1926 Frankford Yellow Jackets season

The 1926 Frankford Yellow Jackets season was their third in the National Football League. The team improved on their previous output of 10–4, winning fourteen games.[1] By virtue of their league-best record of 14–1–2, they were crowned the 1926 NFL Champions.[2] The 1926 Yellow Jackets are the last NFL franchise to win a championship, and later go defunct.[3]

1926 Frankford Yellow Jackets season
Head coachGuy Chamberlin
Home fieldFrankford Stadium
Results
Record14–1–2 NFL
(16–1–2 Overall)
League place1st NFL

Incidentally, the champions of the rival American Football League that year were also based in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Quakers. There had been some brief discussion of fulfilling the crosstown rivalry by staging an interleague championship between the Quakers and Yellow Jackets, but the Yellow Jackets declined. (The Quakers instead played the seventh-place New York Giants, losing 31–0.)

Schedule

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Game Date Opponent Result Attendance Venue Recap Sources
September 19 at Atlantic City Shore Roses W 45–0 2,000 Airport Field [4]
1 September 25 Akron Indians T 6–6 5,000 Frankford Stadium Recap
2 October 2 Hartford Blues W 13–0 15,000 Frankford Stadium Recap
3 October 3 at Hartford Blues W 10–0 3,000 East Hartford Velodrome Recap
4 October 9 Buffalo Rangers W 30–0 6,000 Frankford Stadium Recap
5 October 16 New York Giants W 6–0 7,000 Frankford Stadium Recap
6 October 17 at New York Giants W 6–0 15,000 Polo Grounds Recap
7 October 23 Canton Bulldogs W 17–0 4,000 Frankford Stadium Recap
8 October 30 Providence Steam Roller L 7–6 8,000 Frankford Stadium Recap [5]
9 October 31 at Providence Steam Roller W 6–3 Cycledrome Recap
10 November 6 Chicago Cardinals W 33–7 8,000 Frankford Stadium Recap
11 November 13 Duluth Eskimos W 10–0 6,000 Frankford Stadium Recap
12 November 20 Dayton Triangles W 35–0 6,000 Frankford Stadium Recap
November 21 at Clifton Heights Orange & Black W 10–0 10,000 Kent Field [6]
13 November 25 Green Bay Packers W 20–14 10,000 Frankford Stadium Recap
14 November 27 Detroit Panthers W 7–6 6,000 Frankford Stadium Recap
15 December 4 Chicago Bears W 7–6 10,000 Shibe Park Recap
16 December 11 Providence Steam Roller W 24–0 4,500 Frankford Stadium Recap
17 December 18 Pottsville Maroons T 0–0 2,000 Frankford Stadium Recap

Standings

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NFL standings
W L T PCT PF PA STK
Frankford Yellow Jackets 14 1 2 .933 236 49 W6
Chicago Bears 12 1 3 .923 216 63 L1
Pottsville Maroons 10 2 2 .833 155 29 T1
Kansas City Cowboys 8 3 0 .727 76 53 W7
Green Bay Packers 7 3 3 .700 151 61 T1
New York Giants 8 4 1 .667 151 61 W3
Los Angeles Buccaneers 6 3 1 .667 67 57 L1
Duluth Eskimos 6 5 3 .545 113 81 L1
Buffalo Rangers 4 4 2 .500 53 62 T1
Chicago Cardinals 5 6 1 .455 74 98 L1
Providence Steam Roller 5 7 1 .417 89 103 L1
Detroit Panthers 4 6 2 .400 107 60 L3
Hartford Blues 3 7 0 .300 57 99 L1
Brooklyn Lions 3 8 0 .273 60 150 L3
Milwaukee Badgers 2 7 0 .222 41 66 L5
Dayton Triangles 1 4 1 .200 15 82 L2
Akron Indians 1 4 3 .200 23 89 T1
Racine Tornadoes 1 4 0 .200 8 92 L4
Columbus Tigers 1 6 0 .143 26 93 L5
Canton Bulldogs 1 9 3 .100 46 161 L1
Hammond Pros 0 4 0 .000 3 56 L4
Louisville Colonels 0 4 0 .000 0 108 L4
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References

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  1. ^ 1926 Frankford Yellow Jackets
  2. ^ Pro Football Archives 1926 Frankford Yellow Jackets
  3. ^ The Yellow Jackets' final season was 1931.
  4. ^ "Hornets Win Easily in Opening Battle: Yellowjackets Overwhelm Shore Roses in Kick-off of Gridiron Season, 45–0," Philadelphia Inquirer, Sept. 20, 1926, p. 19.
  5. ^ Greg D. Tranter, The Providence Steam Roller: New England's First NFL Team. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2024; p. 231.
  6. ^ "Clifton Heights' Greatest Football Crowd Sees Jackets Win Thrilling Game: Frankford Defeats Clifton Heights," Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov. 22, 1926, p. 14.