| American Football League (1936) | |
|---|---|
| Sport | American Professional Football |
| Founded | 1935 |
| First Season | 1936 |
| Last Season | 1937 |
| Claim to Fame | 2nd competitor of National Football League |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Last champions | Boston Shamrocks (1936) Los Angeles Bulldogs (1937) |
| Disbanded | 1937 |
The American Football League (AFL) was a professional American football league that operated in 1936 and 1937. The AFL operated in direct competition with the more established National Football League (NFL) throughout its existence.[1] While the American media generally ignored its operation (often relegating game coverage to "page filler" status), this second AFL was the first "home" of the Cleveland Rams, which joined the National Football League after one year in the AFL.[1]
In 1937, the Los Angeles Bulldogs, the first professional football team to play its home games on the West Coast, also became the first professional football team to win a league championship with a perfect record (no losses, no ties) – 11 years before the Cleveland Browns (AAFC) and 35 years before the Miami Dolphins (NFL) accomplished the same feat.[1]