Newark Bears (AFL)
Encyclopedia
The Newark Bears were a professional American football
team that competed in the first American Football League in 1926
. Owned by the New Jersey Athletic Association (headed by NJAA president William Coughlin), the Bears played their home games in Davids' Stadium. Coached by player-coach
Hal Hansen
, the majority of the team played their college football in Georgia and Florida
.
Tailback
Doug Wycoff
scored the club’s only points in its existence, having a touchdown run
and kicking the extra point
to tie the Chicago Bulls
in both teams’ opening game of the season. While the Bears’ defense was respectable (yielding only five points per game), the lack of offensive production resulted in a record of no wins, three losses, and two ties. While the Bears played in front of (an announced total of) 40,000 spectators in Philadelphia (a 9-0 loss to the Quakers
on October 16), the total attendance for three home games in Newark
was less than 5000. After only 400 fans attended a scoreless game (with the Rock Island Independents
) in Davids’ Stadium on October 24, 1926, the Bears withdrew from the AFL… the first team to call it quits in the American Football League. The exodus from the league continued through the month of November, until there were only four teams left, dooming the league.
For the team's last league game, the name of the team was changed to the Newark Demons.
, the Bears defeated the Stapes, 33-0. Unhappy with the defeat of his Staten Island team, owner Dan Blaine
promptly hired most of the Newark players, including star rookie Doug Wycoff, who were still owed money because of Newark's financial problems. As a result, the Bears went out of business while the Stapletons benefited from Newark's folding. In 1928, Blaine further upgraded the team by signing some players from New York University
. The Stapletons had a 10-1-1 record that season and were 3-1 against NFL teams. The Stapletons then joined the NFL in 1929 and would play there until 1932.
extended beyond the end of the AFL, joining the New York Giants
for the 1927 season. Wycoff later played for the 1927 New York Giants, 1929-30 Staten Island Stapletons, 1931 New York Giants, 1932 Staten Island Stapletons, and the 1934 Boston Redskins of the National Football League. He came out of retirement in 1936
to play for the Boston Shamrocks
in the second American Football League.
While Wycoff was the only member of the 1926 Newark Bears playing in the NFL in 1927, four of his Newark teammates eventually joined NFL rosters:
Orin Rice – 1929 New York Giants
Sammy Stein – 1929-30 Staten Island Stapletons
, 1931 New York Giants, and 1932 Brooklyn Dodgers
Cy Williams
– 1929-30 Staten Island Stapletons, 1932 Brooklyn Dodgers
Ike Williams – 1929 Staten Island Stapletons
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 competed in the first American Football League in 1926
1926 American Football League season
The 1926 American Football League season is the only season of the existence of the first American Football League. It started with nine teams, with the initial game of the season being played in front of 22,000 fans in Cleveland, Ohio, but by the end of the season , only four teams were still in...
. Owned by the New Jersey Athletic Association (headed by NJAA president William Coughlin), the Bears played their home games in Davids' Stadium. Coached by 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....
Hal Hansen
Hal Hansen
Harlan C. Hansen was a professional football player and coach who played with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League and the Newark Bears of the first American Football League. Prior to playing professionally, Hansen played college football at the University of Minnesota.-References:...
, the majority of the team played their college football in Georgia and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Tailback
Tailback
Tailback can mean:* Halfback * A line of motor vehicles caught up in traffic congestion; a traffic jam...
Doug Wycoff
Doug Wycoff
Stephen Douglas Wycoff was an American football running back for the New York Giants, Staten Island Stapletons, and Boston Redskins in the National Football League, the Newark Bears in the first American Football League, and the Boston Shamrocks in the second American Football League...
scored the club’s only points in its existence, having a touchdown run
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:...
and kicking 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...
to tie the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls (AFL)
The Chicago Bulls were a professional American football team that competed in the first American Football League in 1926. Owned by Joey Sternaman , the Bulls also had AFL founders C. C. Pyle and Red Grange as shareholders...
in both teams’ opening game of the season. While the Bears’ defense was respectable (yielding only five points per game), the lack of offensive production resulted in a record of no wins, three losses, and two ties. While the Bears played in front of (an announced total of) 40,000 spectators in Philadelphia (a 9-0 loss to the Quakers
Philadelphia Quakers (AFL)
Not to be confused with the defunct Philadelphia Quakers team of the National Hockey League, the Philadelphia Quakers baseball team who became the Philadelphia Phillies in 1890 or the University of Pennsylvania athletics teams, the Pennsylvania Quakers....
on October 16), the total attendance for three home games in Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
was less than 5000. After only 400 fans attended a scoreless game (with the Rock Island Independents
Rock Island Independents
The Rock Island Independents were a professional American football team based in Rock Island, Illinois. One of the first professional football teams, they were founded in 1907 as an independent club. They later played in what is now the National Football League from 1920 to 1925. They joined the...
) in Davids’ Stadium on October 24, 1926, the Bears withdrew from the AFL… the first team to call it quits in the American Football League. The exodus from the league continued through the month of November, until there were only four teams left, dooming the league.
For the team's last league game, the name of the team was changed to the Newark Demons.
| Year | W | L | T | Finish | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9th | Hal Hansen Hal Hansen Harlan C. Hansen was a professional football player and coach who played with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League and the Newark Bears of the first American Football League. Prior to playing professionally, Hansen played college football at the University of Minnesota.-References:... |
Takeover by the Staten Island Stapletons
After its withdrawal from the AFL, the Bears became an independent team. During a November 14, 1926 game against the Staten Island StapletonsStaten 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"...
, the Bears defeated the Stapes, 33-0. Unhappy with the defeat of his Staten Island team, owner Dan Blaine
Dan Blaine
Daniel Blaine was an professional football player for the Staten Island Stapletons from 1915 until 1924. In 1915 he, along with three other players, formed the team to play other semi-pro teams from New York and New Jersey. He suspended his football career in 1918 to serve in the United States...
promptly hired most of the Newark players, including star rookie Doug Wycoff, who were still owed money because of Newark's financial problems. As a result, the Bears went out of business while the Stapletons benefited from Newark's folding. In 1928, Blaine further upgraded the team by signing some players from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. The Stapletons had a 10-1-1 record that season and were 3-1 against NFL teams. The Stapletons then joined the NFL in 1929 and would play there until 1932.
After the first AFL
After the dissolution of the Newark Bears on October 24, 1926, guard Art McManus returned to his hometown Boston to play with the Boston for the remainder of the season. While his major league football career ended with the folding of the Bulldogs three weeks later, the career of the only person to score points for the Bears, Doug WycoffDoug Wycoff
Stephen Douglas Wycoff was an American football running back for the New York Giants, Staten Island Stapletons, and Boston Redskins in the National Football League, the Newark Bears in the first American Football League, and the Boston Shamrocks in the second American Football League...
extended beyond the end of the AFL, joining 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...
for the 1927 season. Wycoff later played for the 1927 New York Giants, 1929-30 Staten Island Stapletons, 1931 New York Giants, 1932 Staten Island Stapletons, and the 1934 Boston Redskins of the National Football League. He came out of retirement in 1936
1936 American Football League season
The 1936 American Football League season is the first season of the second American Football League, the formation of which was announced by Harry March, former personnel director of the NFL's New York Giants, on December 15, 1935...
to play for the Boston Shamrocks
Boston Shamrocks (AFL)
The Boston Shamrocks were a professional American football team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The team played in the second American Football League from 1936 to 1937, followed by at least one year as an independent in 1938...
in the second American Football League.
While Wycoff was the only member of the 1926 Newark Bears playing in the NFL in 1927, four of his Newark teammates eventually joined NFL rosters:
Orin Rice – 1929 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...
Sammy Stein – 1929-30 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"...
, 1931 New York Giants, and 1932 Brooklyn Dodgers
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...
Cy Williams
Cy Williams
Frederick "Cy" Williams was a Major League Baseball player for the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies ....
– 1929-30 Staten Island Stapletons, 1932 Brooklyn Dodgers
Ike Williams – 1929 Staten Island Stapletons