All-America Football Conference
Championship Game
1948
12-19-1948
Coming
into their third straight AAFC title game, the Cleveland Browns were
considered by many to be the greatest professional football team of all
time. The 1948 Browns posted a perfect regular season record of 14-0.
Marion Motley rushed for 964 yards and Otto Graham passed for 2713. The
Buffalo Bills had unseated the New York Yankees as the top team in the
Eastern Conference with a 7-7 record. During the regular season, the
Browns had beaten the Bills 42-13 and 31-14. The real question in the
1948 postseason was, who would be offered up for slaughter against the
Browns in the championship game. The expansion Baltimore Colts behind
rookie quarterback, Y.A. Tittle, had tied the Bills for the Eastern
Conference title that season and the teams met in the only divisional
playoff in AAFC history to decide the championship representative. The
Bills had come from behind in a 17-7 game in the fourth quarter to win
28-17. The championship game was played at Municipal Stadium in
Cleveland before a disappointing crowd of 22,981. Red Dawson was the
coach of the Bills and Paul Brown coached the Browns.
They game was played under very frigid conditions which made
ball-handling difficult. Late in the first period, the Browns’ Tommy
James intercepted a George Ratterman pass and carried it to the Bills
twenty. The Browns needed 7 plays to score with Edgar Jones going in
from the three with ten seconds left in the quarter. Early in the second
period, Cleveland’s George Young scooped up a Tex Bumgardner fumble and
ran 18 yards for a touchdown. The score was 14-0 at the half.
Early in the third quarter, James again intercepted Ratterman at the
Bills’ 21. First, Graham hit Dante Lavelli for 12 yards then connected
with Edgar Jones for the touchdown. Lou Rymkus recovered a fumble by Don
Schneider at the Bills’ 42. On the ensuing drive, Marion Motley carried
the ball in from 29 yards on a trap play. The Browns led 28-0. The Bills
finally got on the board late
in
the third quarter. The Browns were called for roughing the kicker on a
punt and the Bills got the ball back at midfield. Jim Still replaced
Ratterman at quarterback and hit Bumgardner for 25 yards and Bill
O‘Conner for 15. His third pass of the drive was for ten yards to Alton
Baldwin for a score with :04 remaining in the third quarter. Dub Jones
returned the ensuing kickoff 46 yards and Motley raced 31 yards for a
score. Tom Colella then intercepted a Still pass at the Browns’ 40.
Ollie Cline ran for 20 yards, Motley for 25 and Motley scored from the
five. It was 42-7. Late in the game, Lou Saban intercepted a Still pass
a raced 39 yards for the final Cleveland score. Saban’s first career
touchdown made the final 49-7.
For the game, Motley had 14 carries for 133 yards. The Browns' rout was
not particularly impressive as they turned the ball over 4 times and
sputtered in the first half. This was the Browns not even at their best.
According to Paul Brown, “If the National Leaguers think they are
better, we’re ready to play ‘em, anytime, anyplace.”
