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The New York Yankees were a short-lived professional American football team from 1926 to 1929. The team was a member of the first American Football League (AFL) in 1926, and later the National Football League (NFL) from 1927 to 1929. They played their home games at Yankee Stadium. The team featured Red Grange at halfback.
History
Challenge to the NFL
The Yankees arose as a result of a contract dispute between Grange and his previous team, the NFL's Chicago Bears. During the early 1920s, Grange was the star attraction for the Bears, and his play had done a lot to promote the fledgling NFL. However Red's agent C. C. "Cash and Carry" Pyle challenged Bears owner George Halas in 1926, by stating that Red's contract was owned by himself, and not Halas. Pyle then approached Halas to demand for Grange a generous salary and one-third ownership of the Bears. Halas refused.
1926 season
Once the league was under way, Grange lived up to his reputation and drew well wherever he played. 22,000 spectators turned out in Philadelphia to watch the Yankees play the Philadelphia Quakers. In comparison, an NFL game a week later in the same stadium between the Frankford Yellow Jackets and the New York Giants drew only 10,000. Nevertheless, the AFL folded at the end of the season, but Pyle's Yankees were given the franchise in the NFL for which he originally asked. Grange played for the Yankees in 1927, however he sat out the next season with a bad leg, and then returned to the Bears where he played until 1934. He then coached the Bears from 1942 until 1948.
Pro Football Hall of Famers
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="5" style="background:#CF1020;color:white;border:2px solid #002FA7;"|New York Yankees Hall of Famers
|-
! colspan="5" style="background:#CF1020;color:white;"|Players
|-
! No.
! Name
! Position
! Tenure
! Inducted
|-
| — || Morris Badgro || End || 1927–1928 || 1981
|-
| — || Ray Flaherty || End || 1927–1928 || 1976
|-
| — || Harold "Red" Grange || HB || 1926–1927 || 1963
|-
| — || Mike Michalske || G/FB || 1926–1928 || 1964
|}
Season-by-season
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! W !! L !! T !! Finish !! Coach!! League
|-
| 1926 || 10 || 5 || 0 || 2nd || rowspan=2|Ralph Scott|| AFL
|-
| 1927 || 7 || 8 || 1 || 6th || rowspan=2|NFL
|-
| 1928 || 4 || 8 || 1 || 7th || Dick Rauch
|}