Editing All-America Football Conference (section)

==Founding==
The AAFC was founded by ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' sports editor [[Arch Ward]] on June 4, 1944. Ward was also the originator of baseball's [[All-Star Game]] and football's [[College All-Star Game]]. Ward brought together a number of wealthy pro football enthusiasts, some of whom had previously attempted to purchase NFL franchises. Ward had previously encouraged the NFL to expand, but now he hoped to bring about a permanent second league and a championship game with the NFL, similar to baseball's [[World Series]].

The idea was not originated in vacuum, as two additional upstart leagues were trying to challenge the NFL in 1944:<ref name=GWebster>Gary Webster. ''The League That Didn't Exist: A History of the All-American Football Conference, 1946-1949'', McFarland & Company, 2018. {{ISBN|1476665346}}</ref>
* '''United States Football League''' - the (first) USFL, with [[Red Grange]] as the league commissioner, announced teams in eight cities: Akron, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, New York, Philadelphia and Washington. The league faded away after failing to attract major investors or sign players, as Grange claimed they were "holding out for between $400 and $600 a game when they used to get $150".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.birminghamprosports.com/otherteamsusfl.html|title=Will Birmingham play in the United States Football League?}}</ref> The league folded altogether on June 4, 1945, after Grange's resignation.<ref name="fold">{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/QuirkyResearch/status/1400791751502225415/photo/1|title=On this date in 1945, the United States Football League folded}}</ref>
* '''Trans-America Football League''' - the TAFL had plans for franchises in Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Philadelphia (Atlanta and New Orleans were also in the mix, but ruled out early), with a unique ownership model as only a group of five or more people could own a franchise (not a single owner).<ref>{{cite web|title=Will Birmingham play in the Trans-America Football League?|url=http://www.birminghamprosports.com/otherteamstransamerica.html}}</ref> On January 5, 1945, they announced a six team league in Baltimore, Brooklyn, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia, which had leased stadiums. The league folded on the same day as the USFL (June 4, 1945), after failing to secure a lease to [[Yankee Stadium]].<ref name="fold"/>

On November 21, 1944, the AAFC chose [[Jim Crowley|James "Sleepy Jim" Crowley]], one of the "[[Four Horsemen (American football)|Four Horsemen of Notre Dame]]", as its commissioner.<ref>[[Michael MacCambridge|MacCambridge, M.]], ''America's Game'' ([[New York City|New York]]: [[Vintage Books|Anchor Books]], 2004), [https://books.google.com/books?id=MMU7-rg06n8C&pg=PA13 p. 13].</ref> Not coincidentally, the NFL commissioner at this time was [[Elmer Layden]], another member of [[Knute Rockne]]'s legendary [[1924 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|1924]] "Fighting Irish" backfield at the [[University of Notre Dame]].<ref>Littlewood, T. B., ''Arch: A Promoter, Not a Poet—The Story of Arch Ward'' ([[Ames, Iowa|Ames, IA]]: Iowa State University Press, 1990).</ref>

During the next months, the AAFC's plans solidified. The league initially issued franchises for [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], [[Chicago]], [[Cleveland]], [[Los Angeles]], [[New York City|New York]], and [[San Francisco]]. [[Brooklyn, New York|Brooklyn]] and [[Miami]] were later added. A group representing [[Baltimore]] was considered for admission, but could not secure use of Baltimore's stadium. The league planned to begin to play in 1945, but postponed its opening for a year as [[World War II]] continued.

As the eight franchises built their teams, no move was more far-reaching than Cleveland's choice of [[Paul Brown]] as its head coach. Brown had won six [[Ohio]] state championships in nine years at [[Massillon Washington High School|Massillon High School]] and the 1942 [[mythical national championship|national championship]] at [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State]], and had also coached successfully at the military's [[Naval Station Great Lakes]]. As coach of the new Cleveland franchise, Brown would become one of American football's greatest innovators and eventually have the team named for him.