After the 1953 NFA Season, Detroit's owner Chester Ford would release quarterback Dwight Eddelman. Eddelman took over after Giles Richland retired. He would win the NFA Championship his rookie season in 1947. He would lead the Mustangs again to the championship in 1950, but would lose to the Lions. Since the 1950 season, the Mustangs have not been living up to Ford's expectations. With two first round picks in the 1954 NFA Draft and two third round picks, Ford looked to use the 1954 Draft to rebuild his time to greatness. The Philadelphia Colonials would pick up Eddelman. General Manager Andy McCarthy would look to use the second overall pick in the 1954 Draft to pick up the best lineman in the draft to help protect his quarterback and help block for his star halfback Kyle Rose. With the recent success of the Chicago Packers, the franchise's owner Edward Fitzgerald would break ground on a new stadium. The Packers would play their first season in the stadium in 1956.
OWNERS MEETING
The only topics of discussion at the Owners Meeting was the rumors of the new rival football team being formed by George Rickard. Rumors were starting to circulate that the new league had intentions of placing franchises in cities where current NFA teams are struggling to bring in crowds due to the team not being competitive. This upset Boston's owner Jim Cook. Boston had not had a winning season since 1945. Cook worried that if a rival team did begin operating in Boston, it could hurt him financially. As far as game play was concerned, there were no major rule changes to the game. The biggest change was that whenever it is raining, or the field is wet and slippery, the offense can request a new dry playable ball at any time.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
On January 15, 1954, the American Football Association was officially established. George Rickard would be able to secure 7 other investors and a new rival football league was born. The 8 teams were, - Buffalo Bison - Dallas Rangers - Denver Rams - Houston Hurricanes - Kansas City Outlaws - Newark Bulldogs - Oakland Miners - Richmond Rebels
1954 NFA DRAFT
The 1954 NFA Draft was held on January 28th at the Warwick Hotel in New York, NY. The Washington Senators made a big splash by trading with Boston for the #1 overall pick. Boston would receive Washington's first round pick (10th overall) and second round pick (15th overall) in the 1954 Draft. They would also receive Washington's first round pick in the 1955 Draft. New York would make a trade with Pittsburgh for their first round pick (12th overall) since New York didn't have a pick. Their pick was traded during the 1953 NFA Draft to Detroit. These would be the only two blockbuster moves made before and during the draft. With the number one overall pick, Washington would select Dave Garnnett, QB from Oklahoma. Detroit who was looking to rebuild their team after releasing their quarterback, would draft Mike Wallace, QB from Maryland. These would be the only 2 quarterbacks drafted.
The sixteenth NFA Regular Season started on September 19, 1954. This would be one of the most competitive seasons in both the East and West divisions. It would also be the end of Pittsburgh's dominance. It would be a three team race for the division title between the New York Lions, Washington Senators and Philadelphia Colonials. It would come down to the last game of the season between the New York Lions and Philadelphia Colonials. Both New York and Philadelphia were tied at 8-3. New York would travel to Philadelphia to take on the Colonials in what would become the NFA East Division Championship. This would setup a match up between two star quarterbacks who were both from the 1947 NFA Draft class. The Lions would easily defeat the Colonials 31-17 and win their sixth NFA East Division Championship. The Lions star quarterback Phil Sans would be named NFA MVP for the 1954 NFA Season. Sans would throw for 1,840 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Their second year halfback Barry Jackman would also put together a great season. He would rush for 981 yards, 9 touchdowns and 5 fumbles. He would lead the league in total touchdowns with 14. One of the biggest reasons the Colonials were in contention for the NFA East Division was their quarterback Dwight Eddelman. Eddelman would show that he still had the guts and athleticism to be a star quarterback in the league. He would throw 2,012 yards, 14 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. The Washington Senators would be in the mix for the East Division for most of the season, but would end up short. Their trade for the first overall pick in the 1954 NFA Draft for quarterback Dave Garnnett seemed like it would pay off. Garnnett would be named NFA Rookie of the Year for the 1954 NFA Season. He would finish the season with 2,002 yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Even though the Senators didn't win the division, Garnnett gave the Senators faithful hope for the future and quickly became a star in the nations capitol. In the West Division, it was also a three team race. Head Coach Mark Carton would have the Cincinnati Buckeyes back in contention for the West Division title. His star halfback George Washington would be the leagues leading rusher with 1,049 yards, 8 touchdowns and 6 fumbles. The Buckeyes would fall short though and finish the season 8-4. Milwaukee was the best team in the West for most of the season. Their quarterback Tom Blue would put together another great season following his rookie of the year season of 1953. Blue would pass for 1,802 yards, 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Indians would finish the season 9-3, tied for first with the Chicago Packers. The Packers would win the West Division with a tiebreak since they beat the Indians twice. For the third straight season, Chicago won the West Division. Their offense would be the best in the league. William Watson would throw for 1,842 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Bradley Stone would rush for 1,005 yards, 9 touchdowns and 5 fumbles. They would finish the season 9-3 which was the same as the East Division Champion New York Lions. The Lions would be given home field advantage for the NFA Championship Game since they had a tougher strength of schedule. AWARDS Coach of the Year: Leonard Mitchell (NY Lions) Most Valuable Player: Phil Sans, QB (NY Lions) Rookie of the Year: Dave Garnnett, QB (WASH Senators) 1954 NFA Championship Game NY Lions vs Chicago Packers (December 26, 1954, Manhattan Field, New York, NY)