The Boston Bulldogs were a professional

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

team that competed in the first American Football League in

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos (general), Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Kingdom of Hejaz, Hejaz. ** Bảo Đại, Crown Prince Nguyễn P ...

. Owned by Robert McKirby, the Bulldogs lasted only six games into the AFL season, playing one home game in

Braves Field Braves Field was a baseball park located in Boston, Massachusetts. Today the site is home to Nickerson Field on the campus of Boston University. The stadium was home of the Boston Braves of the National League from 1915 to 1952, prior to the Br ...

and one in

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...

.1926 American Football League from Elias Sports Bureau and Pro Football Research Association Linescore Committee
Coached by

player-coach A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the s ...

Herb Treat Charles Herbert Treat (December 16, 1900 – April 19, 1947) was an American football player who played for Princeton University and was unanimously selected as an All-American at the tackle position in 1922. He was also the player-coach of the f ...

, the majority of the team played their college football in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Mary ...

, and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

.David S. Neft, Richard M. Cohen, and Rick Korch, ''The Football Encyclopedia: The Complete History of Professional Football, From 1892 to the Present'' (St. Martin's Press 1994), The offense led by

Joe McGlone Joseph Carlton McGlone (September 12, 1896 – January 25, 1963) was an American football blocking back who played one season with the Providence Steam Roller of the National Football League. He played college football at Harvard University an ...

(who started the season playing for the

Providence Steam Roller The Providence Steam Rollers (also referred to as the Providence Steam Roller, the Providence Steamroller and the Providence Steamrollers) were a professional American football team based in Providence, Rhode Island in the National Football Leagu ...

) was inconsistent, scoring a total of 20 points in its existence… 17 of which were tallied in one game (a 17-0 victory over the

Brooklyn Horsemen The Brooklyn Lions were a National Football League team that played in the 1926 NFL season. The team was formed as the league's counter-move to the first American Football League, which enfranchised a team called the Brooklyn Horsemen, a profes ...

on October 17, 1926). Erwin Gehrke and

Carl Etelman Carl Edward Etelman (April 1, 1900 – December 18, 1963) was an American football back and coach. After playing college football at Tufts University in Massachusetts, he played semi-professional football for the independent St Alphonsus Athle ...

shared the kicking duties. Bill Cronin, a tailback, scored the team's only offensive touchdown (the other TD was scored on a

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

recovery by Charlie Morrison). While Robert McKirby was the owner of the team, it was subsidized by league founders C. C. Pyle and

Red Grange Harold Edward "Red" Grange (June 13, 1903 – January 28, 1991), nicknamed "the Galloping Ghost" and "the Wheaton Iceman", was an American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and the short-lived New York Yankees ...

(who owned the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

, the Los Angeles Wildcats, and a portion of the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

)."The Grange League"
– Professional Football Researchers Association (1997) While the team's first home game (a 13-0 loss to the Yankees at Fenway Park, October 9, 1926) drew 12,000 fans, only 2000 fans attended the team's next game (a 21-0 demolition by the Wildcats at Braves Field). The Bulldogs were not a draw on the road, having drawn no more than 4000 people to any game away from Boston. Despite the financial support by C. C. Pyle, the team was in such financial straits that it became the fourth AFL team to leave the league (November 14, 1926 – after Newark, Cleveland, and Brooklyn). With the departure of the

Rock Island Independents The Rock Island Independents were a professional American football team, based in Rock Island, Illinois, from 1907 to 1926. The Independents were a founding National Football League franchise. They hosted what has been retrospectively designated ...

the following week, the fate of the first American Football League was sealed. Its last official game (the Yankees ''vs.'' the Bulls at

Comiskey Park Comiskey Park was a baseball park in Chicago, Illinois, located in the Armour Square neighborhood on the near-southwest side of the city. The stadium served as the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League from 1910 Chicago White Sox s ...

) was played on December 12, 1926. The AFL was no more.

After the first AFL

Immediately after the sudden departure of the Bulldogs from the AFL, two of the team's members managed to join other rosters in either the NFL or the AFL.

and

Vern Hagenbuckle Vern is a masculine given name, often a short form (hypocorism) of Vernon, Lavern or other names. People named Vern include: * Vernon Vern Bakalich (1929–2015), New Zealand rugby league player * Verdi Vern Barberis (1928–2005), Australian ...

both joined the

in late November and finished their NFL careers the next month. On the other hand, a few members of the 1926 Boston Bulldogs continued their pro football careers by signing contracts with National Football League teams: Bill Cronin – 1927–29 Providence Steam Roller

Bull Lowe George Henry "Bulger" Lowe Jr. (June 21, 1895 – February 18, 1939) was an American football player, coach, and official. He played professionally as a tackle and end for five seasons with the Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians, Providence St ...

– 1927 Providence Steam Roller

Al Pierotti Albert Felix Pierotti (October 24, 1895 – February 12, 1964) was a professional American football center and Major League Baseball pitcher. Football career Pierotti played in the American Professional Football League with the Akron Pros, Cle ...

– 1927 Providence Steam Roller, 1929 Boston Bulldogs (NFL) In 1929, there was a new Boston Bulldogs franchise in the National Football League. Unrelated to the AFL team, it was the relocated

Pottsville Maroons The Pottsville Maroons were an American football team based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in the northeastern part of the state. Founded in 1920, they played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1925 to 1928. In 1929 they relocated to Bosto ...

franchise. It, too, lasted only one season in Boston before calling it quits.

References

{{AFL I American football teams established in 1926 American football teams disestablished in 1926 Defunct American football teams American Football League (1926) teams 1926 establishments in Massachusetts 1926 disestablishments in Massachusetts