Football at the turn of the century had become so popular at the collegiate level that many towns across the country had clubs pop up that fielded teams. The players that once took the field for their school had graduated and were working men now, but the taste of football was still in their mouths, they still wanted to play the game. These local club teams were an avenue during that era to hit the gridiron once more. Many midwestern towns really supported their teams so heavily that the competitive levels rose, and to gain advantage of gtting the best talent teams like the Allegheny Athletic Club started paying players like Pudge Heffelfinger to join then on the field. This practice spread like wild fire and soon groups like the teams from Ohio, Illinois and New York sprung up where pro and semi-pro teams mixed up each autumn to see who was the best. The Ohio League was at the very heart of a new American Professional Football Association (APFA) which a few years later would rebrand themselves as the NFL. Of the 14 teams in the inaugural 1920 season of the APFA there is only one that still carries the original nickname in the NFL today that they started with, the Chicago Cardinals, and even they are two cities removed from calling the Windy City their home. However these teams along with others that came in later formidable seasons of early professional football helped set the stage for what we enjoy on the gridiron today. It is our hope to carry on the memories of these long lost teams of yesteryear and their stories and people to help preserve gridiron history. So to honor and remember we present to you our series on early pro football teams...
❦ Football History, Early Pro Football Teams « Rochester Jeffersons
The Rochester Jeffersons & How Leo Lyons Made Them One of the NFL's Original Teams - Rochester Jeffersons
❦ Football History, Early Pro Football Teams « Portsmouth Spartans
Were the Portsmouth Spartans Served Some Raw Deals? - Portsmouth Spartans
