Just stumbled on this one, though some of you probably knew. Tommie Vaughn is a name I've always known as a Houston Ford dealer. Looking at their website right now,

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Tommie graduated from high school in 1937, and attended Texas A&M University on a football scholarship. In1939, he helped lead the Aggies to the NCAA Football National Championship as the Center and Defensive Captain. He earned a Bachelor's Degree from Texas A&M in marketing and finance in 1941. One week after college graduation,Tommie Vaughn enlisted in the Army and became a pilot in the Air Corps. He left the military in 1945 as a Captain.

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http://www.tommievaughnford.com/heritage-history.htm

In the pro game, after Pearl Harbor about 600 NFL players joined the armed forces. By1943, Cleveland had suspended operations and the Steelers and Eagles merged because they only had 22 remaining players combined.

It really didn't work that well. Neither coach would allow the other to be head coach (one became OC after starting a practice early so he could put in his offense, the other DC), and the teams were actual hated rivals.
It ended up being Philadelphia's first winning season. Some teams were using a lot of new players as well.
One of the Steagles best players quit from guilt, but another worked at Westinghouse Electric that contributed to the Manhattan Project (all players had to have full time jobs during the war).

The next year, Pittsburgh merged instead with the Chicago Cardinals (called Car-Pitt).
The NFL draft in those days was about 32 rounds.

It's funny to see some of the videos from those days....guys at football practice running plays with rifles (for publicity).




Here's a little article on the Green Bay Packers situation

Those of you read the Eagle may have already seen this, but I just found it from May 20th.

Great article and photos on Bryan Air base's football team, covering some topics of service football and the Kiddie Korps.

https://www.theeagle.com/brazos_life/rellis-recollections-bryan-field-played-wartime-football-in/article_3e34a176-bca0-5551-9eb3-673700c42f85.html

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Tim Gregg is a freelancer hired by A&M System Chancellor John Sharp to create RELLIS Recollections, a project to preserve the history of the RELLIS Campus site.

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Didn't know about about that program. Good idea, Chancellor Sharp.

Noticed some of the boys in that Okie A&M football player photo were Native American.