Philadelphia Quakers

Who were the Philadelphia Quakers professional football team? Their history was shortlived but had a great coach, was filled with top players, and won a title in their only season of existence. Sound interesting? Well listen in on this tale of football triumph and demise.

We have chatted about a very prominent team of the mid-1920s more than a few times in other looks back at early professional history. The Philadelphia Quakers were quite a substantial gridiron team for sure. So just who were they and what is their football story?

The team was owned by a man named Leo S. Conway. Conway was connected with sports promotions around the Philly area as his name pops up in articles of boxing matches and golf tournaments in the early to mid-1920s. Conway had some history with pro football a few years earlier too. Historian Scott Fergusen-Greene shared with us in a conversation about the Union Club of Phoenixville gridiron history, that Conway along with Phoenixville player/coach Heine Miller proposed that the club sponsor a bigger better version of their top-notch 1920 team but the team declined, and chose to go a less expensive route as they shed high paid players after the 1920 season. Conway and Miller poached some of the top players of this pro football power in the Philadelphia suburbs and they formed the Union Quakers of Philadelphia in 1921. During their only season of operation, 1921, the club won the "Philadelphia City Championship" most at the team's home venue of the Baker Bowl.

Leo Conway obviously still had the bug to own and operate a pro football team despite the failure he experienced five years earlier. He wanted to give it another go as he believed in professional football. 

The Quaker's franchise was formed in 1926 to become a part of the Red Grange and C C Pyle new creation of the original American Football League or otherwise known as the “Grange League.” Unlike a majority of their league opponents, the Quakers had no financial connections with the league’s founders C. C. Pyle and Red Grange. It is not a hard stretch to imagine that Conway and C. C. Pyle had possibly known or dealt with each other in a past athletic promotion or two. Conway had secured a venue for his new team to play their home games in Sesquicentennial Stadium on Saturdays because of Pennsylvania’s Blue laws prohibiting work or business on Sundays. 

Conway hired on Coach Bob Folwell, who just a season prior was working with Dr. Harry March in starting up the New York Football Giants. Folwell had previous coaching experience at the collegiate level at both Navy and the University of Pennsylvania. His connection to Penn helped him bring former stars from the University with him to the pros. In fact, the moniker of Quakers was really appropriate as the majority of the team played their college football in Pennsylvania. Century Milstead was with Coach Folwell in New York. The Quakers were an experienced group as the roster had nine players including Milstead, Charlie Way, Butch Spagna, and Bull Behman, who had previously played for various National Football League teams.  George Tully and Al Kreuz rounded out a superior roster that figured to compete with any opponent.

Kruez goes Pro 03 Sep 1926, Fri New Britain Herald (New Britain, Connecticut) Newspapers.com

The combined experience gave the team an edge in the trenches, particularly on defense. It showed too as Philadelphia gave up only five points per game for the 1926 season. The addition of All-American Glenn Killinger merely added to the defensive stoutness as he intercepted four passes in his league debut on November 4, 1926, in a 24-0 victory over the Rock Island Independents.

The Quakers and Grange’s team the New York Yankees were definitely the creams of the crop in the AFL not only in talent and wins and losses but in crowd sizes as well. These two teams split their head-to-head matches during the regular season and would meet for a final showdown to see who would be the league champions on Thanksgiving weekend. Philadelphia had a 6-2 record entering the fray which was slightly better than New York’s 8-3 record so the Quakers would earn the home game. There were some 15,000 fans present at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park on November 27, 1926, to witness this game for all the marbles in the championship of the first American Football League in its first and only season. The Yankees crushed the Quakes 23-0 early in the season, but just a couple of days before Turkey Day Philadelphia returned the favor and won 13-10.

Folwell wanted to reinforce his backfield before this final game as he knew New York would key on Kreuz so he inked HB Doc Elliott, previously of Lafayette College and the Cleveland Panthers to help tote the load. It was probably fortunate that he did as Philadelphia lost Kreuz early in this third meeting with New York.

The Yankees had their own injury issues to star runners as Grange himself could not play due to a significant hip injury. FS64Sports.blogspot tells us of the early portion of the game:

“Five minutes into the first quarter, the Quakers took over at their 20-yard line following a punt into the end zone by New York’s Tryon. QB Johnny Scott ran for five yards and then Doc Elliott gained five more and a first down. Kreuz and Elliott had short carries that gained another five yards. Scott completed a pass and Philadelphia got a 25-yard boost thanks to a clipping penalty that put the ball on the New York 30. The Yankees stiffened, but the Quakers converted another third down thanks to some razzle-dazzle as wingback Adrian Ford lateraled to Scott who tossed the ball back, and a forward pass to end George Tully gained 17 yards. Three plays later, Scott passed to Ford, who ran for a touchdown, knocking over Tryon along the way. Bob Dinsmore drop-kicked the extra point that put the Quakers ahead by 7-0.”

The defense of the Quakers remained stout for most of the rest of the game until New York started throwing in the 4th stanza. The Yankees narrowed the Philly lead with a TD but missed the extra point. Philadelphia adjusted on defense against the passing game, booted a couple of field goals, and held on for the 13-6 victory.

Quakers Win AFL 28 Nov 1926, Sun The Brooklyn Citizen (Brooklyn, New York) Newspapers.com

Conway and his franchise had won and had great crowds all season but their heavy payroll was keeping them in the red. In fact, the whole league save the Yankees was in trouble, with many AFL teams having already folded. He decided to challenge the NFL’s champions, the nearby Frankford Yellow Jackets to an exhibition game. Frankford declined, probably in part because they hoped the Quakers would go under so as to eliminate local competition for crowds on the gridiron.

Though they couldn’t get the NFL champs to play they did get a middle-of-the-pack NFL squad in the New York Giants, Folwell’s former employer to play. This was the final chance for the Quakers to try and climb out of a hole with the last gasp to even exist further. However, this hope was lost when the Giants dominated the AFL club in a lopsided 31-0 route. It was the end of the AFL and the Quakers.

Several of the players for Philadelphia were recognized by All-Pro teams that were selected from both the NFL and AFL. Al Kreuz, George Tully, and Bull Behman were second-team choices by the Chicago Tribune. Century Milstead a third-team honoree, by Collier’s magazine. 

A Very Special thanks to information obtained from the following brilliant internet sites mentioned above including Newspapers.com. Pro-Football-Reference.com and FS64Sports.