Bluejackets Owner Jim Cook would fire his head coach David Perry after the 1952 NFA Season. Perry would finish his time in Boston with a 16-29-3 record. During his tenure at Boston, the Bluejackets never had a winning season. Cook would look to an old warhorse of his, former quarterback Brian Branch, to lead his team. Branch was the NFA MVP in 1945 and won the NFA Championship with Boston in 1944 and 1945. After he retired, he was hired by Boston College as Offensive Coordinator in 1950. The Buckeyes would look to Mark Carton to replace their irreplaceable Head Coach Patrick Johnson. Carton was Offensive Coordinator under Johnson since 1949. Cincinnati's Owner Stanley Brown felt that since the players were familiar with Carton, he would be able to fit the role well. This was the first time that there was a coaching change in Cincinnati. After winning their second consecutive NFA title, Pittsburgh's Owner Ernie Madison began planning a new stadium to play in. The Ironmen did not own Forbes Field and were paying rent. The baseball stadium seating capacity was becoming a problem now that the Ironmen were the hot ticket in the city. Madison would buy a plot of land near the University of Pitt to build his stadium. He hoped it would be done by 1956.
OWNERS MEETING
At the Owners Meeting, the hot topic was once again the sale of the Chicago Packers. Now that the league had purchased the franchise to secure the Packers staying in Chicago, they had to sell the team before January 15, 1953. A line of investors lined up to purchase the team now that the Packers had shocked everyone and won the NFA West division and put up a good showing in the NFA Championship against the perfect Ironmen. All eleven owners would agree to sell the team to Edward Fitzgerald who was the founder of the Chicago Federal Credit Union. Since there was also interest in expanding the league to 14 teams, owners discussed which investors they would approach to put franchises on the west coast. Since there were no teams currently in California, Commissioner William Hensley would look to have teams in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Two investors impressed all the owners who wanted to purchase the Packers. Stanley McConnell and Charles Kezar Jr. The reason that these two men didn't get a unanimous vote from the owners was because they preferred to sell the Packers to a investor who lived in Chicago. Commissioner Hensley would talk with McConnell and Kezar Jr several times before and during the 1953 NFA Season. McConnell would be able to make an agreement with the City of Los Angeles and would play games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Kezar Jr would have a difficult time securing a field to play in. He would then decide to purchase a large plot of land in San Francisco and build his own stadium. On November 28, 1953 Hensley would have all the NFA owners meet in New York City to discuss the expansion to 14 teams. All eleven owners would agree to expand and agreed to Stanley McConnell and Charles Kezar Jr. Both franchises would begin operating in 1955 for the 1955 NFA Season.
RIVAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
George Rickard, the Texas oil tycoon who failed to purchase the Chicago Packers, would begin the formation of a new national football league to rival the NFA. He would meet with other investors who had hoped to purchase the Chicago Packers. Seven investors who were turned down by the NFA for the Packers purchase would agree to invest money into a new league if they were given a franchise. No decisions were finalized in 1953, but this was the beginning of the American Football Association.
1953 NFA DRAFT
The 1953 NFA Draft was held on January 22, 1953 at Hotel Statler in New York, NY. Cleveland would have the first pick and would select the best player most analysts thought was the best player in the draft, Jack Scarpa, halfback from Maryland. New York would make a splash and trade with Detroit to get their pick that they were given by Boston during the 1952 NFA Draft. New York would select the second best halfback in the draft, Barry Jackman, to replace Joe Governor who retired after the 1952 season. Boston, who wouldn't have a pick in the first round of the 1953 NFA Draft after trading it to Detroit in 1952, traded with Detroit again. They would give Detroit their second round pick and a fifth round pick for Detroit's first round pick in the 1953 draft. Detroit would only move back from number 9 to number 10 after their trade with New York. Boston would select Bernie Flowers to be their next quarterback. Detroit would strengthen their offensive line and select Dave Farragaut, a tackle from Washington State. Most analysts felt that the Ironmen got a steal in the first round. Pittsburgh would select George Bermudez, a tackle from Ohio State. Most analysts thought Bermudez was the best tackle available in the draft and predicted him to be picked in the top 5. After the draft, most writers predicted Pittsburgh to win a third consecutive championship. Their team was still solid and the addition of Bermudez made them more of a threat.
The 1953 NFA Regular Season started on September 20, 1953. It would conclude December 13, 1953. As predicted, the two teams that would dominate their divisions were the Pittsburgh Ironmen and the Chicago Packers. Both teams would suffer their first loss of the season to the Cincinnati Buckeyes. The Buckeyes would become the first time in NFA History to beat the best team in the league twice. On October 25th at home, the Buckeyes would beat the 5-0 Pittsburgh Ironmen. Then on November 8th, the Buckeyes would beat the 7-0 Chicago Packers at home. Pittsburgh would lose again to the Baltimore Knights on December 6th. This would not prevent them from winning their division for the third consecutive season and finish with a 10-2 record. Chicago's only loss would be to the Buckeyes. They would finish 11-1 and win the NFA West for the second consecutive season. Milwaukee would be hot on their tail though until December 6th. If Milwaukee won their game against the Aviators and then beat Chicago the following week, they would force a playoff game. The Indians however would not be able to win against the Aviators. St Louis with nothing to play for would force a tie against Milwaukee. This would take Milwaukee out of contention for the NFA West and allow Chicago to clinch the division again. Milwaukee's star rookie quarterback would be a big reason why the Indians would be in contention with Chicago for most of the season. Tom Blue would finish his rookie season with 125 completions for 2,088 yards, 16 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. He would be awarded Rookie of the Year. William Watson, the 1952 Rookie of the Year, would be awarded MVP for the 1953 Season. Watson would throw 162 completions for 2,462 yards, 21 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. Watson was the first player in NFA history to win Rookie of the Year and MVP back to back. AWARDS Coach of the Year: Mark Watney (CHI Packers) Most Valuable Player: William Watson, QB (CHI Packers) Rookie of the Year: Tom Blue, QB (MIL Indians) 1953 NFA Championship Game Chicago Packers vs Pittsburgh Ironmen (December 27, 1953, Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL)