| Regular season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | September 22 – December 18, 1949 |
| East Champions | Philadelphia Eagles |
| West Champions | Los Angeles Rams |
| Championship Game | |
| Champions | Philadelphia Eagles |
The 1949 NFL season was the 30th regular season of the National Football League. Prior to the season, Boston Yanks owner Ted Collins asked the league to fold his team due to financial woes and give him a new one in New York City. This new team would be called the New York Bulldogs. The franchise, which has never missed a season in some form, carried on the legacy of the final Ohio League member Dayton Triangles, and the players and assets of the Boston Yanks moved to New York but did not fold. As a result of the move, professional football would not return to Boston until the Boston Patriots of the 4th American Football League began play in 1960.
As the regular season came to a close, a merger agreement between the NFL and the All-America Football Conference was announced on December 9. Three AAFC teams joined the NFL in 1950, the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and the original Baltimore Colts.[1][2]
The season ended on December 18 with the NFL Championship Game. In muddy conditions, the visiting Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Los Angeles Rams 14–0, as heavy rain in southern California kept the attendance under 23,000 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.[3] Both teams had potent offenses but were severely limited by the poor field conditions. The management of the Eagles and Rams had favored a postponement for a week but were overruled by commissioner Bert Bell.[4]
- ^ "Pro football leagues agree to merge;". Milwaukee Journal. December 10, 1949. p. 8.
- ^ "Four-year pro grid war ends! NFL, AAC merge". Milwaukee Sentinel. December 10, 1949. p. 4, part 2.
- ^ "Philadelphia Eagles take NFL championship with 14-0 win in rain, mud". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. December 19, 1949. p. 9.
- ^ "Eagles winners in muddy battle". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. December 19, 1949. p. 17.