Hornets

The team began life in 1946 as the Chicago Rockets, and by 1948 the Rockets had fallen to 1–13 with a turnover margin of -30.

In February 1949 a group led by James C. Thompson, Irvin Rooks, and Lee Freeman bought the franchise from John "Jack" Keeshin and renamed it the Hornets, swapping out the Rockets' old scarlet for black, gold, and white. Ray Flaherty, already a Hall of Fame coach, took over for the last twelve games of the season, and under him the Hornets managed a 4–8 finish, good for fourth in the All-America Football Conference and nowhere near the playoffs. Quarterback Bob Hoernschemeyer threw for 1,063 yards and ran for another 456, and end Dan Edwards led the team with 42 catches.

The Hornets never won a championship, and they never got the chance to try again. When the AAFC folded into the NFL that December, the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and Baltimore Colts were taken in; the Hornets, along with the Buffalo Bills and New York Yankees of the same league, were not. On 9 December 1949, the club ceased operations after four seasons under two names.