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1945 Yanks season

{{short description|National Football League team season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}

{{Infobox NFL season

| team = Yanks

| year = 1945

| record = 3–6–1

| division_place = 3rd (tied) NFL Eastern

| coach = Herb Kopf

| stadium = Fenway Park
Yankee Stadium

| radio = WNAC
WEAF

| playoffs = Did not qualify

| alternatenav =

}}

The 1945 Yanks season was their second in the National Football League. They merged with the Brooklyn Tigers (who had previously been the Brooklyn Dodgers) for the season and played under the name Yanks. The team improved on their previous season's output of 2–8, winning three games.[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/byk/1945.htm 1945 Boston Yanks] They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Four home games were played in Boston and the home game against the New York Giants was played at Yankee Stadium. The result of these two teams merging for a season is similar to the Steagles and Card-Pitt teams.

Before the season

=Brooklyn Tigers draftees=

{{main article|1945 NFL Draft}}

{{NFL team draft start|year=1945|teamname=Brooklyn Tigers}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=1|pick=3|player=Joe Renfroe|position=Back|college=Tulane|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=2|pick=13|player=Wayne Williams|position=Back|college=Minnesota|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=3|pick=17|player=Cecil Gray|position=Center|college=Oregon|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=4|pick=30|player=Steve Enich|position=Guard|college=Marquette|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=5|pick=34|player=Al Kowalski|position=Back|college=Tulsa|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=6|pick=44|player=Dick Barwegen|position=Guard|college=Purdue|probowl=yes|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=7|pick=57|player=Louie Futrell|position=Back|college=Fresno State|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=8|pick=67|player=John Dodds|position=Guard|college=California|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=9|pick=77|player=Elting Johnson|position=Back|college=Bucknell|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=10|pick=90|player=Roy Cross|position=End|college=Tennessee|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=11|pick=100|player=Earl Haury|position=Tackle|college=Kansas State|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=12|pick=110|player=John Martin|position=Back|college=East Tennessee State|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=13|pick=123|player=George McDonald|position=Tackle|college=South Carolina|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=14|pick=133|player=Hal Self|position=Back|college=Alabama|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=15|pick=143|player=Tom Reilly|position=Guard|college=Fordham|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=16|pick=156|player=Skimp Harrison|position=End|college=South Carolina|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=17|pick=166|player=Arnie Weinmeister|position=Tackle|college=Washington|notes=|probowl=yes|hof=yes}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=18|pick=176|player=Charley Eikenberg|position=Quarterback|college=Rice|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=19|pick=189|player=Al Kasulin|position=Back|college=Villanova|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=20|pick=199|player=Charley Lively|position=Tackle|college=Arkansas|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=21|pick=209|player=Ted Curran|position=Back|college=Iowa|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=22|pick=222|player=Don Fabling|position=Back|college=Colorado|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=23|pick=232|player=Wally Crittenden|position=Back|college=USC|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=24|pick=242|player=Jules Taddie|position=Center|college=Rochester|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=25|pick=255|player=Jerry Whitney|position=Back|college=USC|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=26|pick=265|player=Felix Trapani|position=Guard|college=LSU|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=27|pick=275|player=Hal Finney|position=Back|college=USC|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=28|pick=288|player=Don Fauble|position=Back|college=Oklahoma|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=29|pick=298|player=Nick Studen|position=Back|college=Denver|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=30|pick=308|player=LaMar Dykstra|position=Back|college=Colorado|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft end|maderoster=no}}{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/byk/1945_draft.htm|title=1945 Bos/Bkn Yanks/Tigers Draftees|publisher=Pro Football Reference|access-date=April 28, 2023}}

=Boston Yanks draftees=

{{main article|1945 NFL Draft}}

{{NFL team draft start|year=1945|teamname=Boston Yanks}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=1|pick=4|player=Eddie Prokop|position=Back|college=Georgia Tech|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=2|pick=15|player=Tom Dean|position=Tackle|college=SMU|notes=played with Yanks in 1946}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=3|pick=20|player=Damon Tassos|position=Guard|college=Texas A&M|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=4|pick=31|player=Don Deeks|position=Tackle|college=Washington|notes=|maderoster=yes}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=5|pick=36|player=Johnny Strzykalski|position=Back|college=Marquette|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=6|pick=47|player=Jim Mello|position=Back|college=Notre Dame|notes=played with Yanks in 1947}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=7|pick=58|player=Marty Silovich|position=Center|college=Marquette|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=8|pick=69|player=Ellis Jones|position=Guard|college=Tulsa|notes=|maderoster=yes}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=9|pick=80|player=Earl Lambert|position=Back|college=Manhattan|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=10|pick=91|player=Don Kasprzak|position=Back|college=Dartmouth|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=11|pick=102|player=Ben Jones|position=End|college=Arkansas|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=12|pick=113|player=Herb Coleman|position=Center|college=Notre Dame|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=13|pick=124|player=Joe Pezelski|position=Back|college=Villanova|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=14|pick=135|player=John DiGangi|position=Tackle|college=Holy Cross|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=15|pick=146|player=Chan Highsmith|position=Center|college=North Carolina|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=16|pick=157|player=Mike Costello|position=End|college=Georgetown|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=17|pick=168|player=Paul Dromgoole|position=End|college=Manhattan|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=18|pick=179|player=Dolph Czekala|position=Tackle|college=Syracuse|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=19|pick=190|player=Joe Drumm|position=Tackle|college=Georgetown|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=20|pick=201|player=Mario Giannelli|position=Guard|college=Boston College|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=21|pick=212|player=Eric Jamison|position=Tackle|college=San Francisco|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=22|pick=223|player=Walt Kretz|position=Back|college=Cornell|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=23|pick=234|player=Marty Grbovaz|position=End|college=San Francisco|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=24|pick=245|player=Ziggy Gory|position=Center|college=Villanova|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=25|pick=256|player=Bill Iancelli|position=End|college=William & Mary|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=26|pick=267|player=Al Kull|position=Tackle|college=Fordham|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=27|pick=278|player=Bob Mangene|position=Back|college=Boston College|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=28|pick=289|player=John Morelli|position=Guard|college=Georgetown|notes=Already on Yanks roster|maderoster=yes}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=29|pick=300|player=John Fisher|position=Center|college=Harvard|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=30|pick=311|player=Elmer Oberto|position=Guard|college=Georgetown|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft end|hof=no|probowl=no}}{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/byk/1945_draft.htm|title=1945 Bos/Bkn Yanks/Tigers Draftees|publisher=Pro Football Reference|access-date=April 28, 2023}}

1945 season

The Yanks started well with an win at Fenway Park over Pittsburgh, played on Tuesday, September 25, as both Boston baseball teams were at home over the weekend. (As of 2024, this is the last NFL game actually scheduled to be played on a Tuesday.)Five NFL games have been since played on a Tuesday, all rescheduled from another day: the Yanks themselves had a Monday contest bumped by a rainstorm in 1946; the Eagles had a Sunday contest moved up thanks to the December 2010 North American blizzard; and the Titans and Ravens each had Sunday home games delayed in 2020 due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the Rams had a Sunday home game postponed to Tuesday, also due to COVID-19 issues. After a victory over eventual Eastern Division champion Washington, a tie with the Giants in Yankee Stadium and splitting two road games, the Yanks were 3–1–1, tied with the 3–1 Redskins atop the East (ties did not count in the standings then).

After that, it all came apart. After a tough 10–9 loss to Detroit at Fenway Park (Don Currivan caught a touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter only to watch the extra point attempt go awry), the Yanks were crushed in their final four contests, finding the end zone only three times while allowing a whopping 117 points. They finished 3–6–1, tied for third with New York.

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Yanks|year=1945|border=2}}"| Week

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Yanks|year=1945|border=2}}"| Date

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Yanks|year=1945|border=2}}"| Opponent

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Yanks|year=1945|border=2}}"| Result

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Yanks|year=1945|border=2}}"| Record

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Yanks|year=1945|border=2}}"| Venue

style="background:#cfc"

! 1

| {{dow tooltip|September 25, 1945}}

| Pittsburgh Steelers

| W 28–7

| 1–0

| Fenway Park

2

|colspan="6"| Bye

style="background:#cfc"

! 3

| October 7

| Washington Redskins

| W 28–20

| 2–0

| Fenway Park

style="background:#ffc"

! 4

| October 14

| New York Giants

| T 13–13

| 2–0–1

| Yankee Stadium

style="background:#fcc"

! 5

| October 21

| at Green Bay Packers

| L 14–38

| 2–1–1

| Wisconsin State Fair Park

style="background:#cfc"

! 6

| October 28

| at Pittsburgh Steelers

| W 10–6

| 3–1–1

| Forbes Field

style="background:#fcc"

! 7

| November 4

| Detroit Lions

| L 9–10

| 3–2–1

| Fenway Park

style="background:#fcc"

! 8

| November 11

| at Washington Redskins

| L 7–34

| 3–3–1

| Griffith Stadium

style="background:#fcc"

! 9

| November 18

| Green Bay Packers

| L 0–28

| 3–4–1

| Fenway Park

10

|colspan="6"| Bye

style="background:#fcc"

! 11

| December 2

| at Cleveland Rams

| L 7–20

| 3–5–1

| League Park

style="background:#fcc"

! 12

| December 9

| at Philadelphia Eagles

| L 7–35

| 3–6–1

| Shibe Park

style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Yanks|year=1945|border=2}}"

|colspan="8"| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

{{1945 NFL Eastern standings}}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Boston Yanks seasons}}

{{1945 NFL season by team}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1945 Boston Yanks Season}}

1945

Yanks

Category:1940s in Boston

Yanks

Yanks

{{Americanfootball-season-stub}}