[AH Fiction] 75 Years of Driveball (1950-2025)

[OldNavy1988]

1950 DANA Draft
Round Two
1) Detroit: Mike Foster (FF; Notre Dame)
2) NY Marvels; Cornelius Mullins (HF; Essendon Bombers/VFL)
3) Providence; Willard Lancaster (BP; Penn State)
4) Cleveland; Buddy Newton (HF; Purdue)
5) Philadelphia; Vernon Pope (RW; UCLA)
6) Buffalo; Neil Baldwin (FB; Rutgers)
7) Chicago; Jim Glover (G; Ohio State)
8) Brooklyn; Leon Benjamin (LW; Syracuse)
9) St. Louis; Melvin Benson (RW; Washington)
10) Des Moines; Larry Gaines (HF; Stanford)

Round Three
1) Detroit: Ted Randolph (G; Kansas)
2) NY Marvels; Guy Meyer (C; Nebraska)
3) Providence; Tony Harrison (FF; Collingwood Magpies/VFL)
4) Cleveland; Junior McKay (LW; Oregon)
5) Philadelphia; Charles Carey (HB; Wisconsin)
6) Buffalo; Steve Glass (FP; Temple)
7) Chicago; Thomas Stone (HF; Pitt)
8) Brooklyn; Ernest Horton (LW; Texas A&M)
9) St. Louis; Jefferson Humphrey (RW; Georgia)
10) Des Moines; Mike Lowe (G; California-Berkeley)

Round Four
1) Detroit: Mel Gregory (BP; Southern California)
2) NY Marvels; Scott Bond (FB; Akron)
3) Providence; Hubert Potter (HF; Melbourne Demons/VFL)
4) Cleveland; Marvin McMahon (FP; Minnesota)
5) Philadelphia; Francis Harrell (FF; Oregon State)
6) Buffalo; Dwight Price (HF; Illinois)
7) Chicago; Emmett Ward (LW; Oklahoma)
8) Brooklyn; Lester Whitney (LW; Footscray Bulldogs/VFL)
9) St. Louis; Phillip Ashley (RW; Hawthorn Hawks/VFL)
10) Des Moines; Eddie Buck (C; Virginia)

Round Five
1) Detroit: Vernon Cooley (RW; Carlton Blues/VFL)
2) NY Marvels; Ralph Johnston (FB; Richmond Tigers/VFL)
3) Providence; Clifford Blackburn (C; Geelong Cats/VFL)
4) Cleveland; Billy McConnell (HF; UCLA)
5) Philadelphia; Nick Weaver (FF; Colorado)
6) Buffalo; Jim Eaton (FP; Arizona State)
7) Chicago; Bernard Payne (HF; TCU)
8) Brooklyn; Louis Daugherty (BP; Northwestern)
9) St. Louis; Dom Battaglia (FB; Michigan State)
10) Des Moines; Paul DiNapoli (BP; Indiana)​

 

[OldNavy1988]

1950 DANA Draft
Rounds 6 thru 8

Round Six
1) Detroit: Lynn Craig (LW; Southern California)
2) NY Marvels; Fred Quinn (RW; South Melbourne Swans/VFL)
3) Providence; Harold Fletcher (FF; Kansas)
4) Cleveland; Mike Belcher (FF; Boston College)
5) Philadelphia; Ronnie Barker (C; Essendon Bombers/VFL)
6) Buffalo; Francis Peters (RW; Geelong Cats/VFL)
7) Chicago; Gerald Underwood (HB; Columbia)
8) Brooklyn; Leroy Marsh (HF; Nebraska)
9) St. Louis; Bill Davenport (BP; Maryland)
10) Des Moines; Hugh Wyatt (RW; Fitzroy Lions/VFL)

Round Seven
1) Detroit: Hugh Riley (C; Stanford)
2) NY Marvels; Nick Owens (FF; North Carolina)
3) Providence; Roland Wills (C; Richmond Tigers/VFL)
4) Cleveland; Alan Heath (FF; Port Adelaide Magpies/SANFL)
5) Philadelphia; Nathaniel Archer (FP; Port Adelaide Magpies/SANFL)
6) Buffalo; James Lane (FB; Southern California)
7) Chicago; Calvin Greene (RW; Collingwood Magpies/VFL)
8) Brooklyn; Leonard Pace (HB; Penn State)
9) St. Louis; Frederick Key (FF; Melbourne Demons/VFL)
10) Des Moines; Alfred Wilkinson (RW; Arizona)

Round Eight
1) Detroit: Darrell Huff (G; Footscray Bulldogs/VFL)
2) NY Marvels; Earnest Wiggins (FB; South Melbourne Swans/VFL)
3) Providence; Cecil Johnston (FF; Georgetown)
4) Cleveland; Vernon Schroeder (FP; Wisconsin)
5) Philadelphia; Gordon McDowell (G; Boston College)
6) Buffalo; Dick Greer (HF; Texas)
7) Chicago; Fred Donahue (HF; Notre Dame)
8) Brooklyn; Mark Workman (HF; Ohio State)
9) St. Louis; Bennie Gardner (FB; Oregon State)
10) Des Moines; Leon Duffy (HB; Essendon Bombers/VFL)​

 

[OldNavy1988]

1950-51 Offseason News and Notes

Despite the deep postseason run, the Brooklyn Coasters still had to raise their line of credit to $750,000 USD in order to cover player payroll for the upcoming 1951 season.

With many of the DANA's American-born players being drafted into the Korean War, the league office has sent a memo to the owners to start recruiting athletes from Canada and Australia to sustain the talent pool.

Given the financial struggles the Coasters face, it couldn't have come at a worse time for Brooklyn sports fans. Walter O'Malley, owner of the MLB Dodgers, must now chart the way for his storied franchise through a new normal. Many of the Dodgers' faithful fans are now flocking to the suburbs while Ebbets Field begins to lose its luster.

Coasters owner Ned Irish feels that his other sports asset, the New York Knicks of the newly formed NBA, would have a much longer future in the New York City region. Therefore, Irish has asked the DANA for permission to put the Coaster franchise for sale. However, the DANA has advised Irish to try to find a New York based buyer before he can talk to out-of-town suitors.

For Providence Steamrollers owner Lou Perini, his other sports asset, baseball's Boston Braves, are on the brink of financial ruin.

 

[OldNavy1988]

1950-51 Offseason News and Notes
Part Two

The DANA sent out a memo that any talk of expansion would have to wait until the Brooklyn Coasters' situation is resolved. With many Brooklynites moving to the suburbs, and the neighborhood around Ebbets Field becoming unsafe for some fans, attendance for the Coasters is expected to be much lower this year than last year.

While 1951 is likely to be a lameduck year for the Coasters, there are many out-of-town millionaires with deep pockets licking their chops to buy the team and move them closer to their hometown.

Potential new owners for the Coasters include the following...
Cincinnati: Hulbert Taft, Jr. (Descendant of former POTUS William Howard Taft)
Baltimore: Carroll Rosenbloom or Jerold Hoffberger
Pittsburgh: Art Rooney (Founder of the NFL Steelers)
Milwaukee: Harry G. John and Fred C. Miller (Descendants of Miller Brewing founder Frederick Miller)
Los Angeles: Lew Wasserman (talent agent) or Don Ameche (actor and former part owner of the AAFC Dons)

An editorial cartoonist for the Detroit Free-Press has created Driveball's first ever mascot; Mitch E. Gander, a new mascot for the Roadsters. A costumed actor will perform as Mitch at Briggs Stadium this coming season.