1949 New York Bulldogs season

1949 New York Bulldogs season
OwnerTed Collins[1]
Head coachCharley Ewart
Home fieldPolo Grounds
Local radioWEAF
Results
Record1–10–1
Division place5th NFL Eastern
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 1949 New York Bulldogs season was their first season in New York in the National Football League (NFL), and the continuation of the Dayton Triangles franchise, after having played five years as the Boston Yanks, and last as the Bulldogs (subsequently becoming the New York Yanks). They finished 1–10–1,[2] last place in the Eastern Division and the worst record in the ten-team league.

The head coach was Charley Ewart, previously the general manager (and backfield coach) for the Philadelphia Eagles who played college football at Yale.[1][3] Signed to a three-year contract,[3] he resigned the day after the regular season's final game, a 27–0 home loss to Pittsburgh with just over 4,000 in attendance.[4]

NFL Draft

Main article: 1949 NFL draft
Round Pick Player Position School
1 3 Doak Walker Halfback Southern Methodist

Source:[5]

Halfback Doak Walker was selected as a "future pick" after his Heisman Trophy-winning junior season, but he stayed at SMU for his senior season in 1949. (He missed the 1946 season due to military service.) Walker's draft rights were traded to the Detroit Lions, where his hall of fame career began in 1950.[6]

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 22 Philadelphia Eagles L 0–7 0–1 Polo Grounds Recap
2 September 30 New York Giants L 14–38 0–2 Polo Grounds Recap
3 October 7 Green Bay Packers L 0–19 0–3 Polo Grounds Recap
4 October 16 at Washington Redskins L 14–38 0–4 Griffith Stadium Recap
5 October 23 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 13–24 0–5 Forbes Field Recap
6 October 30 Washington Redskins T 14–14 0–5–1 Polo Grounds Recap
7 November 6 at New York Giants W 31–24 1–5–1 Polo Grounds Recap
8 November 13 Chicago Cardinals L 20–65 1–6–1 Polo Grounds Recap
9 November 20 at Philadelphia Eagles L 0–42 1–7–1 Shibe Park Recap
10 November 27 at Los Angeles Rams L 20–42 1–8–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Recap
11 December 4 at Detroit Lions L 27–28 1–9–1 Briggs Stadium Recap
12 December 11 Pittsburgh Steelers L 0–27 1–10–1 Polo Grounds Recap
Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text.

Standings

NFL Eastern Division
W L T PCT DIV PF PA STK
Philadelphia Eagles 11 1 0 .917 8–0 364 134 W8
Pittsburgh Steelers 6 5 1 .545 4–4 224 214 W1
New York Giants 6 6 0 .500 3–5 287 298 L2
Washington Redskins 4 7 1 .364 3–4–1 268 339 L1
New York Bulldogs 1 10 1 .091 1–6–1 153 368 L5

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References

  1. ^ a b "Ewart is selected to coach Bulldogs". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. February 3, 1949. p. 6, part 2.
  2. ^ "1949 New York Bulldogs". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  3. ^ a b "Collins signs Ewart as coach". Lewiston Daily Sun. Maine. Associated Press. February 3, 1949. p. 15.
  4. ^ "Bulldogs' Ewart resigns, solves Collins' problem". Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. Associated Press. December 12, 1949. p. 11.
  5. ^ "Reference at www.pro-football-reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  6. ^ "Detroit obtains draft rights to Doak Walker". St. Petersburg Times. Florida. Associated Press. January 22, 1950. p. 33.