The 1940 was part of the third incarnation of the American Football League. The first incarnation was in 1926, the second incarnation was from 1936-1937, the third was from 1940-1941, and the fourth was from 1960-1969. Although the four leagues shared the same name, they were completely separate and unrelated entities. The league was formed when the New York Yankees, Boston Bears, and Buffalo Indians were joined by the Cincinnati Bengals, Columbus Bullies, and Milwaukee Chiefs of the minor American Professional Football Association (the mass defection doomed the minor league). After the announcement of the formation of the AFL (July 14, 1940), applications for membership by former APFA members St. Louis Gunners and Kenosha Cardinals were rejected by the upstart league, which started with six members. On the field, it was a close battle between Columbus (8-1-1) and Milwaukee (7-2-0), as only one game separated the two teams. Head-to-Head, the two teams would split the two games, both winning at home. As was the case in those days, there were no playoffs, so the Columbus Bullies would be named 1940 Champion of the American Football League.