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American Football League and Clifton railway station (Greater Manchester): Difference between pages

Coordinates: 53°31′20″N 2°18′51″W / 53.5223°N 2.3141°W / 53.5223; -2.3141
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m add disambig for Clifton, Derbyshire
 
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:''For the station in Clifton, Greater Manchester, commonly known as Dixon Fold, see [[Dixon Fold railway station]].
[[Image:AmericanFootballLeague.jpg|thumb|right|150px|AFL logo]]
:''For the station in Clifton, Bristol, see [[Clifton Down railway station]].''
:''For the station in Clifton, Derbyshire, see [[Clifton Mayfield railway station]].''
{{Infobox UK station|
| name = Clifton
| code = CLI
| image = [[Image:Clifton railway station.jpg|265px]]
| manager = [[Northern Rail]]
| locale = [[Clifton, Greater Manchester|Clifton]]
| borough = [[Metropolitan Borough of Salford|Salford]]
| start =
| platforms = 2
| pte = [[Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive|Greater Manchester]]
| zone =
| lowusage0405 = 417
| lowusage0506 = 182
| lowusage0607 = 277
| lowusage0708 = 152
}}


'''Clifton railway station''' is a [[railway station]] in [[Clifton, Greater Manchester]], [[England]]. It lies on the [[Manchester to Preston Line]].
The '''American Football League (AFL)''' was a professional league of [[American football]] that operated from [[1960]] to [[1969]]. In [[1970]] the AFL [[AFL-NFL merger|merged]] operations with the [[National Football League]]. All ten AFL franchises became part of the merged league, which retained the NFL name.

<br />''Note: There were three earlier and unrelated American football leagues of the same name: One in [[1926]], one in [[1936]]-[[1937]] and one in [[1940]]-[[1941]]. They are listed at the end of this article.

==League history==
==="The Foolish Club"===
In [[1958]] [[Lamar Hunt]] (son and heir of [[Texas]] oilman [[H. L. Hunt]]) attempted to bring an NFL franchise to his hometown of [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]] but was rejected by the league. A second attempt in [[1959]] was also unsuccessful. Hunt was advised by league officials to contact the owners of the [[Chicago Cardinals]], who offered to sell Hunt a 20 percent stake in the team. Hunt rejected the offer, and it was then that he began to envision not just a new team in the NFL, but an entirely new league.

Hunt began his quest for a new league by contacting others who had shown interest in the Cardinals, and assessing their interest in starting a new league. These included [[Bud Adams|K.S. (Bud) Adams]] of [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], [[Bob Howsam]] of [[Denver, Colorado|Denver]] and [[Max Winter]] and [[Bill Boyer]] of [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]]. This brought to four the number of potential teams in the new league.

Next, Hunt sought franchises in [[Los Angeles]] and [[New York City]]. But at the same time he sought the blessings of the NFL for his nascent league, as he did not seek a rivalry with the older and more established league. “I told myself I didn’t want to go into this if it meant some kind of battle,” Hunt would later recall. “Of course, this was one of the more naive thoughts in the history of pro sports.” [http://www.kcchiefs.com/history/]

Soon after, Hunt received commitments from [[Barron Hilton]] (Los Angeles) and [[Harry Wismer]] (New York). On [[August 14]]], [[1959]] the first league meeting was held in [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]] and charter teams were given to Dallas, New York, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles and Minneapolis. On [[August 22]] the league was officially named the American Football League.

Two more cities were awarded franchises later in the year - [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] ([[Ralph C. Wilson Jr.|Ralph Wilson]]) on [[October 28]] and [[Boston]] ([[William H. Sullivan|William H. (Billy) Sullivan]]) on [[November 22]]. The AFL's first draft took place the same day Boston was awarded their franchise. The draft lasted for 33 rounds.

===The first crisis===
In [[November]] [[1959]], Minneapolis owner Max Winter announced his intent to leave the AFL in order to accept a franchise offer from the NFL. In 1961, his team began play in the NFL, where it took the name [[Minnesota Vikings]].

The NFL now offered Hunt what he had originally wanted - an expansion franchise in Dallas. Hunt turned the NFL down, as he felt it would not be right to abandon his fellow AFL owners. Had Hunt left the AFL, it would likely have never played its first game.

===The AFL begins (1959-61)===
With the first major crisis passed, the AFL got back to the business of preparing for its first season. On [[November 30]], [[1959]] [[Joe Foss]], a [[World War II]] [[United_States_Marine_Corps|Marine]] hero and former governor of [[South Dakota]], was named the AFL's first Commissioner. Foss commissioned a friend of Harry Wismer's to develop the AFL's eagle-on-football logo. The league held a second draft on [[December 2]], which lasted for 20 rounds. Hunt was elected President of the AFL on [[January 26th]], [[1960]]. On [[January 28]], the NFL awarded an expansion franchise to Dallas, which would offer direct competition to Hunt's team. The Minneapolis franchise formally withdrew from the AFL on [[January 27]] and was replaced on [[January 30]] by one in [[Oakland, California]], owned primarily by [[Chet Soda]].

===The first coup===

[[Billy Cannon]], the All-American and 1959 Heisman Trophy winner from Louisiana State University had an uncommon combination of brute strength with the speed of a sprinter. In 1960, his signing by the [[Houston Oilers]] followed a fierce bidding war that began when Oilers owner Bud Adams met Cannon in the end zone following LSU's Sugar Bowl victory, and ended in court, with the AFL winning against the NFL. That put the fledgling league on the football map. Cannon, was one of the American Football League's most celebrated combatants. At halfback, he scored an 88-yard touchdown on a pass from [[George Blanda]] in the first AFL Championship game, a 24-16 victory over the [[Los Angeles Chargers]].

On [[June 9]], the league signed a five-year [[television]] contract with [[American_Broadcasting_Company|ABC]], which brought in revenues of roughly $2,125,000 per year for the entire league. On [[June 17]], the AFL filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL. The suit was dismissed in [[1962]] after a two-month trial.

The AFL began regular-season play (a night game on [[Friday]], [[September 9]], [[1960]]) with eight teams in the league - the [[Boston Patriots]], [[Buffalo Bills]], [[Dallas Texans]], [[Denver Broncos]], [[Houston Oilers]], [[Los Angeles Chargers]], [[New York Titans]] and [[Oakland Raiders]]. The Oilers became the first-ever league champions, defeating the Chargers 24-16 in the AFL Championship Game on [[January 1]], [[1961]].

Attendance for the 1960 season was respectable for a new league, but not nearly that of the NFL. Whereas the more popular NFL teams in 1960 regularly saw attendance figures of 50,000+, AFL attendance generally hovered between 10-20,000 [http://nflhistory.net/linescores/pdf/1960a.pdf]. With the low attendance came financial losses. The Raiders, for instance, lost $500,000 in their first year. In an early sign of stability, however, the AFL did not lose any teams after its first year of operation. In fact, the only major change was the relocation of the Chargers from Los Angeles to [[San Diego, California|San Diego]].

===Movement and instability (1962-63)===
While some teams (such as the Oilers) found instant success in the AFL, others were not as fortunate. The Oakland Raiders and New York Titans stuggled on and off the field during their first few seasons in the league. Oakland's eight-man ownership group was reduced to just three in 1961, after heavy financial losses their first season. Attendance for home games was poor, partly due to the fact that the team was playing in San Francisco, which already had an established NFL team (the [[San Francisco 49ers|49ers]]). The product on the field was also to blame. After winning six games their debut season, the Raiders won just three times combined in the 1962 and 1963 seasons. Oakland took part in a 1962 supplemental draft meant to boost the weaker teams in the league, but it did little good. They participated in another such draft in 1963.

The Titans fared a little better on the field but had their own financial troubles. Attendance was so low for home games that fans were moved to seats closer to the field to give the illusion of a fuller stadium on television. Things got so bad that owner Harry Wisner was unable to meet his payroll, and on [[November 8]], [[1962]] the AFL took over operations of the team. The Titans were sold to a five-person ownership ground headed by [[Sonny Werblin]] on [[March 28]], [[1963]]. Werblin changed the team's name to the '''New York Jets'''.

In 1963 the Dallas Texans became the second team in AFL history to relocate. Lamar Hunt felt that despite winning the league championship in 1962, the Texans could not succeed financially in the same market as the [[Dallas Cowboys]]. After meetings with [[Atlanta]] and [[Miami]], Hunt decided on [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] as the new home for his team. On [[May 22]] Hunt announced the move, and the team was christened the '''Kansas City Chiefs''' on [[May 26]].

===Watershed years (1964-65)===
[[1964]] started off very well for the AFL. On [[January 29]] the league signed a lucrative $36 million television contract with [[NBC]], to start in the [[1965]] season. This gave the league money it desperately needed to compete with the NFL for talent.

A new single-game attendance record was set on [[November 8]], [[1964]] when 61,929 fans packed [[Shea Stadium]] to watch the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills [http://nflhistory.net/linescores/pdf/1964a.pdf].

The bidding war between the AFL and NFL for players escalated in [[1965]]. The Chiefs drafted [[Gale Sayers]] in the first round of the AFL's 1965 draft, while the [[Chicago Bears]] did the same in the NFL draft. Sayers signed with the Bears in a victory for the older league.

A similar situation occurred when the St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) and New York Jets (AFL) both drafted [[University of Alabama]] [[quarterback]] [[Joe Namath]]. But this time the AFL emerged the victor. On [[January 2]], Namath signed a $427,000 contract with the Jets [http://www.newyorkjets.com/history/index.php?section=highlights&years=1969-1959&highlight_id=35#34]. It was the highest amount of money ever paid to a collegiate football player. The signing was important not just for the Jets (one of the worst teams in the league) but for the AFL as well.

The AFL expanded to nine teams in 1965 when Minneapolis attorney [[Joseph Robbie]] and television star [[Danny Thomas]] were awarded a franchise on [[August 16]] for a fee of $7.5 million. Their team, the [[Miami Dolphins]], started play in the AFL's East division in [[1966]].
===Escalation and merger (1966-67)===
1966 saw the rivalry between the AFL and NFL reach an all-time peak. On [[April 7]] Joe Foss, the only commissioner the AFL had ever known, resigned. His chosen successor was Oakland Raiders general manager [[Al Davis]], who had been instrumental in turning around the fortunes of the franchise. No longer content with trying to outbid the NFL for talent, the AFL under Davis actively started to recruit players already on NFL squads. NFL players such as [[Mike Ditka]], [[Roman Gabriel]] and [[John Brodie]] were offered and/or signed to lucrative AFL contracts.

The same month Davis was named commissioner, Lamar Hunt and Dallas Cowboys owner [[Tex Schramm]] held a series of meetings in Dallas to discuss their concerns over rapidly increasing player salaries, as well as the practice of player poaching. Hunt and Schramm completed the basic groundwork for a merger by the end of [[May]]. On [[June 8]], [[1966]] the merger was officially announced. Under the terms of the agreement, the two leagues would hold a common player draft. The agreement also called for a title game to be played between the champions of the respective leagues. The two leagues would be fully merged by [[1970]], and NFL commissioner [[Pete Rozelle]] would remain as commissioner of the merged league. The AFL also agreed to pay indemnities of $18 million to the NFL over 20 years. In protest, Davis resigned as AFL commissioner on [[July 25]] rather than remain until the completion of the merger.

On [[January 15]], [[1967]] the first-ever AFL-NFL Championship Game (retroactively referred to as [[Super Bowl I]]) was played in Los Angeles. The NFL champion [[Green Bay Packers]] overwhelmed the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.

The [[Cincinnati Bengals]] became the second expansion franchise in AFL history on [[May 24]], [[1967]]. The Bengals were the tenth and final team to begin play as an AFL franchise.
===Legitimacy and the end of an era (1968-70)===
Despite becoming the first professional football league to successfully compete against the NFL, the AFL continued to be viewed as a lesser league. This view was reinforced after the first two AFL-NFL Championship Games, which resulted in sizeable wins for the NFL. That changed forever on [[January 12]], [[1969]], when the AFL Champion New York Jets shocked the heavily favored NFL Champion [[Baltimore Colts]] in [[Super Bowl III]].

The Colts were favored by as many as 20 points after steamrolling through the [[1968]] NFL season with a 13-1 record. Baltimore's defense was considered one of the finest of its era, having allowed just 144 points in 1968 (the next lowest NFL total was Dallas' 186). The Jets, by comparison, allowed 280, the highest total for any division winner in the two leagues. The Colts appeared to be on course to winning the NFL's third interleague championship after they blanked the [[Cleveland Browns]], 34-0, in the NFL Championship Game.

But Jets quarterback Joe Namath seemed unimpressed. Three days before the game, Namath spoke to a group at the Touchdown Club in [[Miami]] and declared, "We're going to win Sunday, I'll guarantee you." [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/news/2001/01/22/afl_history_2/]

Namath and the Jets made good on his guarantee as they held the Colts scoreless until late in the fourth quarter. The Jets won, 16-7, in what is considered by many to be one of the greatest upsets in sports history. [http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/topupsets/010525.html] [http://football.about.com/cs/superbowl/a/bl_superbowl3.htm] [http://www.courierpostonline.com/columnists/cxww020105a.htm]

With the win, the legitimacy of the AFL was confirmed for many. That legitimacy was reinforced in [[Super Bowl IV]], when the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs dominated the NFL champion [[Minnesota Vikings]], 23-7. It was the last contest held between the AFL and NFL.

The last game played in AFL history was the AFL All-Star Game on [[January 17]], [[1970]]. The Western All-Stars, led by Chargers quarterback [[John Hadl]], defeated the Eastern All-Stars, 26-3.

When the 1970 NFL season began, the merged league was split into two conferences of three divisions each. All ten AFL teams made up the bulk of the new [[American Football Conference]]. The old NFL's Baltimore Colts, [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] and Cleveland Browns were also placed in the AFC. All the other existing NFL squads moved to the [[National Football Conference]].
===Legacy===
Of all the leagues that have attempted to challenge the dominance of the [[National Football League]], the AFL was the only one to be truly successful. In contrast to such entities as the [[All-America Football Conference]], baseball's [[Federal League]], the [[American Basketball Association]] and the [[World Hockey Association]], the American Football League is the only league in North American pro sports ever to have merged with another and have all its teams continue to exist. Further, the league that merged with it, the NFL, adopted many of the innovative on- and off-field elements introduced by the AFL, including names on player jerseys, official scoreboard clocks and gate and revenue sharing. The AFL's challenge to the NFL also made possible four [[Professional American football championship games|World Championship]] games, now known as the [[Super Bowl]].

Hunt's vision brought a new professional football league not only to California and New York, but to parts of the nation that did not have the game: New England, Colorado and Texas. It would later be brought to Missouri and Florida. The AFL also adopted the first-ever cooperative television plan for professional football, in which the league office negotiated an ABC-TV contract, the proceeds of which were divided equally among member clubs.
Until 6 May 1974 the station was known as '''''Clifton Junction''''',<ref>{{cite journal |editor1-first=J.N. |editor1-last=Slater |year=1974 |month=July |title=Notes and News: Stations renamed by LMR |journal=[[The Railway Magazine|Railway Magazine]] |volume=120 |issue=879 |publisher=IPC Transport Press Ltd |location=London |issn=0033-8923 |page=363 }}</ref> as the railway split north west along the [[Manchester to Preston Line]] to [[Bolton]], and north along the [[East Lancashire Railway 1844–1859|Bury line]] on opposite sides of the [[Irwell Valley]], with the [[Bury]] line crossing the valley on [[Clifton Viaduct]] (known locally as "the 13-arches"), which still stands today as a local landmark. The line to Bury closed in 1966.
The AFL's free agents came from several sources. Some were players who could not find success playing in the NFL. But the success of men like the Oilers' [[George Blanda]], the Chargers/Bills' [[Jack Kemp]], the Texans' [[Len Dawson]], the Titans' [[Don Maynard]], the Raiders/Patriots/Jets' [[Babe Parilli]], the Pats' [[Bob Dee]] and many others,made that sobriquet questionable. Another source of free agents was the [[Canadian Football League]]. Many players not drafted or signed out of college by the NFL in the late 1950s went North to try their luck with the CFL, and later returned to the states to play in the AFL. In the league's first year, these included the Pats' [[Gino Cappelletti]], the Bills' [[Cookie Gilchrist]] and the Chargers' [[Sam Deluca]] and [[Dave Kocourek]]. Finally, there were the true "free agents", the walk-ons, the "wanna-be's", who tried out in droves for the chance to play professional football.
The American Football League took advantage of the burgeoning popularity of football by locating teams in major cities that lacked NFL franchises, and by using the growing power of televised football games (bolstered with the help of major network contracts, first with [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] and later with [[NBC]]). It featured many outstanding games, such as the classic 1962 double-overtime American Football League championship game between the [[Kansas City Chiefs|Dallas Texans]] and the defending champion [[Tennessee Titans|Houston Oilers]]. At the time it was the longest [[Professional American football championship games|professional football championship games]] ever played.


The closest alternative station to Clifton Junction with a regular service is [[Swinton (Manchester) railway station|Swinton]] {{convert|1.25|mi|km}} miles away on the line between Manchester and [[Wigan Wallgate|Wigan]] via [[Atherton railway station|Atherton]].
The AFL appealed to fans by offering a flashier alternative to the more conservative NFL. Team uniforms were bright and colorful. Long passes ("bombs") were commonplace in AFL offenses, led by such talented quarterbacks as [[John Hadl]], [[Daryle Lamonica]] and [[Len Dawson]].


==Services==
Another attractive feature of the American Football League was its competitive balance. In the original eight-team league, in a fourteen game schedule, each team played every other team twice. Every team had the same ''"strength of schedule"'', so the division champions were clearly the best teams in each division. Further, the league championships were evenly divided: five were won by Western Division teams, five by the Eastern Division; and of the original eight teams, all but two won at least one AFL title, and only one did not make the playoffs at some time during the league's ten-year existence.
There is a limited service from Clifton station with one train in each direction between [[Manchester Victoria]] and [[Bolton railway station|Bolton]] Mondays to Fridays. In 2006, the station had only one train a day in each direction (local services run by [[Northern Rail]]); only 182 passengers were recorded as using the station in 2005&ndash;6.


*0709 to [[Manchester Victoria railway station|Manchester Victoria]], calling at: [[Salford Crescent railway station|Salford Crescent]], [[Salford Central railway station|Salford Central]] and '''Manchester Victoria'''
Some would argue the AFL clearly matched or outshone the elder league in some specific cases. Examples abound: [[Lance Alworth]] of the [[San Diego Chargers|Chargers]] was arguably the best receiver of the 1960s; [[Johnny Robinson]] of the [[Kansas City Chiefs|Chiefs]], although he has been ignored by the pro football hall of fame, was the equal of any NFL defensive back of the era; the term "Fearsome Foursome" was coined to describe not an NFL defensive line, but the [[San Diego Chargers|Chargers]]' formidable unit, anchored by [[Ernie Ladd]] and [[Earl Faison]]; and the 1964 [[Buffalo Bills]] defense allowed their opponents only 300 rushing attempts and held them to a pro football record 913 yards rushing, while recording fifty quarterback sacks in a fourteen-game schedule.


*1754 to [[Wigan North Western railway station|Wigan North Western]] calling [[Kearsley railway station|Kearsley]], [[Farnworth railway station|Farnworth]], [[Moses Gate railway station|Moses Gate]], [[Bolton railway station|Bolton]], [[Westhoughton railway station|Westhoughton]], [[Hindley railway station|Hindley]] and '''Wigan North Western'''
The AFL achieved its success in spite of sparse coverage by the print and electronic media. CBS-TV, which then carried NFL games, refused to give AFL game scores on its football broadcasts. ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' ridiculed the new league, and even after the AFL was established, SI gave full-page color action shots of the NFL, while it used black and white photos in its AFL coverage.

The title game has come to be known officially as the [[Super Bowl]], but originally this was just a nickname (coined by AFL founder Lamar Hunt, whose daughter had a toy called a ''"super ball"''); the game was, at first, officially called the [[Professional American football championship games|AFL-NFL World Championship Game]]. The NFL champions in both 1966 and [[1967]], the [[Green Bay Packers]], decisively defeated the AFL champions in the first two Super Bowls, temporarily confirming the view of many NFL supporters that the NFL was the superior league. However, the AFL champions won the last two Super Bowls before the merger was completed in 1970. The first of these two victories was carried out by the [[New York Jets]] over the heavily favored [[Indianapolis Colts|Baltimore Colts]], and was one of the most heralded upsets in sports history. Likewise, the following year the Minnesota Vikings were favored over the [[Kansas City Chiefs]], who defeated the NFL product 23 to 7, even more resoundingly than the [[New York Jets|Jets]] had beaten the Colts.

However, despite the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs victories, the NFL-dominated sports media failed to recognize the Jets or Chiefs as the "greatest football team in history" and rather assigned the title to the Colts and Vikings who had been beaten so definitively in the Super Bowls.

The bidding war, which was financially draining both leagues, and the rapidly rising popularity of the AFL were factors that eventually led to the merger.

== AFL teams ==

The original eight AFL teams were as follows:

Eastern Division
:[[Boston Patriots]] (now New England Patriots)
:[[Buffalo Bills]]
:[[Houston Oilers]] (now Tennessee Titans)
:[[New York Titans]] (now New York Jets)

Western Division
:[[Dallas Texans (AFL)|Dallas Texans]] (now Kansas City Chiefs)
:[[Denver Broncos]]
:[[Los Angeles Chargers]] (now San Diego Chargers)
:[[Oakland Raiders]]

The eight-team roster enabled the league to set a schedule where every team played every other team twice during the fourteen-game season, as the AAFC did.

The league added a ninth team, the [[Miami Dolphins]], in [[1966]], and a tenth team, the [[Cincinnati Bengals]] in [[1968]].

== AFL playoffs ==
{{main|AFL playoffs}}
From 1960 to 1968, the AFL determined its champion via a single playoff game between the winners of its two divisions. In 1969, a four team tournament was instituted, with the second place teams in each division also participating.

== AFL All Star games ==
{{main|American Football League All-Star games}}

The AFL did not play an All-Star game after its first season in [[1960]] but did stage All-Star games for the [[1961]] through [[1969]] seasons. All-Star teams from the Eastern and Western divisions played each other after every season except [[1965]]. That season, the league champion [[Buffalo Bills]] played all-stars from the other teams.

After the [[1964]] season, the AFL All-Star Game had been scheduled for early [[1965]] in [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]]' Tulane Stadium. After numerous black players were refused service by a number of New Orleans hotels and businesses, black and white players alike lobbied for a [[boycott]]. Under the leadership of [[Buffalo Bills]] players including [[Cookie Gilchrist|Carlton Chester "Cookie" Gilchrist]], the players put up a unified front, and the game was successfully moved to Houston's [[Jeppesen Stadium]].
==AFL records==
The following is a sample of some records set during the existence of the league. The NFL considers AFL statistics and records as its own.
*Yards passing, game - 464, [[George Blanda]] (Oilers, [[October 29]], [[1961]])
*Yards passing, season - 4,007, [[Joe Namath]] (Jets, [[1967]])
*Yards passing, career - 21,130, [[Jack Kemp]] (Chargers, Bills)
*Yards rushing, game - 243, [[Cookie Gilchrist]] (Bills, [[December 8]], [[1963]])
*Yards rushing, season - 1,458, [[Jim Nance]] (Patriots, [[1966]])
*Yards rushing, career - 5,101, [[Clem Daniels]] (Texans, Raiders)
*Receptions, season - 101, [[Charlie Hennigan]] (Oilers, [[1964]])
*Receptions, career - 567, [[Lionel Taylor]] (Broncos)
*Points scored, season - 155, [[Gino Cappelletti]] (Patriots, [[1964]])
*Points scored, career - 1,100, [[Gino Cappelletti]] (Patriots)

==Players, coaches, and contributors==
*[[American Football League Draft]]
*[[List of American Football League players]]
===Commissioners/Presidents of the American Football League===
* [[Joe Foss]]........... November 1959-April 1966 Commissioner
* [[Al Davis]]........... April 1966-July 1966 Commissioner
* [[Milt Woodard]]...... July 1966-March 1970 President

==Earlier AFLs==
===American Football League, 1926===
Roster and Final standings:
* [[Philadelphia Quakers]] (Champions)
* [[New_York_Yankees_(AFL)|New York Yankees]] (joined the NFL in 1927)
* [[Cleveland Panthers]]
* [[Los Angeles Wilson Wildcats]]
* [[Chicago_Bulls_(AFL)|Chicago Bulls]]
* [[Boston Bulldogs]]
* [[Rock Island Independents]] (former NFL team)
* [[Brooklyn Horsemen]]
* [[Newark Bears]]

===American Football League, 1936-37===
* [[Boston Shamrocks]] (1936-1937)
* Brooklyn/[[Rochester Tigers]] (1936)
* [[Cleveland Rams]] (1936) joined the NFL in 1937; today's [[St. Louis Rams]]
* [[New York Yankees]] (1936-1937)
* [[Pittsburgh Americans]] (1936-1937)
* Syracuse/[[Rochester Braves]] (1936)
* [[Cincinnati Bengals]] (1937)
* [[Los Angeles Bulldogs]] (1937)

The Syracuse Braves moved to Rochester in midseason and disbanded during the season. The Brooklyn Tigers moved to Rochester after the Rochester Braves disbanded.

Champions
*1936 [[Boston Shamrocks]]
*1937 [[Los Angeles Bulldogs]]

===American Football League, 1940-41===
* [[Boston Bears]] (1940)
* [[Buffalo Indians]] (1940)/[[Buffalo Tigers]] (1941)
* [[Cincinnati Bengals]] (1940-1941)
* [[Columbus Bullies]] (1940-1941)
* [[Milwaukee Chiefs]] (1940-1941)
* [[New_York_Yankees_(AFL)|New York Yankees]] (1940)/[[New York Americans]] (1941)

Champions
*1940 [[Columbus Bullies]]
*1941 [[Columbus Bullies]]

See [[List of leagues of American football]]
==Further reading==
*Ed Gruver, ''The American Football League: A Year-By-Year History, 1960-1969'', ISBN 0786403993
*Sal Maiorana, ''If You Can't Join 'Em, Beat 'Em: A Remembrance of the American Football League'', ISBN 1410749428
*Jeff Miller, ''Going Long: The Wild Ten-Year Saga of the Renegade American Football League In the Words of Those Who Lived It'', ISBN 0071418490


==See also==
*[[Clifton Viaduct]]
==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
*History: The AFL - Pro Football Hall of Fame [http://www.profootballhof.com/history/decades/1960s/afl.jsp link]
*Loup, Rich (2001) [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/news/2001/01/22/afl_history_1/ "The AFL: A Football Legacy"]. Retrieved August 15, 2005.

==External links==
==External links==
{{stn art lnk|CLI|M278LL}}
*[http://www.RemembertheAFL.com RemembertheAFL.com Website]
* [http://www.n-le-w.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=95&Itemid=27 History of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway] with mention of Molyneux Junction
*[http://aflfootball.tripod.com aflfootball.tripod.com]
* [http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/earlytrainpics/1970s/1975/1975_January.htm Images of Clifton Junction Station and Clifton Tunnel]
* [http://www.bikerides.dsracing.me.uk/railway/clifton.htm Images of Clifton line, including a reference to Molyneux Brow Station]
{{Salford_Lines}}
{{rail start}}
{{rail line|next=[[Kearsley railway station|Kearsley]]|previous=[[Salford Crescent railway station|Salford Crescent]]|route=[[Northern Rail]]<br><small>[[Manchester-Preston Line]]<br>Mondays-Saturdays only<small>|col=8b00ff}}
{{Disused Rail Insert}}
{{rail line|previous=N/A|next=[[Molyneux Brow railway station|Molyneux Brow]]|route=[[L&YR]]<br><small>|col=964B00}}
{{end box}}


{{Greater Manchester main railway stations}}


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{{AFL (1960 - 1969)}}


[[Category:Defunct American football leagues]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Salford]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by Northern Rail]]


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Revision as of 18:23, 4 January 2010

For the station in Clifton, Greater Manchester, commonly known as Dixon Fold, see Dixon Fold railway station.
For the station in Clifton, Bristol, see Clifton Down railway station.
For the station in Clifton, Derbyshire, see Clifton Mayfield railway station.
Clifton
General information
LocationSalford
Managed byNorthern Rail
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeCLI

Clifton railway station is a railway station in Clifton, Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the Manchester to Preston Line.

Until 6 May 1974 the station was known as Clifton Junction,[1] as the railway split north west along the Manchester to Preston Line to Bolton, and north along the Bury line on opposite sides of the Irwell Valley, with the Bury line crossing the valley on Clifton Viaduct (known locally as "the 13-arches"), which still stands today as a local landmark. The line to Bury closed in 1966.

The closest alternative station to Clifton Junction with a regular service is Swinton 1.25 miles (2.01 km) miles away on the line between Manchester and Wigan via Atherton.

Services

There is a limited service from Clifton station with one train in each direction between Manchester Victoria and Bolton Mondays to Fridays. In 2006, the station had only one train a day in each direction (local services run by Northern Rail); only 182 passengers were recorded as using the station in 2005–6.

See also

References

  1. ^ Slater, J.N., ed. (1974). "Notes and News: Stations renamed by LMR". Railway Magazine. 120 (879). London: IPC Transport Press Ltd: 363. ISSN 0033-8923. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

External links

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Salford Crescent   Northern Rail
Manchester-Preston Line
Mondays-Saturdays only 		  Kearsley
Disused railways
N/A   L&YR
   Molyneux Brow

53°31′20″N 2°18′51″W / 53.5223°N 2.3141°W / 53.5223; -2.3141

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