New York Yankees (1940 AFL)
Encyclopedia
The New York Yankees of the third American Football League
was the third professional American football
team competing under that name. It is unrelated to the Yankees
of the first AFL (and the National Football League
), the Yankees
of the second AFL, and the (later) Yankees
of the All America Football Conference. The Yankees played their home games in Yankee Stadium and Downing Stadium
in New York, New York.
After finishing fourth in the AFL’s season of 1940, the Yankees were sold to agent and promoter Douglas Hertz. By the summer of 1941, the team’s AFL franchise was revoked in light of a scandal involving the new owner, and a group headed by William Cox assumed control of the team by the beginning of the new season. The newly-renamed New York Americans were competitive, finishing one-half game behind league champions Columbus Bullies
. While the Americans were making plans for a 1942 AFL season, the league suspended operations in the wake of the entry of the United States into World War II
, and the Americans followed suit. The league did not return to business after the end of the war, and neither did the New York Americans.
and Buffalo Indians
) that were formed with the expressed purpose of competing in a major
professional football league to compete with the established National Football League. The new league became official after the Cincinnati Bengals
, Columbus Bullies
and a newly minted Milwaukee Chiefs
defected from the American Professional Football Association
. The roster for the 1940 season had five players who competed in the NFL in 1939. Head coach Jack McBride
was also the coach of the New York Yankees
of the second American Football League (1936-1937).
(later the owner of the Philadelphia Phillies
baseball
team) in August. Shortly afterward, the team’s name was changed to the New York Americans.
Unlike the 1940 Yankees, the Americans had a flair for publicity, having signed college star running back John Kimbrough
for $37,500 on a personal services contract that required personal appearances on behalf of the team. Well into the season, the Americans announced the signing of Heisman Trophy
winner Tom Harmon
(who had begun a career in broadcasting University of Michigan
football games) for the game between the Americans and league leader Columbus. Harmon threw two interceptions while Hutchinson was similarly ineffective. In the second half, the New York fans shouted “We want[Bill] Hutchinson
,” the Americans’ regular rusher. The game ended in a 0-0 tie.
A loss to the Milwaukee Chiefs the following week (the last game of the season) cost the Americans the AFL championship.
in October to replace the Providence Steamroller, which dropped out of the league after only two games. Having four members of the 1940 Yankees, the 1941 edition lost all six of its American Association games (as a traveling team
)… and folded soon afterward.
Note: won-lost record includes American Association league games only
American Football League (1940)
American Football League, also known as the AFL III to distinguish it from earlier organizations of that name, was a major professional American football league that operated from 1940-1941...
was the third professional American football
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 competing under that name. It is unrelated to the 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...
of the first AFL (and 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 Yankees
New York Yankees (1936 AFL)
The New York Yankees of the second American Football League was the second professional American football team competing under that name. It is unrelated to the Yankees of the first AFL , the Yankees of the third AFL, the Yankees of the American Association and the Yankees of the All America...
of the second AFL, and the (later) 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...
of the All America Football Conference. The Yankees played their home games in Yankee Stadium and Downing Stadium
Downing Stadium
Downing Stadium, previously known as Triborough Stadium and Randall's Island Stadium, was a 22,000-seat stadium in New York City. It was renamed Downing Stadium in 1955 after John J...
in New York, New York.
After finishing fourth in the AFL’s season of 1940, the Yankees were sold to agent and promoter Douglas Hertz. By the summer of 1941, the team’s AFL franchise was revoked in light of a scandal involving the new owner, and a group headed by William Cox assumed control of the team by the beginning of the new season. The newly-renamed New York Americans were competitive, finishing one-half game behind league champions 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...
. While the Americans were making plans for a 1942 AFL season, the league suspended operations in the wake of the entry of the United States into World War II
World 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...
, and the Americans followed suit. The league did not return to business after the end of the war, and neither did the New York Americans.
1940 New York Yankees
The Yankees were one of three charter members of the third AFL (along with the Boston BearsBoston Bears (AFL)
The Boston Bears were a professional American football team that competed in the third American Football League in 1940. Owned by Sheldon H. Fairbanks, the team played its home games in the Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts...
and Buffalo Indians
Buffalo Indians
The Buffalo Indians 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 Civic Stadium in Buffalo, New York...
) that were formed with the expressed purpose of competing in a major
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...
professional football league to compete with the established National Football League. The new league became official after 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...
, 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...
and a newly minted Milwaukee Chiefs
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...
defected from the American Professional Football Association
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 roster for the 1940 season had five players who competed in the NFL in 1939. Head coach 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...
was also the coach of the New York Yankees
New York Yankees (1936 AFL)
The New York Yankees of the second American Football League was the second professional American football team competing under that name. It is unrelated to the Yankees of the first AFL , the Yankees of the third AFL, the Yankees of the American Association and the Yankees of the All America...
of the second American Football League (1936-1937).
| Year | W | L | T | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 1940 American Football League season The 1940 American Football League season was the first season of the third American Football League. The league was formed when the New York Yankees, Boston Bears, and Buffalo Indians were joined by the Cincinnati Bengals, Columbus Bullies, and Milwaukee Chiefs of the minor American Professional... |
4 | 5 | 0 | 4th (AFL) |
1941 New York Americans
In January 1941, the Yankees were sold to agent and promoter Douglas Hertz. After questions arose about the finances of the new owner arose, the AFL revoked the franchise and transferred ownership to a syndicate headed by William CoxWilliam B. Cox
William D. Cox was an American businessman and sports executive.-New York Yankees :A Yale University alumnus and wealthy lumber broker, Cox first entered the sports world when he headed a group that bought the New York Yankees of the third American Football League in 1941...
(later the owner of the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team) in August. Shortly afterward, the team’s name was changed to the New York Americans.
| Year | W | L | T | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 1941 American Football League season The 1941 American Football League season was the second season of the third American Football League. After deeming the 1940 season to be a success, the league made overtures of expansion, even going to the point of having a press conference to announce the addition of new teams , but when the... |
5 | 2 | 1 | 2nd (AFL) |
Unlike the 1940 Yankees, the Americans had a flair for publicity, having signed college star running back John Kimbrough
John Kimbrough
John Kimbrough was a college athlete, a member of the Texas Legislature, the star of two western movies and a rancher. His older brother Frank Kimbrough served as head football coach at Baylor and West Texas A&M.-Football:...
for $37,500 on a personal services contract that required personal appearances on behalf of the team. Well into the season, the Americans announced the signing of Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Tom Harmon
Tom Harmon
Thomas Dudley Harmon was a star player in American college football, a sports broadcaster, and patriarch of a family of American actors...
(who had begun a career in broadcasting University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
football games) for the game between the Americans and league leader Columbus. Harmon threw two interceptions while Hutchinson was similarly ineffective. In the second half, the New York fans shouted “We want
Bill Hutchinson (American football)
William David Hutchinson was a professional American football quarterback in the National Football League. Hutchinson played in two games for the New York Giants in 1942, completing one pass in four attempts. In those two games, he recorded 27 rushing yards in seven attempts...
,” the Americans’ regular rusher. The game ended in a 0-0 tie.
A loss to the Milwaukee Chiefs the following week (the last game of the season) cost the Americans the AFL championship.
1941 New York Yankees
The 1941 New York Yankees, the fourth New York professional football team with the name, was a team formed and owned by Douglas Hertz after the third American Football League revoked his ownership of a franchise that was later renamed the New York Americans in August 1941. Initially an independent team, the Yankees joined the American AssociationAmerican Association (football)
The American Association was a professional American football league based in New York City. Founded in 1936 as a minor league with teams in New York and New Jersey, the AA extended its reach to Providence, Rhode Island prior to the onset of World War II...
in October to replace the Providence Steamroller, which dropped out of the league after only two games. Having four members of the 1940 Yankees, the 1941 edition lost all six of its American Association games (as 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...
)… and folded soon afterward.
| Year | W | L | T | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6th (AA American Association (football) The American Association was a professional American football league based in New York City. Founded in 1936 as a minor league with teams in New York and New Jersey, the AA extended its reach to Providence, Rhode Island prior to the onset of World War II... ) |
Note: won-lost record includes American Association league games only