Evening star., 1946-01-13
Surprise Switch
Carries Battle
.ToA||-America
Coast Head Proposes
New National Setup
Minus Tyro League
By SID FEDER,

NEW YORK, Jan. 12-The Ma
tional Football Leagues champion
ship Cleveland Rams moved their
franchise to Los Angeles today in
surprise switch that laid the battle
lines for finish fight between the
national and the new all-America
conference in what are regarded
as the three top professional
gridiron cities in America.
Grocery Store Magnate Danny
Reeves, the Rams owner, asked for
permission to take his titleholders
to Los Angeles, explaining he has
wanted pro football club there
since 193T-Four years before he
entered the National.
The rest of the Loops clubowners
gave the move their immediate
blessing, because by it the National
now will have clubs in New York,
Chicago and Los Angeles, where the
hottest war for gate receipts and
drawing power is expected.
Seen as Top Pro Town.
THE reason I'm moving to Los
Angeles" Reeves explained, "is that
I believe it will become the greatest
professional football town in the
country"
Action on Reeves request came
after the National League moguls
had listened to a proposal for for
nation of national association
OF professional football leagues" 4"
which would organize for opera
tional purposes all pro circuits in
the country except the new ALL
America Conference.
The proposal was laid before the
National League magnates by j..
Rufe Klawans, president of the Pa
cif1c Coast League, who represented
the Dixie League and American As
sociation as well as his own loop.
Has Four Major Points.
His plan included four major
points. They we're:
1-Recognition by the National
League of the other loops territorial
rights.
2-Recognition by all circuits of
each others player contracts.
3-That the National League
would play no games in the ter
ritory of any of the other loops.
unless the local loop was a partici-
pant or consented to such a game
4Setting up of arrangements for
optioning players back and forth
between the leagues.
His plan generally was looked on
with favor by the National Leaguers
except that they wanted to with
hold territorial rights from one city
in the Pacific Coast League. Al
though the name of this city was
not announced, 1t apparently was
Los Angeles, since Reeves request
for transfer Of the Cleveland fran
chise had been made earlier.
Receives Decision Today.
Should the proposed national as
sociation be formed, it would pro-
vides cross-country organization in
opposition to the All-America Con-
ference, against which the National
League already had rolled up it's
sleeves and prepared to fight. After
Klawans completed his talk to the
National Leaguers, the magnates
told him to return tomorrow at
II am. for final decision.
Reeves said he would make ap-
plication for use of the 100,0O0-seat
Los Angeles Coliseum as the Rams
home grounds and expected to have
his request before the Coliseum
commission in time for It's annual
meeting January Is. The commits
sion is made up of nine members
three each from California and Los
Angeles City and County.
IF I can't get the Coliseum"
Reeves added, that's another story,
but I'm still moving to Los Angeles. ?"
Would Share Stadium.
Asked If he planned to request
exclusive use of the coliseum, the
grocery store chain magnate re-
piled, no"
"If the coliseum commission
wants to let another club (pre-
sumably the all-America team
in, that will be all right" he went
on.
Anybody who's been in the Ma
tional League for five years isn't
afraid of a fight"
He added that he saw no reason
for conflict between professional
and college football"
There never should have to be
such fight" he asserted. with
the California climate, and lights
in the coliseum, there is no reason
the whole thing can't be worked
out to everyone's satisfaction"
Have California Connections.
He pointed out that the Rams al
ready have some California "con-
nections," inasmuch as Coach Adam
Walsh and his business manager
brother, Chilli, are products of the
Hollywood High School, were raised
in California and their families still
live there.
Reeves plans to make the shift
from Cleveland "as quickly as I
can find place and Offices in Cali
fornia and as soon as I can close
up the Cleveland setup. Well def
nitely be in Los Angeles by next
fall"
Most of today's session was given
over by the club owners to clearing
decks for the Forthcoming fight.
Their intentions were obvious when
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