Chicago Hogs

April 21, 2023

The Hogs are one of the oldest teams in the nation, first coming together in 1919 as the Rockford Athletic Club during the AA. After it fell apart, the Athletics limped along for almost 10 years, with the Depression almost forcing the team to fold. They were saved at the 11th hour by former AA star Donovan Hasenkamp in 1929, who moved them to the south side of town to play in a better and more comfortable market. Unfortunately for Hasenkamp, Chicago was already occupied by MWFC commissioner Virgil Bradshaw and his Chicago Stars, and a deep hatred developed between the two. Two years later, the Stars and Athletics played a particularly brutal game in muddy conditions, with Bradshaw proclaiming that Hasenkamp coached his players to “behave like feral hogs in a bloody pigpen.” Hasenkamp was already considering changing the team’s brand at this point, and loved his rival’s insult so much he changed the team’s name to the Hogs. After the rebrand, the Hogs’ play began to improve, winning their first title in 1935 and snagging another in 1940. The 1940 championship brought them enough attention to outclass the Stars in their own city, acquiring enough talent to go on a tear between 1943 and 1947, winning 3 more Bradshaw Cups, including one against the Stars. They currently play in Union Stadium, named after the nearby Union Stock Yards, seating 47,400 fans.

The Hogs are the favorites to win it all when the first championship comes on Thanksgiving, and it’s not hard to see why. Although reaching his 30’s, QB Alfred Walton is still right in the prime of his career and not ready to hang up his cleats just yet. RB Johnnie Hendrix is also reaching his 30’s, but is in a bit worse of shape than Walton, but should still see a fair amount of action on the field. Walton’s main options are veteran WR Nicholas Kramer, who is still one of the best receivers still in his prime, younger WR’s Donnie Stout and Bobby McClure, who are not as great as Kramer but should provide good options if Kramer is not open. The other, and Walton’s favorite endzone target, is TE Glenn Chambers, who nearly won MVP last year in the Championship, a rare feat for an award usually awarded to the more “popular” positions on offense and defense. On the defensive side of the ball, they have an especially scary front 7. DL’s Leslie Black and Joel Valentine lead the charge up the middle, and backing them up are LB’s Douglas Marks, George Post, and Joel Shepherd, who are usually enough to stop most plays. Rounding out the other front 7 are DL’s Kenneth Emery and Warren Pierson, who are approaching their 30’s and are being overshadowed by the other 5. Their backfield is led by veteran DB Tommy Lane, who is searching for one last title before he calls it quits. The secondary is a bit weaker than the front 7, with DB’s Clarence Newman and Vincent Kelly being fairly average, and S Stanley Daly all being fairly average for their position. Donovan Hasenkamp is very hands-on when it comes to his team, which sometimes does not go well for players who disagree with him. Most of his players do support and love him through the hardships he puts them through, though his age is slowly catching up with him, and he has to juggle how to both run a successful football team and how to prevent his fledgling league from folding in on itself. After all, his players would love to bring the title back to Chicago and win one more for “Old Hoss.”

The Hogs are very traditional for their design. They've sported the Hogs script ever since their rebrand, drawn by Hasenkamp's wife Gloria. Their uniforms are also pretty traditional, with their only extra detail is the extra brown stripe on their away uniform.

Brand:

1950-1951