Canton Bulldogs Part 2

The 1906 season for the Canton Bulldogs lives on in infamy as this scandal shook the professional football world.

When we last left off in our look at the chronicles of the Canton Bulldogs professional football team we found that owner George Williams and Captain Blondy Wallace were taking the Bolldogs into some very tumultuous waters of a win at all costs way of running the team prior to the 1906 season.
Rival neighboring town Massillon, was experiencing smashing success as their hired mercenaries like Bob Schilling were creating a winning tradition, and Ohio Championship titles. Massillon added fuel to the fire of this early blossonong pro football rivalry shortly after the Tigers handed Canton a devastating loss that in a way crowned Massillon as the top team in Ohio. A few days later according to a PFRA post in the Coffin Corner titled Ohio Tiger Trap, the Tigers supporters were accusing the Canton program suffering financial issues even having trouble paying their players from the past season through an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

George Williams retorted back in the press that the pay role and other obligations of the Canton club were being met and their financial stability was not in question. Many back in Canton figured this was a ploy by Massillon to discredit the Canton Athletic Club to cause trouble with their recruitment of players for the upcoming 1906 season. After all Tigers Coach Ed J. Stewart had connections to the Cleveland press and would be just the type of man that would spread a false rumor to gain an advantage.

Poor gate receipts in 1905 somewhat confirmed the financial woes of the Canton A.C. but local businessmen seemed more than willing to shoulder the financial burden of the team, at least for a short while.

Remember the era of football in 1906 was not good. Colleges were shutting down gridiron programs as opponents of the game for rallying for its demise after staggering injury and death tolls mounted and were being reported in all of the papers. The college rules makers ended up being summoned to the White House where President Theodore Roosevelt famously pleaded for reform to save the game. The old rules makers of the East were soon thrust into a situation of collaborating with other football minds across the country to reform and is essence tame football down a few notches.

Meanwhile back in Stark County Ohio football was about to get another black eye from the pro circuit.

Both the teams from Canton and Massillon dominated all opponents they faced that season, and it is extremely unfortunate that the two sides never could agree to a scheduled meeting of their teams on the field of play in 1906. All reports say that they both needed the game or even two games with each other to help climb out of the hole of heavy payrolls. Then it finally happened, the Canton Morning News of October 22 posted this:

"This agreement made the 20th day of October, 1906, by and between C.E. Wallace, Jr., of Canton, Ohio, party of the first part, and the Massillon Athletic club (otherwise known as the Tiger Football team), unincorporated association of Massillon, Ohio, party of the second... That the parties hereto agree that their regularly organized football teams shall play two games of football with each other ... and shall share equally the gate receipts."

It was game on, and more conscessions were made to ensure that the Canton versus Latrobe game would be played and not interfered with prior to the two scheduled Massillon vs. Canton games were played in November. Also each team would post $3000 in guarantee money that they would each show up for the scheduled contests.

Blondy Wallace took his team to State College Pennsylvania to prepare for the games and even got some additional instruction from Penn States head Coach Tom Fennell on the use of the forward pass, including practice drills. Massillon stayed at home and prepared diligently themselves. This was a big game and both sides appeared to be ready tangle. Even the press coverage was unprecedented as it was reported that the Bell Telephone company had hired extra men stationed at strategic places to wire developements of the game all around the country via telegraph. The first game lived up the all the hype as Canton won 10-5 with Massillon's only points coming from a Tiny Maxwell scoop and score of a Canton A.C. fumble. The second game would commence a week later.

Ed Stweart pronounced that he would play with the same men that had lost to Canton the week before despite rumors that the Tigers were recruting Willie Heston and Walter Eckersoll, two of the top players of the era. Stewart did however produce a ball manufatured by Victor that he wanted used in the game. Canton complained and wanted to use the ball used normally in games made by Spalding. Stwewart would not come off of the use of the Victor ball and so the choice was presented to Blondy Wallace; either forfiet the game and the $3000 posted as a guarantee or play the game with the Victor ball. Stewart had set his trap and the Victor ball was at the heart of his strategy for game two. You see the Victor was a few ounces lighter than the Spalding model. He swapped Peggy Parratt to an end and shifted Homer Davidson to quarterback. it wasn't that Davidson was a better signal caller or even a passer but for the mere fact that he was a better punter than Parratt.

The combination of the lighter ball and Davidson's catapult leg proved to make a difference as he sailed six punts over the head of the Canton Safety Jack Hayden. Canton tried to counter by punting on first down but it was fruitless as Davidson had a much stronger leg than anyone on the Bulldog roster and thus Massillon gained field psotion everytime on this exchange. The other new strategy for Massillon in game two was that their offense attacked the edges instead of the middle like they did in game one. These tactics finally worked as the Tigers scored a first half touchdown to lead 5-0 at the half.

Canton made their halftime adjustments and raced down the field with the help of a rare completed pass and scored a TD with a successful extra point to take a 6-5 lead. Massillon again took control of the ball on a drive that went deep into Canton territory, but lost a fumble near the goal line. As was customary in this era when a team was in the shadow of their own goal line, Canton wanted to punt themselves out of trouble. A powerful rush by Massillon on the play though knocked one of the Bulldogs tackles into the path of the ball and the kick careened off of him back through the goal line for a safety, Massillon took the lead back 7-6. This was the breaking point for Canton, they gave up another Tiger touchdown and lost the State Title to Massillon by the tune of 13-6.

Of course as the case in most big ball games there were some high stake wagers won and lost on the contest. Tensions were high and there were even some altercations broke up by the police that evening at some local watering holes. The big fight though would start a couple of days later on Monday morning when in the Massillon Independent newspaper it was reported that Ed Stewart charged that Blondy Wallace and others tried to bribe some of Massillon's players to throw the contest. When their attempts failed, it is speculated by many that Wallace instructed a few of his own players to throw the game and let Massillon win so as to capitalize on some lucrative bets they made on a Tigers victory. Distonguished historian, Dr. Harry March in his book titled; Pro Football: Its "Ups" and "Downs", wrote this:

"After the second game, the Massillon Independent openly accused Wallace of trying to frame the games with the Massillon players and failing in this, had persuaded one Canton player to deliberately cross up his fellows and throw the game. When accused by his team-mates this player said he had simply obeyed orders as he was accustomed to do. At any rate he left town hurriedly, on the first train, in his playing togs -- his belongings following later -- maybe. Wallace sued the Massillon paper for libel but they had the evidence and the case was soon withdrawn, his own attorneys admitting the hopelessness of their contention."

Dr,. March would know too as he was there in Canton and involved with the football team of the Canton A.C. before he went on to help make the New York Giants franchise a viable franchise in the 1920s. March recalled that End Eddie Wood left town in a hurry when it was learned that Wallace was the one convinced to do the deeds that would ensure a Massillon victory at the orders of Blondy Wallace, while other members of the bulldogs were unaware of the treachory. Wallace was grilled by a mob of fans , but the cool and calm Wallace easily explained away all of the suspicious matters including the use of Wood at end instead of the reliable Gilchrist who as injured. The fans left seemingly satisfied with Blondy's explanations.

What the throng of accusing fans had forgotten was that Stewart said that a few of his players had been approached to throw the game, and not the other way around. Reports soon surfaced that Walter East had approached Bob Shiring and Tiny Maxwell and both Massillon players immediately reported the incident. This incident however took place in the first game and was reported to have been nipped in the bud. This now explains better why Walter East may have been released by the club after having such a banner season.

The scandalous rumors ended up causing only a small crowd to show up for the previously scheduled Latrobe at Canton game. The Bulldogs lost the gate money they so despeately needed. Blondy Wallace was broke and in an effort to climb out of the hole he filed law suits for libel against the Massillon newspaper, Stewart and others to the tune of $25,000.

The Bulldog players had not been paid and many were stuck in Canton without funds to return home. Many of the Massillon eleven went to Canton and helped put on a third benefit bowl to raise needed funding for these players but only about 500 fans showed up.

The game is forever shrowded in deceit as members of both teams became embroiled in a bitter alleged betting scandal. 
There were off field events that took place in newspaper accusations, subpeonas and bar room brawls over this.

This scandal so shocked the town of Massillon that the franchise did not play a game for years. The Canton team re-surfaced after a few years of obscurity in the semi-pro ranks in 1912 with the help of a young man that watched the Tigers/Bullldogs games growing up, Jack Cusack. 

The banner photo is of The Canton Bulldogs team. (Back L-R) Jack Ernst, Clark Schrontz, Tom Thorpe, Dave Cure, Blondy Wallace, Ed Murphy, "Bullet" Riley and Townsend (Front L-R) Sheldon, Jack Lang, Reemsnyder, Vince Stevenson, "Pop" Sweet and Paul Steinberg. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons and taken by an unknown author.

A Very Special thanks to information obtained from the following brilliant internet sites: ProFootballHof.com, PFRA.org and their Coffin COrner Magazine, OhioeHistoryCenteral.org, the Sports Reference's family of website databases & Stathead.com