Tag Archives: A.A.F.C.
Buddy Young
Buddy Young (Pro football. Born, Chicago, IL, Jan. 5, 1926; died, Terrell, TX, Sept. 4, 1983.) A small, elusive package of halfback, Claude (Buddy) Young was a thrilling part of New York pro football for five seasons with teams in two leagues based in Yankee Stadium. As a rookie in 1947, Young first excited New […]
Arnie Weinmeister
Arnie Weinmeister (Pro football. Born, Rhine, Sask., Mar. 23, 1923; died, Seattle, WA, June 28, 2000.) A hard-hitting tackle who was a versatile two-way player, Arnold G. Weinmeister joined the A.A.F.C. Yankees from the University of Washington in 1948. When the A.A.F.C. folded after the 1949 season, Weinmeister moved to the N.F.L. Giants, where he […]
Otto Schnellbacher
Otto Schnellbacher (Pro football. Born, Sublette, KS, Apr. 15, 1923; died, Topeka, KS, Mar. 10, 2008.) Though he was with the team for only two seasons (1950-51), Otto Schnellbacher was a corner of Giants coach Steve Owen’s (q.v.) “umbrella defense.” Along with Tom Landry (q.v.), Harmon Rowe, and Emlen Tunnell (q.v.), Schnellbacher formed a unit that […]
Bruiser Kinard
Bruiser Kinard (Pro football. Born, Pelahatchie, MS, Oct. 23, 1914; died, Jackson, MS, Sept. 7, 1985.) Best of a Mississippi football-playing family, Frank Kinard was an all-N.F.L. tackle four times in his seven seasons (1938-44) with Brooklyn. Kinard was a linebacker who helped form the core of the Dodgers defense in addition to playing tackle […]
Harvey Johnson
Harvey Johnson (Pro football. Born, Bridgeton, NJ, June 22, 1919; died, Orchard Park, NY, Aug. 8, 1983.) A fullback at William & Mary and a defensive back in pro football, Harvey P. Johnson made his mark primarily as a placekicker with the A.A.F.C. Yankees (1946-49). Johnson was one of just four players to make the […]
Bobby Layne
Bobby Layne (Pro football. Born, Santa Ana, TX, Dec. 19, 1926; died, Lubbock, TX, Dec. 1, 1986.) With a pro football war raging between the N.F.L. and the upstart A.A.F.C., the Chicago Bears decided to loan promising quarterback prospect Robert Lawrence Layne to the New York Bulldogs for the 1949 season. The Bulldogs, formerly a […]
Gus Mauch
Gus Mauch (Trainer. Born, New York, NY, Mar. 7, 1902; died, St. Petersburg, FL, Apr. 16, 1983.) Augustus Mauch, who played a key role in many a Casey Stengel-managed championship team with the Yankees and then salved the muscles of the Miracle Mets, was one of the most famous trainers in sports during his long […]
Pug Manders
Pug Manders (Pro football. Born, Millbank, SD, May 5, 1913; died, Des Moines, IA, Jan. 20, 1985.) Brooklyn Dodgers owner Dan Topping wanted Drake running back Clarence Manders so badly that he paid the Pittsburgh Steelers to use their No. 2 choice Dec. 10, 1938, to draft him for the Dodgers. Manders was the regular fullback […]
Tom Landry
Tom Landry (Pro football. Born, Mission, TX, Sept. 11, 1924; died, Dallas, TX, Feb. 12, 2000.) Though later justifiably famed as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Thomas Wade Landry was part of the New York pro football scene for 11 seasons (1949-59). A quarterback and defensive halfback out of Texas, Landry signed with the […]
Dom Principe
Dom Principe (Football. Born, Brockton, Mass., Feb. 9, 1917.) A rugged back who was a major part of Fordham’s offense, Dominic Alfred Principe was also a member of both the Football Giants (1940-42) and the A.A.F.C. Brooklyn Dodgers (1946). At Fordham, he played both ways but was primarily a fullback tough to stop in short-yardage […]
