Dixie League (American football)
Dixie League (football) | |
---|---|
Sport | American Professional Football |
Founded | 1936 |
First Season | 1936 |
Last Season | 1947 |
Claim to Fame | highest level pre-World War II minor football league |
No. of teams | varied from 5 (1936–1937,1940–1947) to 6 (1938–1939) |
Last champions | Charlotte Clippers
|
Disbanded | 1947 |
The "Dixie League" was a professional
Like the competitor 'AA' and the
Origin
The "Dixie League" began its existence in 1936 when six independent teams joined forces for the purposes of competition.
Although the new League officially called itself at first, the "South Atlantic Football League" in its first year of existence, various sportswriters repeatedly unofficially called it the "Dixie League." The name was officially adopted for the second 1937 pro season.[2]
1936
Like the New York Yankees pro football team of the first "American Football League", the Richmond Arrows provided the financial backbone of the Dixie League in its first year, averaging twice as many paying spectators per home game as the other league members. The Arrows played all their games at home, offering the visiting teams a five percent bonus for the privilege. On November 15, 1936, Richmond's team coach (Dave Miller) and the players walked off the team in an effort for more pay. Richmond manager Blair Meaney, Jr. hired a new head coach (Bob Burdette) and new players (to join the five who didn't strike) to finish the season.[2]
Baltimore's
Team | W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA[2] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington Pros | 6 | 3 | 2 | .667 | 66 | 47 |
Richmond Arrows | 4 | 3 | 3 | .571 | 61 | 43 |
Baltimore Orioles (Baltimore Blue Jays) | 4 | 4 | 2 | .500 | 97 | 85 |
Portsmouth Cubs | 4 | 5 | 2 | .444 | 71 | 82 |
Norfolk Clancys | 3 | 4 | 2 | .429 | 56 | 69 |
Alexandria Celtics | 3 | 5 | 1 | .375 | 41 | 66 |
"Playoffs": Washington defeated Richmond; Baltimore defeated Alexandria
"Championship": Washington beat Baltimore, 3–0, on a
Fourth-place finisher Portsmouth declined to participate in the playoffs, opting for a game against nearby rival Norfolk. Despite finishing in last place, Alexandria took Portsmouth's place against Baltimore.
In the first game of a series between the 'D.L.' champion and the winners of the American Association, the
1937
Compared to most sporting leagues in their beginning years, the "Dixie League" had begun strongly. All six charter members were in strong enough shape to compete in a second season (three of the six remained 'D.L.' members from the 1936 beginning to the aborted 1947 season).
Richmond was still recovering from the effects of the player rebellion when the strikers formed a new team, the Richmond Rebels, and tried to replace the Arrows in the league. After being rebuffed, the Rebels tried to compete against the Arrows by forming the "Virginia-Carolina Football League" and then marched through the season undefeated. The 'V-CFL' lasted only the 1937 season; the Rebels folded along with the league.
Despite the competition from the Rebels, the Arrows held their own, both on the field and at the turnstiles with their fans. Despite their improved record, the Arrows could finish no higher than third place, behind the undefeated defending champion Washington (which became the Presidents) and the newly rechristened Baltimore Blue Jays or Blue Birds.
Team | W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA[2] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington Presidents | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 53 | 20 |
Baltimore Blue Jays (or Blue Birds) | 5 | 1 | 1 | .833 | 89 | 18 |
Richmond Arrows | 6 | 2 | 1 | .750 | 90 | 28 |
Alexandria Celtics | 2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 30 | 63 |
Norfolk Clancys | 1 | 5 | 1 | .167 | 34 | 112 |
Portsmouth Cubs | 0 | 6 | 1 | .000 | 20 | 75 |
Championship: no playoffs – Washington clinches title on 3–3 tie with Baltimore
While the league featured balance from top to bottom in its maiden season, it clearly divided into the "haves" and "have nots" in 1937. Five members of the Washington Presidents (including backfield mates Tom Oliver and Gene Augusterfer) were named to the all league team. Baltimore's Ted Wright was once again the league's leading scorer while teammate "Sunshine" Campbell dented defenses with his passes. Richmond placed three linemen on the all league team, including league most valuable player Lyle Graham. The winless Portsmouth team had a future team member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on its roster, player-coach "Ace" Parker, who played in only one game for the Cubs before he signed with the NFL's Brooklyn Dodgers team in early November.
1938
After two years of stability, the "Dixie League" made some adjustments in 1938.
A. E. Stutz, the founder and owner of the Norfolk Clancys, died in late 1937; in 1938, new owner Harry Howren started stockpiling talent (including back Mush DeLotto, formerly of Richmond) sufficient enough for the newly renamed the "Shamrocks" to dominate League play that year. Another Shamrock player, tackle Vernon "Buck" Miles, was named the league's most valuable player at the end of the season.
The
Team | W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA[2] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Norfolk Shamrocks | 5 | 1 | 1 | .833 | 59 | 30 |
Richmond Arrows | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 | 81 | 38 |
Portsmouth Cubs | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 96 | 86 |
Washington Patriots | 1 | 3 | 1 | .250 | 27 | 50 |
Alexandria Celtics | 1 | 5 | 0 | .167 | 42 | 101 |
"No playoffs": Norfolk was declared league champions
After the season, Norfolk was defeated 16–14 by the Hazelton Redskins, of Pennsylvania, champions of the Eastern Pennsylvania Football League in a game for the "National Minor League title".[3] Two members of the 1937 Baltimore Blue Jays/Blue Birds ("Sunshine" Campbell and John Spirida) provided the difference in the game, with Campbell throwing two touchdown passes and Spirida scoring ten points in the game.
1939
The number of traveling teams in the "Dixie League" was halved with the folding of the Alexandria Celtics team in Virginia. The number of league members stayed at five with the entrance of the Newport News Builders, which actually played its home games in neighboring Hampton southeast of Newport News on the Virginia Peninsula.
“Buck” Miles became the league "M.V.P." as he repeated his feat of scoring the most points in the "Dixie League". His Cubs finished the season in a tie for the league lead with the Richmond Arrows (the Cubs had a 6–1 record, the Arrows 6–1–1). For the last game, the Cubs added Ace Parker (after he finished an All-Pro season with the NFL's team, the Brooklyn Dodgers). He scored the only touchdown in a 7–0 Cubs victory over Newport News Builders to force a playoff with the Richmond Arrows for the league championship (in which Parker scores the only touchdown in a Cubs 7–0 win).
Team | W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA[2] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Richmond Arrows | 6 | 1 | 1 | .833 | 77 | 31 |
Portsmouth Cubs | 6 | 1 | 0 | .833 | 79 | 42 |
Newport News Builders | 2 | 4 | 1 | .333 | 45 | 47 |
Washington Presidents | 2 | 4 | 1 | .333 | 43 | 62 |
Norfolk Shamrocks | 0 | 6 | 1 | .286 | 34 | 96 |
Playoff: Portsmouth 7, Richmond 0 – Portsmouth wins league championship
1940
With the addition of the Roanoke Travelers, the "Dixie League" returned to having six teams for the 1940 season. While the team made a successful debut, finishing in second place, the Travelers had the misfortune of having almost half of its season canceled as a result of bad weather.
Two early losses deprived Richmond of a chance for competing for the league title (which was easily won by Portsmouth), but the Arrows entertained the fans by being the first 'D.L.' team to average more than two touchdowns a game. "Sunshine" Campbell, returning to the Dixie League after playing in the
Portsmouth's Larry Weldon set a new league record by throwing seven touchdown passes in the span of ten games. Over a span of 20 games in 1939 and 1940, Weldon and the Cubs won 16 games, lose two, and tie two games (a .889 winning percentage) – and win two league titles.
Washington's Presidents struggled through its third consecutive season as a "traveling team", and left the League after the end of the 1940 season.
Team | W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA[2] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portsmouth Cubs | 8 | 1 | 1 | .889 | 101 | 51 |
Roanoke Travelers | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 55 | 58 |
Richmond Arrows | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 155 | 69 |
Washington Presidents | 2 | 3 | 2 | .400 | 47 | 99 |
Norfolk Shamrocks | 3 | 6 | 1 | .333 | 73 | 105 |
Newport News Builders | 1 | 7 | 0 | .200 | 43 | 92 |
No playoffs: Portsmouth declared league champions for the second straight year.
1941
For the first time, the "Dixie League" had six teams with actual home fields, with the
) that appeared to be inevitable in the fall of 1941, the League benefited from the addition of military personnel from bases in the region.Playing for the Newport News Builders, two such newcomers broke passing and scoring records that were established just the previous year. George Cafego had eight of his passes go for touchdowns, while Ken Fryer scored 61 points, more than any minor league player in a single season before the entry of the U.S. into World War II. Despite the records on offense, the Builders finished the 1941 season in third place.
Charlotte had a successful freshman season in the "Dixie League", scoring 184 points, roughly 30 more than Newport News and Norfolk... and the previous record set in 1940 by Richmond. The Clippers finished second to Norfolk, whose star back Pete Sachon was billed as "Pistol Pete" three decades before Pete Maravich. "Pistol Pete" Sachon was selected the 'D.L.' most valuable player for 1941.
Team | W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA[2] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Norfolk Shamrocks | 7 | 1 | 2 | .875 | 156 | 58 |
Charlotte Clippers | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | 184 | 76 |
Newport News Builders | 6 | 3 | 1 | .667 | 158 | 87 |
Richmond Arrows | 4 | 5 | 1 | .444 | 63 | 132 |
Portsmouth Cubs | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 | 60 | 163 |
Roanoke Travelers | 1 | 9 | 0 | .100 | 42 | 147 |
No playoffs: Norfolk declared league champion
1942–1946
Like two other professional football leagues – the "American Association" and the
While the league opted to maintain continuity on the playing field, the "Dixie League" joined forces with the
Virginia Football League (1942)
Norfolk Shamrocks The plans were short-lived as Newport News failed to field a team and the other three teams played only a few games before competition was canceled due to lack of spectator interest (or else the extremely high work-load in the numerous local defense plants and shipyards just getting started up to speed in the War's first year).
Games
Richmond Rockets 32 vs. Portsmouth Cubs 18 (October 11, 1942 in Richmond, VA)
Norfolk Shamrocks 17 vs. Richmond Rockets 0 (October 18, 1942 in Greensboro, NC)
Richmond Rockets 33 vs. Portsmouth Cubs 6 (October 27, 1942 in Norfolk, VA)
Richmond Rockets 19 vs. Norfolk Shamrock 26 (November 1, 1942 in Richmond, VA)
The Rockets played an exhibition game in
1946
The new "working relationship" that the "Big Three" minor leagues and the older "major league"
In addition to the new
The 1946 "Dixie League" campaign featured a tight race between two teams with potent offenses, the Charlotte Clippers (with backs Casey Jones and Butch Butler) and Richmond (with backs Glenn Knox and Tony Gallovich). League records for offense fell as Butler threw 11 touchdown passes and Richmond's Morgan Tiller had eight touchdown receptions. The two teams were even in their battle for the league title until the Rebels lost their final two games.[2]
The "Dixie League" had a successful revival in 1946. No one could have foreseen its sudden demise a mere one year later.
Team | W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA[2] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Charlotte Clippers | 9 | 1 | 0 | .900 | 196 | 83 |
Richmond Rebels | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | 177 | 73 |
Norfolk Shamrocks | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | 131 | 155 |
Portsmouth Pirates | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 102 | 195 |
Greensboro Patriots | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 124 | 178 |
Newport News Builders | 1 | 9 | 0 | .100 | 53 | 219 |
No playoffs: Charlotte declared Dixie League champions
1947 and the demise of the "Dixie League"
After a successful post-war revival in 1946, the "Dixie League" prepared for a season of change in 1947. It inaugurated a new president, Tom Hanes. The Greensboro Patriots moved to Winston-Salem, while the Roanoke Travelers returned to the fold, replacing the defunct Newport News franchise. Plans for possible expansion were being made for the 1948 season.
The optimism of the League for its new season started to disappear just before the first week of competition. Both Winston-Salem and Roanoke withdrew, suddenly leaving the "Dixie League" with a mere four teams. The week after the "Opening Day", (October 5, 1947) games, the League suddenly announced that it was suspending operations for the 1947 season.[11]
Team | W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA[2] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Richmond Rebels | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 21 | 13 |
Norfolk Shamrocks | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 7 | 3 |
Charlotte Clippers | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 13 | 21 |
Portsmouth Pirates | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 3 | 7 |
On October 7, 1947, control of the Portsmouth Pirates was transferred from an ailing
The move inflicted a fatal wound to the "Dixie League". A month earlier, the Dixie's had six members ready for competition; after the Richmond defection, only three teams remained. The League was forced to call it quits a day after. Dixie League president Tom Hanes protested to NFL president Bert Bell, but since it didn’t involve any member team of the National Football League, he – and the Association of American Professional Football Leagues – could do nothing about it since the agreement didn't include terms of territorial rights between minor leagues and their teams.[5]
While there were discussions of a possible reorganization for a season in 1948, the "Dixie League" was no longer a viable entity. The
The
Virginia Negro Football League
In 1946 four Virginia teams formed an all-black league, making it in essence a scaled-down black version of the segregated Dixie League.
Team | W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Richmond Rams | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 58 | 14 |
Norfolk Brown Bombers | 3 | 1 | 1 | .750 | 44 | 16 |
Newport News Lighthearts | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 29 | 70 |
Portsmouth Swans | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 27 | 58 |
No playoffs: Richmond declared League champions after beating out Norfolk. The teams would later play a "Post-season exhibition game" in Greensboro, NC to a 0–0 tie.
References
- ^ a b c d e f Nothing Minor About It: The American Association/AFL of 1936–1950 Archived March 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine – Bob Gill, Pro Football Researchers Association (1990)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q A History of the Dixie League[permanent dead link] – Bob Gill, Pro Football Researchers Association (1988)
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Other Minor Leagues Archived November 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine – Bob Gill, Pro Football Researchers Association (1989)
- ^ a b c d e f All for One… The Minor Leagues' "Big Three" Make History in 1946 Archived November 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine – Bob Gill, Pro Football Researchers Association (1989)
- ^ "3 Top Minor Football Leagues In Alliance to Combat 'Jumping'; Pacific Coast, American and Dixie Circuits to Ask N.F.L. to Join – Plan Protection of Clubs' Territorial Rights" – New York Times, March 24, 1946
- ^ "FOOTBALL PACT ENDED; Bell Reveals That N.F.L. and American Loop Have Parted". New York Times. February 10, 1948.
- ^ "1942 Norfolk Shamrocks (VFL)".
- ^ "1942 Portsmouth Cubs (VFL)". Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ "1942 Richmond Rockets (VFL)". Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ "Dixie Football League Suspends Operations". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 14, 1947.
- ^ "Not Only the Ball Was Brown" (PDF).
- ^ "1946 Norfolk Brown Bombers (VNFL)".