Old Coot Posted July 26, 2023 Share Posted July 26, 2023 Buffalo's "other" championship game: https://goldenrankings.com/AAFCchampionshipGame1948.htm 2 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted July 26, 2023 Share Posted July 26, 2023 Did you play in that one, Mr Coot? Just how old are you? 😋 Funny thing, the program cover below the player photos is something I remember from when I was a kid. I bought about a dozen covers on line and had them matted and framed. They are in an arrangement on the man cave wall. Mostly 1962-64 I think. 1 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Things Posted July 26, 2023 Share Posted July 26, 2023 I love this photo from the article. (Look at the empty seats!) Quite a bit has changed since 1949. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted July 26, 2023 Share Posted July 26, 2023 Lou Saban was a center for the Browns! 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillyG Posted July 26, 2023 Share Posted July 26, 2023 Watermelons were used as footballs back then*** ***Fun fact that I just made up. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted July 26, 2023 Share Posted July 26, 2023 3 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said: Watermelons were used as footballs back then*** ***Fun fact that I just made up. We used to grease watermelons and see which team could get it to the other end of the pool first. We’ve had some punt returners look like they were fielding greased watermelons over the years. At least our “Punt Catcher” was pretty reliable, as I recall. One of the greatest quotes EVER! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDingus Posted July 26, 2023 Share Posted July 26, 2023 42 minutes ago, Shaw66 said: Lou Saban was a center for the Browns! Apparently, he was also one of their linebackers... 😅 "After the Bills received the kickoff, captain and LB Lou Saban intercepted a short toss in the left flat and rambled 39y for the final TD, the first of his pro career. As he reached the EZ, he started to throw the ball into the bleachers, then changed his mind, and clutched it firmly as he trotted to the bench." 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Coot Posted July 26, 2023 Author Share Posted July 26, 2023 16 minutes ago, BigDingus said: 59 minutes ago, Shaw66 said: Lou Saban was a center for the Browns! Apparently, he was also one of their linebackers... In those days the players played both offense and defense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Things Posted July 26, 2023 Share Posted July 26, 2023 41 minutes ago, Augie said: We used to grease watermelons and see which team could get it to the other end of the pool first. Hmm. I always pictured you more as a "greased pig" sorta guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Coot Posted July 27, 2023 Author Share Posted July 27, 2023 5 hours ago, Old Coot said: In those days the players played both offense and defense The last of the two-way (60 minute) men was I think Chuck Bednarik who played center & linebacker for the Eagles in the late 50s and early 60s. He was known as "Concrete Charlie" not for his stamina but for his hard hitting. As one player put it getting hit by Bednarik was like getting hit with a sack of concrete. The two way player was why the offensive tackle is called a "tackle". He doesn't tackle anyone (legally, that is). The defensice tackle was also the offensive tackle. Why was the defensive tackle called a "tackle"? Because defenses would clog up the middle so that off-tackle plays were quite common and the man playing the DT position made most of the tackles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cage Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 (edited) Great post! So many interesting items listed on the page: The Browns are 14 to 17 point favorites. I guess there were point spreads on games already back then, not just betting on the win The heaviest player between the two teams weighs 255 lbs 2/3 of each roster appear to be linemen with no WRs listed. Just halfbacks and fullbacks 32-year-old FB Lou Tomasetti enjoyed his best season as a pro, rushing for 716 and 213 more receiving. Don't they know not to have RBs older than 30 on the roster? Brown's coach in response to next season says "I don't know. Next season is pretty far off, and right now I'm thinking about a vacation in Florida."... practically the equivalent of, "I'm going to Disney World" For their efforts The Browns players took home $594.18 apiece, while the Bills earned $386.22 per man. They were paid a percentage of the paid attendance. Winners share is equivalent to $7,617.21 today This was the last season of the AAFC. The following year the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Colts and San Francisco 49ers joined the NFL. The AAFC also wanted the Buffalo Bills to join, but the NFL wouldn't take them at the that time due to the smaller size of the city and concerns about the climate. The remaining franchises folded at that point. Edited July 27, 2023 by cage 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 13 hours ago, Augie said: Funny thing, the program cover below the player photos is something I remember from when I was a kid. I bought about a dozen covers on line and had them matted and framed. They are in an arrangement on the man cave wall. Mostly 1962-64 I think. I think I remember someone on this board mentioning that their parent/grandparent was the artist for those program covers. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 15 hours ago, BuffaloBillyG said: Watermelons were used as footballs back then*** ***Fun fact that I just made up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 3 hours ago, Lost said: I think I remember someone on this board mentioning that their parent/grandparent was the artist for those program covers. I think it was mentioned when he passed a few years ago. Those programs were a part of the game day experience for this young kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah John Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 Does anyone know if any of the players from that game are still alive? They'd have to be in the mid-90s or even older. It would be interesting to interview the survivors if they're around. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nextmanup Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 Ah yes, back in the days when NO ONE in this country gave a damned about professional football. It was ALL BASEBALL and college football back then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cage Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 42 minutes ago, Utah John said: Does anyone know if any of the players from that game are still alive? They'd have to be in the mid-90s or even older. It would be interesting to interview the survivors if they're around. A guy from the Browns team shown on the left side of the page, "Dub" Jones is still alive. He's 98 and is the father of Bert Jones, who was a pretty good Colts QB back in the '70s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dub_Jones_(American_football) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 To clarify, the Bills played in the 1948 AAFL Championship game, not 1949. (Though we lost again to the Browns in the first round of the playoffs in 1949). We had a decent team in 1948. Halfback Chet Murtryn totaled 1,617 yards from scrimmage that year and tied for the league lead in scoring with 10 TDs. But the Browns overwhelmed us in the title game, holding Murtryn to 8 yards. Our QB in 1948, George Ratterman, was also pretty good. He threw for 22 TDs the previous season - establishing a rookie pro football record that lasted for more than 50 years. In 1956, Ratterman played for the Browns and became the first QB in pro history to have a radio receiver in his helmet to receive play calls from the coach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Super Fan Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 (edited) Decent team the Buffalo Bills what? The Buffalo Bills were better than decent this Bills era were really good football teams and players they just ran into a better Cleveland Browns. Both those AAFC teams Buffalo, Cleveland were well supported and the Buffalo Bills should have been apart of the NFL in 1950 over the Baltimore Colts. Not the same Baltimore Colts that are the Indianapolis Colts today these Colts were green and white in the AAFC. I have a lot of silent film of Buffalo Bills AAFC games from this era. I knew about these Buffalo Bills teams from the old timers calling in Buffalo Bills football show’s talking about George Ratterman. When you are a kid you think sure. When I was 50 years old I bought some of the Buffalo Bills silent films games that I finally got to watch to see what those old timers saw. George Rattlerman was the real deal as was Chet Murtryn both should have there numbers retired as part of the Buffalo Bills AAFC years in the new Bills stadium over ridiculous neon lights signs like the Buffalo Bills are the Vegas Golden Knights just granted a expansion franchise that is what that screams to me as a old Buffalo Bills fan. Also what stuck out was Civic Stadium/War Memorial Stadium was better without the baseball configuration and the add roof covered seating with the long poles holding up the new roof add ons done cheaply in my opinion. Go Bills! Let’s Go Buffalo Edited July 28, 2023 by I am leaving for good 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Coot Posted July 28, 2023 Author Share Posted July 28, 2023 On 7/26/2023 at 6:10 PM, Bad Things said: I love this photo from the article. (Look at the empty seats!) Quite a bit has changed since 1949 Professional football was not the major sport it is today in 1949. Baseball was. In fact college football was much bigger than professional -- that's why professional football is played on Sunday -- it couldn't compete with Saturday college ball. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Coot Posted July 28, 2023 Author Share Posted July 28, 2023 7 minutes ago, I am leaving for good said: I have a lot of silent film of Buffalo Bills AAFC games from this era. Have you considered having the old film converted to video? That old film stock doesn't last and when its gone, it's gone. Also you could post the videos to Youtube for all to see. I attended school with Lou Tomasetti's daughter back in the day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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