1926 NFL season
| Regular season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | September 19 – December 19, 1926 |
| Champions | Frankford Yellow Jackets |
ProsBuccaneersColonelsThe1926 NFL seasonwas the seventhregular seasonof theNational Football League.The league grew to 22 teams, a figure that would not be equaled in professional football until 1961, adding theBrooklyn Lions,theHartford Blues,theLos Angeles Buccaneers,and theLouisville Colonels,with theRacine Tornadoesre-entering. TheCleveland Bulldogssat out the season, theRock Island Independentsdefected to the upstartAmerican Football League,and theRochester Jeffersonssuspended operations for the final time (eventually folding in early 1928). TheAkron Prosre-branded as theAkron Indians,theDuluth Kelleysas theDuluth Eskimosand theBuffalo Bisonas theBuffalo Rangers(the team also used the names "Texas Rangers" and "Buffalo Cowboys" ).[citation needed].
The Buccaneers, Eskimos, Colonels andBuffalo Rangerswere "showcase teams," the first efforts for the league to reach beyond the northeast and midwest. The Buccaneers, a response to the AFL'sLos Angeles Wildcats,represented the state ofCalifornia;the Eskimos the far northern plains, while the Colonels represented theSouthern United Statesand the Rangers represented the state ofTexasand other areas of theSouthwestern United States.[clarification needed]The four teams (except the Rangers) all played primarily astraveling teams.Three of the four teams only lasted one season; the Buccaneers and Colonels both folded while the Rangers reverted to their previous status as the Bison, and only the Eskimos returned for 1927.
In mid-November, Brooklyn merged with the AFL'sBrooklyn Horsemenand stayed in the NFL, playing one more game as the Lions before changing its name to the Brooklyn Horsemen for the last three games (all shutout losses).
TheFrankford Yellow Jacketswere named the NFL champions after finishing the season with the best record. Their 14 victories were the most in an NFL season to that point, a record that would not be bested until the1968 Baltimore Coltswon 15.
After the season, thePhiladelphia Inquirerlobbied for aWorld Series-style game between the Yellow Jackets and theAFL'schampionsPhiladelphia Quakers,with the Quakers' owner challenging the Yellow Jackets, but ultimately the NFL denied permission to this game to be held.[1]
Teams
[edit]The league grew to 22 teams.
| First season in NFL * | Rejoined the NFL † | Last active season ^ |
Standings
[edit]| NFL standings | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |||
| Frankford Yellow Jackets | 14 | 1 | 2 | .933 | 236 | 49 | W6 | ||
| Chicago Bears | 12 | 1 | 3 | .923 | 216 | 63 | L1 | ||
| Pottsville Maroons | 10 | 2 | 2 | .833 | 155 | 29 | T1 | ||
| Kansas City Cowboys | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 76 | 53 | W7 | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 7 | 3 | 3 | .700 | 151 | 61 | T1 | ||
| New York Giants | 8 | 4 | 1 | .667 | 151 | 61 | W3 | ||
| Los Angeles Buccaneers | 6 | 3 | 1 | .667 | 67 | 57 | L1 | ||
| Duluth Eskimos | 6 | 5 | 3 | .545 | 113 | 81 | L1 | ||
| Buffalo Rangers | 4 | 4 | 2 | .500 | 53 | 62 | T1 | ||
| Chicago Cardinals | 5 | 6 | 1 | .455 | 74 | 98 | L1 | ||
| Providence Steam Roller | 5 | 7 | 1 | .417 | 89 | 103 | L1 | ||
| Detroit Panthers | 4 | 6 | 2 | .400 | 107 | 60 | L3 | ||
| Hartford Blues | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 | 57 | 99 | L1 | ||
| Brooklyn Lions | 3 | 8 | 0 | .273 | 60 | 150 | L3 | ||
| Milwaukee Badgers | 2 | 7 | 0 | .222 | 41 | 66 | L5 | ||
| Dayton Triangles | 1 | 4 | 1 | .200 | 15 | 82 | L2 | ||
| Akron Indians | 1 | 4 | 3 | .200 | 23 | 89 | T1 | ||
| Racine Tornadoes | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 8 | 92 | L4 | ||
| Columbus Tigers | 1 | 6 | 0 | .143 | 26 | 93 | L5 | ||
| Canton Bulldogs | 1 | 9 | 3 | .100 | 46 | 161 | L1 | ||
| Hammond Pros | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 3 | 56 | L4 | ||
| Louisville Colonels | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 108 | L4 | ||
- Note:Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
References
[edit]- ^"8 Defunct NFL Teams With Unusual Histories".The History Channel.May 23, 2023.
- NFL Record and Fact Book(ISBN1-932994-36-X)
- NFL History 1921–1930(Last accessed December 4, 2005)
- David S. Neft, Richard M. Cohen, and Rick Korch,The Football Encyclopedia: The Complete, Year-by-Year History of Professional Football From 1892 to the Present(St. Martin's Press 1994)ISBN0-312-11435-4
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League(ISBN0-06-270174-6)