1944 Boston Yanks season

1944 Boston Yanks season
OwnerTed Collins
Head coachHerb Kopf
Home fieldFenway Park
Results
Record2–8
Division place4th NFL Eastern
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 1944 Boston Yanks season was its inaugural season in the National Football League. The team won two games[1] and failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue
1 Bye
2 September 26 Philadelphia Eagles L 7–28 0–1 Fenway Park
3 Bye
4 October 8 New York Giants L 10–22 0–2 Fenway Park
5 October 15 Washington Redskins L 14–21 0–3 Fenway Park
6 October 22 at Philadelphia Eagles L 0–38 0–4 Shibe Park
7 October 29 at Brooklyn Tigers W 17–14 1–4 Ebbets Field
8 November 5 at New York Giants L 0–31 1–5 Polo Grounds
9 November 12 at Chicago Bears L 7–21 1–6 Wrigley Field
10 November 19 Brooklyn Tigers W 13–6 2–6 Fenway Park
11 November 26 at Washington Redskins L 7–14 2–7 Griffith Stadium
12 December 3 at Detroit Lions L 7–38 2–8 Briggs Stadium
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

NFL Eastern Division
W L T PCT DIV PF PA STK
New York Giants 8 1 1 .889 6–1–1 206 75 W4
Philadelphia Eagles 7 1 2 .875 6–0–2 267 131 W2
Washington Redskins 6 3 1 .667 4–3–1 169 180 L2
Boston Yanks 2 8 0 .200 2–6 82 233 L2
Brooklyn Tigers 0 10 0 .000 0-8 69 166 L10
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
NFL Western Division
W L T PCT DIV PF PA STK
Green Bay Packers 8 2 0 .800 7–1 238 141 W1
Chicago Bears 6 3 1 .667 4–3–1 258 172 W2
Detroit Lions 6 3 1 .667 4–3–1 216 151 W4
Cleveland Rams 4 6 0 .400 4–4 188 224 L2
Card-Pitt 0 10 0 .000 0–8 108 328 L10
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Roster

The NFL used an active roster of just 28 players during the wartime seasons of 1943 and 1944. According to the league's preseason guidebook,[2] the 1944 roster for the Boston Yanks consisted of the following:

NFL Draft

The 1944 NFL draft was held on April 19, 1944, at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia. By agreement of league owners, the new Yanks franchise received the first pick of the first round and then dropped to 11th in the order of draft selection, making their next choice at 27.[3]

Although there were 32 rounds in the 1944 draft, each of the league's 11 teams selected 30 players, for a total of 330 players picked.[4] The five worst-finishing teams of the 1943 season picked alone in rounds 2 and 4, while the five best-finishing teams plus the expansion Yanks picked alone in rounds 31 and 32.

Boston's top draft pick, Heisman Trophy-winning Notre Dame quarterback Angelo Bertelli, had enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1943 and never played in the NFL, instead making his professional debut with the Los Angeles Dons of the rival All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1946.

The complete list of players drafted by the Boston Yanks in 1944 follows.[5] Due to the demands of World War II, none of these players actually played for the Yanks during the 1944 season.

1944 Boston Yanks draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 1 Angelo Bertelli  Quarterback Notre Dame 1943 Heisman Trophy winner (Played in AAFC in 1946)
3 27 Babe Dimancheff  Halfback Purdue Played with Yanks in 1945
5 43 Larry Rice  Center Tulane
6 54 John "Butch" Parker  Tackle Loyola (CA)
7 65 Mike Andrews  End NC State
8 76 Bob Musick  Back USC
9 87 Caleb "Tex" Warrington  Guard Auburn Played in AAFC in 1946
10 98 Angelo Sisti  Tackle Boston College
11 109 Gene Long  Guard Kansas
12 120 Ed Fiorentino  End Brown Played with Yanks in 1947
13 131 Mike Zeleznak  Back Kansas State
14 142 John Maskas  Guard VPI
15 153 John Bond  Back TCU
16 164 Roger Antaya  Guard Dartmouth
17 175 Marshall Shurnas  End Missouri Played in AAFC in 1947
18 186 Reldon Bennett  Tackle LSU
19 197 Art Faircloth  Back Guilford Played in NFL in 1947
20 208 Tony Bilotti  Guard Saint Mary's (CA)
21 219 Bill Furman  Tackle Washington & Lee
22 230 Clare Morford  Guard Oklahoma
23 241 Dilton Richmond  End LSU
24 252 Courtney Lawlor  Back Richmond
25 263 Howard Debus  Back Nebraska
26 274 Bill Portwood  End Kentucky
27 285 Harold Collins  Guard Southwestern (TX)
28 296 Aubrey Gill  Center Texas
29 307 Chet Wasilewski  Back Holy Cross
30 318 Gus Letchas  Back Georgia
31 324 Ralph Calcagni  Tackle Penn Played with Yanks in 1946
32 330 Walton Roberts  Back Texas

References

  1. ^ 1944 Boston Yanks
  2. ^ George Strickler (ed.), National Football League 1944 Roster Manual. Chicago: National Football League, 1944; pp. 6–7.
  3. ^ George Strickler (ed.), Record and Rules Manual, 1944. Chicago: National Football League, 1944; p. 87.
  4. ^ Strickler (ed.), Record and Rules Manual, 1944, pp. 77–87, passim.
  5. ^ "1944 Boston Yanks Draftees," Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com/