Louisville Tanks
Encyclopedia
The Louisville Tanks were a minor league professional American football
team that existed from 1935 to 1940. The team formed in the wake of the dissolution of the Louisville Bourbons of the short-lived American Football League of 1934
. Organized and owned by American Standard, Inc.
, the team was coached by AS plant manager H.M. "Harry" Reed; its name and colors (green and gold) come from one of the products sold by American Standard. The Tanks played their home games at Parkway Field
in Louisville
, Kentucky, USA.
A charter member of the Midwest Football League (which evolved into the American Football League of 1938
, the Tanks' first four seasons ended with league championships. In 1939, after the AFL added the Cincinnati Bengals
, Los Angeles Bulldogs
(both formerly of the second major American Football League), and the Columbus Bullies
(an independent team), the Tanks had the only losing season in their existence (1939), finishing in last place in the newly renamed American Professional Football Association.
The APFA announced its intention to become a major league in early 1940 and added a team from Milwaukee
, but its ambitious plans crumbled in July, when Cincinnati, Columbus, and the new Milwaukee team defected to a new major American Football League. The APFA was mortally wounded as Louisville and the Dayton Bombers announced that they would not field teams for the 1940 season. The Tanks, the Bombers, and the APFA did not return to the field.
The time between the end of the 1937 and beginning of the 1938 campaign saw much change involving the Tanks. The second major league AFL disbanded, and the freshly expanded Midwest League quickly adopted the name of the recently deceased league. While the new AFL was still asserting that it was strictly a midwestern league with no major league
ambition, its footprint expanded to include Chicago
and Nashville. While the Tanks finished the regular season in third place with a four-win, three-loss record (behind the Chicago Indians and the newly reformed St. Louis Gunners
(four years after the latter playing in the National Football League
), the Tanks won the championship in the first system of playoffs in a minor professional football league. In a Shaughnessy playoff, the Tanks beat Chicago 13-0 and St. Louis 3-0 to claim the team's fourth title in its fourth year of existence.
and Los Angeles Bulldogs
of the second major AFL and a powerful independent team that would later dominate another pro football league: the Columbus Bullies
. The Tanks' string of winning seasons - and league championships - ended at four as they finished in last place with a 2-9 record. The three newcomers finished in the top three positions.
The following year started with both optimism and surprise for the APFA membership. The Columbus Bullies were declared the champions with a 9-4 record despite the Los Angeles Bulldogs' losing only a single game (7 wins, 1 loss) and the Cincinnati Bengals' having a 6-2 record. Milwaukee was admitted as the replacement for the Bulldogs, who left to form the Pacific Coast Professional Football League
... and the league admitted to its having major league aspirations as the Green Bay Packers
protested the APFA's intrusion into its territory.
By July, it was all over as Cincinnati, Columbus, and Milwaukee left the loop to become the charter members of a new American Football League. Louisville and the Dayton Bombers announced that they were not fielding teams for 1940... and the APFA folded. The Tanks and the Bombers never returned to the gridiron.
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 existed from 1935 to 1940. The team formed in the wake of the dissolution of the Louisville Bourbons of the short-lived American Football League of 1934
American Football League (1934)
The 1934 edition of the American Football League was a short-lived minor professional football league with teams based in the American South and Southwest. The first of several minor leagues with the same name, the 1934 was also one of the first involving teams not located in the American Midwest...
. Organized and owned by American Standard, Inc.
American Standard Companies
American Standard Companies, Inc. was a global manufacturer of air conditioning systems and services, bath & kitchen products and vehicle control systems. The company divested all but the air conditioning business in 2007, and renamed itself Trane....
, the team was coached by AS plant manager H.M. "Harry" Reed; its name and colors (green and gold) come from one of the products sold by American Standard. The Tanks played their home games at Parkway Field
Parkway Field
Parkway Field is the name of a minor league baseball and college baseball park that stood in Louisville, Kentucky. It was home to the Louisville Colonels of the American Association from 1923 into the mid 1950s, and then of the University of Louisville team for several decades until they abandoned...
in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Kentucky, USA.
A charter member of the Midwest Football League (which evolved into the American Football League of 1938
American Football League (1938)
The Midwest Football League was a minor professional American football league that existed from 1935 to 1940. Originally comprising teams from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, the league eventually expanded its reach to include teams from Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and California to...
, the Tanks' first four seasons ended with league championships. In 1939, after the AFL added the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals (AFL)
Cincinnati Bengals was the name of a short-lived professional football team that played in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is unrelated to the current Cincinnati Bengals. Originated by Hal Pennington , the team was formed as a member of the second American Football League in the 1937 season...
, Los Angeles Bulldogs
Los Angeles Bulldogs
The Los Angeles Bulldogs were a professional American football team that competed from 1936 to 1948...
(both formerly of the second major American Football League), and the Columbus Bullies
Columbus Bullies
The Columbus Bullies were a professional football team founded by Phil H. Bucklew in Columbus, Ohio in 1938. The Bullies started out as a member of the American Professional Football Association in 1939. Later, in 1940, the Bullies joined the Cincinnati Bengals and Milwaukee Chiefs in leaving the...
(an independent team), the Tanks had the only losing season in their existence (1939), finishing in last place in the newly renamed American Professional Football Association.
The APFA announced its intention to become a major league in early 1940 and added a team from Milwaukee
Milwaukee Chiefs (AFL)
The Milwaukee Chiefs were a professional American football team that competed in the third American Football League in 1940 and in 1941. The team played its home games in the Dairy Bowl in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
, but its ambitious plans crumbled in July, when Cincinnati, Columbus, and the new Milwaukee team defected to a new major American Football League. The APFA was mortally wounded as Louisville and the Dayton Bombers announced that they would not field teams for the 1940 season. The Tanks, the Bombers, and the APFA did not return to the field.
Origin, the Midwest Football League, and the American Football League
Formed to fill the vacuum formed by the departure of the Louisville Bourbons, the Tanks wasted no time in becoming a charter member of the Midwest Football League in 1935. The Tanks shared the 1935 championship with the Cincinnati Models and the Indianapolis Indians, two teams that disappeared within the next couple of years. Louisville then dominated the league in 1936 and 1937, winning the championship title outright in both seasons.The time between the end of the 1937 and beginning of the 1938 campaign saw much change involving the Tanks. The second major league AFL disbanded, and the freshly expanded Midwest League quickly adopted the name of the recently deceased league. While the new AFL was still asserting that it was strictly a midwestern league with no major league
Major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada
The major professional sports leagues, or simply major leagues, in the United States and Canada are the highest professional competitions in team sports...
ambition, its footprint expanded to include Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Nashville. While the Tanks finished the regular season in third place with a four-win, three-loss record (behind the Chicago Indians and the newly reformed St. Louis Gunners
St. Louis Gunners
The St. Louis Gunners, were an independent professional football team based in St. Louis, Missouri, who played the last three games of the 1934 National Football League season, replacing the Cincinnati Reds on the league schedule after the Reds' league membership was suspended...
(four years after the latter playing 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...
), the Tanks won the championship in the first system of playoffs in a minor professional football league. In a Shaughnessy playoff, the Tanks beat Chicago 13-0 and St. Louis 3-0 to claim the team's fourth title in its fourth year of existence.
American Professional Football Association and demise
The year 1939 was the fifth year of the Tanks' existence, still with their original owners and their original (head) coach, and still in the league which they helped form in their first days of their existence. The former Midwest Football League, on the other hand, changed its name for the second consecutive year (to the American Professional Football Association) as it hinted at being more than a midwestern minor league as it added the Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati Bengals (AFL)
Cincinnati Bengals was the name of a short-lived professional football team that played in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is unrelated to the current Cincinnati Bengals. Originated by Hal Pennington , the team was formed as a member of the second American Football League in the 1937 season...
and Los Angeles Bulldogs
Los Angeles Bulldogs
The Los Angeles Bulldogs were a professional American football team that competed from 1936 to 1948...
of the second major AFL and a powerful independent team that would later dominate another pro football league: the Columbus Bullies
Columbus Bullies
The Columbus Bullies were a professional football team founded by Phil H. Bucklew in Columbus, Ohio in 1938. The Bullies started out as a member of the American Professional Football Association in 1939. Later, in 1940, the Bullies joined the Cincinnati Bengals and Milwaukee Chiefs in leaving the...
. The Tanks' string of winning seasons - and league championships - ended at four as they finished in last place with a 2-9 record. The three newcomers finished in the top three positions.
The following year started with both optimism and surprise for the APFA membership. The Columbus Bullies were declared the champions with a 9-4 record despite the Los Angeles Bulldogs' losing only a single game (7 wins, 1 loss) and the Cincinnati Bengals' having a 6-2 record. Milwaukee was admitted as the replacement for the Bulldogs, who left to form the Pacific Coast Professional Football League
Pacific Coast Professional Football League
The Pacific Coast Professional Football League , also known as the Pacific Coast Football League and Pacific Coast League was a professional American football league based in California, USA, and competed from 1940 through 1948 in sports...
... and the league admitted to its having major league aspirations as the 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...
protested the APFA's intrusion into its territory.
By July, it was all over as Cincinnati, Columbus, and Milwaukee left the loop to become the charter members of a new American Football League. Louisville and the Dayton Bombers announced that they were not fielding teams for 1940... and the APFA folded. The Tanks and the Bombers never returned to the gridiron.