1920 APFA season

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Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Good article Template:Infobox NFL Template:APFA Team Map 1920

The 1920 APFA season was the inaugural season of the American Professional Football Association, direct lineal forerunner of the National Football League, reorganized as such in 1922. The Association included 14 teams from the Midwest and Northeast during its inaugural season. Team scheduled their own games, including contests against non-APFA opponents, with the champion to be determined by a vote of league owners rather than through raw winning percentage.

At the league meeting held on April 30, 1921, the Akron Pros were awarded the Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup as champions for the 1920 season, the only year the trophy was used.

History

First meeting

Prior to the APFA, there were several other loose, professional organizations; most of the APFA teams were from either the Ohio League or the New York Pro Football League. On August 20, 1920, a meeting attended by representatives of four Ohio League teams — Ralph Hay and Jim Thorpe for the Canton Bulldogs, Jimmy O'Donnell and Stan Cofall for the Cleveland Tigers, Carl Storck for the Dayton Triangles, and Frank Nied and Art Ranney for the Akron Pros — was held.[1] At this initial session held at Ralph Hay's office in Canton, Ohio, the club representatives tentatively agreed to call their new league the American Professional Football Conference (APFC), to introduce a salary cap for the teams, and not to sign college players nor players under contract with another team.[2][3] Plans were tentatively made by the four clubs to play one another "home and away,' creating a uniform six game schedule for each team.[4][5]

File:Hay Ralph.jpg
Ralph Hay, one of the founding league owners.

According to the Canton Evening Repository, the purpose of the league was to "raise the standard of professional football in every way possible, to eliminate bidding for players between rival clubs and to secure cooperation in the formation of schedules, at least for the bigger teams."[6] The representatives then contacted other major professional teams and invited them to a meeting for September 17.[7]

Organizational meeting

Word of the new organization spread. A second meeting including an expanded circle of interested teams was called to Canton on September 17, 1920, for the purpose of formal organization. Participants included the original four APFC clubs, as well as a fifth Ohio team, the Columbus Panhandles that had played together with these teams in what historians later dubbed the "Ohio League"; four teams from Illinois (the Chicago Cardinals and Chicago Tigers, Decatur Staleys, and Rock Island Independents); two from Indiana (the Hammond Pros and Muncie Flyers); two from New York (the Buffalo All-Americans and Rochester Jeffersons); and the Detroit Heralds from Michigan. These 14 founding teams determined to form a formal association known as the American Professional Football Association (APFA).

Jim Thorpe, player-coach of the Canton Bulldogs, was named the APFA's first president — more for the publicity associated with his famous name than for any particular administrative prowess.[8] A franchise admission fee of $100 was adopted — although George S. Halas, player-coach of the Chicago Staleys, later recalled that "I can testify that no money changed hands" between the 14 founding adopters.[8]

Writing in 1978, a team of gridiron historians noted that

"This new organization did not resemble a league as we would know it today, but was more like a professional association whose sole functions were membership and articulation of some general principles. Perhaps the best modern-day analogy would be a weak form of the NCAA. As can be imagined, the league office had no influence on anybody. It set no schedules, leaving each team to arrange its own slate."[8]

Since scheduling was left in the hands of each team, there were wide variations from club to club in the total number of games played, the number played against fellow association members, and the strength of opponents added to the schedule. Traditional local rivalries were maintained, regardless of affiliation.[8] For example, the Rochester Jeffersons played a schedule consisting mostly of local teams from their local sandlot circuit and the New York Professional Football League, playing but one game against an APFA opponent.

Indeed, of the 90 games played by APFA teams during the football season of 1920, 51 were against teams not affiliated with the APFA. No official standings were maintained by the association or published in the press, with later standings for the APFA teams assembled and published by football historians after the fact.[8] Because most APFA games played in 1920 matched teams from the same geographic area, fans in different regions had different opinions of who the league champion was — with the final determination to be made by a meeting of team owners held during the winter after completion of the season.[8]

Teams

The APFA had 14 teams that played during its inaugural season.

Team folded this season
Team Owner[9] Head coach[10] Stadium(s)[11]
Akron Pros Fred Nied,
Art Ranney
Elgie Tobin Akron League Park
Buffalo All-Americans Frank McNeil Tommy Hughitt Canisius Villa (7),
Buffalo Baseball Park (3)
Canton Bulldogs Ralph Hay Jim Thorpe Lakeside Park
Chicago Cardinals Chris O'Brien Paddy Driscoll Normal Park
Chicago Tigers Guil Falcon Guil Falcon Cubs Park
Cleveland Tigers Stan Cofall,
Jimmy O'Donnell
Stan Cofall (3 games),
Al Pierotti (5 games)
Dunn Field
Columbus Panhandles Joe Carr Ted Nesser Neil Park
Dayton Triangles Carl Storck Bud Talbott Triangle Park
Decatur Staleys A. E. Staley George Halas Staley Field
Detroit Heralds Detroit Herald newspaper Billy Marshall Navin Field
Hammond Pros Doc Young Hank Gillo Traveling team
Muncie Flyers Earl Ball,
Cooney Checkaye
Ken Huffine Traveling team
Rochester Jeffersons Leo Lyons Jack Forsyth Rochester Baseball Park
Rock Island Independents Walter Flanigan,
booster association
Rube Ursella Douglas Park

Season review

The regular-season schedule was not fixed but was created dynamically by each team as the season progressed. The first game involving an APFA team occurred on September 26, when the Rock Island Independents beat the St. Paul Ideals 48–0.

The first official game between APFA (NFL) members occurred on October 3, when the Dayton Triangles beat the Columbus Panhandles 14–0. The Triangles' Lou Partlow scored the league's first touchdown and George "Hobby" Kinderline kicked the first extra point. An historic marker placed by the Ohio Historical Society at Triangle Park in Dayton marks the location of that first ever game.[12]

The final game of the season was a 14–14 tie between the Chicago Cardinals and the non-league Chicago Stayms on December 19, 1920.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The Decatur Staleys and the Canton Bulldogs played the most games in the season (13), while the Muncie Flyers played the fewest (1).[13] The Buffalo All-Americans scored the most points all season (258), and the Akron Pros allowed the fewest points (7).[14]

Template:Multiple image

Key
Symbol Meaning
Highlighted APFA game
Template:Dagger Non-APFA team
(numbers in parentheses) Team's win–loss–tie record
September 26, 1920
Visitor Score Home Score Location
St. Paul IdealsTemplate:Dagger 0 Rock Island Independents (1–0–0) 48 Douglas Park
October 3, 1920
Wheeling StogiesTemplate:Dagger 0 Akron Pros (1–0–0) 43 Akron League Park
West BuffaloTemplate:Dagger 6 Buffalo All-Americans (1–0–0) 32 Canisius Field
Pitcairn QuakersTemplate:Dagger 0 Canton Bulldogs (1–0–0) 48 Lakeside Park
Columbus Panhandles (0–1–0) 0 Dayton Triangles (1–0–0) 14 Triangle Park
Moline Universal TractorsTemplate:Dagger 0 Decatur Staleys (1–0–0) 20 Staley Field
Muncie Flyers (0–1–0) 0 Rock Island Independents (2–0–0) 45 Douglas Park
All-BuffaloTemplate:Dagger 0 Rochester Jeffersons (1–0–0) 10 Rochester Baseball Park
October 10, 1920
Columbus Panhandles (0–2–0) 0 Akron Pros (2–0–0) 37 Akron League Park
All-BuffaloTemplate:Dagger 0 Buffalo All-Americans (2–0–0) 51 Canisius Field
Toledo MaroonsTemplate:Dagger 0 Canton Bulldogs (2–0–0) 42 Lakeside Park
Racine Cardinals (0–0–1) 0 Chicago Tigers (0–0–1) 0 Cubs Park
Cleveland Tigers (0–0–1) 0 Dayton Triangles (1–0–1) 0 Triangle Park
Kewanee WalworthsTemplate:Dagger 7 Decatur Staleys (2–0–0) 25 Staley Field
Cleveland PanthersTemplate:Dagger 14 Detroit Heralds (1–0–0) 40 Mack Park
Hammond Pros (0–1–0) 0 Rock Island Independents (3–0–0) 26 Douglas Park
Fort PorterTemplate:Dagger 0 Rochester Jeffersons (2–0–0) 66 Rochester Baseball Park
October 17, 1920
Cincinnati CeltsTemplate:Dagger 0 Akron Pros (3–0–0) 13 Akron League Park
McKeesport OlympicsTemplate:Dagger 7 Buffalo All-Americans (3–0–0) 28 Canisius Field
Cleveland Tigers (0–1–1) 0 Canton Bulldogs (3–0–0) 7 Lakeside Park
Moline Universal TractorsTemplate:Dagger 3 Racine Cardinals (1–0–1) 33 St. Rita's Field
Detroit Heralds (1–1–0) 0 Chicago Tigers (1–0–1) 12 Cubs Park
Columbus Panhandles (0–3–0) 0 Fort Wayne FriarsTemplate:Dagger 14 Fort Wayne League Park
Hammond Pros (0–2–0) 0 Dayton Triangles (2–0–1) 44 Triangle Park
Decatur Staleys (3–0–0) 7 Rock Island Independents (3–1–0) 0 Douglas Park
Utica Knights of ColumbusTemplate:Dagger 0 Rochester Jeffersons (2–0–1) 0 Rochester Baseball Park
October 24, 1920
Cleveland Tigers (0–2–1) 0 Akron Pros (4–0–0) 7 Akron League Park
Toledo MaroonsTemplate:Dagger 0 Buffalo All-Americans (4–0–0) 38 Canisius Field
Canton Bulldogs (3–0–1) 20 Dayton Triangles (2–0–2) 20 Triangle Park
Racine Cardinals (1–1–1) 0 Rock Island Independents (4–1–0) 7 Douglas Park
Decatur Staleys (4–0–0) 10 Chicago Tigers (1–1–1) 0 Cubs Park
Columbus Panhandles (0–4–0) 0 Detroit Heralds (2–1–0) 6 Mack Park
Syracuse StarsTemplate:Dagger 7 Rochester Jeffersons (3–0–1) 21 Rochester Baseball Park
October 31, 1920
Akron Pros (5–0–0) 10 Canton Bulldogs (3–1–1) 0 Lakeside Park
Rochester Jeffersons (3–1–1) 6 Buffalo All-Americans (5–0–0) 17 Canisius Field
Detroit Heralds (2–2–0) 0 Racine Cardinals (2–1–1) 21 Cubs Park
Chicago Tigers (1–2–1) 7 Rock Island Independents (5–1–0) 20 Douglas Park
Columbus Panhandles (0–5–0) 0 Cleveland Tigers (1–2–1) 7 Dunn Field
Cincinnati Celts Template:Dagger 7 Dayton Triangles (3–0–2) 23 Triangle Park
Decatur Staleys (5–0–0) 29 Rockford A.C.Template:Dagger 0 Kishwaukee Park
Hammond Pros (1–2–0) 14 Logan SquareTemplate:Dagger 9 Logan Square Park
November 7, 1920
All-Tonawanda LumberjacksTemplate:Dagger 0 Buffalo All-Americans (6–0–0) 35 Canisius Field
Canton Bulldogs (4–1–1) 18 Cleveland Tigers (1–3–1) 0 Dunn Field
Racine Cardinals (3–1–1) 6 Chicago Tigers (1–3–1) 3 Cubs Park
Columbus Panhandles (1–5–0) 10 Zanesville Mark GraysTemplate:Dagger 0 Zanesville, Ohio
Decatur Staleys (5–0–1) 0 Rock Island Independents (5–1–1) 0 Douglas Park
Hammond Pros (2–2–0) 14 Pullman ThornsTemplate:Dagger 13 Chicago, Illinois
Utica Knights of ColumbusTemplate:Dagger 7 Rochester Jeffersons (4–1–1) 27 Rochester Baseball Park
November 11, 1920
Decatur Staleys (6–0–1) 20 Champaign LegionTemplate:Dagger 0 Champaign, Illinois
Rock Island Independents (5–1–2) 7 Thorn TornadoesTemplate:Dagger 7 Monmouth, Illinois
November 14, 1920
Akron Pros (5–0–1) 7 Cleveland Tigers (1–3–2) 7 Dunn Field
Columbus Panhandles (1–6–0) 7 Buffalo All-Americans (7–0–0) 43 Canisius Field
Chicago Tigers (1–4–1) 0 Canton Bulldogs (5–1–1) 21 Lakeside Park
Cincinnati CeltsTemplate:Dagger 0 Racine Cardinals (4–1–1) 21 Chicago, Illinois
Dayton Triangles (4–0–2) 21 Rock Island Independents (5–2–2) 0 Douglas Park
Decatur Staleys (7–0–1) 3 Minneapolis MarinesTemplate:Dagger 0 Nicollet Park
Detroit Heralds (2–2–1) 0 Fort Wayne FriarsTemplate:Dagger 0 Fort Wayne League Park
Hammond Pros (2–3–0) 6 Gary ElksTemplate:Dagger 7 Gleason Field
All-Tonawanda LumberjacksTemplate:Dagger 6 Rochester Jeffersons (4–2–1) 0 Rochester Baseball Park
November 21, 1920
Dayton Triangles (4–1–2) 0 Akron Pros (6–0–1) 13 Akron League Park
Canton Bulldogs (6–1–1) 3 Buffalo All-Americans (7–1–0) 0 Canisius Field
Lansing OldsmobileTemplate:Dagger 0 Racine Cardinals (5–1–1) 14 Chicago, Illinois
Toledo MaroonsTemplate:Dagger 0 Cleveland Tigers (2–3–2) 14 Dunn Field
Columbus Panhandles (1–6–1) 0 Zanesville Mark GraysTemplate:Dagger 0 Zanesville, Ohio
Hammond Pros (2–4–0) 7 Decatur Staleys (8–0–1) 28 Staley Field
Rochester ScalpersTemplate:Dagger 0 Rochester Jeffersons (5–2–1) 16 Rochester Baseball Park
November 25, 1920
Canton Bulldogs (6–2–1) 0 Akron Pros (7–0–1) 7 Akron League Park
Decatur Staleys (9–0–1) 6 Chicago Tigers (1–5–1) 0 Chicago Cub Park
Columbus Panhandles (1–6–2) 0 Elyria AthleticsTemplate:Dagger 0 Lorain, Ohio
Detroit Heralds (2–3–1) 0 Dayton Triangles (5–1–2) 28 Triangle Park
Hammond Pros (2–5–0) 0 Chicago BoostersTemplate:Dagger 27 DePaul Field
All-Tonawanda LumberjacksTemplate:Dagger (2–1–0) 14 Rochester Jeffersons (5–3–1) 3 Rochester Baseball Park
November 28, 1920
Akron Pros (8–0–1) 14 Dayton Triangles (5–2–2) 0 Triangle Park
Cleveland Tigers (2–4–2) 0 Buffalo All-Americans (8–1–0) 7 Buffalo Baseball Park
Decatur Staleys (9–1–1) 6 Racine Cardinals (6–1–1) 7 Normal Park
Thorn TornadoesTemplate:Dagger 0 Chicago Tigers (2–5–1) 27 Cubs Park
Lansing OldsmobileTemplate:Dagger 0 Detroit Heralds (2–3–2) 0 Mack Park
Rochester ScalpersTemplate:Dagger 6 Rochester Jeffersons (6–3–1) 7 Rochester Baseball Park
Pittsburgh All-CollegiansTemplate:Dagger 7 Rock Island Independents (6–2–2) 48 Douglas Park
December 4, 1920
Canton Bulldogs (6–3–1) 3 Buffalo All-Americans (9–1–0) 7 New York Polo Grounds
December 5, 1920
Akron Pros (8–0–2) 0 Buffalo All-Americans (9–1–1) 0 Buffalo Baseball Park
Canton Bulldogs (6–3–2) 0 Washington Glee ClubTemplate:Dagger 0 New Haven, Connecticut
Racine Cardinals (6–2–1) 0 Decatur Staleys (10–1–1) 10 Cubs Park
Columbus Wagner PiratesTemplate:Dagger 0 Columbus Panhandles (2–6–2) 24 Neil Park
Detroit MaroonsTemplate:Dagger 7 Detroit Heralds (2–3–3) 7 Mack Park
Rochester ScalpersTemplate:Dagger 0 Rochester Jeffersons (6–3–2) 0 Exposition Park
December 11, 1920
Canton Bulldogs (6–4–2) 7 Union Club of PhoenixvilleTemplate:Dagger 13 Phillies Park
December 12, 1920
Akron Pros (8–0–3) 0 Decatur Staleys (10–1–2) 0 Cubs Park
December 18, 1920
Canton Bulldogs (7–4–2) 39 Richmond AthleticsTemplate:Dagger 0 Boulevard Field
December 19, 1920
Racine Cardinals (6–2–2) 14 Chicago StaymsTemplate:Dagger 14 Pyott Field

Final standings

Template:1920 APFA standings

Postseason and legacy

File:Akron pros celebrating.jpg
Several Akron Pros players celebrating their championship.

The Akron Pros ended the season as the only undefeated team in the Association. Despite this, two one-loss teams, the Decatur Staleys and Buffalo All-Americans, who both tied Akron that year, made cases for a co-championship.

As there was no playoff system in the APFA until 1932,[15] a meeting was held to determine the 1920 Champions.[16] Each team that showed up had a vote to determine the champions. Since the Akron Pros never lost a game, the Pros were awarded the Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup on April 30, 1921.[17] The trophy was a "silver loving cup", donated by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company.[18]

This decision, however, would arise with controversy. The Staleys and the All-Americans each stated that they should win the award because they had more wins and were not beaten by the Akron Pros.[16] Each player from the Pros was also awarded with a golden fob; this was in the shape of a football and inscribed with "1920", "WORLD CHAMPIONS", and each player's first initial and last name.[19]

The Pros did not officially celebrate their championship season until the following year. In October 1921, most of the team was invited to the Elks Club of Akron, which was labeled as "a grand homecoming celebration for the world's champions".[20] Fritz Pollard was congratulated during an Akron Merchants Association of Colored Business Men's meeting.[20]

The Pros were the first team in the history of the APFA to complete a non-modern "perfect season". Only four other teams have since accomplished this feat: the 1922 Canton Bulldogs at 10–0–2,[21] the 1923 Canton Bulldogs at 11–0–1,[22] the 1929 Green Bay Packers at 12–0–1,[23] and the 1972 Miami Dolphins at 17–0–0.[24] In 1972, the NFL changed the rules, so ties count as a half-win and a half-loss.[25]

Even though the Pros were given the trophy in 1920, the league lost track of the event, and for a long time published in its own record books that the 1920 championship was undecided.[26] It was not until the 1970s that the NFL discovered this early vote on awarding the Akron Pros the championship.[26]

Of the 14 teams that played in the APFA/NFL's inaugural season, the Chicago Cardinals, now the Arizona Cardinals, and the Decatur Staleys, now the Chicago Bears, are the only teams that remain in the league.[27]

Awards

All-Pro

Bruce Copeland, sportswriter for the Rock Island Argus, compiled an All-Pro list for 1920. He used the games played in Rock Island, other newspapers, and his own memory to determine the first-, second-, and third-team All-Pro list. Pro-Football-Reference.com uses this list as the official All-Pro list of 1920.[28] Twenty of the players were from Illinois and thirteen were from Ohio. The Rock Island Independents had the most players on the list (9), and Racine Cardinals had the least (1).[29]

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Hall of Fame

As of 2012, 10 players have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame who played in the 1920 APFA season. One non-player, Joseph Carr, the owner of the Columbus Panhandles in the 1920 season and league president from 1921 to 1939, was also elected to the Hall.


Name
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Team(s)
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Year
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Ref.
Carr, Joseph
Columbus Panhandles
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1963 [30]
Chamberlin, Guy
Decatur Staleys
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1964
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[31]
Conzelman, Jimmy
Decatur Staleys
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1964
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[32]
Driscoll, Paddy
Racine Cardinals
Decatur Staleys
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1965
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[33]
Guyon, Joe
Canton Bulldogs
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1966
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[34]
Halas, George
Decatur Staleys
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1963
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[35]
Healey, Ed
Rock Island Independents
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1964
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[36]
Henry, Pete
Canton Bulldogs
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1963
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[37]
Pollard, Fritz
Akron Pros
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2005
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[38]
Thorpe, Jim
Canton Bulldogs
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1963
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[39]
Trafton, George
Decatur Staleys
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1964
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[40]

References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

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  • Ziemba, Joe (1999). When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL. Chicago: Triumph Books. Template:ISBN.

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  2. PFRA Research (1980), pp. 3–4
  3. Siwoff, Zimmber & Marini (2010), pp. 352–353
  4. "Happy Birthday NFL?", by PFRA Research, The Coffin Corner, Vol. 2, No. 8 (August 1980)
  5. "NFL Announces Plans to Celebrate 100th Season", NFL.com, August 1, 2019
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  7. PFRA Research (1980), p. 1
  8. a b c d e f David S. Neft, Richard M. Cohen, Jordan A. Deutsch, with John G. Hogrogian, Pro Football: The Early Years: An Encyclopedic History, 1895–1959. Ridgefield, Ct: Sports Products Inc. Publishers, 1978; pp. 15–16.
  9. Craig R. Coenen, From Sandlots to the Superbowl: The National Football League, 1920–1967. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 2005; p. 13.
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  26. a b PFRA Research (n.d.), p. 1
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