1953 Season

 

East Division

In a season where Pittsburgh QB Clarence Stanley had to win the championship to prove he is a capable starter, he sure got the Shamrocks headed in the right direction. Stanley relied on veteran RB Marion Waters to move the ball down the field, since he didn’t have a reliable option at receiver. Waters ended up having a great season as a result, finishing third in MVP voting and a driving force to Pittsburgh’s surge to win the East. Pittsburgh’s defense lost a lot of major players for the season, losing both DL Roy Forbes and LB Alex Lee over the course of the year. That didn’t seem to stop the other starters, with DL Archie Webber terrorizing offensive lines on his way to win DPOY. LB Barry Moore, DB Jerry Pruitt, and S Raymond Walters were also key contributors, all getting all-star nominations. They now get the much-needed home field advantage in the play-off game in a rematch against the Hammers. What helped Pittsburgh solidly win the East was the sudden regression of the Hammers, who managed to finish second in a very weak division, though the Shamrocks went winless over the Hammers this year. The offense still managed to produce at similar levels as last year, but their defense suffered a massive championship hangover and couldn’t manage the new might in the West. They went 4-1-1 in division play, but only managed 1 win over a West Division team, that being Chicago in a week 1 rematch of last year’s championship. QB Don Melton still had great connections with WR’s Ben Ferrell and Bernard Clarke, and Ferrell had one of the best years for a WR, getting an all-star nomination as a result. DL Ray Payne was snubbed of an all-star, even though he had a down year he was still the top player on the Hammers’ defense. Anything was an up year for Cleveland after their 1-9 season last year, and QB Denzel Collingsworth seems to be developing well for the Crows. RB Max Panders was the major contributor to the offense, as Collingsworth turned to him more often than not. Cleveland did have some contributors on offense besides Panders,with veteran WR’s Bobby McClure and Stanley McIntyre able to give Collingsworth some options to throw to when not handing the ball off. His top target though, was second-year WR Jerry O’Keefe, who would become Collingsworth’s #1 target over the course of the season.  Even after losing nearly all of their star players, they somehow didn’t finish last in the league. That honor would go to the Detroit Knights on their catastrophic downward spiral. The Knights would hold the honor of having the first winless season in the AFL, going 0-9-1 in a season that makes the previous disappointments relatively tame. Even with his new contract, QB Roy Woodward had a massive regression from his previous years, failing to accurately throw to his receivers and losing the throw power he once had. RB Jeffery Spears got the ball more as a result, and struggled to carry the ineffective offense. The Knights’ defense was in the middle of the pack, but couldn’t make up for the struggles the offense had during the year. Many Detroit fans were calling for owner August Riddle to step down from his head coaching duties, and for Woodward to be sat in favor of rookie QB Terry Kadlec. Even in the last stretch of games when the Knights were guaranteed the number 1 pick in the 1954 draft, Riddle refused to change up the status quo. At 77 years of age, many are questioning if Riddle’s time as an owner is coming to a close, as he has shown he cannot manage a football team with such potential like the Knights. Fan support is continuing to dwindle as well, so unless something is done at the top in Detroit, the Knights might not be around much longer.

West Division

The West division on its own could have made for an enticing season, as a majority of the better teams were placed in this division. It was expected that Cincinnati would win the division once again, but an unsung hero helped Chicago overtake the top teams in the division to win their first West Division title. In a week 3 game against Detroit, RB Brian Bruce took a handoff to the outside, only to have rookie S Charlier Fischer throw himself to get Bruce out of bounds. The crown of Fischer’s helmet struck Bruce’s face, breaking his jaw and sidelining him out for the rest of the year. In Bruce’s place came undrafted rookie RB Billy Gould, who nearly didn’t make it to the AFL. Gould attended the small Northern Illinois State College, which had just recently formed a football team and didn’t receive much attention. After declaring for the draft, no one called his name and thought his dream of playing professionally was over. As a last-second decision, he contacted RB coach Johnnie Hendrix and asked if he could try out for the team, which Hendrix obliged. Gould made the roster for the season as a return specialist, which he excelled at in his first two games with the team, scoring the would-be winning score over Cincinnati in week 2. After the injury to Bruce, Gould took over and the Hogs never looked back. Gould’s ability to change directions on a dime was nothing like anyone had seen on the pro level, and behind football’s best offensive line, propelled the Hogs’ offense to the top of the league, finishing second in points scored in league history (only behind the 1950 Hawks team). Gould nearly-unanimously won ROTY, and edged out PIT RB Marion Waters for OPOY.  The Hogs’ defense was similarly elite, with DL Eric Forbes once again headlining the front 7 with new addition LB Arthur Conley, and the potent secondary duo of DB Clarence Newman and S Jeffrey Irwin helped prove the Hogs’ defensive might once again. The Hawks, now in a tougher division than ever, once again failed to live up to their expectations and placed last in the West. Injuries were still somewhat of a problem, but instead of most of the offensive starters being out the secondary faced injury issues, with S Tom Silva the only player in the secondary to start all 10 games this season. Teams could let the ball fly against the Hawks, and they would end up allowing the most points in the league as a result. The offense still had issues, with most of the blame being placed on their offensive line, which was one of the oldest in the league and struggled keeping up with the younger and faster defensive players. The Hawks nearly had a chance at taking the West, sitting at 3-3 and a game back on every other team in the division by week 6. However, they had to play Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Washington, and Chicago in their back stretch of games, going winless at 0-3-1 over that stretch and missing the playoffs outright. Cincinnati started out on the right foot this season, staying right with the top teams in the West through the first 6 games of the season. QB Lester Parker still targeted WR Alfred Dunn most of the time (each getting an all-star nod for their efforts), and RB Perry Ferguson aided the rushing attack with his acquisition. They had some new players on the defensive who made their mark, with rookie DB Kerry Lantz getting an all-star nomination and new starting S Virgil Romano made great strides to becoming a top starter for the secondary.  They also had a rough schedule ahead of them, playing Buffalo, Chicago, and Tri-Cities over a 3 week span. It didn’t help their chances of making the playoffs after getting pummeled by Chicago and tying Tri-Cities in back-to-back weeks, meaning they had to win their final game of the year against Washington to get in the playoffs. Washington was also looking for a playoff spot in that week as well, making their week 11 matchup a direct ticket to Chicago for the playoffs. The Federals were the biggest surprise this year, putting together their first winning season in the AFL and their first winning season in nearly 10 years. QB Johnnie Sellers finally broke through as a top player for the team and took home MVP in a narrow win over CHI RB Billy Gould. WR’s Joseph Atkins and Darius Sanderson formed a near-instant bond with the young QB, helping Sellers reach his full potential. DL Robert Stanton had a breakout season aided by rookie DL Daley Norris on the defensive line. S Josh von Bank was a major contributor to the secondary, relieving DB Johnathan Moon of some pressure and allowing both of them to shine, each getting all-star nods. Washington had the advantage entering the crucial week 11 game at home against Cincinnati, but were trailing 17-14 entering the 4th. Sellers put together a crucial drive with 5 minutes remaining, letting RB Rip Rooney run the ball to take the lead. The Federals held off the Rivermen in the final minutes, and punched a ticket to the playoffs in just their first year in the nation’s capital.

Awards:

Most Valuable Player: WAS QB Johnnie Sellers 

Offensive Player of the Year: CHI RB Billy Gould

Defensive Player of the Year: PIT DL Archie Webber 

Rookie of the Year: CHI RB Billy Gould

Coach of the Year: WAS Irving Berry

East Division Playoff: Buffalo Hammers @ Pittsburgh Shamrocks

Previous Matchups: W5 - PIT 10-16 BUF, W11 - BUF 19-6 PIT

If there were any team that had the Shamrocks’ number this year, it would be Buffalo. For any team not named Buffalo, Pittsburgh was a well-balanced team. A potent rushing attack led by RB Marion Waters powered through defenses with great speed and elusiveness, paired with a stout defense that has powered through major injuries was enough to take down most opponents. QB Clarence Stanley’s yips against Buffalo were paramount this year, and Stanley has one last chance to prove that he is capable of leading a team to the promised land after two failed attempts. Buffalo on the other hand, is a different team every week. One week they play a close, even game against Chicago, the next they get trounced by Tri-Cities, and the next they tie Detroit. QB Don Melton has regressed a bit from MVP season last year, but RB Calvin Townsend has picked up on some of the slack for the offense. The defense has been the real culprit for the team’s decline, allowing more points than last year and keeping games too close for the Hammers to coast. Pittsburgh will finally get over their Buffalo hump in another low-scoring affair and make their way to their first championship. 

My Pick: Pittsburgh