The American Football League, also known retrospectively as the AFL III to distinguish it from earlier organizations of that name, was a professional

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

league that operated from 1940–1941. It was created when three teams, the original

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

, the

Columbus Bullies The Columbus Bullies were a professional football team founded by Phil H. Bucklew in Columbus, Ohio in 1938. The Bullies started out as a member of the American Professional Football Association (APFA) in 1939. Later, in 1940, the Bullies joined ...

, and the Milwaukee Chiefs, were lured away from the minor-league

American Professional Football Association The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the maj ...

and joined three new franchises in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Buffalo, and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in a new league. It competed against the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL), the oldest existing professional football league, established 1920 and reorganized 1922. The organization was the third major league to bear the name

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

. Its establishment resulted in the dissolution of the American Professional Football Association, which had just announced its intentions to compete with the NFL as a major league organization. In 1941 the American Football League became the first football league to play a

double round robin A round-robin tournament (or all-go-away-tournament) is a competition in which each contestant meets every other participant, usually in turn.''Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged'' (1971, G. & C. Me ...

schedule (five home games and five away games). However, it folded after the end of the 1941 season.

Origin

Although the third American Football League was not directly connected to any previous

leagues of the same name, its formation was at the cost of an already-existing minor football league of the same name. In the spring of 1940, the former American Professional Football Association announced intentions of turning itself into a major league with the addition of a

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

team for the upcoming season, over the protests of the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

. As the teams prepared for the upcoming season, the announcement of a rival major league resulted in the collapse of this edition of the American Football League. On July 14, 1940, a press conference introduced a new American Football League - not a continuation of the former minor league, but a new one with franchises in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and Buffalo. Bill Edwards, the president of the first AFL of 1926, was slated to be both the president of the new league and co-owner of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

franchise, while Joseph Carr Jr., the son of recently deceased NFL president and

Columbus Panhandles The Columbus Panhandles were a professional American football team based in Columbus, Ohio. The club was founded in 1901 by workers at the Panhandle shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad. They were a part of the Ohio League from 1904 before foldi ...

founder

Joe Carr Joseph Benedict Carr (22 February 1922 – 3 June 2004) was an Irish amateur golfer. Carr was born in Inchicore, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, to George and Margaret Mary "Missie" Waters (the fifth of seven children). At 10 days old, he was ado ...

, was touted as a potential backer of the

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

franchise. Gipe, G., ''The Great American Sports Book'' (Doubleday 1978) NFL Competitors: 1926-1975
/ref> The group of businessmen based on the

American East Coast The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...

behind the formation of the new league had resorted to a trick done by the first two AFLs: they raided the established minor league by enticing APFA members

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, Columbus, and the new Milwaukee team to jump to their circuit.Kenosha Cardinals:Life on the Fringe (1983)
The move fractured the APFA as two of its members decided not to field teams for 1940, while one the

Los Angeles Bulldogs The Los Angeles Bulldogs were a professional American football team that competed from 1936 to 1948 (the last year as the Long Beach Bulldogs). Formed with the intention of joining the National Football League in 1937 (and turned down in favor of ...

had already resigned from the league, and there were only three teams left with only two months to go before the start of the new season. After the

Kenosha Cardinals Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Keno ...

and

St. Louis Gunners The St. Louis Gunners were an independent professional football team based in St. Louis, Missouri, that played the last three games of the 1934 National Football League season, replacing the Cincinnati Reds on the league schedule after the Reds' ...

applied to join the new league (and were subsequently rejected), the APFA went out of business. After a 30-hour-long meeting of the owners (and other representatives) of the six invited teams in Buffalo's

Hotel Lafayette Hotel Lafayette, also known as the Lafayette Hotel, is a historic hotel building located at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. History and features It is a seven-story steel frame and concrete building designed in the French Renaissance style. I ...

, the bylaws and officials of the new league were determined. Each team was scheduled to play a double round robin schedule (five home games, five away games), with games on either Sunday or Wednesday to reduce the likelihood of conflicts with

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

teams sharing the stadium in five of the six AFL cities (all except Buffalo). The agreement was signed by the team owners on October 5, 1940. While Bill Edwards did not take over the league as previously announced (that job eventually went to former

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

publicity director

William D. Griffith William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...

), the 1940 season began with six teams owned by people who were, for the most part, in better financial standing than their NFL counterparts. In the NFL, many of the owners had their franchise as their primary investment and source of income, while the AFL of 1940 had most of the owners with money invested in many other fields, such as local newspapers.Bob Carroll, Michael Gershman, David Neft, and John Thorn, ''Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League'' (HarperCollins 1999)

Teams

Boston Bears. Disbanded in 1941, before the beginning of the second AFL season.

Buffalo Indians The Buffalo Indians were a professional American football team that competed in the third American Football League in 1940 and in 1941. The team played its home games in Civic Stadium in Buffalo, New York. Owned by the Buffalo American Legion, ...

. Became the Buffalo Tigers for the 1941 season after a change in ownership.

. Previously a member of the second AFL, and the

, the "original Bengals" joined the third AFL with traditional rival

.Kenosha Cardinals: Life on the Fringe (1983)

. Former APFA member which won the AFL championship both years the league was in existence. Quarterback Jay Arnold, formerly of the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

, led the team in 1940; when Arnold returned to the Eagles in 1941,

John LeBay John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

took over the signal calling role. Milwaukee Chiefs. Former APFA member joined the AFL without being in an official APFA contest.

. The third major league professional football team with the name, it became the New York Americans in 1941 after a change of ownership.

League standings and All-League teams

Final 1940 standings

1940 All-League Team

Sherman Barnes Sherman most commonly refers to: *Sherman (name), a surname and given name (and list of persons with the name) ** William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), American Civil War General *M4 Sherman, a tank Sherman may also refer to: Places United St ...

, Milwaukee (end)

Ed Karp Edwin Walter Karpowich (September 28, 1912 – November 26, 2005) was an American football tackle who played for five seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the eighth round ...

, Buffalo (tackle)

Jim Karcher James Norman Karcher (May 2, 1914 – August 19, 1997) was an American football offensive lineman for the Boston/Washington Redskins in the National Football League and the Columbus Bullies in the American Football League, making the AFL All-L ...

, Columbus (guard)

Joe Alexus Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

, Columbus (center)

Alex Drobnitch Alex Lewis Drobnitch (November 25, 1913 – June 6, 1960) was an American football player. Drobntich was raised on a farm near Eaton, Colorado. He played college football for the Denver Pioneers football team and was selected by the Newspaper Ent ...

, Buffalo (guard)

Bob Eckl Robert Joseph Eckl (November 20, 1917 - September 30, 1961) was a professional American football player in the National Football League as a tackle for the Chicago Cardinals in 1945. Prior to that he played for the Milwaukee Chiefs of the third A ...

, Milwaukee (tackle)

Harlan Gustafson Harlan Iver Gustafson (December 29, 1917 – April 18, 1984) was an American football player. Gustafson was born in Joliet, Illinois, and attended the University of Pennsylvania. He played college football for the Penn Quakers football team a ...

, New York (end)
Andy Karpuls, Boston (quarterback)
Bill Hutchinson, New York (halfback)

Nelson Peterson Nelson Lane Peterson (September 22, 1913 – December 4, 1990) was an American football running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Rams. He attended West Virginia Wesleyan College West Virgin ...

, Columbus (halfback)
Al Novakofski, Milwaukee (fullback)

Final 1941 standings

Encouraged by the success of the New York and Columbus franchises, Detroit, Baltimore, and Philadelphia applied to join the league for the 1941 season. While the Detroit application was accepted for play in 1942, the latter two were turned down by a league that was not interested in further expansion. Promoter Douglas Grant Hertz purchased the New York Yankees, changed their name to the New York Americans, and then announced (in August) the team's withdrawal from the league. The league refused to acknowledge the "withdrawal." Boston folded before the start of the 1941 season. Buffalo changed the team name upon new ownership assuming control of the team. New York Americans president

William B. Cox William Drought Cox (1909–1989) was an American businessman and sports executive. Early life Cox was born in 1909, growing up on Riverside Drive on Manhattan's Upper West Side. He graduated from high school at the age of 15, then attended New ...

became the new AFL league president in 1941.

1941 All-League Team

Earl Ohlgren Earl Ohlgren (February 21, 1918 – December 31, 1962) was a defensive end in the National Football League. He played with the Green Bay Packers during the 1942 NFL season. Previously he had played with the Milwaukee Chiefs of the American Fo ...

, Milwaukee (end)

Alec Shellogg Alec Regis Shellogg (February 17, 1914 – July 12, 1968) was a professional American football player in the National Football League as well as the third American Football League. In 1939, he played in the NFL for the Chicago Bears and the Br ...

, Buffalo (tackle)

Ted Livinston TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depart ...

, Columbus (guard)

Paul Humphrey Paul Nelson Humphrey (October 12, 1935 – January 31, 2014) was an American jazz and R&B drummer. Biography Humphrey was born in Detroit and began playing drums at age 8, taking private lessons in Detroit. In high school he played baritone hor ...

, Milwaukee (center)

Tex Akin Tex may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tex (nickname), a list of people and fictional characters with the nickname * Joe Tex (1933–1982), stage name of American soul singer Joseph Arrington Jr. Entertainment * ''Tex'', the Italian ...

, Milwaukee (guard)

, Milwaukee (tackle)

Joe Kruse Joseph R. Kruse (September 9, 1914 – January 18, 2003) was an American professional basketball and football player. He played for the Cincinnati Comellos in the National Basketball League during the 1937–38 season and averaged 3.3 points per ...

, Cincinnati (end)
Bob Davis, Columbus (quarterback)
Charlie Armstrong, New York (halfback)
Bill McGannon, Cincinnati (halfback)

John Kimbrough John Alec Kimbrough (June 14, 1918 – May 8, 2006) was a college athlete, a member of the Texas Legislature, the star of two western movies and a rancher. His older brother Frank Kimbrough served as head football coach at Baylor and West Texas ...

, New York (fullback) Columbus was league champion again in 1941, with a final record of 5-1-2.

Demise of the third major league AFL

Although the AFL lost the Boston Bears franchise prior to the beginning of the 1941 season, its owners were optimistic about the league's long-term future. Although the league's average attendance was less than that of the more-established NFL, the AFL seemed to be on as firm a financial footing as the older league. By the end of the 1941 season, a new franchise was awarded to Detroit for the 1942 season. The league was the first major football league to complete a

schedule, in which each team played each other twice. All the plans for 1942 came to a sudden stop upon the Japanese

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

and the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

on December 7, 1941. During the winter of 1941–42, numerous players from both leagues were drafted into the

U.S. military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

. So many players went overseas that several AFL and NFL teams were left with barely enough players to field viable teams. It soon became apparent to the AFL owners that the success of the league was very much in question. On September 2, 1942, AFL president

William D. Cox William Drought Cox (1909–1989) was an American businessman and sports executive. Early life Cox was born in 1909, growing up on Riverside Drive on Manhattan's Upper West Side. He graduated from high school at the age of 15, then attended New ...

announced the league would suspend operations for the war's duration.David L. Porter, ed., ''Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: Football'' (Greenwood Press 1987) , p. 142 The league did not return. The NFL was without a competitor until the formation of the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...

in 1946, one year after the end of World War II.

References

{{Authority control 1940 establishments in the United States Sports leagues established in 1940 Organizations disestablished in 1942 Defunct national American football leagues Defunct professional sports leagues in the United States