American Football League - Fictional History

  1 - Chicago Hogs 1954 Record: 8-2 (1st West) 1954 Result: Won Championship   Despite the retirement of longtime quarterback Alfred Walton, the Hogs are still expected to dominate the AFL. Second-year quarterback Nathan Aldenburg has big shoes to fill, but the pressure of filling the starting role will be eased by a certain running back and a stout defense.The Hogs have learned from last year and added running back Arthur Busch to help reigning MVP Billy Gould with short-yardage situations and when Gould cannot carry the offense by himself. Second-year defensive lineman Benjamin Walkins, Jr. has formed an incredible duo with fellow defensive lineman Eric Forbes, and they will be a threat to offensive lines for years to come. Chicago should be expected to win the new West Division, gaining two games against both Cleveland and Detroit and only having to play a single game against Washington. The West Division will be a three-horse race, but Chicago has the experience to win the...

  Round 1 1 - New York - LB Duane Ackerman - Oklahoma - Wallflower 2 - Boston - LB Bob Jessup - St. Joseph’s - DireBear 3 - Tri Cities (from CHI via TRI) - QB Richard “Rocco” Vanthourenhout - U. Kansas City - DireBear 4 - Detroit - OL Chris Cutchen - Iowa A&M - Wallflower 5 - Pittsburgh - OL Stevie Cockburn - Ohio - Dan O’Mac 6 - Cincinnati - LB Cade Masters - Chicago Christian - Stickman 7 - Buffalo - WR Justin Harris - Minnesota A&M - Kingsfan11 8 - Washington - OL Toby Killigan - Michigan A&M - Stickman 9 - Chicago (from CLE) - RB Arthur Busch - UCleveland - DireBear 10 - Chicago - DB Jason Brother - Wisconsin State - idm The AFL draft welcomed two new franchises into their league by holding the 1955 draft in the Warwick Hotel in New York City. With New York and Boston not interested in taking a QB, the discussion then shifted to which linebacker would the Lions take. They wanted someone to build their defense around, and Oklahoma’s Duane Ackerman became the first de...

 AACA Top 20: 1) Oklahoma - 10-0 2) Chicago Christian - 8-1 3) Calvert - 10-0 4) Los Angeles State - 9-1 5) Ohio - 7-2 6) Southwestern Christian - 9-1 7) Mississippi - 8-1-1 8) Georgia A&M - 8-1-1 9) St. Joseph’s - 8-2 10) Alabama A&M - 9-1 11) U. Kansas City - 7-3 12) Michigan - 7-2 13) ULA - 6-4 14) Miami State - 6-3 15) U. Cleveland - 9-0 16) Brooklyn College - 6-3-1 17) Texas State - 7-2-1 18) Army - 6-2-1 19) Monongalia State - 8-2 20) Navy - 6-3 AACA Bowls: Tournament of Roses Bowl (Los Angeles, CA) - (16) Brooklyn College 14-17 (4) Los Angeles State Palm Bowl (Miami, FL) - (3) Calvert 20-6 (10) Alabama A&M Magnolia Bowl (Houston, TX) - (6) Southwestern Christian 14-13 (1) Oklahoma Columbian Bowl (Chicago, IL) -  (2) Chicago Christian 7-0 (9) St. Joseph’s Gold Bowl (San Francisco, CA) - (5) Ohio 34-14 (13) ULA Cigar Bowl (Tampa, FL) -  (11) U. Kansas City 25-13 (12) Michigan Syrup Bowl (New Orleans, LA) - (7) Mississippi 33-20 (15) U. Cleveland Sun Bowl ...

Retirements Perhaps the biggest retirement in the brief history of the AFL is Chicago QB Alfred Walton. From when he first signed with the Hogs, his offensive impact was immediate, winning a MWFC title in just his second year. His time as a playcaller brought great stability to a Hogs team without an offensive identity, leading them to 4 MWFC titles and 3 AFL titles. Walton should remain as the prototypical comparison for any young QB entering the world of pro football. Two other key members of those Hogs title runs also called it a career after winning it all one last time, with DL Joel Valentine and LB Douglas Marks retiring after 9 and 11 years as a pro, respectively. Valentine terrorized offensive lines during his career, molding the Hogs defensive unit into one of the best football has ever seen, and his pairing with DL Eric Forbes only furthered this belief. Journeyman OL Alexander Hunt also retired this offseason, spending 11 years between Chicago in the MWFC, and Cleveland and ...

New York owner Peter Stuyvesant brought a small group of reporters outside the Hotel Statler in New York City to announce the intentions of the New York Dutch Lions football team. In what was a surprise to pretty much everyone, he stated that the team will be going as the New York Lions going forth. His reasoning was to differentiate themselves from the Dutch Lions baseball team also based in Manhattan, and to “carve out a new identity for a truly New York team”. This change was understandable to some and baffling to the rest, as the Dutch Lions baseball team (nicknamed the “Dutchies” within the city) were significantly more successful than their football counterparts, appearing in 7 World Series within the past 10 years and winning 4 of them. “We want to represent New York as the king of sports, a city heralded with champions,” Stuyvesant told reporters. “We are more than just a team of Manhattan, we are a team for the city of New York.” It was clear that Stuyvesant wanted to distance...

The long-awaited announcement of the Boston AFL identity would come when owner Robert McNamara invited nearly every major newspaper across the Northeast to a press conference at the Parker House hotel to reveal the new team. McNamara and the Boston Globe had already put out a “name the team contest” to determine potential names for the team. McNamara was open to pretty much any suggestion, though he asked those sending in that they try to stray away from nicknames relating to the American Revolution, as the other football team in town (Boston Rebels) was already using a similar theme. Names ranged anywhere from the Wolfhounds, Bishops, Dragons and Gaels, to the Golden Griffons, Unicorns, and Red Devils. The finalists would come down to the Dragons, Gaels, and Wolfhounds after consideration from both the mail-in votes and those around McNamara. The Gaels were thrown out almost immediately after due to an Irish-themed name already existing in the AFL in Pittsburgh, and realized that nic...

The spring meetings came back home to Chicago, and the owners had some pressing issues to take on before the start of the 1955 season, as well as planning out events that were coming within the next year. First and foremost, commissioner Donovan Hasenkamp officially introduced the new owners to the rest of the league, as Boston owner Robert McNamara and New York owner Peter Stuyvesant were now official members of the league. Although they were not joining until next year, Philadelphia owner Sy Thompson and St Louis owner Arthur Dixon were welcomed to the meetings, as a majority of the items on the docket had to do with the expansion process. After the fanfare was over, the meetings were now officially underway. LEAGUE REALIGNMENT Boston and New York would have to be placed in the East Division, and some realignment would need to be done to balance out each division at 5. At first, it was proposed that one of either Cleveland or Detroit move from the East to the West to balance out the ...