Buffalo Hammers
The first and older of the two teams joining is Buffalo, who was one of the charter members of the New York Professional Football League in 1923, which eventually became the New York-Pennsylvania League a few years later. The Hammers are actually one of the older teams in the U.S., founded in 1905 as a company team for the newly-relocated Lackawanna Steel Company. They became an amateur team in 1913, and went pro when they joined the NYPL in 1923. The team almost didn’t make it to going pro, as Lackawanna was in the process of being bought out by Bethlehem Steel and was going to end its company team after the purchase was complete. Willis Ware, who was an executive in Lackawanna, rushed in at the 11th hour and used what he had left of his savings to buy the Hammers and joined the NYPL, where they stormed through the whole league and won its first-ever title. The Hammers have always been successful during their time as a pro team, finishing in the top half of the NYPL in all but 2 of the nearly 20 years they were part of the league, winning 4 titles across that span and finishing runner-up 5 times. They haven’t been as good since the NYPL came back from suspension due to World War II, only playing in a single championship game, which was their most recent title in 1948. With the NYPL declining by solely focusing on its teams around New York City after 1946, Ware had grown frustrated with the league, and the formation of the AFL and its ambition to become a truly national league was all that Ware and the Hammers needed to jump ship for greener pastures. They have played in Roesch Stadium since its opening in 1937, and currently holds a capacity of 36,500 fans
Buffalo has been known for its offensive innovations in the past, as Willis Ware has been the coach of the team and figuring out new innovations to compete with the larger markets, including becoming one of the first professional teams to embrace the forward pass. The Hammers are currently led by veteran QB Don Melton, and have plenty of offensive weapons to keep up with the AFL’s best. RB Calvin Townsend has become the heart of the team since his addition 3 years ago, and may be the focal point of the offense once the 32 year old Melton decides to hang up his cleats. Melton has some great options to throw to, as WR’s Bernard Clarke and Ben Ferrell are both under 28 and have fought to be the number 1 on the team, but TE Dan Finley has been taking away targets when he’s not making room for Townsend to run. Their defense has some key players, but its lack of talent all-around puts them solidly in the middle of the AFL. They do have a lot of key players, with DL’s Ray Payne and Lester Cunningham, along with LB Eugene Shafer headlining their front seven. DB Joe Merritt and S Wilbert Ritchie are the prominent players in the secondary, but the lack of starpower within the defense might be their biggest hurdle from coming into the league and winning the title. With being placed into the weaker East Division, they have a relatively high chance of making it to the title game, barring any major setbacks the football season puts forth.
The Hammers have worn blue since their inception, but the shade has darkened from a royal blue to more of a navy color over the years. They’ve added the silver color in recent years, in order to differentiate from one of the more popular teams in the same state in the Brooklyn Kings, to represent the steel industry the team was born out of. They’ve kept the same uniforms for nearly the past 20 years, with one of the few teams to have stripes on their socks. Their logo has been introduced more recently, with a pair of crossed hammers in a circle with a B and a four-pointed star, which Buffalo introduced into the logo when they won their fourth NYPL championship.
Brand:
1952-1953
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