All-American Football Conference (AAFC) Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In which city was the first meeting held that eventually led to the creation of the AAFC?

Answer: St. Louis

Representatives of six cities (Buffalo, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Cleveland) met in St. Louis on June 4, 1944, to form the new league. They would meet a second time three months later in Chicago.

2. Which of the famous "Four Horsemen" of Notre Dame, was the first commissioner of the AAFC?

Answer: Jim Crowley

Crowley was named commissioner of the AAFC on November 22, 1944, and served until 1947, when he resigned to become part-owner and head coach of the AAFC's Chicago Rockets franchise. In fact, when Crowley was named AAFC commissioner, fellow Notre Dame horseman Elmer Layden, was serving as the commissioner of the NFL.

3. In the first year of the league, there was a franchise located in Miami. What was their nickname?

Answer: Seahawks

The Miami Seahawks finished their only AAFC season with a record of 3-11, playing home games in the Orange Bowl. Their owner, Harvey Hester, lost everything he had on the team and the franchise was transferred to Baltimore for the following season.

4. Who won the AAFC Championship in all the four years of the league's existence?

Answer: Cleveland Browns

In their four years in the AAFC, Cleveland finished with an overall regular season record of 52-4-3. They defeated the New York Yankees for the title in the first two seasons (14-9 in 1946 and 14-3 in 1947), Buffalo 49-7 in 1948, and San Francisco 21-7 in 1949.

5. Which team withdrew from the NFL to play in the AAFC?

Answer: Brooklyn Tigers

Don Topping, who was part owner of the NFL's Brooklyn Tigers in 1945 (and also the owner of the baseball New York Yankees), pulled the team out of the league after the 1945 season. They then moved the team into Yankee Stadium to play, and renamed them the New York Yankees.

6. Which Heisman Trophy winner played in the AAFC for the Los Angeles Dons in 1946?

Answer: Angelo Bertelli

Bertelli, the first Heisman trophy winner to play for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, played for the Dons in 1946, and Chicago in 1947 and 1948. He did not have a memorable AAFC career.

7. Which two teams played in the first regular season game in AAFC history?

Answer: Cleveland-Miami

The first regular season game in AAFC history was played on September 6, 1946, at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns defeated the Seahawks that day 44-0.

8. Who was the only team to lose twice in the AAFC championship game?

Answer: New York Yankees

The Yankees lost in the 1946 championship game to Cleveland 14-9, and 14-3 in 1947. Brooklyn and Baltimore never qualified for the AAFC Championship game, and there never was an AAFC team in Boston.

9. Which nickname did the Chicago Rockets take for the final season of the AAFC in 1949?

Answer: Hornets

The Rockets changed their nickname to the Hornets after two straight 1-13 seasons. The change didn't help too much as the Hornets finished the last season 4-8.

10. In the four years of the AAFC, only once did the single season rushing leader have over 1000 yards for that season. Who was he?

Answer: Spec Sanders

Spec Sanders of the New York Yankees led the league in rushing for both the 1946 and 1947 seasons, rushing for 709 yards in 1946, and 1432 yards in 1947. Motley led the league in rushing in 1948 with 964 yards, and Perry led the league in 1949 with 783 yards.

After sitting out the 1949 season with a knee injury, Sanders played one season in the NFL, 1950, for the New York Yankees. Sanders played defense and had 13 interceptions before retiring.

11. Which of the following players was the only one named to the AAFC All-League team, in all four seasons of the league?

Answer: Otto Graham

Graham, the Cleveland Browns quarterback, was named to the All-League team every season. Motley, a running back for the Browns, didn't make the team in the 1949 season. Lavelli, a wide-receiver for the Browns, didn't make it in either 1948 or 1949. Nelson, the center for the Los Angeles Dons, didn't make the 1949 squad.

12. In the 1949 season, the Cleveland Browns tied their two regular season meetings against which team?

Answer: Buffalo

In a season where Cleveland went 9-1-2, their only two ties (in fact, the only two ties that took place in the entire league that season) happened against the Buffalo Bills. Cleveland tied Buffalo 28-28 in week one in Buffalo, and again in week ten, 7-7 in Cleveland. The two teams would play again in the 1949 AAFC playoffs, with Cleveland winning 31-21.

13. Which player scored the most points in the history of the AAFC?

Answer: Alyn Beals

Beals, a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, scored 278 points in his AAFC career on 46 touchdowns and two extra points. Groza finished second in league history with 259 points.

14. The Indianapolis Colts can be directly traced to the Baltimore Colts team, that played in the AAFC and later joined the NFL.

Answer: False

Baltimore joined the NFL as one of three teams coming over from the AAFC in 1950, because George Preston Marshall, the owner of the Washington Redskins, thought the Colts would be a great rival. However, the Colts were a weak organization and folded after one season in the NFL with a 1-11 record.

The Indianapolis Colts started off in Dallas as the Texans, moved to Baltimore after the 1952 season, and later moved to Indy.

15. In every season except one in the history of the AAFC, did a team finish the season with only one win. In which year did that not happen?

Answer: 1946

In both 1947 and 1948, the Chicago Rockets finished with a record of 1-13. In 1949, the Baltimore Colts finished with a record of 1-11. The worst record in 1946 in the AAFC belonged to the Miami Seahawks, who had a record of 3-11.

Source: Author AdmiralShark

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

A quiz on the All-American Football Conference, a professional football league in the USA, that took the field for four seasons shortly after the end of World War II.

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