Turnstiles & Touchdowns

How long could the 27-year-old National (pro) Football League ignore the existence of its baby brother, the two-year-old All-America Conference? For the past two weeks, in a turnstile war in New York City, the new league has outdrawn the old. This week, 39,012 cash customers went to Yankee Stadium to see the talented New York Yankees roll by the Buffalo Bills, 35-13, and cinch All-America's eastern division championship.

The Yankees, as usual, relied on their Mutt & Jeff combination. The little man was swift, 5 ft. 5 Buddy Young, star Negro halfback of last year's University of Illinois team, who has kept enemy defenses loose and wide all season. With him as a decoy, big Spec Sanders, whose shoulder is higher than the top of Buddy's head, found it easier to rip inside tackle for big gains. Sanders, who didn't make the first team at the University of Texas, has gained more yards this year--1,384--than any other back in pro football. He scored three touchdowns against Buffalo, to set an all time pro record of 19 for the season.

The National League had one clear superiority to the rival All-America: none of its teams was in so poor shape as the badly-run Brooklyn Dodgers, or the Chicago Rockets, who have won only one game all season. The Nationals' two biggest stars, like the league itself, have been around for years. Sammy Baugh, 33, playing his eleventh season for the Washington Redskins, seemed to throw a football better every year. Though the Redskins are only one step out of the National League cellar, Baugh tops the league with 2,438 yards gained by passing. Right behind him in passing is indestructible Quarterback Sid Luckman, 30, who has field-generaled the Chicago Bears to eight straight victories.

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