Midwest Football League (1935–1940)

[2] The Midwest Football League was formed in 1935 with George J. Heitzler as president and James C. Hogan as secretary-treasurer.

The league did not maintain standings for its first year and declared the Cincinnati Models, Indianapolis Indians and Louisville Tanks tri-champions.

In its second year the MFL was transformed from an informal collection of teams to an official minor league of professional American football.

After a regular season in which the Cincinnati Models finished with an undefeated, untied record, the Louisville Tanks defeated them in the league championship game, 2-0[5] Two weeks later, the Models defeated the Tanks in a rematch, 19-7, but the MWL considered the contest to be an exhibition game with no effect on the status of the league championship.

The Springfield Bicos and Columbus Bobbs also left, while the Ashland Armcos (named after a local steel manufacturing business) joined.

Final league standings – 1937[4] Championship: Louisville Tanks 13, Cincinnati Models 0 After the conclusion of the 1937 season, change was inevitable for the MFL as the second AFL imploded.

The MFL quickly adopted the name of the recently deceased league and expanded its reach by adding teams in East Chicago, Indiana and Nashville, Tennessee.

The Cincinnati Bengals (formerly of the second AFL) were asked to join the newly minted American Football League… and opted to remain an independent team instead.

[3][4] Prior to joining the AFL, the St. Louis Gunners were an independent team that actually played three games in the NFL in 1934 as a replacement for the ill-fated Cincinnati Reds.

In a meeting of the owners of the APFA on January 7, 1940, the Columbus Bullies were announced as league champions with a 9-2 record, despite the standings shown above.