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{{Short description|Sports season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox NFL season
| team = Hammond Pros
| year = 1920
| record = 2–5 overall <br>0–3 APFA
| league_place = T-11th APFA
| owner = [[Doc Young]]
| coach = [[Hank Gillo]]
| stadium = [[Traveling team]]
| playoffs =
}}

The '''1920 Hammond Pros season''' was the [[Hammond Pros|franchise]]'s inaugural season in the [[National Football League|American Professional Football Association]] (APFA) and second as an [[American football]] team. The Pros entered 1920 coming off a 4-win, 2-loss, 3-tie (4–2–3) record in [[1919 Hammond Pros season|1919]] as an independent team. Several representatives from another professional football league, the [[Ohio League]], wanted to form a new national league, and thus the APFA was created.

The Pros opened the 1920 season with a 26–0 loss to the [[Rock Island Independents]]. The team did not score a point until their third game, and ended the season with a 2–5 record, which placed it tied for 11th place in the final standings. The sportswriter Bruce Copeland compiled the 1920 [[All-Pro]] list, but no players from the Pros were on it. As of 2025, no player from the 1920 Hammond Pros roster has been enshrined in the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]].

== Offseason ==

The Hammond Pros, who were named the Hammond All-Stars, finished 4–2–3 in their [[1919 Hammond All-Stars season|1919 season]] as an independent team.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.profootballarchives.com/1919hama.html | title=1919 Hammond All-Stars | work=The Pro Football Archives | publisher=Maher Sports Media | access-date=October 29, 2012}}</ref> The All-Stars disbanded, and three teams were created from those players: the [[Chicago Tigers]], the [[Chicago Bears|Decatur Staleys]], and the Pros.<ref>{{Harvnb|Maher|1993|p=4}}</ref> After the 1919 season, representatives of four [[Ohio League]], a professional football league based in Ohio, teams—the [[Canton Bulldogs]], the [[Cleveland Tigers (NFL)|Cleveland Tigers]], the [[Dayton Triangles]], and the [[Akron Pros]]—called a meeting on August 20, 1920, to discuss the formation of a new professional league. At the meeting, they tentatively agreed on a [[salary cap]] and pledged not to sign college players or players already under contract with other teams. They also agreed on a name for the circuit: the American Professional Football Conference.<ref>{{Harvnb|PFRA Research|1980|pp=3–4}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Siwoff|Zimmber|Marini|2010|pp=352–353}}</ref> They then invited other professional teams to a second meeting on September 17.

At that meeting, held at Bulldogs owner [[Ralph Hay]]'s [[Hupmobile]] showroom in Canton, representatives of the [[Rock Island Independents]], the [[Muncie Flyers]], the [[Decatur Staleys]], the [[Racine Cardinals]], the [[Massillon Tigers]], and the Hammond Pros agreed to join the league. Representatives of the [[Buffalo All-Americans]] and [[Rochester Jeffersons]] could not attend the meeting but sent letters to Hay asking to be included in the league.<ref name="nflbday4">{{Harvnb|PFRA Research|1980|p=4}}</ref> Team representatives changed the league's name slightly to the American Professional Football Association and elected officers, installing Jim Thorpe as president.<ref name="nflbday4" /><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/09/19/113313269.pdf | title=Thorpe Made President | newspaper=The New York Times| date=September 19, 1920 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=f8MWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OiEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3568,5105560&dq=gridders&hl=en | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711044518/http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=f8MWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OiEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3568,5105560&dq=gridders&hl=en | url-status=dead | archive-date=July 11, 2012 | title=Organize Pro Gridders; Choose Thorpe, Prexy | newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Journal]] | date=September 19, 1920 | page=24 }}</ref> Under the new league structure, teams created their schedules dynamically as the season progressed, so there were no minimum or maximum number of games needed to be played.<ref>{{Harvnb|Peterson|1997|p=74}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Davis|2005|p=59}}</ref> Also, representatives of each team voted to determine the winner of the APFA trophy.<ref name="ohio">{{Cite news | last=Price | first=Mark | date=April 25, 2011 | url=http://www.ohio.com/news/searching-for-lost-trophy-1.204246 | title=Searching for Lost Trophy | newspaper=[[Akron Beacon-Journal]] | access-date=June 23, 2012}}</ref>

== Schedule ==
The Pros, who did not have a scheduled home game, were a [[traveling team]].

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Hammond Pros|year=1920|border=2}}"| Game
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Hammond Pros|year=1920|border=2}}"| Date
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Hammond Pros|year=1920|border=2}}"| Opponent
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Hammond Pros|year=1920|border=2}}"| Result
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Hammond Pros|year=1920|border=2}}"| Record
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Hammond Pros|year=1920|border=2}}"| Venue
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Hammond Pros|year=1920|border=2}}"| Attendance
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Hammond Pros|year=1920|border=2}}"| Recap
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Hammond Pros|year=1920|border=2}}"| Sources
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 1
| October 10
| at [[1920 Rock Island Independents season|Rock Island Independents]]
| '''L''' 0–26
| 0–1
| [[Douglas Park (Rock Island)|Douglas Park]]
| 2,554
| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/192010100rii.htm Recap]
|
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 2
| October 17
| at [[1920 Dayton Triangles season|Dayton Triangles]]
| '''L''' 0–44
| 0–2
| [[Triangle Park (Quezon City)|Triangle Park]]
| 2,000
| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/192010170day.htm Recap]
|
|-
! —
| colspan="8" | ''Bye''
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 3
| October 31
| at ''[[Logan Squares]]''
| '''W''' 14–9
| 1–2
| [[Logan Square Park]]
| 3,000
| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/192010310log.htm Recap]
|
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 4
| November 7
| at ''[[Pullman Original Thorns]]''
| '''W''' 14–13
| 2–2
| [[Pullman, Illinois]]
| "a good crowd"
| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/192011070pul.htm Recap]
| <ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-hammond-wins-over-the-thorns/162797045/ "Hammond Wins Over the Thorns,"] ''Hammond Times,'' Nov. 8, 1920, p. 6.</ref>
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 5
| November 14
| at ''[[Gary Elks]]''
| '''L''' 6–7
| 2–3
| [[Gleason Field]]
| 2,000
| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/192011140gar.htm Recap]
|
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 6
| November 21
| at [[Decatur Staleys]]
| '''L''' 7–28
| 2–4
| [[Staley Field]]
| 3,000
| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/192011210chi.htm Recap]
|
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 7
| [[NFL on Thanksgiving Day|November 25]]
| at ''[[Chicago Boosters]]''
| '''L''' 0–27
| 2–5
| [[DePaul Field]]
|
| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/192011250chb.htm Recap]
|
|-
| colspan="10" | '''Note:''' Non-APFA teams in ''italics.'' Thanksgiving Day: November 25.
|}

== Standings ==
{{1920 APFA standings}}

== Game summaries ==
=== Game 1: at Rock Island Independents ===
{{Linescore Amfootball
|Road=Pros
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0
|Home='''Independents'''
|H1=0|H2=13|H3=0|H4=13
}}
''October 10, 1920, at Douglas Park''

The Pros started their season with a game against the Rock Island Independents. The Independents already played two games and were undefeated.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/rii/1920.htm | title=1920 Rock Island Independents | website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]] | publisher=Sports Reference | access-date=October 29, 2012}}</ref> There were no scores by either team in the first or third quarters, but the Independents scored 13 points in the second and fourth.<ref name="3news">{{cite web | last=Herrera | first=Simon | url=http://www.rockislandindependents.com/NFL_scores/1920/1920week3box.htm | title=Independents Outplayed and Outclass Beefy 'Stars | publisher=RockIslandIndependents.com | access-date=October 29, 2012}}{{'-}}</ref> [[Running back]]s [[Fred Chicken]], [[Ray Kuehl]], and [[Gerald Mansfield]] accounting for four touchdowns throughout the game. [[Quarterback]] [[Pudge Wyman]] throw two touchdowns—a 35-yard one to Kuehl and a 20-yard one to Mansfield.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} Hammond started to purposely injure their opponents during the game because they realized the Independents were a much greater team. As a result, [[Rube Ursella]] suffered a twisted knee. [[Duey Lyle]] was kicked in the face and required seven stitches. Lastly, [[Ed Healey]] was kicked in the face needed five stitches in the [[cheek]].<ref name="3news" />

=== Game 2: at Dayton Triangles ===
{{Linescore Amfootball
|Road=Pros
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0
|Home='''Triangles'''
|H1=7|H2=20|H3=3|H4=14
}}
''October 17, 1920, at Triangle Park''

The [[Dayton Triangles]] were the Pros' next opponent. For a second week in a row, the Pros did not score a point. In the first quarter, Triangle back [[Al Mahrt]] had a one-yard rushing touchdown. The Triangles scored three touchdowns in the second quarter: a 50-yard receiving touchdown from Mahrt, a 35-yard receiving touchdown from end [[Dave Reese]], and a rushing touchdown from back [[Lou Partlow]]. The extra point was missed after the first touchdown. In the next quarter, back [[George Roudebush]] kicked a 35-yard field goal. The last score of the game was a receiving touchdown from back [[Norb Sacksteder]]. The final score of the game was 44–0 before a crowd of 2,000.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 18, 1920 |title=Hammond Pros. Snowed Under Pile |pages=7 |work=[[Hammond Lake County Times]] |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/indiana/hammond/hammond-lake-county-times/1920/10-18/page-7 |access-date=August 20, 2023}}</ref>

=== Game 3: at Logan Squares ===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left:3em;"
|- style="text-align:center; background:#e6e6e6;"
!
!width="25"|1
!width="25"|2
!width="25"|3
!width="25"|4
<th style="width:25px;">Total</th>
|- style="text-align:center;"
|align="left"|'''Pros'''
|?||?||?||?||'''14'''
|- style="text-align:center;"
|align="left"|Squares
|?||?||?||?||'''9'''
|}
''October 31, 1920, at Logan Square Park''

After two losses, the Pros decided to not schedule a game in week five and challenge a non-APFA team in week six. Their next opponent, the Logan Squares from [[Chicago]], were on a two-game winning streak.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.profootballarchives.com/1920chilog.html | title=1920 Chicago Logan Square AC | work=The Pro Football Archives | publisher=Maher Sports Media | access-date=October 29, 2012}}</ref> The scoring summary is unavailable, but the Pros defeated the Squares 14–9 in front of 3,000 attendees.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}
{{Clear}}

=== Game 4: at Pullman Thorns ===

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left:3em;"
|- style="text-align:center; background:#e6e6e6;"
!
!width="25"|1
!width="25"|2
!width="25"|3
!width="25"|4
<th style="width:25px;">Total</th>
|- style="text-align:center;"
|align="left"|'''Pros'''
|?||?||?||?||'''14'''
|- style="text-align:center;"
|align="left"|Thorns
|?||?||?||?||'''13'''
|}
''November 7, 1920, in Chicago, Illinois''
The Pros next challenged the Pullman Thorns, a non-APFA team. The Thorns were undefeated going into this game with a record of 3–0.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.profootballarchives.com/1920chipu.html | title=1920 Chicago Pullman Original Thorns | work=The Pro Football Archives | publisher=Maher Sports Media | access-date=December 9, 2012}}</ref> The scoring summary is unknown.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} For the Pros, [[Hank Gillo]] and [[Mace Roberts]] both scored rushing touchdowns; for the Thorns, LaForest had two rushing touchdowns. The Pros converted two extra points, while the Thorns only converted one. The final score of the game was a 14–13 victory for the Pros.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}
{{Clear}}

=== Game 5: at Gary Elks ===

{{Linescore Amfootball
|Road=Pros
|R1=6|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0
|Home='''Elks'''
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=7
}}
''November 14, 1920, at Gleason Field''

After a two-game winning streak, the Pros played the [[Gary Elks]], a non-APFA team, at [[Gleason Field]], with 2,000 people in attendance.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} The Elks game into the game with an undefeated 5–0–1 record.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.profootballarchives.com/1920gary.html | title=1920 Gary Elks | work=The Pro Football Archives | publisher=Maher Sports Media | access-date=December 9, 2012}}</ref> The Pros were the first team to score when Gilo had a 20-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter; the extra point was missed, however.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} The score would stay 6–0 until Smeltzer of the Elks caught a pass from Leverette in the fourth quarter. The extra point was made, and the final score of the game was a 7–6 loss for the Pros.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

=== Game 6: at Decatur Staleys ===

{{Linescore Amfootball
|Road=Pros
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=7|R4=0
|Home='''Staleys'''
|H1=7|H2=14|H3=0|H4=7
}}
''November 21, 1920, at Staley Field''

On November 21st, the Pros battled the Decatur Staleys in front of 3,000 fans.<ref name="archives">{{cite web | url=http://www.profootballarchives.com/1920apfaham.html | title=1920 Hammond Pros (APFA) | work=The Pro Football Archives | publisher=Maher Sports Media | access-date=November 4, 2012}}</ref> In the first quarter, Staley back [[Ralph Lanum]] scored a 23-yard rushing touchdown.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} This touchdown was Lanum's only score of the entire 1920 season.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.profootballarchives.com/lanu00200.html | title=Ralph Lanum) | work=The Pro Football Archives | publisher=Maher Sports Media | access-date=November 4, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202023422/http://www.profootballarchives.com/lanu00200.html | archive-date=December 2, 2014 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref> [[Ed Sternaman]] of the Staleys scored a 10-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter. Also, [[George Halas]] caught a 15-yard receiving touchdown from [[Jimmy Conzelman]] to have the game 21–0 going into halftime.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} In the third quarter, the Staleys did not score, but the Pros put points on the board. [[Wally Hess]] caught a 15-yard pass from [[Emmett Specht]] for a touchdown.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} In the final quarter, Halas scored a 26-yard receiving touchdown, and the game ended 28–7.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

=== Game 7: at Chicago Boosters ===

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left:3em;"
|- style="text-align:center; background:#e6e6e6;"
!
!width="25"|1
!width="25"|2
!width="25"|3
!width="25"|4
<th style="width:25px;">Total</th>
|- style="text-align:center;"
|align="left"|Pros
|0||0||0||0||'''0'''
|- style="text-align:center;"
|align="left"|'''Boosters'''
|?||?||?||?||27
|}

''November 25, 1920, at DePaul Field''

In their final game of the 1920 season, the Pros played the Chicago Boosters, a non-APFA team. The Boosters came into the game with an undefeated record of 3–0–4.<ref>[http://www.profootballarchives.com/1920chibo.html "1920 Chicago Boosters"]. The Pro Football Archives. Maher Sports Media. Retrieved December 8, 2012.</ref> The scoring summary is unknown, but four players of the Boosters—Annan, Bond, Reilly, Applehans—scored a touchdown. The final score of the game was a 27–0 loss for the Pros.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

== Post season ==
With a losing record, the Pros could not contend for the APFA Championship. After the season was over, the team hired [[Max Hicks (American football)|Max Hicks]] to be the coach for the following season.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/ham/1921.htm | title=1921 Hammond Pros | website=Pro-Football-Reference.com | publisher=Sports Reference | access-date=December 10, 2012}}</ref> The Pros' 1920 record of 2–5–2 would be their best outing until [[1924 Hammond Pros season|1924]]; the team folded two years later.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/ham/ | title=Hammond Pros Franchise Encyclopedia | website=Pro-Football-Reference.com | publisher=Sports Reference | access-date=December 10, 2012}}</ref> Sportswriter Bruce Copeland compiled the 1920 All Pro team, but no player made the list.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hogrogian |first=John |year=1984 |url=http://profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/06-01-173.pdf |title=1920 All-Pros |journal=[[The Coffin Corner]] |publisher=[[Professional Football Researchers Association]] |volume=6 |issue=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127052153/http://profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/06-01-173.pdf |archive-date=November 27, 2010 }}</ref> As of 2012, no players from the 1920 Hammond Pros were enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/alphabetical.aspx | title=Alphabetically | publisher=[[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] | access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref>

== Roster ==
{{col-start}}
{{col-break}}
* [[Mose Bashaw]] (Tackle)
* [[Tony Catalano]]
* Cole (End)
* [[Edward Davis (American football)|Edward Davis]] (Guard)
* [[Guil Falcon]]
* [[Hank Gillo]] (Fullback)
* [[Wilbur Henderson]]
{{col-break}}
* [[Wally Hess]]
* [[Max Hicks (American football)|Max Hicks]]
* [[Carol Johnson (American football)|Carol Johnson]] (Tackle)
* [[Dutch Kohl|George H. "Dutch" Kohl]] (Center)
* [[Klinks Meyers]] (End)
* Matthews (Halfback)
{{col-break}}
* Oldts (Guard)
* Pulaski (Halfback)
* [[Mace Roberts]] (Halfback)
* [[Emmett Specht]] (Halfback)
* Ward (Quarterback)
* Warren (Quarterback)
{{col-end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|35em}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book | last=Davis | first=Jeff | title=Papa Bear, The Life and Legacy of George Halas | publisher=McGraw-Hill | year=2005 | isbn=0-07-146054-3 | url=https://archive.org/details/papabear00jeff }}
* {{Cite journal|last=Maher |first=Tod |year=1993 |url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/15-03-520.pdf |title=In the Beginning |journal=[[The Coffin Corner]] |publisher=[[Professional Football Researchers Association]] |volume=15 |issue=3 |access-date=March 1, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428082301/http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/15-03-520.pdf |archive-date=April 28, 2012 }}
* {{Cite book | last=Peterson | first=Robert | year=1997 | title=Pigskin: The Early Years of Pro Football | publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] | isbn=0-19-507607-9 | url=https://archive.org/details/pigskinearlyyear00pete_0 }}
* {{Cite journal|author=PFRA Research |year=1980 |url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/02-08-038.pdf |title=Happy Birthday NFL? |journal=[[The Coffin Corner]] |publisher=[[Professional Football Researchers Association]] |volume=2 |issue=8 |access-date=October 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311103645/http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/02-08-038.pdf |archive-date=March 11, 2012 }}
* {{Cite book | last1=Siwoff | first1=Seymour | last2=Zimmber | first2=Jon | last3=Marini | first3=Matt | year=2010 | title=The Official NFL Record and Fact Book 2010 | publisher=[[National Football League]] | isbn=978-1-60320-833-8}}
* {{Cite book | last=Vecchione | first=Joseph | year=1992 | title=Book of Sports Legends | publisher=Simon and Schuster | isbn=978-0-671-76039-7 | url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671760397 }}

{{1920 APFA season by team}}
{{Hammond Pros seasons}}
{{good article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1920 Hammond Pros Season}}
[[Category:Hammond Pros seasons]]
[[Category:1920 APFA season by team|Hammond Pros]]
[[Category:1920 in sports in Indiana]]
[[Category:1920 APFA season]]

1920 Hammond Pros season - Revision history

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