Dallas Texans (NFL)
 |
|
| Founded | January 30, 1952 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1952 |
| Based in |
Dallas, Texas (games 1–7) Hershey, Pennsylvania (games 8–12) |
| League | National Football League |
| Conference | National Conference |
| Team history |
Boston Yanks (1944, 1946–1948) Yanks (1945) New York Bulldogs (1949–1950) New York Yanks (1951) Dallas Texans (1952) |
| Team colors |
Royal Blue, Silver, White |
| Head coaches | Jim Phelan |
| Owner(s) | Giles Miller (games 1–7) NFL (games 8–12) |
| Home field(s) |
Cotton Bowl (games 1–7) traveling team (games 8–12) |
Royal Blue, Silver, White
The Dallas Texans played in the National Football League for one season, 1952, with a record of 1–11. They were one of the worst teams in NFL history, both on (lowest franchise winning percentage) and off the field. The team was based first in Dallas, then Hershey, Pennsylvania, and Akron, Ohio, during its only season. The Texans were the last NFL team to fold. Many players on the 1952 roster went to the new Baltimore Colts franchise in 1953.
After the 1951 season, the financially troubled New York Yanks franchise was put on the market. Ted Collins had founded that franchise in 1944 as the Boston Yanks, moved it to New York City in 1949 as the Bulldogs, and renamed it the Yanks in 1950. Unable to find a buyer, Collins sold the team back to the league.
On January 30, 1952, a Dallas-based group led by a pair of young millionaires, Giles Miller and his brother, Connell, bought what was ostensibly a new franchise—the first-ever major league team based in Texas. However, it also acquired the entire Yanks roster. Thus, for all intents and purposes, the Millers bought the Yanks and moved them to Dallas. Home games were scheduled to be played at the Cotton Bowl. The Millers originally wanted to name the team the Rangers, but later decided to name them the Texans instead.
The Millers thought that Texas, with its longstanding support of college football, would be a natural fit for the NFL, and NFL owners approved the move with an 11–1 vote. Giles Miller declared, "There is room in Texas for all kinds of football." However, the first game, against the New York Giants, set the tone for the season. While the Texans managed to get the first touchdown, they missed the extra point. They never found the end zone again and lost 24–6. In what proved to be another harbinger for the franchise, only 17,499 fans showed up at the Cotton Bowl (capacity 75,000) for the opening game. Attendance continued to dwindle as the losses piled up and the team showed no sign of being competitive. The nadir came with a November 9 game against the Los Angeles Rams, which attracted only 10,000 fans.
...
Wikipedia