St. Louis Gunners
Encyclopedia
The St. Louis Gunners, were an independent professional football
team based in St. Louis, Missouri
, who played the last three games of the 1934 National Football League
season, replacing the Cincinnati Reds
on the league schedule after the Reds' league membership was suspended. They won their first game against the Pittsburgh Pirates (now Steelers
) 6-0, but lost the last two to the Detroit Lions
(40-7) and the Green Bay Packers
(21-14). Six of the Reds players joined the team for the last two games. The team was headquartered at the St. Louis National Guard Armory, which accounts for its nickname the 'Gunners'.
, announced through its spokesman that it would sponsor a team for the upcoming football season. The club was originally called the Batter A Gunners from its association with the Guard. Future Hall-of-Famer
Jimmy Conzelman, was named the team's first head coach. Bud Yates was named the team's general manager
.
, was scheduled but later canceled that season, to avoid conflict with another game involving a team of Notre Dame All-Stars
.
For the team's second season, Bullet Baker
was named the teams new coach. While most of the core of the team was kept intact, the Gunners brought in Dick Thornton
and Mack Gladden
from the University of Missouri
. Meanwhile Yates left the team for the season, for a position with the cross-town St. Louis Veterans
. The 1932 Gunners posted a 7-4-1 record. The team was able to play their rival the Memphis Tigers to a standoff in three games, St. Louis winning 6-0, Memphis winning 12-0, and the third game ending in a scoreless tie. Later that year the Tigers, Gunners and the Oklanhoma City Chiefs each laid some claim to a mythical “independent championship,”. Two of the team's losses that season came against NFL caliber opponents, the Cardinals, 20-7, and the Portsmouth Spartans, 12-0.
By 1933, the team had been renamed the "St. Louis Gunners". Most of the ties the team had with the National Guard had been severed. For example, the players were no longer required to stay at the Battery A barracks, as they had in the past. Dick Frahm
, Babe Lyon
, and Charley Malone
were signed from the Washington Redskins
. The team posted an 11-2-3 record in 1933. This year however managed to defeat many of the NFL teams it had faced. The Gunners defeated the NFL's Brooklyn Dodgers
21-2, and the Chicago Cardinals 28-7. The team also held the Chicago Bears
to a scoreless tie. The team's only two NFL loss of the year came against Green Bay Packers
and the Cincinnati Reds
. The team had also managed to outscore their opponents 297-72.
. As a result, the new league decided to form the St. Louis Blues
. Gunners GM Bud Yates was credited with founding the team. The Blues even lured Dick Frahm away from the Gunners and even took over the lease of Public Schools Stadium. As a result, the Gunners moved their home games to Sportsman's Park
. Meanwhile Chile Walsh
became the team's forth head coach in four years.
The Gunners started their 1934 season, 5-0 against several semi-pro
teams. The team was searching desperately for decent teams to compete against. However on November 6, 1934, the NFL finally approved the sale of the Cincinnati Reds to St. Louis for $20,000 - $30,0000. The Gunners were now officially members of the NFL and were invited to play the Reds last 3 games of the 1934 NFL season
. The Blues then moved to Kansas City two days later in order to avoid fighting the Gunners for control of the St. Louis fanbase.
, 6-0. However, a week later they were defeated by the Detroit Lions
40-7. The team managed to defeat the Pirates again in a 10-0 rematch, but the game, scheduled while the Gunners were still playing independently, was subsequently ruled an exhibition. The Gunners did lose a close game to the Packers a week later, 21-14, before dropping another close game to the Dodgers 17-14. The Gunners ended their 1934 season with a 7-0 win over the Kansas City Blues.
. The Gunners returned to being an independent team, which they remained until the founding of an American Football League
in 1938. That year, the Gunners finished in second place with a 4-3-1 record, just behind the Chicago Indians' 5-1-0. The following year, in the newly-renamed American Professional Football Association, the Gunners finished fifth in the league with a 5-6-0 record, well behind the league champion Los Angeles Bulldogs
, two years after the Bulldogs' perfect season in the second AFL. The Gunners had officially withdrawn from the league after their eighth game in 1939, and agreed to play out the remaining three games of their APFA schedule (with the results counting in the standings for all teams involved). As the minor league fell apart in 1940 (due to a newly-formed major American Football League admitting three APFA teams to its membership), the Gunners applied to join the embryonic league. When the Gunners' application was eventually denied, the team returned to an independent status until they disbanded in 1941.
After the Gunners left the NFL in 1934, the league did not return to St. Louis until the Cardinals
relocated from Chicago in 1960
. The current version of the St. Louis Gunners is an independent flag football
team that plays in and around the St. Louis area.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team based in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, who played the last three games of the 1934 National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
season, replacing the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds (NFL)
The Cincinnati Reds were a National Football League team that played the 1933 season and the first eight games of the 1934 season. The football Reds played most of their home games at Crosley Field...
on the league schedule after the Reds' league membership was suspended. They won their first game against the Pittsburgh Pirates (now Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
) 6-0, but lost the last two to the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
(40-7) and the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
(21-14). Six of the Reds players joined the team for the last two games. The team was headquartered at the St. Louis National Guard Armory, which accounts for its nickname the 'Gunners'.
Origins
In 1931, the 126th Field Artillery of the Missouri National GuardMissouri National Guard
The Missouri National Guard consists of the:*Missouri Army National Guard*Missouri Air National Guard-External links:* compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History...
, announced through its spokesman that it would sponsor a team for the upcoming football season. The club was originally called the Batter A Gunners from its association with the Guard. Future Hall-of-Famer
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
Jimmy Conzelman, was named the team's first head coach. Bud Yates was named the team's general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
.
1931-1933
The Gunners posted a 5-2-1 record in 1931. However they lost to the NFL's Chicago Cardinals, 26-6. After the game Cardinals captain, Ernie Nevers, called the Gunners the "best independent club we have ever faced." A game against a second NFL team, the New York GiantsNew York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, was scheduled but later canceled that season, to avoid conflict with another game involving a team of Notre Dame All-Stars
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
.
For the team's second season, Bullet Baker
Bullet Baker
Roy Marlon Baker was a professional football player in the National Football League and the first American Football League. Over th span of his career, Babe played for the Chicago Cardinals, New York Yankees, Green Bay Packers, Staten Island Stapletons of the NFL. Before that played again in 1926...
was named the teams new coach. While most of the core of the team was kept intact, the Gunners brought in Dick Thornton
Dick Thornton (American football)
Harry Richard "Dick" Thornton was an American football quarterback in the National Football League. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1933, starting in one game...
and Mack Gladden
Mack Gladden
James Mack Gladden was a professional American football player for the St. Louis Gunners. He played for the Gunners in 1932 and 1933, while the team still played independently of any league. He also played for the team in 1934, when they were short-lived members of the National Football League...
from the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
. Meanwhile Yates left the team for the season, for a position with the cross-town St. Louis Veterans
St. Louis Veterans
The St. Louis Veterans were a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri in 1932. The team was founded by Bud Yates, the general manager of the St. Louis Gunners, who would play in the National Football League in 1934. In 1932, Yates figured that since one professional...
. The 1932 Gunners posted a 7-4-1 record. The team was able to play their rival the Memphis Tigers to a standoff in three games, St. Louis winning 6-0, Memphis winning 12-0, and the third game ending in a scoreless tie. Later that year the Tigers, Gunners and the Oklanhoma City Chiefs each laid some claim to a mythical “independent championship,”. Two of the team's losses that season came against NFL caliber opponents, the Cardinals, 20-7, and the Portsmouth Spartans, 12-0.
By 1933, the team had been renamed the "St. Louis Gunners". Most of the ties the team had with the National Guard had been severed. For example, the players were no longer required to stay at the Battery A barracks, as they had in the past. Dick Frahm
Dick Frahm
Herald Samuel Frahm was an American football halfback for the Staten Island Stapletons, the Boston Redskins, and the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League and the St. Louis/Kansas City Blues of the 1934 version of the American Football League. He played college football at the...
, Babe Lyon
Babe Lyon
George Cardinal Lyon was a professional football player in the National Football League and the second American Football League. Over the span of his career, Babe played for the New York Giants, Portsmouth Spartans, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Bears, Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis Gunners of the NFL...
, and Charley Malone
Charley Malone
Charles C. Malone was an American football end in the National Football League for the Boston/Washington Redskins and the pre-NFL, St. Louis Gunners. He attended Texas A&M University.-References:...
were signed from the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. The team posted an 11-2-3 record in 1933. This year however managed to defeat many of the NFL teams it had faced. The Gunners defeated the NFL's Brooklyn Dodgers
Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL)
The Brooklyn Dodgers were an American football team that played in the National Football League from 1930 to 1943, and in 1944 as the Brooklyn Tigers. The team played its home games at Ebbets Field. In 1945, because of financial difficulties, the team was merged with the Boston Yanks...
21-2, and the Chicago Cardinals 28-7. The team also held the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
to a scoreless tie. The team's only two NFL loss of the year came against Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
and the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds (NFL)
The Cincinnati Reds were a National Football League team that played the 1933 season and the first eight games of the 1934 season. The football Reds played most of their home games at Crosley Field...
. The team had also managed to outscore their opponents 297-72.
Entry into the NFL
On August 8, 1934, before the start of the NFL season, St. Louis purchased the NFL's Cincinnati Reds for $20,000. However the Gunners needed the other league owners to approve the sale. Only then would the Gunners would be official members.On August 17, the other owners decided to reject the Gunners bid to buy the Reds, probably because St. Louis was too far removed from the rest of the clubs, all in the Northeast, and yearly trips there would have increased travel expenses. Meanwhile the Gunners declined membership into the minor league American Football LeagueAmerican Football League (1934)
The 1934 edition of the American Football League was a short-lived minor professional football league with teams based in the American South and Southwest. The first of several minor leagues with the same name, the 1934 was also one of the first involving teams not located in the American Midwest...
. As a result, the new league decided to form the St. Louis Blues
St. Louis (AFL)
St. Louis may refer to:*St. Louis Blues, member of American Football League that became the Kansas City Blues in midseason 1934*St. Louis Gunners, 1934 member of National Football League that joined the minor AFL in 1939...
. Gunners GM Bud Yates was credited with founding the team. The Blues even lured Dick Frahm away from the Gunners and even took over the lease of Public Schools Stadium. As a result, the Gunners moved their home games to Sportsman's Park
Sportsman's Park
Sportsman's Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, all but one of which were located on the same piece of land, the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street on the north side of the city.- History :From...
. Meanwhile Chile Walsh
Chile Walsh
-Additional sources:...
became the team's forth head coach in four years.
The Gunners started their 1934 season, 5-0 against several semi-pro
Semi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
teams. The team was searching desperately for decent teams to compete against. However on November 6, 1934, the NFL finally approved the sale of the Cincinnati Reds to St. Louis for $20,000 - $30,0000. The Gunners were now officially members of the NFL and were invited to play the Reds last 3 games of the 1934 NFL season
1934 NFL season
The 1934 NFL season was the 15th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, the Portsmouth Spartans moved to Detroit, Michigan and were renamed the Detroit Lions....
. The Blues then moved to Kansas City two days later in order to avoid fighting the Gunners for control of the St. Louis fanbase.
1934 NFL season
The Gunners defeated their first NFL opponent, the Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, 6-0. However, a week later they were defeated by the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
40-7. The team managed to defeat the Pirates again in a 10-0 rematch, but the game, scheduled while the Gunners were still playing independently, was subsequently ruled an exhibition. The Gunners did lose a close game to the Packers a week later, 21-14, before dropping another close game to the Dodgers 17-14. The Gunners ended their 1934 season with a 7-0 win over the Kansas City Blues.
Independent
When the Gunners left the NFL, they were replaced by the Cleveland RamsCleveland Rams
The Cleveland Rams were a professional American football team based in Cleveland, Ohio.The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland, Ohio. The NFL considers the franchise as a second incarnation of the previous Cleveland Rams team that was a charter member of the second American Football League...
. The Gunners returned to being an independent team, which they remained until the founding of an American Football League
American Football League (1938)
The Midwest Football League was a minor professional American football league that existed from 1935 to 1940. Originally comprising teams from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, the league eventually expanded its reach to include teams from Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and California to...
in 1938. That year, the Gunners finished in second place with a 4-3-1 record, just behind the Chicago Indians' 5-1-0. The following year, in the newly-renamed American Professional Football Association, the Gunners finished fifth in the league with a 5-6-0 record, well behind the league champion Los Angeles Bulldogs
Los Angeles Bulldogs
The Los Angeles Bulldogs were a professional American football team that competed from 1936 to 1948...
, two years after the Bulldogs' perfect season in the second AFL. The Gunners had officially withdrawn from the league after their eighth game in 1939, and agreed to play out the remaining three games of their APFA schedule (with the results counting in the standings for all teams involved). As the minor league fell apart in 1940 (due to a newly-formed major American Football League admitting three APFA teams to its membership), the Gunners applied to join the embryonic league. When the Gunners' application was eventually denied, the team returned to an independent status until they disbanded in 1941.
After the Gunners left the NFL in 1934, the league did not return to St. Louis until the Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
relocated from Chicago in 1960
1960 NFL season
The 1960 NFL season was the 41st regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, Pete Rozelle was elected NFL commissioner as a compromise choice on the twenty-third ballot. Meanwhile, the league expanded to 13 teams with the addition of the Dallas Cowboys. Also, the Cardinals...
. The current version of the St. Louis Gunners is an independent flag football
Flag football
Flag football is a version of Canadian football or American football that is popular worldwide. The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the mainstream game , but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end...
team that plays in and around the St. Louis area.
Season results
| Year | W | L | T | Finish | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | 5 | 2 | 1 | Jimmy Conzelman | |
| 1932 | 7 | 4 | 1 | Bullet Baker Bullet Baker Roy Marlon Baker was a professional football player in the National Football League and the first American Football League. Over th span of his career, Babe played for the Chicago Cardinals, New York Yankees, Green Bay Packers, Staten Island Stapletons of the NFL. Before that played again in 1926... |
|
| 1933 | 11 | 2 | 3 | Gwinn Henry Gwinn Henry Gwinn Henry was an American football player, track athlete, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head coach at Howard Payne University , the College of Emporia , the University of Missouri , the University of New Mexico , and the University of Kansas , compiling... |
|
| 1934 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5th West (NFL) | Chile Walsh Chile Walsh -Additional sources:... |
| 1935 | |||||
| 1936 | |||||
| 1937 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5th (MWFL American Football League (1938) The Midwest Football League was a minor professional American football league that existed from 1935 to 1940. Originally comprising teams from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, the league eventually expanded its reach to include teams from Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and California to... ) |
|
| 1938 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2nd (MWFL) | |
| 1939 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 5th (APFA American Football League (1938) The Midwest Football League was a minor professional American football league that existed from 1935 to 1940. Originally comprising teams from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, the league eventually expanded its reach to include teams from Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and California to... ) |
|
| 1940 |