1946 Los Angeles Dons season

The 1946 Los Angeles Dons season was their inaugural season in the new eight-team All-America Football Conference. Led by head coach Dudley DeGroot, the Dons finished 7–5–2,[1] third in the West division, and failed to qualify for the playoffs.

1946 Los Angeles Dons season
Head coachDudley DeGroot
Home fieldLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Results
Record7–5–2
Division place3rd AAFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Charlie O'Rourke with 1,250 passing yards, John Kimbrough with 473 rushing yards, Dale Gentry with 341 receiving yards, and Joe Aguirre with 55 points scored (31 extra points, four field goals, and two touchdowns).[2]

On September 13, 1946, in the first game in team history, the Dons defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers, 20-14, before a crowd of 18,995 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Bud Nygren scored the first points on a touchdown pass from quarterback Charlie O'Rourke. With the ball at the Don's 40-yard line, Nygren caught the ball at the Brooklyn 30-yard line and ran the remaining distance to the end zone.[3]

Season schedule
Main article: 1946 AAFC season
Week Date Opponent Result Record
1 September 13 Brooklyn Dodgers W 20–14 1–0
2 September 20 Miami Seahawks W 30–14 2–0
3 September 29 at Buffalo Bisons T 21–21 2–0–1
4 October 5 at Chicago Rockets W 21–9 3–0–1
5 October 12 San Francisco 49ers L 23–14 3–1–1
6 October 20 at Cleveland Browns L 31–14 3–2–1
7 October 27 New York Yankees L 31–17 3–3–1
8 November 3 Cleveland Browns W 17–16 4–3–1
9 November 10 at New York Yankees L 17–12 4–4–1
10 November 17 at Brooklyn Dodgers W 19–14 5–4–1
11 November 25 at Miami Seahawks W 34–21 6–4–1
12 December 1 Buffalo Bisons W 62–14 7–4–1
13 December 8 at San Francisco 49ers L 48–7 7–5–1
14 December 15 Chicago Rockets T 17–17 7–5–2
  • Friday night (September 13, 20), Saturday night (October 5, 12), Monday night (November 25)

Division standings
AAFC West
W L T PCT PF PA STK
Cleveland Browns 12 2 0 .857 423 137 W-5
San Francisco 49ers 9 5 0 .643 307 189 W-3
Los Angeles Dons 7 5 2 .583 305 290 T-1
Chicago Rockets 5 6 3 .455 263 315 T-1

Roster

Players shown in bold started at least one game at the position listed as confirmed by contemporary game coverage from the Los Angeles Times.

Los Angeles Dons 1946 roster
Quarterbacks

Fullbacks

Halfbacks

 Ends

Tackles

Guards

Centers

References
  1. 1946 Los Angeles Dons
  2. "1946 Los Angeles Dons Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  3. "Dons Defeat Dodgers". Los Angeles Times. September 14, 1946. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
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