Long before multimillion-dollar contracts and sold-out modern stadiums, the foundation of professional football was hammered out in an Ohio car showroom on August 20, 1920. That fateful gathering at Ralph Hay’s Canton Hupmobile dealership planted the seeds for the American Professional Football Conference—the direct forerunner to today’s NFL. From the grassroots origins of early charter franchises and landmark AFL preseason clashes to Dan Marino‘s groundbreaking 1991 mega-deal and Hall of Fame birthdays like rushing pioneer Beattie Feathers, August 20 stands as a foundational date in gridiron lore.
August 20 American Football History Timeline
- August 20, 1920 – The American Professional Football Conference is formed at the Canton Bulldogs owner Ralph Hay’s Humpmobile Showroom in Canton. This organization later became the APFA, changing from conference to association on September 17, 1920. Later, in 1922, it changed its name to the National Football League. Although more teams signed on September 17, 1920, the following franchises began operations with the APFC that day. The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s website credits the following teams with launching their APFA NFL franchises.
- August 20, 1920 – The Buffalo All-Americans/Bisons/Rangers – Bisons franchise formed from 1920 to 1929, but had no documented representation at the organizational meeting.
- August 20, 1920 – Rochester Jeffersons franchise formed. They were in the APFA/NFL from 1920 to 1925, but had no documented representation at the organizational meeting. We had another great podcast with Leo Lyons, the founder of the Rochester Jeffersons, and his great-grandson, John Steffenhagen, in 2021, who spoke to us about Leo Lyons and those Rochester Jeffersons.
- August 20, 1920 – The Hammond Pros franchise was granted. They existed from 1920 to 1926. Joe Ziemba, the great historian, chatted with us about the Hammond team in 2021, during our series on those early professional teams.
- August 20, 1920 – The Akron Pros were chartered and lasted from 1920 to 1926.
- August 20, 1920 – The Cleveland Tigers/Indians franchise formed and existed from 1920 to 1921.
- August 20, 1920 – The Canton Bulldogs franchise was granted an American Professional Football Association franchise.
- August 20, 1920 – The Dayton Triangles and their manager, Carl Stork, were in attendance at this famous August 20 meeting. In his book, The Man Who Built the National Football League, Chris Willis and Joe F. Carr say that only four of the franchises we just talked about were actually in Hay’s offices in the Hupmobile showroom on August 20. Besides Hay and his Bulldogs player, Jim Thorpe, Frank Need and partner Art Ronnie of the Akron pros, Cleveland Indians manager Jimmy O’Donnell with PR director Stanley Cofall, and Carl Stork, the manager of the Dayton Triangles, were in attendance. This preliminary meeting resulted in the formation of the American Professional Football Conference (APFC) to combat player poaching, soaring wage demands, and disorganized scheduling. As we said, less than a month later, on September 17, 1920, the APFA, the Association, and the rest of those great early teams showed up there, including George Halas, Leo Lyons, and some of the other great founders of the league, joining these other four teams.
- August 20, 1922 – The Toledo Maroons franchise formed, and they played from the 1922 to 1923 season.
- August 20, 1960 – The upstart American Football League continued its historic first preseason slate, showcasing new markets across the country. In Abilene, Texas, Lamar Hunt’s Dallas Texans took on the New York Titans. At the same time, the Denver Broncos traveled to face the Houston Oilers at Jeppesen Stadium, building fan momentum ahead of the AFL’s official inaugural regular-season kickoff in September. (BobGretz.com)
- August 20, 1991 – The Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino became the highest-paid NFL player when he signed a five-year extension worth a whopping $25 million. He surpassed Joe Montana, who led the NFL in salary before that. Now almost 30 years later, quarterbacks are making more than that in just one season.
August 20 Hall of Fame Birthdays
Happy Birthday to these outstanding gridiron icons! As we look forward to August 20, we celebrate a trio of College Football Hall of Famers featuring two Tennessee Volunteer legends and a quarterback who guided a historic franchise all the way to Super Bowl II.
Here is the list in order of birth:
- Beattie Feathers [1909] An electrifying, consensus All-American halfback for the University of Tennessee, “Big Chief” Feathers was so dominant in the early 1930s that Sports Illustrated retroactively deemed him the theoretical winner of the 1933 Heisman Trophy had the award existed. Enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955, he went on to make NFL history with the Chicago Bears in 1934 by becoming the very first player to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season, averaging an astonishing 8.44 yards per carry.
- Ed Molinski [1917] A fierce, two-time All-American guard for General Robert Neyland’s University of Tennessee powerhouse, “Big Ed” was a cornerstone in the trenches for the Vols’ 1938 national championship team. Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990, he helped lead the legendary 1939 Tennessee squad that accomplished the unfathomable feat of going completely unscored upon throughout the entire regular season.
- John Rauch [1927] A pioneering quarterback who started 45 consecutive games for the University of Georgia from 1945 to 1948, Rauch led the Bulldogs to an undefeated 1946 campaign and four straight bowl appearances. The 2003 College Football Hall of Fame inductee played three seasons in the NFL before transitioning to the sidelines, famously serving as head coach of the AFL champion Oakland Raiders and leading them to an appearance in Super Bowl II.
Conclusion
From the humble meeting of four pioneer teams in Canton to Dan Marino shattering financial records 71 years later, August 20 traces football’s meteoric growth. The legacies born on this date—whether in the trenches with national champions like Ed Molinski, on the sidelines of Super Bowl II with John Rauch, or in the record books with 1,000-yard rusher Beattie Feathers—showcase the evolution of the sport from a regional novelty into America’s premier pastime. As modern contracts and global audiences continue to reach unprecedented heights, the echoes of August 20 remind us of the visionary players, coaches, and organizers who built the game from the ground up.
