| P | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pct | |
| *Cleveland Browns | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 339 | 171 | .900 |
| *San Francisco 49ers | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 416 | 227 | .750 |
| *Brooklyn-New York Yankees | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 196 | 206 | .667 |
| *Buffalo Bills | 12 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 236 | 256 | .500 |
| Chicago Hornets | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 179 | 268 | .333 |
| Los Angeles Dons | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 253 | 322 | .333 |
| Baltimore Colts | 12 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 172 | 341 | .083 |
Playoffs
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| Playoffs | ||||
| Cleveland Browns | 31 | Buffalo Bills | 21 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 17 | Brooklyn-New York Yankees | 7 | |
| Championship Game | ||||
| Cleveland Browns | 21 | San Francisco 49ers | 7 | |
| Shamrock Bowl All-Star Game | Rice Stadium, Houston | |||
| 17.12.1949 | All-Stars | 12 | Cleveland Browns | 7 |
Regular Season Results
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| Week 1 | ||||
| 26.08.1949 | Chicago Hornets | 17 | Buffalo Bills | 14 |
| 28.08.1949 | San Francisco 49ers | 31 | Baltimore Colts | 17 |
| Week 2 | ||||
| 02.09.1949 | Los Angeles Dons | 49 | Baltimore Colts | 17 |
| 04.09.1949 | San Francisco 49ers | 42 | Chicago Hornets | 7 |
| 05.09.1949 | Buffalo Bills | 28 | Cleveland Browns | 28 |
| Week 3 | ||||
| 09.09.1949 | Los Angeles Dons | 21 | Chicago Hornets | 23 |
| 11.09.1949 | Cleveland Browns | 21 | Baltimore Colts | 0 |
| 11.09.1949 | Buffalo Bills | 14 | Brooklyn-New York Yankees | 17 |
| Week 4 | ||||
| 16.09.1949 | Chicago Hornets | 35 | Baltimore Colts | 7 |
| 18.09.1949 | Cleveland Browns | 14 | Brooklyn-New York Yankees | 3 |
| 18.09.1949 | San Francisco 49ers | 42 | Los Angeles Dons | 14 |
| Week 5 | ||||
| 22.09.1949 | Brooklyn-New York Yankees | 10 | Los Angeles Dons | 7 |
| 25.09.1949 | Baltimore Colts | 20 | Cleveland Browns | 28 |
| 25.09.1949 | Buffalo Bills | 28 | San Francisco 49ers | 17 |
| Week 6 | ||||
| 30.09.1949 | Chicago Hornets | 24 | San francisco 49ers | 42 |
| 02.10.1949 | Cleveland Browns | 42 | Los Angeles Dons | 7 |
| 02.10.1949 | Buffalo Bills | 28 | Baltimore Colts | 35 |
| Week 7 | ||||
| 07.10.1949 | Chicago Hornets | 24 | Brooklyn-New York Yankees | 38 |
| 09.10.1949 | San Francisco 49ers | 56 | Cleveland Browns | 28 |
| 09.10.1949 | Los Angeles Dons | 42 | Buffalo Bills | 28 |
| Week 8 | ||||
| 14.10.1949 | Los Angeles Dons | 14 | Cleveland Browns | 61 |
| 16.10.1949 | San Francisco 49ers | 51 | Buffalo Bills | 7 |
| 16.10.1949 | Baltimore Colts | 21 | Brooklyn-New York Yankees | 24 |
| Week 9 | ||||
| 23.10.1949 | Brooklyn-New York Yankees | 24 | San Francisco 49ers | 3 |
| 23.10.1949 | Buffalo Bills | 17 | Los Angeles Dons | 14 |
| 23.10.1949 | Baltimore Colts | 7 | Chicago Hornets | 17 |
| Week 10 | ||||
| 28.10.1949 | Chicago Hornets | 14 | Los Angeles Dons | 24 |
| 30.10.1949 | Cleveland Browns | 30 | San Francisco 49ers | 28 |
| 30.10.1949 | Brooklyn-New York Yankees | 21 | Baltimore Colts | 24 |
| Week 11 | ||||
| 06.11.1949 | Cleveland Browns | 30 | Chicago Hornets | 2 |
| 06.11.1949 | Brooklyn-New York Yankees | 14 | Buffalo Bills | 17 |
| 06.11.1949 | Baltimore Colts | 10 | San Francisco 49ers | 28 |
| Week 12 | ||||
| 13.11.1949 | Cleveland Browns | 7 | Buffalo Bills | 7 |
| 13.11.1949 | Los Angeles Dons | 24 | San Francisco 49ers | 41 |
| 13.11.1949 | Brooklyn-New York Yankees | 14 | Chicago Hornets | 10 |
| Week 13 | ||||
| 20.11.1949 | Brooklyn-New York Yankees | 0 | Cleveland Browns | 31 |
| 20.11.1949 | Buffalo Bills | 10 | Chicago Hornets | 0 |
| 20.11.1949 | Baltimore Colts | 10 | Los Angeles Dons | 21 |
| Week 14 | ||||
| 24.11.1949 | Chicago Hornets | 6 | Cleveland Browns | 14 |
| 24.11.1949 | Los Angeles Dons | 16 | Brooklyn-New York Yankees | 17 |
| 27.11.1949 | San Francisco 49ers | 35 | Brooklyn-New York Yankees | 14 |
| 27.11.1949 | Baltimore Colts | 14 | Buffalo Bills | 38 |
Championship Game
Sunday, December 11, 1949, Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio. Att: 22, 550
San Francisco 49ers 7 Cleveland Browns 21 – The Cleveland Browns won their fourth AAFC Championship in-a-row, and the last ever Championship Game of the AAFC, beating the San Francisco 49ers 21-7 on the back of three Runs by E. Jones, Motley and D. Jones, with Salata receiving a pass for a touchdown from Albert for San Francisco’s only score
| At Cleveland Municipal Stadium | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
| San Francisco 49ers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Cleveland Browns | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Scorers | Score | ||||
| 1st Quarter | |||||
| Cle – E. Jones 2 Run (Groza Kick) | 0-7 | ||||
| 2nd Quarter | |||||
| No Scoring | |||||
| 3rd Quarter | |||||
| Cle – Motley 63 Run (Groza Kick) | 0-14 | ||||
| 4th Quarter | |||||
| SF – Salata 23 Pass from Albert (Vetrano Kick) | 7-14 | ||||
| Cle – D. Jones 4 Run (Groza Kick) | 7-21 | ||||
Shamrock Bowl All-Star Game
Saturday, December 17, 1949, Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas, Att: 12,000
AAFC All-Stars 12 Cleveland Browns 7 – The Shamrock Bowl All-Star Game was the last ever game played by the All-America Football Conference, as the league merged with the National Football League after the season. It was organised as a Charity Event by Glenn McCarthy, who had tried to purchase a franchise in the league after the season, and before it merged with the NFL. It was the only All-Star Game played by the AAFC, and was a Charity Event in aid of the Hally Hall Home for the Aged, the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund, and the National Kids Day Foundation, and is also notable for being one of the first racially-integrated sports events in Houston. The AAFC All-Stars won the game 12-7 with two touchdowns either side of a Cleveland Browns one. Mutryn ran in the first, and Dub Jones replied for Cleveland with a pass from Graham. Baldwin won the game for the All-Stars with a 23 yard reception from Albert.
| At Rice Stadium, Houston | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
| AAFC All-Stars | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Cleveland Browns | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Scorers | Score | ||||
| 1st Quarter | |||||
| AAFC – Mutryn 2 Run (Albert Missed Kick) | 6-0 | ||||
| 2nd Quarter | |||||
| Cle – Dub Jones 40 Pass from Graham (Groza Kick) | 6-7 | ||||
| AAFC – Baldwin 23 Pass from Albert (Albert Missed Kick) | 12-7 | ||||
| 3rd Quarter | |||||
| No Scoring | 12-7 | ||||
| 3rd Quarter | |||||
| No Scoring | 12-7 | ||||
The All-American football Conference of 1946-1949 was a successful rival to the NFL, so much so, that the two leagues agreed to merge in 1950, although in essence it was a takeover of the three most successful AAFC clubs by the NFL – San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns & Baltimore Colts.
The League was won by the Cleveland Browns all four seasons – in 1946 they defeated New York Yankees 14-9, and in 1948 defeated the Buffalo Bills in the Championship game 49-7 before beating the San Francisco 49ers in the 1949 Championship Game 21-7
Of particular note for Irish American Football fans, is the last ever game, the Shamrock Bowl Charity All-Star Game, the only one played by the AAFC. It was organised by Glenn McCarthy, who had tried to purchase the Cleveland Browns and move them to Houston after the 1949 season, and before it merger with the NFL in 1950. It was played in aid of three charities, and was also notable for the fact it was one of the first ever racially integrated sports events ever played in Houston.
Glenn McCarthy was a Houston Oil millionaire who opened the Shamrock Hotel in Houston on St. Patrick’s Day 1949. He was several generations removed from his Irish ancestors from Co. Cork, and was one of the richest men in America, and probably the richest in Texas. He was known as “King of the wildcatters”, a term applied to the early Irish in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, in reference to people who find oil in places not proven to have oil [Ref: 2]
Oilman Glenn McCarthy, left [Ref: 7]
References
Websites
[1] Pro Football Hall of Fame (2005) All-America Football Conference (AAFC) Standings (1946-1949) [Internet] Available from: http://www.profootballhof.com/news/all-america-football-conference-aafc-standings-1946-1949/ [Accessed 5 June 2017]
[2] McHugh (2019) “The Magnificent Shamrock Hotel” Ireland’s Own [Internet] Available from: https://www.irelandsown.ie/the-magnificent-shamrock-hotel/ [Accessed 12 March 2020]
Bibliography
[3] Crippen, Kenneth R. & Reaser, Matt, Eds. (2018) “The All-America Football Conference”. Part 6: Linescores. 1949. pg. 134-146. Published by McFarland & Co, Jefferson, North Carolina.
[4] Crippen, Kenneth R. & Reaser, Matt, Eds. (2018) “The All-America Football Conference”. Part 5: Conference Statistics. 1949. pg. 70. Published by McFarland & Co, Jefferson, North Carolina.
Images
[5] Wikipedia (2018) All-America Football Conference Logo [Internet] Available from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/11/All-America_Football_Conference_%28logo%29.png [Accessed 8 October 2018]
[6] Houston Chronicle (2020) Shamrock Bowl 1949 Programme [Internet] Available from: https://s.hdnux.com/photos/04/36/52/1174165/3/920×920.jpg [Accessed 12 March 2020]
[7] Houston Chronicle (2020) Oilman Glenn McCarthy, left [Internet] Available from: https://s.hdnux.com/photos/04/36/52/1174166/3/375×250.jpg [Accessed 12 March 2020]
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Eoin O’Fearghaill
About this document
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish North American & World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 12 March 2020
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and World Gridiron Archive 2020
You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.