APFA

The APFA was the orignal group of professional football teams that gathered as a result of the meeting in Canton, Ohio on September 17, 1920 in Ralph Hay's Hupmobile Auto Showroom. This core group along with some add-ons made the Association which in just two years time would change their name to the NFL, and change the face of football forever. Please enjoy our collection of information on the APFA and its original member teams

Do you like learning about older professional teams from yesteryear? Perhaps a stroll through these FAQ's will entertain your football brain.

-Who was the first professional football player? Pudge Heffelfinger is documented to have been paid $500 by the Allegheny Athletic Association in 1892. Learn more about it in this post: Pudge Gets Paid

-When did the first fullly professional team first take the field? The 1897 Latrobe Athletic Association 1897  team was the first to play a full season, but the first fully paid team to play a single game occurred a year earlier in 1896 when the Allegheny Athletic Association paid their entire roster for two games, AAA Pioneers of Pro Football 1896. 

-What is the most famous professional team that was not an NFL franchise? There are a number to pick from if you count rival leagues to the National Football League, but when only focusing on independent early teams the Massillon Tigers are a candidate.

-What is the best professional football team of All-Time? Statistics show that the 1903 Franklin All-Stars from Franklin, Pennsylvania out perform any team in history, learn more about them here: 1903 Franklin All-Stars.

• APFA Chapter 01
• Guide to the original 14 APFA Teams presented by The Football History Dude‣
• APFA Chapter 04
• Canton Bulldogs Part 4 presented by Pigskin Dispatch‣
• APFA Chapter 05
• From Racine Street to the Desert
• A Look Back at the Chicago Cardinals‣
• APFA Chapter 13
• Muncie Flyers Coffin Corner Article of PFRA‣
• Muncie Flyers presented by Pigskin Dispatch‣
• APFA Chapter 14
• Rochester Jeffersons website‣