.gif)
Dallas Texans (NFL)
Encyclopedia
The Dallas Texans played in the National Football League
for one season, 1952, with a record of 1–11.
, 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 York City
in 1949 as the Bulldogs, and renamed it the Yankees in 1950. The franchise was reported to have been "sold back" to the league by Collins, but it is more likely the NFL revoked it.
A few months later, a Dallas-based group led by Giles Miller bought the franchise and moved it to Dallas--the first-ever major league team to be based in Texas. Home games were scheduled to be played at the Cotton Bowl
.
Miller thought that Texas, with its longstanding support of college football, would be a natural fit for the NFL, and NFL owners approved the move with an 11-1 vote. However, they proved to be one of the worst teams in NFL history. The first game, against the New York Giants
, set the tone for the season. While the Texans managed to get the first touchdown
, they missed the extra point
. They never found the end zone
again and lost 24-6.
Only 17,499 fans showed up at the Cotton Bowl (capacity 75,000) for that game, and attendance continued to dwindle as the losses piled up. Unable to meet payroll, Miller returned the team to the league with five games to go in the season. The NFL moved the franchise's operations to Hershey, Pennsylvania
(though it kept the "Dallas Texans" name). It also made the team a traveling team
as the Texans' last two home games (Chicago Nov. 30 game was moved to Akron on Nov. 27 and Detroit Dec. 14 was moved to Detroit on Dec. 13) were moved.
The team wound up playing one of its final two "home" games at the Rubber Bowl
in Akron, Ohio
, where the franchise's only win occurred — a 27-23 win over the Chicago Bears
of George Halas
, who was so confident that his team would win, he started his entire second string team — in front of an estimated 3,000 fans on Thanksgiving Day
. The victory helped the otherwise failing franchise avoid what would have been the first winless regular season since 1944. At the Bears vs. Texans game in 1952, head coach Jim Phelan
suggested because of the small turnout — where a high school game earlier outdrew the NFL contest (a measure of how low the NFL still ranked on the sports scene at the time)— that instead of being introduced on the field, they should "go into the stands and shake hands with each fan." George Taliaferro
, the team's leading rusher was selected to the Pro Bowl
at the end of the season.
Following the season, the NFL awarded the remains of the Texans operation to a Baltimore
-based group headed by Carroll Rosenbloom
, who used it to start the Baltimore Colts
. The NFL does not consider the Colts (now based in Indianapolis
) to be a continuation of the Yanks/Bulldogs/Yankees/Texans franchise, or even the Dayton Triangles
for that matter considering that franchise's successor, the Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers
, merged with the Yanks in 1945. As a result, the Texans remain the last NFL team to permanently cease operations and not be included in the lineage of any current team.
In 1960, the league made a second venture into Dallas and established what would become a more successful team, the Dallas Cowboys
. Also in that year, the American Football League
began with its own Dallas Texans; that team moved after winning the 1962 AFL Championship and became the Kansas City Chiefs
. The "Texans" name has since been revived by the NFL for the current Houston Texans
, which started play in 2002.
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...
for one season, 1952, with a record of 1–11.
History
After the 1951 NFL season1951 NFL season
The 1951 NFL season was the 32nd regular season of the National Football League. Prior to the season, Baltimore Colts owner Abraham Watner faced financial difficulties, and thus gave his team and its player contracts back to the league for $50,000. However, many Baltimore fans started to protest...
, the financially troubled New York Yanks
New York Yanks
The New York Yanks American football team played in the National Football League under that name in the 1950 and 1951 seasons. In 1949, Boston Yanks owner Ted Collins had requested the NFL to fold his Boston team and give him a new one in New York City...
franchise were put on the market. Ted Collins had founded that franchise in 1944 as 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...
, moved it to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1949 as the Bulldogs, and renamed it the Yankees in 1950. The franchise was reported to have been "sold back" to the league by Collins, but it is more likely the NFL revoked it.
A few months later, a Dallas-based group led by Giles Miller bought the franchise and moved it to Dallas--the first-ever major league team to be based in Texas. Home games were scheduled to be played at the Cotton Bowl
Cotton Bowl (stadium)
The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1929 and became known as "The House That Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. Originally known as Fair Park Stadium, it is located in Fair Park,...
.
Miller thought that Texas, with its longstanding support of college football, would be a natural fit for the NFL, and NFL owners approved the move with an 11-1 vote. However, they proved to be one of the worst teams in NFL history. The first game, against 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...
, set the tone for the season. While the Texans managed to get the first touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
, they missed the extra point
Extra Point
Extra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio that covers generic sports-related topical news and opinion. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
. They never found the end zone
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
again and lost 24-6.
Only 17,499 fans showed up at the Cotton Bowl (capacity 75,000) for that game, and attendance continued to dwindle as the losses piled up. Unable to meet payroll, Miller returned the team to the league with five games to go in the season. The NFL moved the franchise's operations to Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey is a census-designated place in Derry Township, Dauphin County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The community is located 14 miles east of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hershey has no legal status as an incorporated municipality...
(though it kept the "Dallas Texans" name). It also made the team a traveling team
Traveling team
In professional team sports, a traveling team is a member of a professional league that never or rarely competes in its home arena or stadium. This differs from a barnstorming team in that the latter does not compete within a league or association framework...
as the Texans' last two home games (Chicago Nov. 30 game was moved to Akron on Nov. 27 and Detroit Dec. 14 was moved to Detroit on Dec. 13) were moved.
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...
in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
, where the franchise's only win occurred — a 27-23 win over the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of George Halas
George Halas
George Stanley Halas, Sr. , nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was a player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional American football. He was the iconic longtime leader of the NFL's Chicago Bears...
, who was so confident that his team would win, he started his entire second string team — in front of an estimated 3,000 fans on Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
. The victory helped the otherwise failing franchise avoid what would have been the first winless regular season since 1944. At the Bears vs. Texans game in 1952, head coach Jim Phelan
James Phelan (football)
James Michael Phelan was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Missouri , Purdue University , the University of Washington , and Saint Mary's College of California , compiling a career college football record of...
suggested because of the small turnout — where a high school game earlier outdrew the NFL contest (a measure of how low the NFL still ranked on the sports scene at the time)— that instead of being introduced on the field, they should "go into the stands and shake hands with each fan." George Taliaferro
George Taliaferro
George Taliaferro is a former professional American football player. He was the first African American drafted by a National Football League team....
, the team's leading rusher was selected to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
at the end of the season.
Following the season, the NFL awarded the remains of the Texans operation to a Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
-based group headed by Carroll Rosenbloom
Carroll Rosenbloom
Carroll Rosenbloom was an American entrepreneur and former owner of two professional football teams, the Baltimore Colts and the Los Angeles Rams....
, who used it to start 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 ....
. The NFL does not consider the Colts (now based in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
) to be a continuation of the Yanks/Bulldogs/Yankees/Texans franchise, or even the Dayton Triangles
Dayton 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 that matter considering that franchise's successor, the Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers
Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL)
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...
, merged with the Yanks in 1945. As a result, the Texans remain the last NFL team to permanently cease operations and not be included in the lineage of any current team.
In 1960, the league made a second venture into Dallas and established what would become a more successful team, the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. Also in that year, the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
began with its own Dallas Texans; that team moved after winning the 1962 AFL Championship and became the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
. The "Texans" name has since been revived by the NFL for the current Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, which started play in 2002.
Notable players
- Jack Adkisson, who would become more famous as professional wrestler Fritz Von ErichFritz Von ErichJack Barton Adkisson was an American professional wrestler under the ring name Fritz Von Erich, better known today as a wrestling promoter and the patriarch of the Von Erich family...
- Brad EcklundBrad EcklundBradford Ecklund was a center in the AAFC and in the National Football League. He was chosen twice to play in the Pro Bowl. He was born in Los Angeles, California and died in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey....
- Weldon Humble
- Matthew Maguire
- Dennis Nichol
- Chuck OrtmannChuck OrtmannCharles H. Ortmann is a former American football player who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1948 to 1950 and in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1951 and the Dallas Texans in 1952....
- George TaliaferroGeorge TaliaferroGeorge Taliaferro is a former professional American football player. He was the first African American drafted by a National Football League team....
- Frank TripuckaFrank TripuckaFrancis Joseph Tripucka is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback, at Notre Dame, in the National Football League, in the Canadian Football League, and in the early American Football League.-Notre Dame Fighting Irish:Tripucka was backup quarterback to Heisman Trophy...
- Buddy YoungBuddy YoungClaude "Buddy" Young was an American football player. A native of Chicago, the 5'4" Claude "Buddy" Young, also known as the "Bronze Bullet," had exceptional quickness and acceleration. He is one of the shortest men ever to play NFL football...
- Joe CampanellaJoe CampanellaJoseph Arthur Campanella was a professional American football player who played linebacker for six seasons for the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Colts....
, Baltimore Colts General Manager in 1967
First round draft selection
- 19521952 NFL DraftThe 1952 National Football League Draft was held on January 17, 1952. Picks made by New York Yanks were assigned to the new Dallas Texans.-Player selections:-Round one:* HOF Member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame-Round two:-Round three:...
Les RichterLes RichterLeslie Alan Richter was a Los Angeles Rams National Football League football player, former head of operations for NASCAR and president of the Riverside International Raceway. He played in 8 Pro Bowls as a linebacker. Richter was born in Fresno, California...
Guard California (Pick was actually made by New York Yanks. Yanks picks given to Dallas.)
Season-by-season
| Year | W | L | T | Finish | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 6th National | Jim Phelan |
1952 Results
| Week | Day & Date | Opponent | W-L-T | Score | Site | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun 9/28/1952 | 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... |
L | 24-6 | Cotton Bowl Cotton Bowl (stadium) The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1929 and became known as "The House That Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. Originally known as Fair Park Stadium, it is located in Fair Park,... |
0-1-0 |
| 2 | Sun 10/5/1952 | 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... |
L | 37-14 | Cotton Bowl | 0-2-0 |
| 3 | Sun 10/12/1952 | Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L | 38-20 | Wrigley Field Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales... |
0-3-0 |
| 4 | Sat Night 10/18/1952 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
L | 24-14 | Cotton Bowl | 0-4-0 |
| 5 | Sun 10/26/1952 | San Francisco 49ers | L | 48-21 | 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... |
0-5-0 |
| 6 | Sun 11/2/1952 | Los Angeles Rams | L | 42-20 | 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... |
0-6-0 |
| 7 | Sun 11/9/1952 | Los Angeles Rams | L | 27-6 | Cotton Bowl | 0-7-0 |
| 8 | Sun 11/16/1952 | Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
L | 43-13 | Briggs Stadium | 0-8-0 |
| 9 | Sun 11/23/1952 | Green Bay Packers | L | 42-14 | East Stadium City Stadium (Green Bay) City Stadium is a football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It served as home of the Green Bay Packers of the NFL from 1925 to 1956. It remains the home of the Green Bay East High School football team... |
0-9-0 |
| 10 | Thu 11/27/1952 | Chicago Bears | W | 27-23 | 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... (Akron Akron, Ohio Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan... , Ohio Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... ) |
1-9-0 |
| 11 | Sun 12/7/1952 | 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... |
L | 38-21 | Shibe Park | 1-10-0 |
| 12 | Sat 12/13/1952 | Detroit Lions | L | 41-6 | Briggs Stadium | 1-11-0 |