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

[OldNavy1988]

The Des Moines Haymakers originally planned on wearing the black and yellow of Nile Kinnick's alma mater, the University of Iowa.
Instead, they went with an old gold when DANA officials told Kinnick they wanted to save black and yellow for a possible expansion into Pittsburgh.

And last, but not least, the Detroit Roadsters, whose colors are borrowed from the NFL's Lions.
Note, this is recycled from a previous Driveball thread.

 

[jenalysis]

35 players seems like a lot for a game with 14 on the field and only 3 subs.

 

[OldNavy1988]

35 players seems like a lot for a game with 14 on the field and only 3 subs.

You might be right. I think I was trying to account for injuries.

 

[OldNavy1988]

Any questions or comments before we get to the 1950 regular season?

 

[Enigmajones]

Any questions or comments before we get to the 1950 regular season?

Maybe a list of stadiums with capacities, since not every stadium is listed.

Edit: Saw the stadiums but would still be interested in hearing how many fans would be a sellout.

Honestly seems like it will take some time for a Driveball first stadium.

 

[OldNavy1988]

Maybe a list of stadiums with capacities, since not every stadium is listed.

Edit: Saw the stadiums but would still be interested in hearing how many fans would be a sellout.

Honestly seems like it will take some time for a Driveball first stadium.

Brown Stadium (Steamrollers): 20,000
Polo Grounds (Marvels): 55,000
Soldier Field (Gaels): 74,000
Cleveland Municipal Stadium (Mad Hatters): 78,000
Ebbets Field (Coasters): 32,111
Franklin Field (Spirits): 78,000
Drake Stadium (Haymakers): 18,000
Sportsman's Park (Showboats): 34,000
Briggs Stadium (Roadsters): 52,416
Civic Stadium (Lakers): 36,500

 

[mrcubfan415]

Do the Haymakers have a logo yet?

 

[OldNavy1988]

Do the Haymakers have a logo yet?

Here it is.

It's supposed to be a DM for Des Moines with the M shaped like a pitchfork.

 

[OldNavy1988]

A lot of football players playing driveball. Looks like the NFL is in trouble here.

To be fair, IOTL, Otto Graham did play basketball for a year before the Browns took the field in the AAFC. Graham was on the 1945-46 Rochester Royals (predecessor to the Sacramento Kings) with future Rifleman star Chuck Connors as one of his teammates.

 

[mrcubfan415]

Here it is.

It's supposed to be a DM for Des Moines with the M shaped like a pitchfork.

Nice! Only thing I would change is to make the ends of the pitchforks taper off immediately without the bulge (do a Google image search for "hay pitchfork" and you'll see what I mean.)

 

[OldNavy1988]

Nice! Only thing I would change is to make the ends of the pitchforks taper off immediately without the bulge (do a Google image search for "hay pitchfork" and you'll see what I mean.)

Thank you.

I guess the bulge could be an embroidery error.

But then again, it'll take time before teams really start putting logos on helmets once television becomes more mainstream.

 

[OldNavy1988]

1950 DANA Preview
Western Conference
Des Moines Haymakers
Venue: Drake Stadium
Parent Company: Bankers Life of Iowa (Later known IOTL as Principal Financial Group)
Player/Coach: Nile Kinnick
Defense: Alex Horner (20), Victor Starr (27), Milt Snow (3), Lloyd Gleason (26), Cecil Crawford (13), Wayne Camp (19), David Newell (11), Gene Giles (18), Clarence Birch (52)
Midfield: Nile Kinnick (24; Captain), Walt Tozier (56), Karl Tracy (33), Bobby Kelley (49), Harvey Cole (55), Benny O'Neal (43), Oscar Ball (41), Donald Richmond (48)
Attack: Samuel Kimball (70), Leroy Marsh (90), Charles Geisel (78), Homer Feldman (83), Ted Bowers (66), Ray Campbell (62), Chester Manning (93), Theo Bloom (95), Joe Denton (94)

Cleveland Mad Hatters
Venue: Cleveland Municipal Stadium
President: Arthur "Mickey" McBride
Coach: William Henry Harrison "Tippy" Dye [1]
Defense: Art Tempest (6), Stan Quackenbush (28), Bill Marsh (4), Jerry Whitaker (17), Eric O'Brien (8), Preston Tate (18), Alfred Ratner (30), Donald Wentworth (22), Wolfgang Vogel (11)
Midfield: Marv Ackerman (36; Captain), Lynn Ferguson (49), Dick Roberts (40), Victor Bradbury (60), Ralph Tobin (33), David Livingston (53), Hugo Rinaldi (54), Leslie Duncan (48)
Attack: George Bianchi (73), Butch Hitchcock (81), Hal Sharpsteen (72), Carl Napier (79), Harry Friedman (83), Casper Woodson (84), Darryl Fleischer (97), Tony Ricci (76), Chester Fox (67)

[1]: Offseason job for Dye who IOTL was an Ohio State graduate and the men's basketball coach at the University of Washington.

Chicago Gaels
Venue: Soldier Field
President: Bill Veeck
Coach: Sid Luckman
Defense: Bob Shields (18), Rocco Ricci (1), Ike Christensen (7), Joe Steinbeck (22), Walt Washington (25), Red MacPhail (16), Noah Ferris (4), Irv Morgan (14), Ben Thompson (11)
Midfield: Bill Kwong (46), Tucker Wallace (51), Jim Coppola (31), Hal Connors (37; Captain), Eugene Bell (40), Eddie Oglethorpe (41), Art Bumgardner (53), Georges Lumiere (42)
Attack: Abe Zimbalist (90), Muggsy Russo (89), Felix Bowman (74), Barney Nichols (82), Bert Balaban (92), Jacob Schneider (85), Sid Ratner (93), Paul Sawicki (87), Howie Judd (79)

Detroit Roadsters
Venue: Briggs Stadium
President: John Fetzer
Coach: Tom Harmon (Former Michigan Wolverines QB IOTL)
Defense: Bernie Berman (13), Red Hardwick (4), Eddie Friedman (11), Glenn Duvall (24), Gus Dryer (16), Bert Johnson (3), Chuck Spencer (14), Butch McDonald (20), Cotton Franklin (17)
Midfield: Murray Fillion (55; Captain), Carroll Burke (32), Nelson Raymond (49), King Cameron (51), Frank Podolak (34), Merv Phillips (47), Harvey Benoit (50), Max O'Brien (42)
Attack: Fritz Thurnberg (76), Pat Christenson (81), Milt Dixon (96), Ward Anderson (93), Quentin Irons (88), Sonny O'Grady (77), Bob Ginsberg (82), Al Clark (74), Art Swift (90)

St. Louis Showboats
Venues: Sportsman's Park (March), Francis Field (April through June)
Parent Company: Anheuser-Busch
Radio analyst: Paul Christman (St. Louis native and OTL football commentator)
Coach: Bob Steuber (Former OTL Mizzou QB)
Defense: Bob Hillard (15), Jules Sinclair (21), Ian Whaley (13), Ernie Hunter (7), Oliver Wallace (11), Abner Matthews (20), Ira Levinson (2), Clancy Webb (10), Gordie Grimm (24)
Midfield: Liegh Brennaman (41; Captain), Jacob Starr (45), Daniel O'Connor (59), Earl Grant (55), Pat Washington (40), Tommy Battaglia (51), Charlie Malcom (62), Abe Dreyfus (63)
Attack: Art Palmer (75), Don Patterson (83), Sammy Stewart (94), Ted Vardalos (87), Butch Riley (74), Ralph Griffith (98), Milt Fleming (81), Gene Davis (78), Bill Codrick (91)

 

[OldNavy1988]

1950 DANA Preview
Eastern Conference

Buffalo Lakers
Venue: Buffalo Civic Stadium (aka the Rockpile; Later known IOTL as War Memorial Stadium
Owner: Seymour Knox, Jr.
Player/Coach: Larry Clemmons
Defense: Ken Curtis (20), Dick Shelley (17), Rex Simpson (23), Milt Bergen (21), Louie Castelucci (29), Donald Odom (26), Guy Rinaldi (6), Baxter Duncan (12), Carlos Melendez (10)
Midfield: Larry Clemmons (44; Captain), Dick Kelsey (38), Cliff Buckley (50), Ned Provensen (45), Floyd McManus (34), Peter Dykstra (39), Ollie Gunther (42), Paul Rathman (55)
Attack: Ralph Wright (76), Doc Sherwood (78), Shepard Burkle (83), Claude Riley (97), Grant Miller (93), Leroy Barnes (88), Woody Fairbanks (81), Chip Felton (85), Pat Holloway (72)

Brooklyn Coasters
Venue: Ebbets Field
Owner: Ned Irish
Player/Coach: Bob Curran
Defense: Dick Wolcott (21), Art Lounsbery (29), Leslie Mahoney (15), Russell Chandler (25), Jack Schmidt (23), Larry Simmons (19), Frankie Driscoll (2), Dean Berg (16), Leon Price (31)
Midfield: Bob Curran (33; Captain), Sidney Larsen (35), Douglas Olsen (34), Jackie Erickson (39), Martin Burke (57), Jim Rosen (41), Larry Moran (49), Moe Foster (58)
Attack: Roy Bowman (82), Horatio Trout (85), Wendall McCall (78), Ted Hawkins (92), Neil Harvey (75), Jesse Sellars (81), Frank Gilmore (68), Terry Simpson (93), Eugene Mays (86)

New York Marvels
Venue: Polo Grounds
Owner: Del Webb
Head Coach: Mel Hein
Defense: Corky Liebowitz (2), Eddie Kimball (18), Julian Becker (17), Blaine Carlson (26), Dick Matthews (22), Goose Fitzgerald (4), Edwin Green (21), Wolfram Gates (9), Lou Taliaferro (29)
Midfield: Bill Shreck (36; Captain), Riley Thompson (41), Doug Curtis (38), Grover McFadden (49), Bernie Epps (52), Howie Bergen (60), Bud Greenspan (56), Harry Kennedy (45)
Attack: Steve Bednarski (80), Andre Couture (83), Woody Denbrough (75), Barney Kirk (92), Russ LeChance (87), Roy Harmon (93), Dick Francis (77), Tiger Bailey (89), Bill Svendson (71)

Philadelphia Spirits
Venue: Franklin Field
Owner: Bob Carpenter
Player/Coach: Philip Young
Defense: Ollie McKennon (22), Shepard Bolger (18), Leslie Menken (16), Pete Thompson (30), Ray Kelley (19), Ike Rose (21), Luke Morris (5), Humphrey Jones (24), Fred Gordon (1)
Midfield: Philip Young (37; Captain), Vern Stallings (44), George De Wolfe (52), Billy Putman (34), Norm Lawless (43), Harry Vincent (50), Tobin Van Pelt (60), Earl Duchamp (58)
Attack: Theo Noble (95), Leo Meyers (83), Pat Wilder (84), Bob Underwood (70), Don Hughes (69), Barney Nordberg (74), Charlie O'Doul (72), Lester Flanders (87), Maurice Sawa (79)

Providence Steamrollers
Venue: Brown Stadium
Owner: Lou Perini
Player/Coach: Whitey Sullivan
Defense: Stuart Jordan (3), Roy MacQueen (15), Moe Bartlett (25), Alex Buchanan (18), Edgar Perreault (24), Jack Stenstrom (4), Jesse Feldstein (8), Rocky Orlando (20), Jerry Woolverton (11)
Midfield: Whitey Sullivan (39; Captain), Gilbert Costello (45), Hank Terwilliger (43), Vic Bentley (51), Lou Argento (42), Freddie O'Reilly (35), Seymour Larkin (53), Norm Silverman (48)
Attack: Joel Lieber (82), Gerald Hernandez (79), Jean-Henri Trembley (78), Alexis Duchamp (95), Rudy Messmer (85), Hugo Tarantino (74), Marvin Woodward (89), Gene Hoffman (92), Sterling O'Malley (86), Eric Lounsbery (91)

 

[Zireael]

I'm not clear on how this differs from USA football. I can see what it took from European/Aussie football, though

 

[OldNavy1988]

I'm not clear on how this differs from USA football. I can see what it took from European/Aussie football, though

A few differences from American Football.
- While the players still wear helmets, they wear shorts instead of pants because Drive-Ball is played in what are the spring and summer months in the Northern hemisphere.
- Since Drive-Ball also borrows from Aussie rules, the action is continuous rather than having huddles for each play.
- During a drive, or possession, when the ball carrier is tackled, he must pass to a teammate to resume the drive...similar to rugby.
- 14 players on the field instead of eleven.

 

[mrcubfan415]

Glad to see some names (like George Bianchi, Muggsy Russo, and Corky Liebowitz) returning from previous Driveball threads. One name I remember that would be cool to see a return of is Ernie "Big Cat" Lawrence. I really liked him

 

[mrcubfan415]

The Des Moines Haymakers originally planned on wearing the black and yellow of Nile Kinnick's alma mater, the University of Iowa.
Instead, they went with an old gold when DANA officials told Kinnick they wanted to save black and yellow for a possible expansion into Pittsburgh.

If you decide that even that color scheme would be too close to Pittsburgh's, I'd recommend replacing the black with either brown or forest green (assuming neither resulting color scheme would be too close to others you have planned). Just my two cents, though

 

[OldNavy1988]

Glad to see some names (like George Bianchi, Muggsy Russo, and Corky Liebowitz) returning from previous Driveball threads. One name I remember that would be cool to see a return of is Ernie "Big Cat" Lawrence. I really liked him

Bernie Berman is another name you might remember from previous Drive Ball threads. I figured he'd be one of the game's first Jewish superstars.

I figured that in the first few years of Driveball, most of the Americans in the talent pool would have a lot of Irish, Dutch, Polish, Jewish and Italian names.

At the beginning you'll see a lot of African American and a few Hispanic players putting the DANA ahead of the older sports on integration. As Driveball grows in the coming decades you'll see more Polynesian players, including plenty of Samoan, Tongan and Hawaiian with a few Maori guys from New Zealand.

 

[stratonapba]

Bernie Berman is another name you might remember from previous Drive Ball threads. I figured he'd be one of the game's first Jewish superstars.

I figured that in the first few years of Driveball, most of the Americans in the talent pool would have a lot of Irish, Dutch, Polish, Jewish and Italian names.

At the beginning you'll see a lot of African American and a few Hispanic players putting the DANA ahead of the older sports on integration. As Driveball grows in the coming decades you'll see more Polynesian players, including plenty of Samoan, Tongan and Hawaiian with a few Maori guys from New Zealand.

Can we add some Asians to the game of Driveball probably from Japan and the Philippines?

 

[OldNavy1988]

Can we add some Asians to the game of Driveball probably from Japan and the Philippines?

Yes.

What year do you think would be the right time for the DANA to have an exhibition tour of Japan?

Or an exhibition in Manila?