought Chris Cagle's half of the team. Topping would later become an owner and president of baseball's New York Yankees
. Meanwhile Cagle continued to play in the Brooklyn backfield. However the only positive story to come out of the season for Brooklyn was the signing of Ralph Kercheval
. Kercheval would go on to become one a great NFL kicker. He would go on to play for Brooklyn for the next seven seasons. He also scored every point for the Dodgers last in their last six games as they finished with a 4-7 record.
In 1935, Paul Schissler the former coach of the Chicago Cardinals took over as the Dodgers coach. However the team's stars Cagle, Friedman, and Kelly all retired. As a result the Dodgers line-up consisted of 15 rookies. The 1935 season did show the team posting a 5-6-1 record and second place in the Easter Division. Over the next four seasons, the Dodgers placed either in the fourth or third place in the Eastern standings. Several of the star players to wear a Dodgers uniform during this time included Bob Wilson and Bill Lee
. The roster also included future Hall of Famers
, Red Badgro
and Ace Parker. Both men had played professional baseball in the majors
. Badgro played for the St. Louis Browns before playing in the NFL for the Giants and Yankees
. Meanwhile Parker played under Connie Mack
, while as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics. He is best known for hitting a home run
his first time at bat as a pinch hitter, becoming the first player in American League
history to do so. Another future Hall of Famer joined the team in 1938, Frank Kinard
. Kinard would play for Brooklyn for the rest of the franchise's history.
The Dodgers made NFL history on October 22, 1939. That day, at Ebbets Field, the Dodgers played the Philadelphia Eagles
in the first NFL game shown on television. The Dodgers won the game 23-14.
as their team's next coach. Sutherland brought to Brooklyn the Single-wing formation, that he had used
at Lafayette College
and Pitt
. Under Sutherland, Brooklyn finished in second place in the Eastern standings. Meanwhile Parker was awarded the Joseph Carr Trophy as the leagues Official Most Valuable Player. During this time, Dodger staples Dick Cassiano
and Ben Kish
, who played for Sutherland at Pitt; George Cafego
and Banks McFadden
were signed by the team.
In 1941, the team again landed in second place of the eastern division, behind only the Redskins. Dodger Clarence "Pug" Manders won the NFL rushing title that season with 486 yards. His title still represents the smallest amount of yards carried to ever win this title. Warren Alfson
and Merlyn Condit joined the team that season. Sutherland's 1940 and 1941 campaigns would be the most successful during the franchise's history.
caused a shortage of players and fans. Sutherland, Parker and several other players left the team to join the military. Mike Getto took over the coaching duties; however with the core of the team gone, the Dodgers sunk to a 3-8-0 record. A year later the team ended up only winning two games.
In 1944, the team was renamed the Tigers but suffered a 0-10 regular season record. In a desperate attempt for survival, the team merged with the Boston Yanks
for the 1945 season. The merged team played four home games in Boston and one in New York. But fans from neither cities cared as they finished with a 3-6-1 record. The merger occurred after the 1945 NFL Draft
.
. In response, the NFL cancelled his NFL team franchise and all of its players were assigned to Boston. Meanwhile the AAFC planted another team in Brooklyn called the Dodgers. The two teams would later merge in 1949. Topping's Yankees employed several former Dodgers players in 1946 and 1947 such as Parker, Kinard and Manders. The Yankees would lose the AAFC Championship in 1946 and 1947 to the Cleveland Browns
.
After the 1949 season the NFL added three teams from the AAFC. The AAFC Yankees players were split between the New York Giants and the New York Bulldogs who renamed themselves New York Yanks. The Dodgers-Tigers players were given to the Boston Yanks after the NFL canceled the Brooklyn NFL team franchise in 1945. After the New York Yanks folded in 1951, the NFL replaced the team with the Dallas Texans
. In 1952, after the Texans folded, the NFL replaced that franchise with the Baltimore Colts
, which relocated to Indianapolis in 1984. However, the NFL currently does not consider the Colts to be a continuation of the franchise once known as the Brooklyn Dodgers.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team that played in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
from 1930 to 1943, and in 1944 as the Brooklyn Tigers. The team played its home games at 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...
. In 1945, because of financial difficulties, the team was merged with the Boston Yanks
Boston Yanks
The Boston Yanks were a National Football League team based in Boston, Massachusetts that played from 1944 to 1948. The team played its home games at Fenway Park. Games that conflicted with the Boston Red Sox schedule were held at the Manning Bowl in Lynn, Massachusetts...
. The franchise is not related to the 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...
franchise that played in 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...
from 1946 to 1948; nor is it related to the American Football League
American Football League (1936)
Sometimes called AFL II, the second American Football League was a professional American football league that operated in 1936 and 1937. The AFL operated in direct competition with the more established National Football League throughout its existence...
franchise that played as the Brooklyn Tigers for the first half of the 1936 season before moving to Rochester and playing as the Rochester Tigers. Another NFL team that played in Brooklyn was the Brooklyn Lions (which became the Brooklyn Horsemen
Brooklyn Horsemen
The Brooklyn Horsemen was a professional football team that competed in the American Football League during the 1926 season.On November 12, 1926, the team withdrew from the AFL and merged with Brooklyn Lions of the National Football League. The new team created by the merger was initially called...
after merging with an AFL
American Football League (1926)
The first American Football League , sometimes called AFL I, AFLG, or the Grange League, was a professional American football league that operated in 1926. It was the first major competitor to the National Football League. Founded by C. C...
team of the same name) in 1926.
Early years
The team began play in 1930 after two Brooklyn businessmen bought the Dayton TrianglesDayton Triangles
The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north...
for $2,500 and moved the team into Ebbets Field. These two individuals were Bill Dwyer
Bill Dwyer (mobster)
William Vincent Dwyer , known as "Big Bill" Dwyer, was an early Prohibition gangster and bootlegger in New York during the 1920s. He used his profits to purchase sports properties, including the New York Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates of the National Hockey League , as well as the Brooklyn...
, a past owner of the New York Americans
New York Americans
The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals...
and Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL)
The Pittsburgh Pirates were an American professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League , based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1925–26 to 1929–30. The nickname comes from the baseball team also based in the city...
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
, and Jack Depler
Jack Depler
John Charles Depler was a professional football player with the Hammond Pros of the National Football League. He later served as a player-coach with the Orange Tornadoes, and became the founder and coach of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the NFL.Prior to his professional career, Depler played college...
, a player for the NFL's Orange Tornadoes. Dwyer and Depler then renamed the Triangles the Brooklyn Dodgers, borrowing the name of Brooklyn's then major league baseball team.
The 1930 Dodgers finished fourth in the NFL with a 7-4-1 record. The high point of their season consisted of a 7-6 upset over the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
at the end of November. The Dodgers star back was Jack McBride
Jack McBride
John F. McBride was an American football player who played the positions of halfback, fullback, and quarterback in the National Football League . He was born in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. McBride played collegiately at Syracuse University where he finished second in the nation in scoring in his...
, a former Giant. He led the league in scoring with a total of 56 points in 1930. However the 1931 season saw the Dodgers post a 2-12 record. Once the season ended, Benny Friedman
Benny Friedman
Benjamin "Benny" Friedman was an American football quarterback who played for the University of Michigan , Cleveland Bulldogs , Detroit Wolverines , New York Giants , and Brooklyn Dodgers .He is generally considered the first great passer in professional football...
was brought in as the team's new player-coach
Player-coach
A player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. The term can be used to refer to both players who serve as head coaches, or as assistant coaches....
.
The 1932 season started off promising with wins over the Staten Island Stapletons
Staten Island Stapletons
The Staten Island Stapletons also known as the Staten Island Stapes were a professional American football team founded in 1915 that played in the National Football League from 1929 to 1930. The team was based in the Stapleton section of Staten Island. Under the shortened nickname the "Stapes"...
and the new Boston Braves
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
(later renamed the Redskins). However the team soon hit a five game losing streak. The streak ended with a 3-0 win over the Chicago Cardinals, however that win was followed by four more losses. The Dodgers ended their season 3-9.
Post-Dwyer era
At the end of the 1932 season, Bill Dwyer had enough of professional football. His three years with the Dodgers had cost him an estimated $30,000. The Dodgers were then purchased by two former New York Giants players, Chris Cagle and John Simms Kelly for $25,000. Cap McEwen, a successful college football coach, was then brought in to replace Friedman, who would continue to play tailbackTailback
Tailback can mean:* Halfback * A line of motor vehicles caught up in traffic congestion; a traffic jam...
for the Dodgers through half of the upcoming season. The 1933 season also saw the NFL split into two divisions. The Dodgers were placed in the Eastern Division. Dodgers had a chance for first place, by posting a 5-2-1 record, however a 10-0 loss to the Giants in front of 28,000 Brooklyn fans at Ebbets Field, ended that chance in November.
The following season Dan Topping
Dan Topping
Daniel Reid Topping was a part owner and president of the New York Yankees baseball team from 1945 to 1964. Daniel Reid Topping was the son of Rhea Reid and Henry J. Topping. Rhea Reid, the daughter of Daniel G. Reid, known as the "Tinplate King" for his vast wealth in the tin industry, was the...
bought Chris Cagle's half of the team. Topping would later become an owner and president of baseball's New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. Meanwhile Cagle continued to play in the Brooklyn backfield. However the only positive story to come out of the season for Brooklyn was the signing of Ralph Kercheval
Ralph Kercheval
Ralph G. Kercheval was an American football running back and placekicker who played seven seasons in the National Football League for the Brooklyn Dodgers.-Thoroughbred horse racing:...
. Kercheval would go on to become one a great NFL kicker. He would go on to play for Brooklyn for the next seven seasons. He also scored every point for the Dodgers last in their last six games as they finished with a 4-7 record.
In 1935, Paul Schissler the former coach of the Chicago Cardinals took over as the Dodgers coach. However the team's stars Cagle, Friedman, and Kelly all retired. As a result the Dodgers line-up consisted of 15 rookies. The 1935 season did show the team posting a 5-6-1 record and second place in the Easter Division. Over the next four seasons, the Dodgers placed either in the fourth or third place in the Eastern standings. Several of the star players to wear a Dodgers uniform during this time included Bob Wilson and Bill Lee
Bill Lee (American football)
William E. Lee, Sr. was an American football player....
. The roster also included future Hall of Famers
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
, Red Badgro
Red Badgro
Morris Hiram "Red" Badgro was a professional American football end in the National Football League for the New York Yankees, New York Giants, and the Brooklyn Dodgers...
and Ace Parker. Both men had played professional baseball in the majors
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. Badgro played for the St. Louis Browns before playing in the NFL for the Giants and Yankees
New York Yankees (NFL)
The New York Yankees were a short-lived professional American football team from 1926 to 1928. The team was a member of the first American Football League in 1926, and later the National Football League from 1927-1928. They played their home games at Yankee Stadium...
. Meanwhile Parker played under Connie Mack
Connie Mack (baseball)
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. , better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins , losses , and games managed , with his victory total being almost 1,000 more...
, while as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics. He is best known for hitting a home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
his first time at bat as a pinch hitter, becoming the first player in American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
history to do so. Another future Hall of Famer joined the team in 1938, Frank Kinard
Frank Kinard
Frank Manning "Bruiser" Kinard Sr. was a professional American football player for the Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers of the National Football League and the New York Yankees of the All-America Football Conference. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971...
. Kinard would play for Brooklyn for the rest of the franchise's history.
The Dodgers made NFL history on October 22, 1939. That day, at Ebbets Field, the Dodgers played the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the first NFL game shown on television. The Dodgers won the game 23-14.
Jock Sutherland era
In 1940, the Dodgers chose Jock SutherlandJock Sutherland
Dr. John Bain "Jock" Sutherland, D.D.S., was an American football coach. He coached college football at Lafayette College and the University of Pittsburgh and professional football for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers...
as their team's next coach. Sutherland brought to Brooklyn the Single-wing formation, that he had used
Sutherland Single-Wing
In American football, the Sutherland single-wing was a variation of the single-wing formation used with great success by Coach Jock Sutherland of the 1930s and 1940s...
at Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
and Pitt
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. Under Sutherland, Brooklyn finished in second place in the Eastern standings. Meanwhile Parker was awarded the Joseph Carr Trophy as the leagues Official Most Valuable Player. During this time, Dodger staples Dick Cassiano
Dick Cassiano
Dick Cassiano was a halfback in the National Football League. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1940 NFL season....
and Ben Kish
Ben Kish
Benjamin Ernest Kish was a former professional American football safety in the National Football League for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Eagles...
, who played for Sutherland at Pitt; George Cafego
George Cafego
George Cafego was a college, and professional American football player and coach. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1969.-High school and collegiate career:...
and Banks McFadden
Banks McFadden
Banks McFadden was an American football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959. McFadden attended Great Falls High School in South Carolina, where he led the Red Devils to two state championships in football and one in basketball...
were signed by the team.
In 1941, the team again landed in second place of the eastern division, behind only the Redskins. Dodger Clarence "Pug" Manders won the NFL rushing title that season with 486 yards. His title still represents the smallest amount of yards carried to ever win this title. Warren Alfson
Warren Alfson
Warren Alfson was an American football guard and linebacker for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, as well as the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National Football League.-Early years:He was born and raised in Wisner, Nebraska...
and Merlyn Condit joined the team that season. Sutherland's 1940 and 1941 campaigns would be the most successful during the franchise's history.
Decline
Beginning in 1942, the team went into a steep decline, as World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
caused a shortage of players and fans. Sutherland, Parker and several other players left the team to join the military. Mike Getto took over the coaching duties; however with the core of the team gone, the Dodgers sunk to a 3-8-0 record. A year later the team ended up only winning two games.
In 1944, the team was renamed the Tigers but suffered a 0-10 regular season record. In a desperate attempt for survival, the team merged with the Boston Yanks
Boston Yanks
The Boston Yanks were a National Football League team based in Boston, Massachusetts that played from 1944 to 1948. The team played its home games at Fenway Park. Games that conflicted with the Boston Red Sox schedule were held at the Manning Bowl in Lynn, Massachusetts...
for the 1945 season. The merged team played four home games in Boston and one in New York. But fans from neither cities cared as they finished with a 3-6-1 record. The merger occurred after the 1945 NFL Draft
1945 NFL Draft
The 1945 National Football League Draft was held on April 8, 1945. It was the last draft held in Chicago; later in the year the league moved its offices to Philadelphia.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
.
Topping, the Dodgers and the AAFC
In December 1945, Topping announced his intentions to accept the All-America Football Conference's New York franchiseNew 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...
. In response, the NFL cancelled his NFL team franchise and all of its players were assigned to Boston. Meanwhile the AAFC planted another team in Brooklyn called the Dodgers. The two teams would later merge in 1949. Topping's Yankees employed several former Dodgers players in 1946 and 1947 such as Parker, Kinard and Manders. The Yankees would lose the AAFC Championship in 1946 and 1947 to the 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...
.
Indirect ties to the Indianapolis Colts
While there are no direct ties to either the Baltimore or Indianapolis Colts, the sequence of events begun by the demise of the Brooklyn Dodgers NFL team eventually resulted in the creation of the Colts franchise.After the 1949 season the NFL added three teams from the AAFC. The AAFC Yankees players were split between the New York Giants and the New York Bulldogs who renamed themselves New York Yanks. The Dodgers-Tigers players were given to the Boston Yanks after the NFL canceled the Brooklyn NFL team franchise in 1945. After the New York Yanks folded in 1951, the NFL replaced the team with the Dallas Texans
Dallas Texans (NFL)
The Dallas Texans played in the National Football League for one season, 1952, with a record of 1–11.-History:After the 1951 NFL season, the financially troubled New York Yanks franchise were put on the market. Ted Collins had founded that franchise in 1944 as the Boston Yanks, moved it to New...
. In 1952, after the Texans folded, the NFL replaced that franchise with the Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, which relocated to Indianapolis in 1984. However, the NFL currently does not consider the Colts to be a continuation of the franchise once known as the Brooklyn Dodgers.
First Round Draft Selections
- 19361936 NFL DraftThe 1936 National Football League Draft was the first draft of the National Football League. It took place on February 8, 1936 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has taken place every year since. The draft was instituted in an effort to equalize strength amongst the...
Dick CrayneDick CrayneDick Crayne was an American football fullback for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He played in 1936, rushing for 203 yards, and completed 1-2 passes for 52 yards. Then in 1937, rushing for 135 yards, and completed 2-4 passes for 20 yards...
Back IowaUniversity of IowaThe University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees... - 19371937 NFL DraftThe 1937 National Football League Draft was the second draft held by the NFL. The draft took place December 12, 1936, consisting of 10 rounds, with 100 player selections two of which would later become members of the Professional Football Hall of Fame...
Ed GoddardEd GoddardEdwin Vinson Goddard was an American football player. Goddard played college football at the quarterback and halfback positions for Washington State University. Goddard also served as a punter for Washington State...
Back Washington StateWashington State UniversityWashington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university... - 19381938 NFL DraftThe 1938 National Football League Draft was held on December 12, 1937. The draft consisting of 12 rounds and 110 player selections, began with the leagues newest expansion team the Cleveland Rams taking Corbett Davis and ended with the Mr...
Boyd BrumbaughBoyd BrumbaughUrban Boyd Brumbaugh was a professional football player in the National Football League for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates .-College football:...
Back DuquesneDuquesne UniversityDuquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of... - 19391939 NFL DraftThe 1939 National Football League Draft was held on December 9, 1938.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
Bob MacLeodBob MacLeodRobert Frederick MacLeod was an American football halfback. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1977.MacLeod also played professional basketball for the Chicago Bruins of the National Basketball League....
Back DartmouthDartmouth CollegeDartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences... - 19401940 NFL DraftThe 1940 National Football League Draft was held on December 9, 1939.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
Banks McFaddenBanks McFaddenBanks McFadden was an American football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959. McFadden attended Great Falls High School in South Carolina, where he led the Red Devils to two state championships in football and one in basketball...
Back Clemson - 19411941 NFL DraftThe 1941 National Football League Draft was held on December 10, 1940.Despite having three picks in the first round, only Norm Standlee ever played for the Chicago Bears.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
Dean McAdams Back WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University... - 19421942 NFL DraftThe 1942 National Football League Draft was held on December 22, 1941.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:-Round eleven:...
Bob Robertson Back Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university... - 19431943 NFL DraftThe 1943 National Football League Draft was held on April 8, 1943.This draft is the first and oldest NFL Draft not to produce a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:...
Paul GovernaliPaul GovernaliPaul Vincent "Pitchin' Paul" Governali was a professional American football quarterback in the National Football League. An All-American at Columbia University, he was the 1942 recipient of the Maxwell Award for College Player of the Year and the first runner-up for the Heisman Trophy...
Back ColumbiaColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the... - 19441944 NFL DraftThe 1944 National Football League Draft was held on April 19, 1944.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:-Round eleven:...
Creighton MillerCreighton MillerCreighton Miller was an American football player. As an attorney, he was critical in helping to organize the National Football League Players Association....
Back Notre DameUniversity of Notre DameThe University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States... - 19451945 NFL DraftThe 1945 National Football League Draft was held on April 8, 1945. It was the last draft held in Chicago; later in the year the league moved its offices to Philadelphia.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
Joe Renfroe Back Tulane
Pro Football Hall of Famers
- Morris "Red" Badgro
- Benny FriedmanBenny FriedmanBenjamin "Benny" Friedman was an American football quarterback who played for the University of Michigan , Cleveland Bulldogs , Detroit Wolverines , New York Giants , and Brooklyn Dodgers .He is generally considered the first great passer in professional football...
- Frank KinardFrank KinardFrank Manning "Bruiser" Kinard Sr. was a professional American football player for the Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers of the National Football League and the New York Yankees of the All-America Football Conference. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971...
- Clarence "Ace" ParkerClarence ParkerClarence "Ace" Parker, is a former quarterback who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers , Boston Yanks , and the New York Yankees. He was an All-American tailback at Duke University in 1936...
Season-by-season
| Year | W | L | T | Finish | Coach | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 1930 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 4th | Jack Depler Jack Depler John Charles Depler was a professional football player with the Hammond Pros of the National Football League. He later served as a player-coach with the Orange Tornadoes, and became the founder and coach of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the NFL.Prior to his professional career, Depler played college... |
| 1931 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 9th | Jack Depler | |
| 1932 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 6th | Benny Friedman Benny Friedman Benjamin "Benny" Friedman was an American football quarterback who played for the University of Michigan , Cleveland Bulldogs , Detroit Wolverines , New York Giants , and Brooklyn Dodgers .He is generally considered the first great passer in professional football... |
|
| 1933 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2nd East | Cap McEwen | |
| 1934 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 3rd East | Cap McEwen | |
| 1935 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 2nd East | Paul J. Schissler Paul J. Schissler Paul J. Schissler was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach in the United States. He coached football at the high school, college, and professional levels, and is credited with starting the National Football League's annual Pro Bowl.-Coaching career:Schissler first coaching position... |
|
| 1936 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 4th East | Paul J. Schissler | |
| 1937 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 4th East | Potsy Clark | |
| 1938 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3rd East | Potsy Clark | |
| 1939 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3rd East | Potsy Clark | |
| 1940 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 2nd East | Jock Sutherland Jock Sutherland Dr. John Bain "Jock" Sutherland, D.D.S., was an American football coach. He coached college football at Lafayette College and the University of Pittsburgh and professional football for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers... |
|
| 1941 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 2nd East | Jock Sutherland | |
| 1942 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 4th East | Mike Getto Mike Getto Michael J. Getto was a professional football coach in the National Football League for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1942. That season he coached Brooklyn to a 3–8 record. Prior to his coaching career, Getto played college football while attending the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned... |
|
| 1943 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4th East | Pete Cawthon Pete Cawthon Peter Willis Cawthon was the head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team from 1930-1941.Cawthon graduated from Houston Central High School in 1917 and went on to attend Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. He lettered in baseball, football, and basketball during his freshman year... |
|
| Brooklyn Tigers | 1944 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 5th East | Pete Cawthon, Ed Kuhale Ed Kuhale Edward Kuhale was a professional football coach in the National Football League during the 1944 season for the Brooklyn Tigers. During his time with the Tigers he was a co-coach with Frank Bridges and Pete Cawthon.... , Frank Bridges Frank Bridges -External links:*... |
| Total | 1930–1944 | 60 | 100 | 9 |
