All - America Football Conference The All - America Football Conference ( AAFC ) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League ( NFL ) from 1946 to 1949 . One of the NFL ' s most formidable challengers , the AAFC attracted many of the nation ' s best players , and introduced many lasting innovations to the game . However , the AAFC was ultimately unable to sustain itself in competition with the NFL . Three of its teams were admitted to the NFL : San Francisco 49ers , Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Colts ( not related to the later NFL team that would play in Baltimore from 1953 through 1983 , now the Indianapolis Colts ) . The AAFC was the second American professional sports league ( the first being the third American Football League ) to have its teams play in a double round robin format in the regular season : each team had a home game and an away game with each of its AAFC " brethren . " The Cleveland Browns were the AAFC ' s most successful club , having won every annual championship in the league ' s four years of operation . 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 . On November 21 , 1944 , the AAFC chose Jim Crowley , one of the " Four Horsemen of Notre Dame " , as its commissioner . Not coincidentally , the NFL commissioner at this time was Elmer Layden , another of Knute Rockne ' s legendary 1924 backfield . During the next months , the AAFC ’ s plans solidified . The league initially issued franchises for Buffalo , Chicago , Cleveland , Los Angeles , New York , and San Francisco . Brooklyn and Miami were later added . A group representing Baltimore was considered for admission , but could not secure a stadium . The league planned to begin play in 1945 , but postponed its opening for a year as World War II still raged . 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 High School and the 1942 national championship at Ohio State , and had also coached successfully at the military ’ s Great Lakes Naval Station . In Cleveland , Brown would emerge as one of the game ' s greatest innovators . NFL reaction . As might be expected , the NFL did not welcome its new rival . In 1945 , Layden remarked that the AAFC , still a year from its first game , should “ first get a ball , then make a schedule , and then play a game . ” This insult , often paraphrased as " Tell them to get a ball first , " would be long remembered . Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall was perhaps the NFL ' s hardest - liner regarding the AAFC . In 1945 , he commented “ I did not realize there was another league , although I did receive some literature telling about a WPA project ” . Later he declared , “ The worst team in our league could beat the best team in theirs . ” After the AAFC put a team in Baltimore , Marshall ’ s opposition to it would be a major obstacle to interleague peace . Not coincidentally , his team was badly hurt by the AAFC . A top team from 1936 to 1945 , the Redskins began a decades - long title drought after coach Ray Flaherty and many key players defected in 1946 . Layden ’ s successor , Bert Bell , pursued a policy of official non - recognition , generally answering “ no comment ” to queries about the other league . In 1947 , " Pro Football Illustrated " previewed both leagues in its annual publication and was banned from NFL stadiums . Competition . The AAFC posed a formidable challenge . In most interleague sports wars , the established league has major advantages over the challenger in prestige , finance , size , and public awareness . The NFL - AAFC war differed in several respects . The NFL was just emerging from its wartime retrenchment . The Cleveland Rams had suspended operations for 1943 , and on three occasions teams merged for a season . The Boston Yanks had played only one season as an independent entity . Meanwhile , the AAFC had advantages not enjoyed by many challengers : Yet it remained to be seen if there was a market for this much pro football . Since achieving stability in the early 1930s , the NFL had never fielded more than 10 teams . No competitor had endured for more than two years . In 1946 , there would be 18 teams , including three in Chicago , three in New York , and two in Los Angeles . Baseball and college football were substantially more popular . Longtime NFL president Joe Carr had said , " No owner has made money from pro football , but a lot have gone broke thinking they could . " At a time when the World Series had long been a national institution , and the Rose Bowl drew crowds of 90 , 000 , the NFL ' s title game typically drew about 35 , 000 fans . Most pro teams shared stadiums ( and sometimes names ) with the local baseball team , and both leagues saw fit to choose college football legends as their commissioners . There was even a sense that collegians could defeat pros . 1946 saw the famous Army - Notre Dame scoreless tie in Yankee Stadium . At season ' s end , Arch Ward ( the AAFC founder ) opined that both teams were superior to either pro champion . It was in this landscape that the AAFC prepared to compete with the NFL . Maneuvers and intrigue . Dan Topping , owner of the NFL ' s Brooklyn Tigers , wished to move his team from Ebbets Field to the much larger Yankee Stadium . New York Giants owner Tim Mara used his territorial rights to block the move . He had good reason : the Yankees had displaced the Giants as New York ’ s premier baseball team after moving into The House That Ruth Built , three rival football leagues had planted teams there hoping to duplicate that feat , and Topping ( of Anaconda Copper ) was significantly wealthier than Mara . Topping responded by buying into the baseball Yankees and transferring his club to the AAFC . Most of his players followed . His renamed New York Yankees were rewarded with $ 100 , 000 from each of the other seven AAFC teams while the AAFC ' s initial New York investor withdrew . ( Note that the AAFC Brooklyn Dodgers were a separate entity never associated with Topping ' s team . ) Shortly after Topping defected , the NFL owners fired Commissioner Layden , replacing him with Pittsburgh Steelers co - owner Bert Bell . Bell had already made a major contribution to the league : the NFL draft , begun in 1935 , was his idea . Meanwhile , Dan Reeves ' Cleveland Rams had consistently lost money , despite winning the 1945 NFL title . Compounding his problems , the local AAFC competition already looked strong : Arthur McBride was aggressively marketing the Browns , and coach Paul Brown was an Ohio icon . Accordingly , Reeves proposed to move the Rams to Los Angeles . With two teams planned for California , the AAFC had national aspirations . The NFL ' s thinking was more modest : it rejected Reeves ' move because of travel expenses . After the NFL refused to consider his second choice ( Dallas ) , Reeves threatened to withdraw from the league . Having already lost Topping , the NFL reconsidered and approved the Los Angeles move . It was unprecedented for the NFL champion to move at all , let alone partly to avoid an unproven rival . On the other hand , the NFL would now face the AAFC as a national rather than regional league , and the AAFC would not have a West Coast monopoly . Initial alignment . For 1946 , the AAFC began play with 8 teams playing a record 14 games ( a double round - robin ) . The NFL ' s 10 teams played 11 games , its standard since 1937 . Again acting ambitiously , the AAFC chose stadiums larger than the NFL ' s in Chicago , New York , and Cleveland . The two leagues ’ franchises and home fields for 1946 were : NFL AAFC " ( * ) Later known as Tiger Stadium . " " ( * * ) Better remembered as War Memorial Stadium , the original home of the modern Buffalo Bills . " " ( * * * ) Later known as the Miami Orange Bowl . 1946 . In the AAFC ' s first game , on September 6 , 1946 , the Cleveland Browns hosted the Miami Seahawks , winning 44 - 0 before a pro record crowd of more than 60 , 000 fans . This historic game would prove a microcosm of much about the league : Other than New York , all of the quality teams were in the Western Division . In the West , Cleveland led with a 12 - 2 record , three games ahead of San Francisco , followed by Los Angeles and Chicago . In the East , New York was the only team to win more than three games , finishing 10 - 3 - 1 . Brooklyn and Buffalo were seven games behind , followed by Miami . Despite Brooklyn ' s record , its tailback Glenn Dobbs led the league in passing and was named the MVP . The title game was a tight affair , with the Browns coming from behind late in the fourth quarter to defeat the Yankees 14 - 9 . Despite the fiasco in Miami , the AAFC had enjoyed a successful debut , establishing a high level of play and doing well at the gate . The NFL likewise set attendance highs for both its season and title game . However , salaries shot up with two leagues competing for players , so the only teams to make a profit were the two champions , the Browns and the NFL Bears . 1947 . The Chicago Rockets had experienced some disorganization in 1946 . In a remarkable move , Commissioner Crowley ( a successful former college coach ) gave up a five - year contract to become their part - owner and coach . Admiral Jonas H . Ingram was named to replace him as commissioner . To replace the Seahawks , the Baltimore group turned down in 1945 was issued a franchise . The new Baltimore Colts would play in Municipal Stadium . Meanwhile , the Bisons were renamed the Bills and the NFL added a 12th game to its schedule . The AAFC enjoyed its most successful season in 1947 . Some notable guests watched the Browns ' opening game : the entire coaching staff of the 1946 NFL champion Chicago Bears . The 49ers obtained the rights to Army ’ s legendary Heisman - winners Felix Blanchard ( " Mr . Inside " ) and Glenn Davis ( " Mr . Outside " ) , and amid great publicity unsuccessfully attempted to get the military to permit them to play during their post - graduation furloughs . In other highlights , a Yankees - Dons game in the Los Angeles Coliseum drew a pro record of more than 82 , 000 , and division leaders New York and Cleveland locked horns on November 23 in the most famous game in AAFC history . Before more than 70 , 000 fans at Yankee Stadium , the Browns rallied from a 28 - 0 deficit to tie 28 - 28 . New York won the East with an 11 - 2 - 1 record , 2½ games ahead of Buffalo , with Brooklyn and Baltimore far back . Cleveland , led by MVP quarterback Otto Graham , won the West with a 12 - 1 - 1 record , 3½ games ahead of San Francisco . Los Angeles followed , and Chicago was last at 1 - 13 . Former Commissioner Crowley would not return either as coach or owner . The title game was a defensive struggle , with the Browns again defeating the Yankees , 14 - 3 . By this time a pattern had emerged among the franchises . The Browns , Yankees , 49ers , Dons , and Bills all had stable ownership and at least one winning season . The Browns led both leagues in attendance by a wide margin , the Yankees and Dons outpaced their crosstown NFL rivals on the field and at the gate , and the 49ers and Bills ( despite a small stadium ) also enjoyed good attendance . However , the Dodgers , Rockets , and to a lesser extent the Colts were having serious problems . Playing near the Yankees and the NFL Giants , the Dodgers drew fewer than 12 , 000 fans per game , least in both leagues . The Rockets faced the NFL ' s flagship Bears and a Cardinals team enjoying rare success . After a decent start in 1946 , the Rockets collapsed on the field and found themselves playing before tens of thousands of empty seats in huge Soldier Field . The first - year Colts did reasonably well at the gate but finished last . All of these teams were at the bottom of the standings and all were sold after the 1947 season , the Rockets for the second time . 1948 . Although 1947 had been a successful season for the AAFC in many respects , the league still lost money . In 1948 , attendance in both leagues declined , and negotiations to end the war became serious . One factor affecting AAFC attendance was the gap between the league ’ s best and worst teams . To counter this , Commissioner Ingram attempted to get the strongest teams to distribute some players to the weakest . He was modestly successful : the Browns sent rookie quarterback Y . A . Tittle to the Colts , who enjoyed their first good season , and the Yankees were generous enough to fall into mediocrity . However , 1948 featured extremes despite Ingram ’ s efforts . For the first time , the division races were close . One featured excellence , the other mediocrity . In the West , San Francisco and Cleveland both remained undefeated far into the season . On November 14 , nearly 83 , 000 ( a record ) in Cleveland Municipal Stadium watched the 9 - 0 Browns win a 14 - 7 defensive struggle over the 10 - 0 49ers . They met again two weeks later in San Francisco , with the Browns now 12 - 0 and the 49ers 11 - 1 . The Browns again won narrowly , this time 31 - 28 , clinching first place . The rematch concluded an AAFC Thanksgiving week promotion : the Browns played three games in eight days . New Dodgers ' part - owner Branch Rickey ( of baseball fame ) suggested this experiment , and the Browns were chosen as the guinea pigs . They survived unscathed , and went on to complete an unprecedented 14 - 0 regular season . The 49ers finished a heartbreaking second ( and out of the postseason ) at 12 - 2 . Los Angeles followed at 7 - 7 , and Chicago again finished 1 - 13 and last . The quarterbacks of the two outstanding teams , Cleveland ’ s Otto Graham and San Francisco ’ s Frankie Albert , shared the MVP . In the East , Buffalo and Baltimore tied at a mediocre 7 - 7 , just ahead of 6 - 8 New York . Brooklyn was last at 2 - 12 . Buffalo won a playoff and the dubious privilege of meeting Cleveland for the title . Cleveland won the title in a predictable rout , 49 - 7 . With pro football ' s second perfect season ( after the 1937 Los Angeles Bulldogs of the second American Football League ) and an 18 - game winning streak and a 29 - game unbeaten streak in progress , the Browns were making history . Since then , only the 1972 Miami Dolphins team managed to win its league championship with an unblemished record . The Pro Football Hall of Fame recognizes the Browns ' latter streak as the longest in the history of professional football . The NFL had also had a problem with imbalance . Nearly every title game from 1933 to 1946 featured either the Giants or Redskins from the East against either the Bears or Packers from the West . But in the late 1940s new powers rose in the NFL , as the Cardinals , Eagles , and Rams all won titles , and the Steelers reached a playoff . All these teams had long histories of futility and had merged or suspended operations during the war . ( In fact , the Cardinals were winless from mid - 1942 to mid - 1945 , including an 0 - 10 merged season with the Steelers . ) Adding to the drama , the division races were often tight . Decades before Pete Rozelle , Bert Bell promoted parity by purposely matching strong teams early in the season , keeping them from getting far ahead in the standings . All this contrasted sharply with the AAFC . The war was getting increasingly costly thanks to rising salaries and dropping attendance . Nearly every team in both leagues lost money - enough that in December , the NFL officially acknowledged the AAFC as peace talks almost succeeded in ending the war . However , the AAFC wanted the NFL to admit four of its teams , while the NFL was willing to admit only the Browns and 49ers . Although the survival of its Brooklyn and Chicago teams was now in doubt , the AAFC decided to continue the fight . Realignment . Commissioner Ingram stepped down , and another admiral , Oliver O . Kessing , was named to head the league . As the war entered its fourth season , financial problems forced reorganization in both leagues . In the NFL , the champion Philadelphia Eagles lost money and were sold . Plagued by league - low attendance , the Boston Yanks moved to New York in a curious move . Yanks owner Ted Collins had long desired a franchise in Yankee Stadium ( thus his team ’ s name ) , and expected the AAFC and its Yankees to be gone in 1949 . Instead , with Yankee Stadium and the Yanks name unavailable , Collins ' renamed Bulldogs had to share the Polo Grounds with the Giants on unfavorable terms and compete with two superior rivals . Meanwhile , the Dodgers , the AAFC ' s least - drawing team , merged with the Yankees . The Rockets ( renamed the Hornets ) and Colts continued their streaks of annual ownership changes . With the AAFC now down to 7 teams , it realigned into one division , reduced its schedule to 12 games ( still a double round - robin ) , and changed its postseason to a Shaughnessy playoff . In 1948 , the 12 - 2 49ers had stayed home while the 7 - 7 Bills played for the title . This would not recur , as now the top four teams would qualify for the playoffs . Also , for the first time in pro football , playoff home - field advantage would be based on win - loss record rather than rotating between divisions . The lineup of the rival leagues was now : NFL AAFC 1949 . Since 1934 , the College All - Star Game had matched the defending NFL champions against an all - star team of recent college graduates . The game was a major event , as Rose Bowl - sized crowds ( more than 105 , 000 in 1947 ) watched college football ’ s best often hold their own with the pros . Held in late August at Soldier Field , the game was sponsored by the " Chicago Tribune " and directed by sports editor Arch Ward . Ward , of course , was also the founder of the AAFC . After the game ' s contract with the NFL expired with the 1948 game , Ward refused to renew it , and attempted to help the AAFC by putting its champion into the prestigious game . However , the NFL was able to convince the " Tribune ’ s " board to override Ward and force him to re - sign with the NFL , handing the AAFC an embarrassing defeat . Red ink on both sides continued to flow . Los Angeles Dons owner Ben Lindheimer was subsidizing the Colts and Hornets . The Green Bay Packers , then as now owned by a local civic group , had to issue new stock to remain solvent . Now facing two cross - town rivals , the Bulldogs predictably had even lower attendance in New York than in Boston . The Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions were also having serious financial problems . On the field , Cleveland finally showed some vulnerability . An opening day tie with the Bills ended their winning streak , and on October 9 the 49ers ended their unbeaten streak in a 56 - 28 upset to move into first place . Things soon reverted to the AAFC norm , however . The Browns won the rematch with the 49ers , 30 - 28 , and Cleveland ( 9 - 1 - 2 ) and San Francisco ( 9 - 3 ) finished one - two for the fourth consecutive year . Brooklyn - New York and Buffalo were the other playoff qualifiers , followed by Chicago and Los Angeles . Baltimore finished far behind at 1 - 11 . In playoff action , Cleveland defeated Buffalo 31 - 21 and San Francisco defeated Brooklyn - New York 17 - 7 . The two best teams in AAFC history met at last with the title at stake , with the Browns winning the final title , 21 - 7 . No MVP was named for this season . The Browns now owned a 52 - 4 - 3 record and all four AAFC titles . Merger . On December 9 , 1949 , two days before the AAFC title game , the two leagues made peace . Three AAFC teams were admitted to the NFL : the Cleveland Browns , San Francisco 49ers , and Baltimore Colts . The Buffalo Bills , Brooklyn - New York Yankees , Chicago Hornets , and Los Angeles Dons folded . The enlarged league was renamed the National - American Football League . The Browns and 49ers , as the AAFC ' s two strongest teams , were obvious choices . ( San Francisco was also a natural fit as a geographic rival to the Los Angeles Rams , who were alone on the West Coast at the time . ) The third choice was the subject of some debate . There was some sentiment to admit the Bills rather than the Colts , as the Bills had better attendance and the better team . However , Buffalo ' s size ( only Green Bay was smaller ) and climate were seen as problems . George Preston Marshall had long objected to the Colts ' proximity to his Redskins . However , the choice was Baltimore after Marshall , deciding that Redskins - Colts could be an excellent rivalry , agreed to accept a $ 150 , 000 fee to waive his territorial rights . Although Buffalo fans petitioned the NFL to admit the Bills as well , Buffalo owner Jim Breuil was content to accept a minority share of the Browns and the NFL was not inclined to add a fourth team ( despite the fact that admitting only three teams made for an uneven 13 teams in the league ) . Breuil even rebuffed an offer from the next - best pro league in the nation at the time , the minor - league American Football League of the late 1940s , to join their league . The Yankees ' players were divided between the Giants ( who chose six players ) and Bulldogs ( who received the rest ) . Three Bills players were awarded to the Browns . The Dons and Rams had already consolidated operations shortly after the 1949 season . The remaining Bills , Dons , and Hornets entered a dispersal draft . With the AAFC Yankees gone , Bulldogs owner Ted Collins was free to rename his team " Yanks " and move into Yankee Stadium . He continued to lose money , however , and sold the team to Dallas interests after two seasons . The word " American " did not remain in the enlarged league ' s name for long . " National Football League " was restored in March 1950 . Although " National " and " American " became the names of the league ' s new conferences , within three years the conferences were renamed Eastern and Western . It was not until the AFL - NFL merger twenty years later that the " American " and " National " conference names were restored . The enlarged NFL was aligned as follows : With two exceptions , this was the NFL ' s alignment for the rest of the 1950s . Admitting Baltimore over Buffalo proved to be a mistake , as the AAFC ' s Colts folded after one season in the NFL , bringing the league back to an even 12 teams . A replacement team , also named the Colts , joined the league as an expansion team in 1953 . Meanwhile , the popularity of the original Bills franchise prompted Ralph Wilson ( former minority owner of the Detroit Lions ) to adopt the name " Buffalo Bills " for his American Football League franchise ten years after the AAFC dissolved . Both the replacement Colts ( now based in Indianapolis ) and the replacement Bills are still playing in the NFL to this day , though neither maintains official ties to their namesakes . Remarkably , although the NFL absorbed the AAFC , the AAFC actually had better average attendance . Aftermath . " The World Series of Pro Football " . After winning each of their titles , the Browns challenged the NFL champion to an interleague championship . Unfortunately for fans , each year the NFL refused . ( Of course , by playing such a game the NFL would legitimize the AAFC and risk more prestige . ) In December 1949 , with both leagues financially exhausted but now at peace , a profitable interleague playoff was now both possible and desirable . Although Pittsburgh ' s Art Rooney , whose Steelers were among the shakiest NFL franchises , publicly advocated such a game , most of the NFL was unwilling to risk defeat at the hands of their vanquished , supposedly inferior rival . Officially , however , commissioner Bert Bell maintained that the NFL constitution barred such a game . The football world would have to wait to see how the Browns matched up against the NFL ' s best . All would not be lost for fans , however . Bell appreciated that the Browns were now an important asset to the NFL , and scheduled a special Saturday night game between them and the NFL ’ s two - time champion Philadelphia Eagles to open the 1950 season . While not quite an unofficial interleague playoff , what took place on September 16 , 1950 , was no ordinary regular season game . The defending champions of two leagues that had never met on the field were about to play , foreshadowing tensions present in the early Super Bowls of the 1960s . At last the Browns would have the chance to prove themselves , and by extension the AAFC , against the NFL . There was tremendous anticipation from fans and the press , which called the game “ The World Series of Pro Football ” . Although the game was played in the Eagles ’ city , it was not played on their field : because of the huge crowd expected , the game was moved from Shibe Park to Philadelphia Municipal Stadium , site of the Army – Navy Game . Attendance was more than 71 , 000 : more than any previous NFL or AAFC championship game and one of the largest pro football crowds to that date . ( This figure also surpasses Super Bowl I and nearly matches Super Bowls II and III . ) There was even a most valuable player award , unheard of for a regular - season game . As it turned out , “ The World Series of Pro Football ” resembled Super Bowl III nearly two decades later . As with the 1968 Baltimore Colts and New York Jets , the Eagles were widely considered one of the NFL ’ s strongest - ever champions , while many discounted the Browns ’ success in their “ inferior ” league . The result was just as shocking : the Eagles underestimated the highly motivated Browns ( coach Greasy Neale did not even scout the Browns ’ preseason games ) , while Paul Brown found some previously unknown weaknesses in the widely imitated “ Eagle Defense ” . The Browns led 14 - 3 at halftime and dominated the rest of the game to win decisively , 35 - 10 . Quarterback Otto Graham was named the game ’ s MVP . The Browns , 49ers , and Colts in the NFL . The Browns went 10 - 2 to finish in a first - place tie with the New York Giants , then won a playoff 8 - 3 to qualify for the 1950 NFL championship game . Their opponent was a formidable Los Angeles Rams team that averaged nearly 39 points per game , a record that still stands . ( Ironically , this was the Rams ’ first game in Cleveland since winning the 1945 title as the Cleveland Rams . ) In a classic seesaw game , the Browns prevailed on a last - minute field goal , 30 - 28 , to win their fifth consecutive league title . The Browns ’ 1950 season confirmed the quality of their AAFC achievements as nothing else could . After the title game , Commissioner Bell called the Browns " the greatest team to ever play football . ” Cleveland remained near the top of the NFL for years , although in 1951 they were finally denied a league title ( by the Rams ) . The Browns played in every NFL title game from 1950 to 1955 , winning three of them , for a grand total of seven league titles in ten years . The other ex - AAFC teams did not fare nearly as well . The 49ers , the AAFC ' s second - best team , struggled in 1950 and finished 3 - 9 . However , starting the next year they emerged as one of the better teams in the NFL ’ s Western Conference , reaching the postseason in 1957 after some near - misses . The Colts ' prospects were not promising : they had finished 1 - 11 and last in the AAFC in 1949 and also faced the handicap of playing near the Washington Redskins . In 1950 , the Colts went 1 - 11 again and disbanded . Their legacy lived on , however : three years later , a new Baltimore Colts franchise ( descended from the Boston Yanks / New York Bulldogs / Yankees team after a year in Dallas , though those teams are officially considered separate from the modern Colts franchise from 1953 on ) was established and became one of the NFL ’ s storied teams . Although the Colts would controversially move to Indianapolis , on March 29 , 1984 , the NFL would return to Baltimore for the 1996 NFL season in the form of the Baltimore Ravens - - ironically , descended from the original Browns franchise that played in the AAFC after their own controversial move . Officially , the NFL considers the " expansion " Browns ( 1999 on ) to be one continuous entity from the original 1946 AAFC team , with it having " suspended operations from 1996 – 1998 " , while the Ravens unofficially consider the pre - 1984 history of the Colts as their own . " See Cleveland Browns , San Francisco 49ers , Baltimore Colts ( 1947 – 50 ) , and Indianapolis Colts for further details of these teams ' subsequent histories . " The AAFC and the NFL record book . One notable difference between the All - America Football Conference and the American Football League ( AFL ) , which merged with the NFL two decades later , is that the records and statistics of AAFC players and teams are not included in the NFL record book , while those of their AFL counterparts are . For example , Joe Namath ' s pre - 1970 statistics with the AFL New York Jets are considered official NFL statistics , while Y . A . Tittle ' s pre - 1950 statistics with the AAFC Baltimore Colts are not . According to the NFL , this is because official scoresheets of AAFC games were not made available to the NFL after the merger . Without these , the NFL could not verify the authenticity of any AAFC statistics or records and so chose to ignore them . However , in the case of the NFL - AFL merger completed in 1970 , the AFL gave all of its official scoresheets to the NFL making it possible for the NFL to accept the AFL ' s statistics and records . Another explanation is that unlike the NFL - AFL agreement , the NFL - AAFC agreement was not a merger between equals . Only three of the seven AAFC teams were admitted to the NFL . There was no interleague playoff in December 1949 . " American " swiftly disappeared from the enlarged league ' s name . The AFL , on the other hand , was able to force the NFL to admit all of its teams and to play a Super Bowl on a neutral field . From this perspective , it is not surprising that the AFL ' s statistics were recognized and the AAFC ' s were not . Despite this , however , the Pro Football Hall of Fame does recognize AAFC statistics . Legacy . Although the AAFC played only four years , it had a major , lasting impact on pro football . Of all the leagues that challenged the NFL , only the American Football League of the 1960s influenced the NFL more than the AAFC . The Cleveland Browns , San Francisco 49ers , and original Baltimore Colts began in the AAFC . Fifteen AAFC alumni are enshrined in pro football ’ s Hall of Fame . The AAFC played a 14 - game schedule more than a decade before the NFL , and played a major role in popularizing zone defenses in pro football . The AAFC put the first pro football teams in Baltimore , Los Angeles , San Francisco , and Miami . Indeed , the AAFC was a coast - to - coast league more than a decade before Major League Baseball . This brought about another innovation : AAFC teams traveled by air while NFL teams still traveled by train . Black players were excluded from the NFL from 1934 to 1945 . The AAFC helped reintegrate Professional Football in 1946 when Cleveland signed Marion Motley and Bill Willis . The NFL Rams , having been driven out of Cleveland by the AAFC Browns , signed Kenny Washington and Woody Strode only after the venue they sought to play in , the Los Angeles Coliseum , enforced its policy of integration . The AAFC ’ s Paul Brown produced numerous innovations to the game on and off the field . Among them were year - round coaching staffs , precision pass patterns , the face mask , and the practice of coaches ’ calling plays via “ messenger guards ” . He also was the first coach to have his staff film the opposition and have his team break down those game films in a classroom setting . In fact , the classroom setting and chalkboard analysis can also be attributed to him . His success with the Browns forced the rest of both leagues to adopt his methods . Many of his players and assistants eventually coached champions . Brown declined efforts to draft him to succeed Bert Bell as NFL commissioner , later founded the American Football League ' s Cincinnati Bengals , and later served on the NFL ’ s key Competition Committee until his death in 1991 . These and other AAFC innovations and personalities helped lay the groundwork for Professional Football ' s great success . Finally , the Browns ' NFL Championship in their first year in the NFL and their domination of that league for the next decade , in retrospect , seem to have been harbingers of another upstart league that like the AAFC was ridiculed and reviled by the NFL and its supporters , but would eventually be recognized as the genesis of modern Professional Football : the American Football League of 1960 – 1969 . AAFC teams . ( * ) : " Team now in NFL . " ( * * ) : " Team in NFL with that name , but unrelated to the AAFC team . " AAFC standings . " W = Wins , L = Losses , T = Ties " 1946 . AAFC Championship : Cleveland 14 , New York 9 ( December 22 @ Cleveland ) 1947 . AAFC Championship : Cleveland 14 , New York 3 ( December 14 @ New York ) 1948 . Eastern Division playoff : Buffalo 28 , Baltimore 17 ( December 12 @ Baltimore ) AAFC Championship : Cleveland 49 , Buffalo 7 ( December 19 @ Cleveland ) 1949 . Semifinal # 1 : Cleveland 31 , Buffalo 21 ( December 4 @ Cleveland ) Semifinal # 2 : San Francisco 17 , Brooklyn / New York 7 ( December 4 @ San Francisco ) AAFC Championship : Cleveland 21 , San Francisco 7 ( December 11 @ Cleveland ) All - time Standings . Franchises are ranked by win percentage . As was the custom for professional football leagues in the 1940s , ties were not considered for the purpose of standings . AAFC postseason games . Championship games . " From 1946 to 1948 the champions of each division met in the AAFC championship game . In 1949 , there was only one seven - team division , so the championship game was the final round of a four team tournament . " Other playoff games . " In 1948 , there was a tie for first place in the Eastern Division . In 1949 , there was only one seven - team division , so the playoffs were a four team tournament . " " See All - America Football Conference playoffs for box scores . " All - Star game . " The AAFC played an all - star game only once , following the 1949 season . This game , played in Houston and known as the " Shamrock Bowl " , was the league ' s last game before the merger with the NFL . The champion Browns faced a team of All - Stars from the other six teams . " AAFC Awards . Coach of the Year . There was no official award issued by the league . However , starting in 1947 , the Sporting News named a Coach of the Year for all of pro football . In 1947 and 1948 , the choice was from the NFL . In 1949 , this award went to Paul Brown of the Cleveland Browns . Hall of Fame . The following AAFC players and coaches are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton , Ohio : " ( Note : Graham and Motley were also named to the NFL ' s 75th anniversary all - time team in 1994 . ) "