History of the Lafayette Krewe

Anthracite League (1924)
The Ohio Steelers were founded on March 28, 1923, by Marshal Morgan Parker of Cincinnati, Ohio. He reached an agreement to join the Anthracite League on September 14, 1924. The Steelers played one single season in the league where they compiled a 4–4 record to finish in 2nd place during the 2024 season.

1925: First Ohio Valley League season
The Steelers officially joined the Ohio Valley League on May 26, 2025, right before the season's beginning. They beat the Ironton Tanks in the season's final game to give them their only loss. The Tanks finished 9–1–2 and the Steelers finished in 4th with a record of 3–8–1.

1926–1927: Nearly champions
Following their transitional year in 1925, the Steelers became a very successful team in 1926 (7–6) and 1927 (6–1–1). They finished in 2nd place in both seasons and were beaten out for the championship by the Tanks both times.

1928: Ohio Valley champions
In 1928, Ohio won its first league championship with a 7–1–3 record, beating the Tanks' 6–3–2 record.

1929: League collapse
The Steelers opted out of the 1929 season after the Great Depression made the team's assets diminish.

1930: Joining the WFA
On December 1929, the WFA gave an invitation to the Steelers for the 1930 Wilmington Football Association season. In January 1930, they became an official league franchise. As a traveling team, they recorded a 1–5–2 record to finish 5th in their first season.

1931: Suspended operations
The Steelers suspended operations during the 1931 season due to players striking.

1932: WFA champions
After suspending operations the previous season, the Steelers came back and finished the 1932 season with a 4–0 record to be crowned the WFA champions.

1933: Final season in the WFA
The Steelers only played two games in 1933, finishing with a 0–2 record.

American Football League (1934)
During the early 1930s, the American Football League had its first variant that lasted only one season. In the league's only season, the Steelers finished in last place with a 1–5–1 record.

1935: Joining the MFL and co-championship
The Midwest Football League signed the Steelers on May 18, 1935, for their upcoming season. This was the Steelers' first league they would find refuge in. During the league's first season, the Steelers had a 9–1–1 record and were crowned co-champions with the Duluth Polar Bears.

1936–1940: Journey to Cincinnati
From 1936 to 1940, the Steelers were mediocre at best. In 1936, they finished with a 3–8 record and followed it up with a 2–9 record in 1937. They went without a win in 1940, finishing 0–10–1, the tie coming in Week 1. On February 16, 1941, the Cincinnati Lions were born.

1941: Relocation and new league
The Lions joined the Pacific Coast Professional Football League on May 19, 1941. They played four games in their first season, finishing 0–4.

1942–1945: Four-straight losing seasons
After not having a good start to their stay in the PCPFL, the Lions didn't have much success in their next few seasons. In 1941, they finished 1–5. They followed that with a 0–4 record in 1942. In 1943, they finished 1–4. They finished with a 0–6 record in 1944. In their final season, they finished 1–7.

1946: Joining the AAFC and inaugural champions
In 1946, the Lions joined the All-America Football Conference in the league's Western Division. In their first season, they finished 12–2 and won their first division title. They beat the New York Yankees 14–9 in their first playoff appearance.

1947: AAFC champions
In 1947, the Lions finished with a 12–1–1 record (tie games were not officially counted in the standings). They defeated the New York Yankees for a second straight year, 14–3.

1948: Undefeated season
In 1948, the Lions went on a 14-game win streak to finish the season 14–0 and a third-straight title game appearance. They defeated the 7–7 Buffalo Bills, 49–7.

1949: Fourth championship
During the 1949 season, the league got rid of divisions. The Lions finished with a 9–1–2 record (tie games were not officially counted in the standings). In the semifinals, the Lions faced the Buffalo Bills. They defeated them, 31–21. In the final AAFC Championship, the Lions defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 21–7. The Lions decided not to merge with the National Football League and instead become independent for a short time.