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AFL Spring Meetings 1959

LEAGUE STILL PONDERING 16TH TEAM LOCATION The AFL seems to still be deliberating over where their 16th franchise will be located, even though at a similar point in their last expansion process that city was already decided by now. The setback on Denver’s stadium threw a wrench into the AFL’s expansion plans, and now the owners are scrambling to find the right person to take their spot. Ownership groups from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Miami, and Seattle were all vying for that spot, and at least on paper the Twin Cities bid has the most legs to it. The AFL had been looking at putting a team in Minnesota when the Federals were moving out of Columbus, and could have been included in the first round of expansion if Philadelphia and St. Louis did not fall into the league’s lap. The league should be expected to make a decision within the next year or so, though they are not doing any expansion teams any favors by delaying the time they need to set up operations like they had with other expansion ...
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The Wide World of American Football: 1958-59 Edition

A RIFT IN PROGRESS? The PAFC suffered its first tragedy not of its own accord, as New Orleans Pirates owner Rudolph Branthwaite Sr. died just before the beginning of the season. His son, Rudy, took over ownership of the team, and immediately became a thorn in the side of the “old guard” of PAFC owners. He saw the obvious signs that the league was in a tailspin and sought out any way to get the league out of it. While the league was in talks of expansion, Branthwaite lobbied for a team in either Milwaukee or Minneapolis/St. Paul, as he knew that the AFL would pounce on either of the options if the PAFC had left them idle. The AFL had done the same with the St Louis market, where the Stallions became one of the league’s most attended teams within just a few years. A few owners had supported this plan, but President Bradshaw refused to expand to either market after both of their former team’s involvement in the game-fixing scandal just a few years prior. An expansion team in Oakland had a...
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1958 AFL Championship

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It was nearly a perfect winter day for a football game, but Metropolitan Stadium surprisingly did not host a sell-out crowd despite hosting the 2nd-largest ever crowd at the stadium at nearly 65,000 fans. A combination of weather woes and a major newspaper strike in New York City prevented potential fans from coming to the game. But around 15,000 Knights fans from Detroit made the voyage eastward, and their presence gave the appearance of an even split in the crowd despite more being in favor of the Lions. Most New Yorkers that were unable to get tickets for this game were unable to watch the game due to the AFL’s blackout policy, and many traveled out of state to Connecticut and New Jersey to tune in. The Lions donned their white uniforms once again for good luck to win their first title game. Unlike last game New York played, Detroit was prepared for them wearing their whites and wore their red jerseys on the road to see which team will win their first AFL title. Q1 The Knights would...
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1958 Playoffs: Division Finals

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East Division Final: Philadelphia Rattlesnakes @ New York Lions For the first time in their history, the New York Lions got to host a postseason game at Metropolitan Stadium. They welcomed their expansion brother in Philadelphia, who was coming off of their first playoff win against Washington. The Lions were attempting to replicate their postseason success from last year, and that included making the rare change to wear their white uniforms at home. They had worn them for every game of last year’s run, and made it clear to both the league office and Philadelphia that they would be wearing white uniforms at home. The Rattlesnakes did not believe the Lions would actually wear their away uniforms, but were proved wrong at the odd sight of both teams coming out of the locker rooms wearing white. Philadelphia tried to protest the change, but since it was made well in advance the game had to be delayed while the Rattlesnakes changed into their gold uniforms without letting the issue bother ...
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1958 Playoffs: Division Semi-Finals

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East Division Semi-Final: Washington Federals @ Philadelphia Rattlesnakes Philadelphia would be hosting its first postseason game in over 20 years as they welcomed its biggest competition in the Washington Federals. It was a mild December evening, perfect for a game that could determine which way momentum swings in the East for the next few years to come. The Federals needed to go through the playoffs the hard way if they wanted to reclaim a title. The Rattlesnakes represent a new wave of teams ready to take down the current teams on top and change how things are played in the AFL. Q1 The Rattlesnakes would receive the opening kickoff after Washington won the coin toss. They immediately got off to a great start, as RB Mickey Greene opened the game with a 23 yard rush that got the home crowd roaring. Philly would not be able to improve upon that first play as they went three and out on the next set of downs. Washington’s first chance would be about equally as exciting, getting a first d...
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1958 Season

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  East Division The East in recent years has become the most competitive division in all of professional football, and 1958 was no exception. New York’s miraculous run to the championship seemed like it would be a one-and-done deal if they had not acquired arguably one of the best receivers in the league: Joey Staniskovski. With him added to the offensive arsenal, and the promotion of Newark RB Jon Dawson as a bruising option in the backfield, the Lions offense was a tough one to stop. They also found a diamond in the rough in the draft, as fifth round selection DL John Lee Hines out of Prairie View State made an immediate impact on the line and locked himself into a Rookie of the Year award, becoming just the second player not drafted in the first round to win said award. The Lions were out to prove that last year was no fluke and wanted to make another deep run for potentially their first AFL title. That desire came true, as they were undefeated through the first half of the year...
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1958 Season Preview

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    1 - Cincinnati Rivermen 1957 Record: 10-2 (1st West) 1957 Result: Won Championship Highlighted Players: DL Fergus Prenderghast (99) & OL Milton McCovery (54)  Last year could not have gone any more perfect than it went for the Rivs. They gambled on the prime of DL Fergus Prenderghast and just by winning a title last year it has more than paid off. With how well last season went, Cincinnati’s main strategy is just to get everything back together to get back to the title game and repeat. RB Perry Ferguson was going to retire after the championship, but he was convinced to stick around for another year to win once more. TE Floyd Rankin and S Virgil Romano were given small extensions to stay in Cincinnati for another run. They have shown to have some of the best talent in the league, and now see themselves in the driver’s seat to win back-to-back championships. In years’ past, winning a title may have been a slightly easier task, but the West division has now become i...
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