The NFL: Professional
Football Organized
The National Football League (NFL) was
conceived in August 1920. The first meeting was held at Ralph Hay's Hupmobile auto
dealership on Tuscarawas Street in Canton, Ohio. Five professional football teams were
represented that day. These early pioneers were Frank Neid of the Akron Pros, Ralph Hays
of the Canton Bulldogs, Joe Carr (who would serve as league president from 1921-39) of the
Columbus Panhandles, Leo Lyons of the Rochester (New York) Jeffersons, and Carl Storck of
the Dayton Triangles. They set a franchise fee of
$25. This new football association was a very loose organization. The group chose no
president and set no by-laws or standard rules of play. Individual teams still set their
own schedules.
On August 20, 1920, an organizational
meeting was held in Canton, with representatives from Akron, Canton, and the Cleveland
Indians (not associated with the current Cleveland Indians Baseball organization)
attending. This meeting formed the American Professional Football Conference.
Editor's Note: In this first meeting August
20, 1920, included Canton (Ralph Hay and Jim Thorpe), Cleveland (Jimmy O'Donnell and Stan
Cofall) Akron (Frank Nied and Art Ranney) and Dayton (Carl Storck). Rochester (Leo
Lyons) was there by written "letter" only and was "probably" included
as "in attendance".
In light of the fact that they were present
at the next meeting in September, Hammond (Doc Young) and Buffalo (probably Frank
McNeil) had also sent letters and "may" have been included as in attendance.
Doc Young also was present at the second
meeting. It is also possible that these teams had "initially" sent those letters
to Ralph Hay requesting games with the Canton Bulldogs for the upcoming season.
It was also anticipated that steel magnate
F.J. Griffiths would arrive at the first meeting with plans to restart the Massillon
Tigers, but he turned into a no show and no financial backer was ever found to restart the
team. (1)
( For
the full story about this August 20, 1920 meeting.)
Another organizational meeting was held on
September 17, 1920. This meeting also took place in Ralph Hay's showroom. Because there
were not enough chairs, some team representatives sat on automobile running boards. The
name of the new league was changed to the American Professional Football Association
(A.P.F.A.) and league by-laws were adopted. Hoping to capitalize on the fame of Jim
Thorpe, the representatives unanimously elected him the new league's figurehead president.
Also at this meeting, a membership fee of $ 100 per team was established. No charter team
ever paid it.
Representatives from professional football
teams of four states met that day; the Racine Cardinals (named after the
Racine Street neighborhood in Chicago, now the Arizona Cardinals), the Decatur
Staleys (now the Chicago Bears)
Editor's Note: The Decatur Staleys moved to
Chicago in 1921
with the financial backing of Staley himself, under the guidance of George Halas and his
partner Dutch Sternaman. They retained the name Chicago Staleys for one season as per
Staley's request and were renamed the Bears in 1922. (2) and Rock Island Independents from
Illinois; the Hammond Pros and Muncie Flyers from Indiana; Rochester from New York; and
Ohio teams from Akron, Canton, Cleveland, and Dayton. These owners traveled extensively
and living out of suitcases in Dayton and in hotels in
Chicago.
Carl Storck attended these meetings for the
Dayton Triangles.
On September 26, the first game featuring
an APFA team was played at Rock Island's Douglas Park. A crowd of 800 watched the Rock
Island Independents (APFA) defeat the St. Paul Ideals 48-0.
After the charter APFA meeting, the
Columbus Panhandles joined the league. The first game matching two APFA teams was held in
Dayton, Ohio on October 3, 1920, at Triangle Park. Dayton defeated Columbus 14-0. Dayton's
Lou Partlow scored the first touchdown in a game
between APFA teams, and the second was scored by the Triangles' Francis Bacon. "Hobby" Kinderdine kicked the new
league's first and second extra points.
Lou Partlow had an interesting method of
training for the football season. All summer long he would run through the heavily wooded
country along the Miami River near his home in West Carrollton, Ohio. He learned to dodge
oncoming tacklers by running between the trees. Occasionally, just to get tough, he would
run into a tree at full speed to develop his shoulder blocking. Later in his football
career teammates would recall Partlow as an outstanding fullback, but one who always had
difficulty remembering the called plays. A fellow running back would have to tell Partlow,
right before the snap of the ball, where he was to run.
The high point of the Triangles' 1920
season was a 20-20 tie at Triangle Park with the Canton Bulldogs. No other team had been
able to score three touchdowns on the Bulldogs since 1915. In the third quarter, Thorpe
narrowed the score to 20-17 with a 45-yard dropkick. Then, in the final minutes, he zeroed
in on a 35-yard placekick that tied the score. (3)
Six games into the season, the Triangles
remained undefeated, with a 4-0-2 record and a non-league victory over Cincinnati, but in
the final three games lost twice to eventual league champion Akron, ending 1920 with a
5-2-2 season record (4-2-2 league record).
At the next league meeting in Akron on
April 30, 1921, Joe Carr, manager of the Columbus Panhandles, was named president and Carl
Storck of Dayton was named secretary treasurer. Carr moved the league's headquarters to
Columbus, where it remained until 1941. Carl Storck handled his league duties from Dayton.
In 1921, the Triangles finished with a
4-4-1 record, and Frank Hinkey, of "flying wedge" fame, came in to aid with
coaching duties.
to continue this story
(1) quoted from Bob Carroll of the PFRA and
Rob Jackson
(2) quoted from Rob Jackson
(3) quoted from Bob Carroll of the PFRA
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