Brooklyn Lions
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The Brooklyn Lions were a
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...
team that played in the
1926 NFL season The 1926 NFL season was the seventh regular season of the National Football League. The league grew to 22 teams, a figure that would not be equaled in professional football until 1961, adding the Brooklyn Lions, the Hartford Blues, the Los Ang ...
. 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 professional football team that competed in the 1926 AFL season. In the months before the regular season began, both leagues battled with each other for fan support and the right to play at
Ebbets Field Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball stadium in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York. It is mainly known for having been the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team of the National League (1913–1957). It was also home to five pr ...
. The NFL emerged as the winner, as the Lions signed the lease to use the stadium on July 20.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), On November 12, 1926, the Horsemen withdrew from the AFL and merged with Lions. The new team created by the merger was initially called the Brooklyn Lions and competed in the NFL from November 22, 1926. For the last three games of the 1926, the team used the Horsemen name to finish the season. After three consecutive losses by shutout, the merged team winked out of existence.


Brooklyn Lions (NFL)

Coached by Punk Berryman, the Lions featured
Rex Thomas Rex Beauford Thomas (April 16, 1902 – March 28, 1955) was a professional American football player who played wide receiver for five seasons for the Brooklyn Lions, Cleveland Bulldogs, Detroit Wolverines, and Brooklyn Dodgers. He later lived in ...
and
Herm Bagby Herman Carlton Bagby (February 21, 1903 – February 29, 1980) was an American football back who played two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Brooklyn Lions and Cleveland Bulldogs. Professional career Bagby was born on Febru ...
, two members of the
backfield The offensive backfield is the area of an American football field behind the line of scrimmage. The offensive backfield can also refer to members of offense who begin plays behind the line, typically including any backs on the field, such as the ...
who could play either tailback or wingback. On defense, Thomas also snared four
interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...
s. Unfortunately, the team was only slightly more consistent in its play than the Horsemen, and after the November 7 game against the
Kansas City Cowboys Several sports team in Kansas City, Missouri have used the name Cowboys: *Kansas City Cowboys (Union Association), a baseball team in the Union Association in 1884 *Kansas City Cowboys (National League), a baseball team in the National League in 18 ...
(a 10–9 loss at Ebbets Field), the Lions merged with the Horsemen. At the time of the merger, the Lions had compiled a 2–5 win–loss record. NOTE: Final NFL standings: official franchise won–lost record combines the wins and losses of the Lions with the results of the games played by the merged team, originally named the Brooklyn Lions and later the Brooklyn Horsemen.


Brooklyn Horsemen (AFL)

The Horsemen of the first AFL were owned by
boxing promoter A promoter works with event production and entertainment industries to promote their productions, including in music and sports. Promoters are individuals or organizations engaged in the business of marketing and promoting live, or pay-per-view ...
Humbert Fugazy and played their home games in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
's Commercial Field."A.F.L. Fields Nine Teams", ''
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'', July 17, 1926
Coached by Eddie McNeely, the Horsemen got the team name after McNeely's signing of Elmer Layden and
Harry Stuhldreher Harry Augustus Stuhldreher (October 14, 1901 – January 26, 1965) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played quarterback at University of Notre Dame from 1922 to 1924, where he was a three-time All-A ...
, two of Notre Dame's Four Horsemen. While the team's first game was decided by a 60-yard touchdown pass from Stuldreher to Ed Harrison, the team had trouble maintaining a steady offense (and, ultimately maintaining a fan base). After losses to the Los Angeles Wildcats and Boston Bulldogs in front of decreasing crowds, a scheduled game at
Ebbets Field Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball stadium in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York. It is mainly known for having been the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team of the National League (1913–1957). It was also home to five pr ...
against league leader (and eventual champion) Philadelphia Quakers was cancelled due to inclement weather. On November 7, 1926, the Horsemen played their last AFL game, a 21–13 loss to 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 ...
, and then merged with their NFL cousins, the Brooklyn Lions, to complete the season in the NFL.


"Horse-Lions": The Brooklyn Horsemen (NFL)

The result of the merger was derisively dubbed the Horse-Lions by the local media, but initially (November 14, 1926) the merged team played under the Brooklyn Lions banner. The new team, with eight members of the now-defunct AFL team, trounced the
Canton Bulldogs The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and the American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football Lea ...
19–0 in front of a small crowd in Ebbets Field. In a last-ditch effort to attract paying fans, the Lions then adopted the Horsemen nickname of the old AFL team... and lost the last three games of their existence by shutout.


Horsemen who were also Lions

Eight men played for both the Horsemen in the AFL and the Lions/Horsemen in the NFL: Fullback Earl Britton
End
Ted Drews Ted Drews (December 15, 1902 – April 15, 1982) was an American football player who played wide receiver for two seasons for the Chicago Bears and Brooklyn Lions The Brooklyn Lions were a National Football League team that played in the 1 ...

End Ed Harrison
Guard Red Howard
Center Ted Plumridge
Tailback
Harry Stuhldreher Harry Augustus Stuhldreher (October 14, 1901 – January 26, 1965) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played quarterback at University of Notre Dame from 1922 to 1924, where he was a three-time All-A ...

Guard
Tarzan Taylor John Lachlan Taylor (January 10, 1895 – May 1, 1971) was a professional football player who played in the National Football League with the Chicago Staleys, Canton Bulldogs, Brooklyn Lions and the Brooklyn Horsemen. Taylor won an American Profe ...
In addition, guard Hec Garvey was on the rosters of no fewer than four teams in the AFL or NFL in 1926: the
Hartford Blues The Hartford Blues of the National Football League played only in the 1926 NFL season, with a record of 3–7. The team was based in Hartford, Connecticut but played at the East Hartford Velodrome. Hall of Famers Season-by-season Referenc ...
(NFL), the Horsemen (AFL), the Lions (NFL), and 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 ...
.


References

{{AFL I American football teams in New York City Defunct National Football League teams Defunct American football teams in New York City American Football League (1926) teams American football teams established in 1926 American football teams disestablished in 1926
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
Sports in Brooklyn 1926 establishments in New York City 1926 disestablishments in New York (state)