CWL 1927

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pct
Los Angeles Buccaneers (C)	5	3	2	0	56	43	.600
New York Yankees	4	2	2	0	74	43	.500
Los Angeles Wildcats	2	2	0	0	45	7	1.000
Duluth Eskimoes	5	2	3	0	39	34	.400
Hollywood Generals	3	1	2	0	19	79	.333
California All-Stars	3	1	2	0	9	36	.333

Note: Includes Championship Series (C) Champions.

Date	Team 1		Team 2
	Championship Series
30.01.1927	New York Yankees	14	Los Angeles Buccaneers	0
06.02.1927	Los Angeles Buccaneers	7	New York Yankees	6

Results

Date	Home Team		Away Team
18.12.1927	California All-Stars	0	Duluth Eskimoes	19
25.12.1927	Hollywood Generals	6	Duluth Eskimoes	3
26.12.1927	California All-Stars	9	Duluth Eskimoes	7
02.01.1927	California All-Stars	0	Duluth Eskimoes	10
09.01.1927	Los Angeles Buccaneers	19	Duluth Eskimoes	0
09.01.1927	Los Angeles Wildcats	28	Hollywood Generals	7
16.01.1927	Los Angeles Buccaneers	30	New York Yankees	6
23.01.1927	Hollywood Generals	6	New York Yankees	48
23.01.1927	Los Angeles Wildcats	17	Los Angeles Buccaneers	0

Report

In the Winter of January-February 1927 & 1928, some of the top teams in the National Football League & American Football League played in a Winter League in California, following the end of the Fall (Autumn) NFL & AFL seasons. The teams included star players from college teams in California and were dubbed after the teams’ star NFL & AFL players. e.g. the Nevers Eskimoes were the Duluth Eskimoes of the NFL with star player, Ernie Nevers.

The Duluth Eskimoes opened with 19-0 victory over the California All-Stars, a Pacific Coast Football League All-Star team made up of players from the Oakland and San Francisco franchises. They then lost to both the Hollywood Generals and California All-Stars, before winning the third match against the All-Stars, and finishing their tour with a loss to the Los Angeles Buccaneers (dubbed Muller’s Californians by the Press). The Los Angeles Wildcats also beat the Hollywood Generals on that day.

The New York Yankees, with star player, Red Grange then started their tour the following week (16 January 1927), with a loss to the Los Angeles Buccaneers, and then beating the Hollywood Generals. The same day the Los Angeles Wildcats beat the Los Angeles Buccaneers 17-0, but were not invited to the season ending series of games as they were not the draw the organizers wanted.

Instead, the Los Angeles Buccaneers met the New York Yankees for a shot at the title, and lost the first match 14-0, before winning the second, and last match 7-6, to finish the seson with three wins, and the unofficial Champions.

The League was essentially a AAA League/Major League Rival to the NFL from 1927-1928, featuring both star NFL & AFL teamxs and players and teams and players from the Semi-Pro Pacific Coast Football League and Californian College players.

Teams & Star Players

Team	NFL/AFL/PCFL Team	Star Players
Muller’s Californians	Los Angeles Buccaneers (NFL)	Brick Muller
Wilson’s Wildcats	Los Angeles Wildcats (AFL)	Wildcat Wilson
Grange’s Yankees	New York Yankees (AFL Fall 1926)	Red Grange
Nevers’ Eskimoes	Duluth Eskimoes (NFL)	Ernie Nevers
Hollywood Generals	Hollywood Generals (PCFL)	Semi-Pro Team
California All-Stars	Oakland and San Francisco (PCFL)	Semi-Pro Team

Reference: [1]

Bob Gill (2009) Seasons in the Sun – The California winter league of 1927 and ’28 The Coffin Corner Volume 31,No. 1, Pro Football Researchers Association (2009)[Internet] Available from: http://www.profootballresearchers.org/coffin-corner00’s/CC-31-1.pdf [Accessed 20 October 2019]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Eoin O’Fearghaill.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 14 May 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved.