Detroit Heralds

Remembering another one of the original 14 APFA teams is on the docket today as we study the brief story of the Detroit Heralds football franchise.

Detroit had four teams playing at the hight level of professional football before the Lions franchise. The first of these, the Detroit Heralds, were one of the 14 original APFA/NFL teams that set the League on its way to becoming wha it is today. The story of the Heralds though a brief one, started in 1905 at the University of Detroit. 1905 was one of a handful of traumatic years for early football as the brutal play of the game was suspect to the many severe injuries and even some deaths. This caused a strain on some institutions both financially and in the public perception of the colleges. The University of Detroit fell under this category and the powers that be there decided it would be best to discontinue the sport before the 1905 season. A few of the displaced players at the school, led by Bill Marshall, organized the Heralds as an amatuer team so that they could continue playing the game they so loved. Marshall not only played but also acted as the team's coach and was in that position for many years to come. The new gridiron group had a deep connection to the University even sported the school's colors of red and white. This relationship somewhat faded when the school restarted their football program in 1906, but the Heralds continued on.

 The connection of the two Motor City teams seperated even further when in 1911 the Heralds became a semi-professional teams and moved away from playing games on campus. Revenue to put a little cash into the players pockets was obtained by charging admission to the games. Eventually in 1916 out of town players were placed on the roster to help them compete and to fill the vacancies left by some of the older fellas, some even original to the 1905 team. With Marshall now relinquishing his playing status to focus on coaching and running the franchise the Detroit eleven scheduled many games against the mythical "Ohio League" teams. They competed well with those powerhouses too sporting an 8-2 record in 1917. The Heralds were one of the few teams to not suffer disruption during World War I and through the following Spanish Flu pandemic. They went 6-2 in 1918, with their only losses coming at the hands of the Dayton Triangles, whom many consider the top pro team of that year.

The season of 1919 saw War and Epidemic travel restriction relax a bit so that the Detroit team could play a little further from home. Games against Massillon and Canton proved to be rugged as the Heralds finished up with a 2-4-2 record on the season. Author and Historian Chris Willis, in his great book, The Man Who Built the National Football League: Joe F. Carr , says that on September 17, 1920 representatives of the Dayton Triangles, Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Decatur Staleys, Hammond Pros, Massillon Tigers, Chicago Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Muncie Flyers, Rock Island Independents and Rochester Jeffersons attended a meeting in Canton to organize as the Aemerican Professional Football Association. The league would pick up the Buffalo All-Americans, Columbus Panhandles,and the Chicago Tigers prior to the start of games being played. The Detroit Heralds were also invited but it is a bit unclear if they ever officially joined the APFA,  however they are listed in league standings for the season. The Heralds ended up posting only a 1-3 record, as some very poor weather eliminated their November schedule entirely, spiralling the franchise into a financial tailspin.

After some reorganization and re-branding the club started the 1921 season in the League as the Detroit Tigers, trying to ride the coat tails of the popular pro baseball team of the city. Again poor success bread financial disaster and the Tigers abruptly halted play in early November. The roster was soon there after handed to the Buffalo All-Americans. The story of that team we will reserve until our next episode when we talk about the All-Americans with historian Ken Crippen.

The pictures above are from the Wikimedia Commons' collection and is a photos some 1884 teams taken by unknown photographers.