On This Day in NYC History, December 4: The New York Yankees Play Their Last Game… of Football

The New York Yankees Football team lived a short life from 1946 to 1948. They played their home games at Yankee Stadium, but their last game, on December 4th 1948, was against the Chicago Rockets at Soldier Field in Chicago. Despite their short life span, the New York Yankees actually won most of their games.

In 1949, the team was merged with the Brooklyn Dodgers to be renamed the “Brooklyn – New York Yankees.” We think that name has less of a ring. In fact, the Brooklyn – New York Yankees also played their last game on December 4th, in 1949. It was against the San Fransisco ’49ers at Kezar Stadium in San Fransisco.

In 1950, the manager of the then-famous singer Kate Smith merged the team with his Boston team “The Brooklyn-Boston Yanks”, moved them to New York, and named  them the New York Bulldogs. They practiced on the same Polo Grounds as the New York Giants. In fact, during that time, most baseball and football teams in New York played on these polo grounds instead of formal fields.

In 1950, the name of the team was again changed to the New York Yanks. Finally by 1951, the team was dissolved by a few Dallas businessmen.