Football History

Born May 30, 1915, in Conneaut, Ohio, was Yale’s great end from 1934 through the 1936 season, Larry Kelley. Kelley has been described by more than one reference as a very crafty and innovative player.

The FootballFoundation.org even gives an example from journalist Allison Danzig of the New York Times who called Larry a "genius who gets the touchdown regardless of the odds." One of the examples Danzig could be referring to is in a 1934 contest against Princeton, where Kelley caught a pass, ran 30 yards and was trapped by two defenders at the goal line.

He rammed between them and scored for a 7-0 Yale victory. Lightning struck twice as in the 1936 Yale versus Princeton matchup the Elis were down by a score of 16-0 but they rallied to win 26-23. Kelley gave a straight-arm to a defender and subsequently bull rushed his way to a critical touchdown. In total he played against Yale rivals Harvard and Princeton 6 times, scored a TD in each of the contests and Yale lost only once. Kelley indeed made a difference, he was that good. Good enough that in 1936 he won the Heisman Trophy, the second year of the award and the first time it was called the Heisman. The National Football Foundation selected Larry Kelley for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1969.

Clyde "Bulldog" Turner wasn't just a nickname; it embodied the tenacious spirit that fueled a remarkable football career spanning college and professional ranks. This essay explores Turner's journey, from his unlikely rise to college stardom to his anchor role in the Chicago Bears' championship dynasty.

From Unassuming Beginnings to College All-American (1936-1939):

Turner's path to gridiron glory wasn't paved with early accolades. Enrolling at Hardin-Simmons University in 1936, he arrived as a scrawny 17-year-old with no prior football experience. However, fueled by unwavering determination, Turner transformed himself into a force to be reckoned with. He gained weight, honed his skills, and by his senior year, established himself as a dominant center and linebacker for the Hardin-Simmons Cowboys. Turner's leadership and all-around play earned him recognition as a Little All-American in 1939, a remarkable feat for a player from a small college.

Breaking Barriers: A Small-College Star in the Big Leagues (1940):

In an era when professional football scouting was in its infancy, Turner's talent caught the eye of a Chicago Bears scout. This twist of fate presented a unique opportunity. In 1940, Turner became the first player from a "small college" to be drafted in the first round by an NFL team. This selection wasn't just about talent; it was a testament to Turner's relentless work ethic and his ability to excel against all odds.

The Anchor of a Dynasty: Championships and Accolades (1940-1952):

Turner's arrival in Chicago coincided with the dawn of a glorious era for the Bears. His intelligence, leadership, and versatility made him an instant asset. He excelled as both a flawless ball-snapper on offense and a dominant linebacker on defense, earning the reputation as one of the smartest players in the league. In a remarkable display of defensive prowess, Turner even led the NFL with eight interceptions in 1942. His contributions were instrumental in the Bears' championship victories in 1940, 1941, 1943, and 1946. He also played a vital role in the team's success in five NFL title games throughout his career.

Beyond Championships: A Legacy of Leadership and Respect (1940-1962):

-Turner's impact extended far beyond his impressive statistics and championship rings.

-He was a respected leader on and off the field.

-His intelligence and understanding of the game earned him the admiration of coaches and teammates alike. His career spanned 13 seasons, an impressive feat considering the grueling nature of the game in that era. Turner even transitioned into a player-coach role in 1952, demonstrating his dedication to the sport and his desire to share his knowledge with the next generation of players.

A Football Icon: Hall of Fame Recognition and Enduring Legacy:

Following his retirement in 1952, Turner continued his involvement with football as an assistant coach for the Bears. His contributions to the sport weren't forgotten. In 1966, he received the ultimate recognition – induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Clyde "Bulldog" Turner's story represents the triumph of determination and hard work. He defied expectations, broke barriers, and anchored a championship dynasty. More importantly, he earned respect for his leadership, intelligence, and unwavering dedication to the game. His legacy continues to inspire athletes and football fans alike.

LaDainian Tomlinson was a scoring machine who carved his name into the history books of American football. Drafted fifth overall by the San Diego Chargers in 2001, Tomlinson quickly became a fan favorite, earning the nickname "LT." His electrifying running style, powerful cuts, and knack for finding the end zone made him a nightmare for opposing defenses.

During his nine seasons with the Chargers, Tomlinson amassed a collection of accolades. He was a five-time Pro Bowler, a three-time first-team All-Pro, and won two consecutive rushing titles in 2006 and 2007. However, it was in 2006 that he truly shone. Tomlinson not only shattered the NFL record for most touchdowns in a single season, reaching a staggering 31, but also won the coveted NFL Most Valuable Player award, cementing his status among the league's elite.

Tomlinson was not just a rushing powerhouse, but a versatile weapon on the field. He could catch passes out of the backfield, adding another layer to his offensive threat. This well-rounded skillset allowed him to amass over 18,000 yards from scrimmage, placing him among the all-time greats.

While his later years saw him move on to the New York Jets, his impact on the San Diego Chargers remained undeniable. He holds numerous franchise records, including most rushing yards and touchdowns. In 2017, his contributions were rightfully recognized with an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

LaDainian Tomlinson's legacy goes beyond statistics. He was a dominant force on the field, an electrifying player to watch, and a key figure in the San Diego Chargers' history. His name will forever be synonymous with excellence in the running back position.

Tim Brown wasn't just a wide receiver; he was a force of nature on the gridiron. His 17-year career, primarily spent with the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, solidified him as one of the most electrifying and versatile players in NFL history. Brown's journey, from Heisman Trophy winner to Hall of Famer, is a testament to his relentless work ethic, blazing speed, and exceptional hands.

Brown's brilliance manifested early. At Notre Dame, he shattered receiving records and became the first wide receiver to win the coveted Heisman Trophy in 1987. Drafted by the Raiders in 1988, he immediately made a splash, leading the league in kickoff return yards – a glimpse into his multifaceted skillset.

While Brown established himself as a dominant return specialist, his true magic unfolded as a receiver. Teaming up with legends like Jay Schroeder and Jeff Hostetler, Brown stretched defenses thin with his unparalleled speed. His route-running was precise, his hands sure, and his ability to create separation from defenders was unmatched. In 1997, he reached the pinnacle, leading the NFL in receptions and earning All-Pro recognition. Brown's consistency was remarkable. He strung together nine consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons, a feat highlighting his longevity and dominance.

Beyond his individual accolades, Brown was a key component of the Raiders' success. He played a vital role in their Super Bowl XXXVII appearance in 2003. Brown's impact extended beyond the Raiders; his one-year stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004 showcased his enduring talent.

Brown's retirement in 2004 left a void in the NFL. At the time, he ranked second in career receiving yards and third in receptions, a testament to his offensive prowess. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015, a well-deserved recognition of his all-around excellence.

Tim Brown's legacy extends beyond statistics. He revolutionized the wide receiver position, showcasing the immense value of speed and agility. His electrifying presence on the field captivated fans and his dedication to the game continues to inspire aspiring athletes. Brown's story is one of relentless pursuit of excellence, leaving an indelible mark on the NFL and securing his place among the sport's all-time greats.

July 10, 1926 - The Brooklyn Lions franchise formed in the NFL. The article talks of Brooklyn Lions President and Manager Eddie Butler signing up players to his recently founded Lions team. The team was put together there with support from the League offices so as to counter the first AFL’s deployment of their team the Brooklyn Horsemen. According to Wikipedia in the months before the regular season began, both leagues battled with each other for fan support and the right to play at Ebbets Field. The NFL emerged as the winner, as the Lions signed the lease to use the stadium on July 20. On November 12, 1926, the Horsemen withdrew from the AFL and merged with Lions. The new team created by the merger was initially called the Brooklyn Lions and competed in the NFL from November 22, 1926. The team used the Horsemen name for the last three games of 1926 to finish the season. After three consecutive losses, the Lions/Horsemen disbanded their franchise.

Born June 20, 1935, in Alliance, Ohio, was Pro Football Hall of Fame Quarterback Len Dawson. He played college football at Purdue.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame states that Dawson is among the elite in Pro quarterbacks with an 82.56 QB rating over a span of 19 seasons in the NFL.

He was the top pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1957's NFL Draft. He served as a backup there and, later, in Cleveland until in 1962, he found his way onto the AFL's Dallas Texans roster. After the move to Kansas City and rebranding the team as the Chiefs, Dawson cemented himself as the starter.

He was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1962 and was selected to play six AFL All-Star games. Dawson also guided the Chiefs to three AFL championships and the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl IV, of which he was named MVP. The Chiefs revered Number 16 may be best remembered for his gritty performance as he led Kansas City to a 23-7 upset over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV. In that game, Dawson connected on 12 of 17 passes for 142 yards.

Born December 29, 1936 - Ray Nitschke the feared middle linebacker of the Green Bay Packers was born. Ray was the third overall pick in the 1958 NFL Draft by the Packers and he played with the team for 15 seasons according to his bio on the Pro Football HOF.

Nitschke defended both the run and the pass well as his 25 career interceptions would indicate. Ray was a member of 5 champion Green Bay teams and was the MVP of the 1962 NFL Championship game. The Pro Football Hall of Fame placed Ray Nitschke in a gold jacket in 1978.

-College Career

Ray Nitschke's collegiate football career was marked by his time at the University of Illinois. While not a standout star, he displayed a relentless work ethic and a tenacious playing style that would define his professional career. Nitschke's college experience laid the foundation for his future success, instilling in him the discipline and determination necessary to excel at the highest level of the sport.  

-Road to the Pro Game

Selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 1958 NFL Draft, Ray Nitschke would go on to become one of the greatest linebackers in NFL history. Initially a backup, he quickly rose through the ranks to become a cornerstone of Vince Lombardi's legendary Packers defense. Nitschke's career was synonymous with toughness, relentless pursuit, and a ferocious playing style. He was the heart and soul of the Packers' dominant teams of the 1960s, contributing significantly to five NFL championships and the first two Super Bowl victories.  

Nitschke's impact extended beyond his statistics. He was a vocal leader, inspiring his teammates with his unwavering dedication and work ethic. His ability to consistently deliver bone-jarring tackles and make crucial plays in big games earned him the respect of opponents and fans alike.  

-Football Legacy

Ray Nitschke's legacy is etched in the annals of NFL history as one of the game's most ferocious and respected defenders. His impact on the Green Bay Packers and the sport as a whole is immeasurable. Nitschke's relentless pursuit of excellence, coupled with his unwavering toughness, became the blueprint for generations of linebackers.

Beyond his on-field accomplishments, Nitschke's character and leadership qualities made him a role model for aspiring football players. His induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978 was a fitting recognition of his extraordinary career. Ray Nitschke will forever be remembered as one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Kenny Washington was Born on August 31, 1918, in Los Angeles, California. He was a tailback from UCLA. Washington has the distinction of being the first African American player to sign a contract in the NFL in the common era (after World War II) with the L.A. Rams after playing in the Pacific Coast League with the Hollywood Bears.

As a running back, Washington displayed remarkable speed, agility, and a knack for finding the end zone. In 1939, he led the nation in total offense, earning All-American honors and setting a school rushing record that stood for decades.  As a collegian, Kenny Washington rushed for 9,975 yards, which was a Bruin record for over 56 years! He was also UCLA's very first-ever consensus All-American in 1939.

Despite his extraordinary achievements, Washington faced formidable racial barriers in his pursuit of a professional football career. The NFL was segregated at the time, and it was not until 1946 that he, along with Marion Motley, became the first African American player to sign with NFL teams since the 1930s. Washington's signing with the Los Angeles Rams marked a significant milestone in the fight against racial discrimination in sports, a testament to his resilience and determination.  

Though his playing career was relatively short due to injuries, Washington's impact on the NFL was profound. He paved the way for countless African American athletes who followed in his footsteps. His courage and determination helped break down racial barriers and made the NFL a more inclusive sport. Washington's legacy as a pioneer in football continues to inspire and will undoubtedly shape the future of the sport for generations to come.  Mr. Washington was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1956.

Before Daniel Jones’ touchdown-less run, there was Hap Moran’s 91-yard run for the Giants.Francis Dale "Hap" Moran wasn't just a football player; he was a chameleon, adeptly switching positions and leagues while leaving an indelible mark on the gridiron. Though his name might not be as prominent as others, his 12-year career (1924-1933) was filled with versatility, leadership, and record-breaking feats.

Moran started his college career at Carnegie Tech before transferring to Grinnell, showcasing his athletic prowess in both basketball and football. He entered the NFL in 1924 with the Frankford Yellow Jackets, transitioning from halfback to quarterback and leading them to their first-ever championship in 1926.

His journey continued with stints in Chicago, Pottsville, and finally, the New York Giants. Throughout his career, he seamlessly switched between halfback, tailback, wingback, quarterback, blocking back, defensive back, and linebacker, a testament to his adaptability and talent.

In 1930, while with the Giants, Moran etched his name in history with a 91-yard run, a record that stood for 75 years and solidified his nickname "the Greyhound." He was also the Giants' leading scorer in 1931 and an All-Pro selection.

Beyond statistics, Moran's leadership qualities were undeniable. He captained teams and inspired teammates with his work ethic and competitive spirit. His quiet strength and humble demeanor resonated with fans, making him a role model beyond the field.

While his career ended prematurely due to injuries, Moran's legacy transcends his stats. He embodied versatility, leadership, and adaptability, paving the way for future multi-dimensional players. He wasn't just a number on a jersey; he was a testament to the spirit of hard work and resilience, leaving his mark on a golden age of football.


-Transcript of Hap Moran podcast with Mike Moran

Darin Hayes
A name that comes up constantly in researching early pro football is that of Hap Moran. Hap was a star of four different top-tier franchises in the late 1920s and early 1930s, and his son Mike Moran visits a pig pen to share his dad's fantastic story coming up in a moment. Hello, my football friends. This is Darin Hayes at pigskindispatch.com. Welcome back to the Pigpen. We have our normal Monday show. We're talking about early pro football teams, but we have got such a treat today. We're gonna talk about four different early pro football teams prior to World War II. And it's all centering around one great player from that era. And we have his son here today. The player is Hap Moran. And his son Mike is here today to give us a great biography of his father. Let's bring him in right now. Mike Moran, welcome to the Pigpen.

Mike Moran
Thanks, Darin. Glad to be here. Mike, you know, you, before we came on the air, you were telling me some stories of how your early experiences of football.

Darin Hayes
And maybe you could just share some of that with us. Tell us how you became a great football fan and historian.

Mike Moran
My dad retired from the NFL in 1933 and of course they had no benefits or pension plan then but he did get a lifetime pass to any NFL football game excluding championships and so as a kid I grew up in Queens, New York about 40 minutes on the train from the polo ground so we would hop on the train and go to the polo grounds and my dad would show the pass, we'd walk through the turnstile and we'd go sit in the press box and we watched the game then he felt that he still knew some of the press guys so but I have to admit as a kid I wasn't paying much attention, I was looking for the next hot door or the peanuts or something but it was and it was a little intimidating because there's all these guys in their fedoras and their dark overcoats and their typewriters or whatever and it's kind of a fond memory and then later when the Giants went to Yankee Stadium we could go in there and actually I met some of the players because on election day which was a holiday in New York City a couple times my dad took me up to practices and we sat around and we watched some practice, now we went into the clubhouse and the thing I remember is shaking hands with these guys and I come away like numb up to my elbow but I got to meet some of them and I became like I mean it was the era of Connor Lee and but my favorite was Ray Witek of the center so I always had a soft spot for him. I didn't know you knew much about football history at that time, and that really didn't come into play till after my father died and I got a Well, the first thing that happened was I started getting letters from all these people saying, do you have any equipment? Did your father have any equipment? Can we buy anything from you? But then I got one guy who wrote to me, and he was from the Professional Football Researchers Association, and he asked me if I would write an article for their newsletter, which is called The Corner and about my father, and I said I would, and I started doing a little research and I realized really how little I knew so it kind of this was also just when eBay was beginning so it was like a grief counseling eBay I got my father's nfl pension and I metastasized into this obsession really yeah I guess one.

Darin Hayes
One big question is, where was the going to any NFL game? Was that transferable to you, or was it just?

Mike Moran
Now, I don't know what happened to that pass, you know, that's, that's another thing I've, I've searched, I, I've, one of the things I collect is NFL passes probably because I lost that one. And I haven't found a lifetime pass signed by Joe Carr. And I have a lifetime pass for a guy who was in a trainer, Andy Latula, and it's signed by Elmer Layden, one of the four horsemen, but I've not found one signed by Joe Carr yet.

Darin Hayes
And that's probably the one that your father would have ever been a Joe.

Mike Moran
Clark was still running the show in 1933.

Darin Hayes
Wow. That is amazing. Now, you referred to that coffin corner article from 1999 that you wrote, and I found it extremely interesting. And by the way, to our listeners, Mike has a great tribute website to his father called HapMaran .org. H -A -P -M -O -R -A -N dot O -R -G. And, you know, it's a wealth of information on the man. My hat's off to you how much work you put into this. It is really tremendous. But in that coffin corner article, you start off by saying that you didn't really know that you knew your father. You're aware your father played football, but you didn't realize what a big deal he was. He was somewhat humble about that and didn't share a lot of that. Is that right?

Mike Moran
we had there was one thing in our house that would make you think my father was a football coach because after he retired from the Giants and moved out to this apartment house in Queens there was a park right next to our Sunnyside Park and as soon as the story I heard was as soon as my father moved in like two days later some kids knocked on the door and said we have a football team would you come and coach us and so there was an article in a newspaper about him coaching this youth football squad and there was a drawing that somebody did to accompany the article and that was what was on the wall there was nothing about pro football or anywhere and I didn't really realize I think I found out when I was in Cub Scouts and someone said something to me and I was like uh what I mean I didn't and also I wouldn't have I was like what seven at that time I didn't understand what it meant I had no I had no clue but no I I think uh you know part of my father's story is that he his father was killed when he was seven his father was a railroad man out in Iowa and he uh got run over in a rail yard accident oh my goodness yeah so my father I mean football at least was less dangerous than railroading and uh and but after that my father had a career as a professional and I he was a um a buyer for western electric which was the supplier for the entire bell system so at one point he was buying all of the telephone poles that the bell system used in the whole United States or all of the typewriters or all of the pencils pens canvas safety bags and when I was growing up every day put on a suit and tie and got on the subway went down to Broadway and the financial district then you know I think his uh he saw football as a uh a step up to a career and what he had in mind for my brother and me was the career you know no calluses white shirts that kind of thing so yeah I didn't he never talked about it as the good old days and in fact he never really talked about it at all it was uh I guess you know when he got into the late 80s and 90s he started telling us more but you know I don't know it wasn't wasn't the defining moment of his life it was a step on the way to something pro more prosperity and security and safety and the capacity to raise a family you know

Darin Hayes
Well, I mean, that's part of the mystique that makes him so interesting. I mean, his whole story is interesting, but that's just another layer of this story that just makes it really interesting. Now, before we start press record here, you were telling me, OK, you just talked on air about your dad, who was coaching a youth team in a neighborhood when you first moved to a place, but you were telling me earlier about your experiences with playing youth football at a younger age if you could share some of that.

Mike Moran
cut out to be a football player; I'll tell you the first. I remember, yeah, I was telling you, I went to this little high school in Manhattan, and we only had a six six club man football team, which I think was developed by the Navy or something so they could play football on ships. I'm not sure about the whole story. And if you look at the 1937 Wheaties, you know, they had those Wheaties panels with football players, and then they had some about six-man, they had one or two about six-man football. And the director of athletics thought I must know everything about football. He knew my dad; he'd been a Giants fan. He drove me to football camp. And, you know, we all got in a circle, and somebody went in the middle, and everybody hit them. And I was in the middle. I thought, no, this is; I want nothing to do with this. This is just not for me. I, I love to swim. And I thought I think I'll pick a sport where the pain level is entirely in my control. So I swam in high school, I wrote, and my father was my father actually encouraged me to row in college. And I don't know if anybody's read that book, The Boys in the Boat. It's a great book about a crew from the University of Washington that competed in the Olympics in Berlin in 1936. The ones were Jesse Owens, and the Nazis, and that whole big story. And Mel Hein was from Washington and was a crew fan. And he used to tell the guys on the Giants that if they thought football was rough, they should try rowing. I think my father was introduced to it because Mel Hein and he went up to watch those Olympic trials at Poughkeepsie, New York. So, my father never set foot in a boat. But when I went to Rutgers, he said to me, you should try rowing. That's a tough sport. I think you might like it, you know, so indirectly, from the University of Washington rowing team to Mel Hine to my father, to me, there was a connection there. So, I also coached rowing at Rutgers for a while and always enjoyed it.

Darin Hayes
Wow, that's. I'm from Erie, Pennsylvania, so rowing is quite a big sport around here. Also, we have quite a few competitions at Mercyhurst University here in town that do quite a bit on that. So I'm familiar with that. So it is a tough sport. I've never done it myself, but it looks very strenuous. That's for sure. Now, I guess maybe let's go back to where you think your father's football career started. You know, is that the high school level college level? Yeah, well, I think.

Mike Moran
I think where it started was really on the railroad because in the summers in high school, he would work as a railroad kind of track man, and they would get on these railroad cars and they would go out and repair track, and he would be swinging these 16 -pound sledgehammers for weeks in the summer and then when he went to high school in Boone, Iowa which is a big railroading town and I have pictures of him playing football there but really basketball was his sport. He was an all-American basketball player. In those days, it was considered wrong for college coaches to visit high schools and recruit. So Amos Alonzo Stagg, who was a famous Yale player and coach, was hired by the University of Chicago to build up a football. There's a great book called Stagg's University about the interaction between money, football, and alumni, and it goes way back. This is not a new issue, so what he did was he set up these inner scholastic tournaments at the University of Chicago so that the best athletes and throughout the Midwest, I don't know how many Eastern schools came, came to him and he could see them, and I have some of the track and field and basketball programs from those tournaments, and you see a lot of future great football players in there doing in those sports because there were no football tournaments so Stagg picked my father as an all -American basketball player and I think football was kind of secondary and then he went to Grinnell College for a year and I think he played on the freshman football and basketball teams, but then he was recruited by Carnegie Tech and my brother went to Carnegie which is now Carnegie Mellon.

Darin Hayes
Mm hmm.

Mike Moran
And, you know, we went to a football game there, and the crowd was less than my daughter's field hockey team got in high school. I mean, football was nothing at Carnegie in the 60s. But in the 20s, I mean, their schedule, they played Notre Dame regularly. They were a real powerhouse of football. So he played, he played for them in 1922. And I think I, you know, it's in the article, I'm sure you read it, but they when they played Notre Dame, the Notre Dame Carnegie game in 1922 is the first time the four horsemen of Notre Dame were ever on the field together. And that was, and so my father was against, was the halfback for Carnegie against, you know, the four horsemen. And, but he got hurt. He got injured. And they went back to Grinnell, and he played; he had to take a year off. He played for two years at Grinnell before going into the NFL. But Grinnell was, you know, a small school in Iowa. But an interesting note is two of his friends were a guy named Morgan Taylor, who was the end on the football team and also won the gold medal in the 440 hurdles in the 1924 Olympics. Wow. And committed to the 24 Olympics, the 28 Olympics, and the 32 Olympics in the hurdles. And another friend of his, there was a guy named Frank Cooper, who brought a horse onto the campus, took it up into a building, took it up a couple of flights, and couldn't get it to go down. And he got thrown out of the school. And he went out to do stunt work in Hollywood. And they said, there's already a Frank Cooper; you got to change your name. So he changed his name to Gary. And you got a big, you know, I was like, these three guys were there at Grinnell all at the same time, my father, Morgan Taylor, and Gary Cooper.

Darin Hayes
Wow, that is tremendous.

Mike Moran
It's a funny little story, but uh, and then I guess I don't. I don't know. Well, I have the letter that his football coach at Grinnell wrote to the coach of the Frankford Yellow Jackets recommending him as a player, but I don't know the mechanism of that. I mean, he had some big runs in college. Was he listed in the NCAA guide as, like, they have this thing of great runs from 1869 to 1926, and he's like on the first, you know, maybe he's number 12? I don't know. He had some big runbacks that always got the stories retold in every biography or, you know, a little blurb they'd write about him, right, and so I got a chance with the Frankford Yellow Jackets, which was the Philadelphia franchise before the Eagles. Yeah, that's the progress there.

Darin Hayes
Well, what a tremendous year to go to the Frankford Yellow Jackets in 1926 because they had a pretty good season that year.

Mike Moran
You know, and I think I'm not sure if it was 25 or 26 that they brought Guy Chamberlain as their coach. It might have been the year before, but I mean, a lot of people never heard of Guy Chamberlain, but Guy Chamberlain was like the, you know, the Bill Belichick of the 20s. He was; he had been on the original Decatur Stales with Halas before it was the Bears. He was the coach of the Canton team. He won in the first ten years of the NFL. I think he won five of the championships or was involved with five championship teams. So Chamberlain pulled it all together in 26, and they won the NFL title that year, but the NFL title back then was determined by your winning percentage. They had no championship playoff game. So it was a little different, and there was no money, and you didn't get a big ring. My father did get a watch, but yeah, they had the best record in the NFL, and the big game was they and the Bears were pretty close, had pretty close percentage numbers when the Bears came to Philadelphia to play them, and they won that game. My father was injured. He was in the game a little bit, but one of the stars of the game was a guy from Gonzaga named Houston Stockton. Who's Stockton? His grandson is John Stockton. So there's a little athleticism in that family, but yeah, they won the NFL championship that year.

Darin Hayes
Yeah, I guess if I remember correctly, didn't they? The Frankford Yellow Jackets won the NFL championship, and they had the rival league, and the Red Grange original AFL was going on. And the Philadelphia Quakers, which, you know, Frankfurt is just a suburb of Philadelphia. And the Quakers were the champions of the AFL. And they, you know, I think it was in the press and the media, they wanted to have these two teams play to see who was the best in a nation that didn't come to fruition. But they did end up having an exhibition game; Frankfurt did against the New York Giants. Is that correct?

Mike Moran
No, no, the Quakers did.

Darin Hayes
The Quakers did. OK, that's what Quakers ended up having.

Mike Moran
a game, and they got whipped solidly, and then the Yellow Jackets had whipped the giant solidly, so you never know game to game, but that makes you think they would have done very well.

Darin Hayes
Any given Sunday theory applies, right? Yeah.

Mike Moran
You know, the year before, in 1925, maybe the Yellow Jackets didn't want to play them because the Pottsville Maroons had the biggest percentage in 1925, but they got disqualified from winning the championship because they played an exhibition game against the Notre Dame Wall Stars in Philadelphia, which violated the territorial rights of the Yellow Jackets, and Joe Carr disqualified them. So that's a bitter pill, which is still being in Pottsville, you know, you don't want to mention that. So maybe they were gun-shy after that, or maybe they just wanted to give the AFL any legitimacy. I mean, it was it was everything was on a shoestring at that point anyway, you know.

Darin Hayes
That's true. I mean, you're only. The league was only in existence for six or seven years at that point. So it's, it's understandable. It wasn't some hard times there. Now. OK. In 1926, he played for the Frankfurt Yellow Jackets. 1927, he went to a different franchise. Maybe you could tell us a little bit about that.

Mike Moran
started out 26, 27 with the Yellow Jackets, but for an inexplicable reason, I've never read a good explanation of it, although I think there was some; they, the committee, and the Yellow Jackets were a nonprofit team, but they had a committee that ran them, thought they were spending too much money, and they let Guy Chamberlain go. And they got a coach guy named Charlie Moran, but there is no relationship as far as we know. But Charlie Moran made, his day job was, he was an umpire, major league umpire, and he got called into umpire the World Series. So he really didn't get to the Yellow Jackets until partway into the season, his son was doing it, and they had a terrible, they were having a terrible season, and a lot of turmoil, and eventually it was, you know, they lost their coach, and, but anyway, the story I heard was that Guy Chamberlain had gone to the Chicago Cardinals, and the Cardinals needed somebody who was a solid kicker, and he got my father to come from the Yellow Jackets, like, my father played all the games through the end of October in Philadelphia, and then he went to Chicago. And so he finished the season with the Yellow Jackets. And I know in the first game, the Yellow, I mean, the finished season with the Cardinals, he had, the Cardinals had another kicker named Bub Weller, and I read one newspaper article that said, Weller's attempt at the extra point came closer than usual but still failed. I don't know why my father kicked that extra point. But anyway, yeah, so he finished that season with the Cardinals, and that's all I know about it. I've never been able to find a team picture of the Cardinals. It's very hard to find their home programs. They're, they, you know, they labored in the shadow of the Bears. I mean, the up, the, the, the, the one notable thing was that that was the, I like to sort of research my father's teammates, and he was a teammate on the Cardinals with Duke Slater, who was just inducted into the Profupal Hall of Fame, another great Iowa, Iowa player. So, I mean, I feel like it wasn't totally unproductive for him, but

Darin Hayes
Well, I know we've got one person who's going to be listening to this program, and that's Joe Ziemba, who I'm sure you're aware of as a great Chicago Cardinals historian. So maybe Joe can have some connections to find that photo that you're looking for.

Mike Moran
read a knife. I've written a joke. OK, OK, years ago. Yeah, it's a great book. He wrote about what it was called when the grass was green or when someone was playing football. I forget the name.

Darin Hayes
Yeah, when football was football, the story of the Chicago Cardinals. Yeah, that's a great book.

Mike Moran
One of the things I bought on eBay, a connection I made there, was a contract for the last game played by the Duluth Eskimos. And it was against the Bears, and it was the sign by Ole Haugsrud, who was the manager and eventually the owner of the Duluth Eskimos, and it was all about, there was an All-American named Howard Maple, and it was about, you know, you got to show up at the bus station on this day, and you got to have a little supply with the football, but bring your own equipment for one of the first training camps. So I went to Joe's book, and I was trying to figure out; he helped me figure out who Haugsrud was, if I'm saying it right. I'm not good with Swedish names, and it was just a wealth of information.

Darin Hayes
Yeah. And I better, I better correct my wrong here because I've been digging as you've been talking for Joe's book. I got it. I butchered the name of it. So, let me get it right here. When football was football, the Chicago Cardinals and the birth of the NFL by Joe Ziemba. I'm so sorry about that, Joe, butchering the name there at first.

Mike Moran
You know that the Ole Haugsrud is interesting story because he sold that franchise back to the NFL with a provision that if there was ever another Minnesota franchise, he could buy a part of it for a set amount of money. So he became an original owner of the of the Vikings. Interesting. He lived long enough to cash that in, yeah.

Darin Hayes
Wow, that's a great history.

Mike Moran
A lot of guys, if you read the guys like Ernie Nevers and say he really should be in the Hall of Fame because when Red Grange, as you mentioned, went to the, formed a separate league, the NFL was really lacking a marquee star from the college years. Ole Haugsrud and Ernie Nevers went to high school together, and Haugsrud convinced Nevers to come and get back into pro football. And so even though, you know, they didn't play any home games, it was a traveling team, adding Nevers name to the NFL roster was probably, might've been, you know, some people think that's what tipped the balance in favor of the NFL as opposed to the AFL, the original, the Grange-Pyle League.

Darin Hayes
Now we're, were they, was it Nevers and Ole with the Cardinals when your dad played, or was that after your dad?

Mike Moran
They were with the Eskimos.

Darin Hayes
Yeah, I think it must have been a year or two later. And then they went over it.

Mike Moran
Yeah, later afterward.

Darin Hayes
But your father had another team transfer that next season or shortly thereafter.

Mike Moran
Well, next season, in 1928, he went to Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and played for those Pottsville Maroons. And, you know, I don't know, I've never seen, I have his contract. That's one thing I do have: his contract from that year. But I don't have any correspondence. I don't know how it came to be that he ended up in Pottsville. My father told me about Pottsville that the field was like the basis of the field, which was all this slag coal because Pottsville was, you know, the Anthracite District. It was the Anthracite League. It was a tough league. It got out of the Anthracite League and got into the NFL. And he said, if you cut yourself on that field, you have to like to pour iodine over. It was like bacterially infected. And the other story he told, and I'm not sure if it was from that year or later, but just about those coal mining towns and the intense rivalries that existed, was he got hired to play for some local coal mining town, you know, maybe Shenandoah, Gilberton. I don't know the name. He was a ringer. He was brought in as a ringer. And he got there, and half the players on both teams were NFL players. They all knew each other. They'd all been brought in because there was such heavy betting on these games. And he said they played to a tie and like they'd never even got their clothes back. They had to get on directly from the field onto the train. People were going to, you know, strangle them because nobody made any money. They didn't lose any money, but nobody made any money. So that was a pretty tough team and a tough league.

Darin Hayes
Yeah, pretty tough crowd, you know, when they say tough crowd, that's a tough crowd. Yeah. Football players off the field.

Mike Moran
know, they had a terrible year; they didn't do well. And they had four future Hall of Famers on that team. They had, let's see if I remember, well, Johnny Blood, John Blood McNally was on it. Right. Walter Kiesling was on it. Peter Fats Henry, Pete Henry was on it. Maybe those were the only three I don't remember. Now, if there was a fourth, it seemed to me there was, but, you know, they did not have a good year. Again, I think it was management and coaching because, after that season, the franchise moved to Boston for one year and then folded. Yeah, they became the Boston Bulldogs, and then they didn't do very well. They folded. But, you know, it was the thing that happened for my father in Pottsville was the story, and I don't have documentation of it, I just kind of remember it, was that in a game against the Giants, he and Steve Owen had a collision and Steve Owen was knocked unconscious.

Darin Hayes
Really? Oh, yeah.

Mike Moran
So, at the end of that season, the Pottsville ended their season in 1928 before the Giants. And the Giants had this Yale All-American on their team named Bruce Caldwell. And Bruce Caldwell was a great runner, you know, a really good player, but he wouldn't block for anybody. And at one point, the other Giants just stopped blocking for him, and he was just getting clobbered. And, you know, he'd been a marquee player at an Ivy League school, and the Giants released him right before the end of the season, and they brought my father in to take his place. And my father was a good blocker. I know he didn't; he was not a prima donna, so I got some; I got a great picture of him blocking for Friedman. It's just classic. So they brought my father in for the last game. It was against Red Granger's New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, and my father scored the touchdown for the Giants that day. And that's how he got to New York. So, being in Pottsville, have you ever had a job that was a terrible job, but it got to your next job, you know, that's...

Darin Hayes
It's one of those stepping-stone jobs. Let's pause for a second because you're saying how your father had a collision with Steve Owen, who's a well-known Giants coach, but he was a pretty good-sized man in his playing days. And your father, when you look at your website, you're seeing all these things: the longest run from scrimmage in this game and the most receiving yards. And when I first was reading that, I was sitting there picturing in my mind, you know, somebody like, you know, Christian McCaffrey or something like some small, fast guy that's a planner. Then I'm looking at some of the films you have on there in his Giants games, which we'll talk about here in a minute, and looked at the size that the pro football reference has them down as six foot one, 190 pounds, which is playing size. Now, that doesn't sound big to us today, but in the 1920s, the average American male was five foot seven, 147 pounds. So your dad was a large man, and he had some great athleticism to boot and, you know, and a two-way player, actually a three-way player, because he was punting and kicking as well. I'm playing offensive defense, and I'm just a tremendous athlete here. Yeah.

Mike Moran
Yeah, I really had no choice then. You know, if you were taken out in the first quarter, you couldn't go back into the second quarter. There was no running people in and out. So you had no choice. I mean, everybody played, you know, both ways till I think till like the late 30s or, you know, I'm not sure exactly when colleges did it first, but you had no choice but to play both ways back then. And, you know, you couldn't run in if you ran in somebody who just knew how to punt. I don't think people I read all these who's the greatest of all times, like who's the greatest quarterback of all times. And they're comparing things. And I often wonder, like Tom Brady, about comparing him to Benny Friedman on the Giants. When Friedman, through 1929, set the NFL record for touchdown passes, if you threw a pass into the end zone and it was incomplete, the ball turned over to the other team.

Darin Hayes
Hm.

Mike Moran
That's a basic rule change that makes, and plus, you had to play defense. I find these great, you know what I like about sports is you go, and you do something. It's at a set time. If it's a football game, it's an hour. If it's a crew race, it's like eight minutes or whatever. And when it's over, it's done. But sports talk, you know, it's never over. It's never done. So I don't, and I'm trying to compare people from the different eras, eras is.

Darin Hayes
You really can't. Especially the game of football. Maybe something like baseball you can do because there are subtle changes, but football has had so many morphic changes that have really changed the landscape probably four or five times during the course of the history of the game. It's just amazing, but you can't compare. You can't even compare a quarterback from the 1970s to the same game altogether. So, you know,

Mike Moran
the Giants did not have a very good year in 1928. So Mr. Mera, Tim Mera, the owner, went and bought an entire franchise, the Detroit Wolverines. And so he could get the number one quarterback in the NFL in New York City, Benny Friedman. And most, a lot of the guys from the Giants in 1928 weren't there in 29. My father was one of the few. However, although some of them did pretty well in other places, one of the Giants from 1928 was Cal Hubbard, who, you know, went on to Green Bay. Right. Pretty good.

Darin Hayes
I'd say so. Hall of Famer.

Mike Moran
the only man in the Football Hall of Fame and the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Darin Hayes
That's right. Yeah. Right.

Mike Moran
I know his granddaughter was trying, was working on getting him a stamp, you know, a US postal stamp. I don't know if she's made any luck with it. But anyway, so yeah, he was, he went back, he was he was invited back to New York in 1929. So, that was a good year for them.

Darin Hayes
Yeah. Now he, uh, you got some great footage on your website. Uh, again, that's HapMoran.org and, you know, the 1929 game against the Packers. And you also have, I believe, a 1934 game against, uh, Portsmouth and, uh, 32 32, I'm sorry. 32. And I believe defensive play and your father comes in, I believe, just like crushes, uh, Dutch Clark, I believe.

Mike Moran
You know that the 29 game was, again, they went by percentages. That was effectively the championship playoff game in 29. The Packers won, and they won the championship by 4%, no 2%, maybe two-tenths of 1% percentage point. I don't know what it was. And yeah, that was a great game for the Packers.

Darin Hayes
Yeah, right. Before I forget, I've got to ask this question. This is like the $100 question here. Where did your father get the nickname HAP from?

Mike Moran
there was a cartoon character named Happy Hooligan, and that is my understanding of where he got the nickname. I think it might have had to do something with being sent to get a bucket of beer. I'm not sure about that part, but yeah, there was a Happy Hooligan, and so my grandmother realized his middle name was Dale, which I don't even know how he spelled it. I mean, I spelled it more than one way: d -a -y -l -e or d -a -l -e. She called him Dale or Happy, and occasionally, in the programs, he's listed as Happy, not Hap, but Hap was what he used as an adult, anyway, that I know of. I never heard anybody call him Frank.

Darin Hayes
Very interesting.

Mike Moran
Francis, so.

Darin Hayes
Yeah, I had to make sure I asked that question because that's the one that popped up to me right away. So

Mike Moran
When you look up Happy Hooligan, you'll see he was a very funny little guy.

Darin Hayes
Oh, I have to. I'll make sure I have to. OK, so tell me a little bit about him with the Giants because that's where he spent most of his NFL career, six seasons, I believe, with the New York Giants.

Mike Moran
Yes. The Giants had a; I'm in touch with the great-grandson of Dr. Harry March. Dr. Harry March was from Canton, Ohio, and had been on the team always loved football, might have played football in college a little bit, and was kind of the team doctor for the Bulldogs when Thorpe was playing. He ended up being a theatrical man and a medical doctor, and he ended up in New York City. Joe Carr wanted to find a buyer, a New Yorker who could finance and manage an NFL franchise in New York City. There was a Giants in New York City in 1922 -23 called Brickley's Giants, in which Charles Brickley was a famous Harvard American who had failed. So they hadn't been able to get a good franchise in New York City. I was reading an interesting thing by Dutch Clark. Speaking of Dutch Clark the other day, he said the same thing was true in Detroit. There were so many great college teams in Detroit that it was hard for the NFL to get a foothold there. And there were a lot of great college football teams in New York City. So, it was hard for the NFL to get a football team there. And Tim Merritt was a bookmaker and was trying to get a piece of, I think, Gene Tunney or a boxer. And he was having no luck with it. And Harry March knew him, and he took Joe Carr to his office and said, look, you can't, sorry, you can't get this boxer you want, but here's an opportunity for what, $500, you can have an NFL franchise. And the story is that Tim Merritt has never even seen a football game. He was into the horses and then into boxing. But he said, look, an empty storefront in New York City is worth 500 bucks. I'll take it. But to Mr. March, Dr. March, he said, you got to run it. I'm not running it. So March was the man, and I think he was a part owner originally. He was the man who did all the recruiting for the Giants for, like, the first, maybe seven years of their existence until Tim Merritt's son, Jack Merritt, got out of school and came on board as the vice president of the club. And so Dr. March was the one who got my father in, and my father even lived with Dr. March and a couple of other giants in his rooming house somewhere. And we're largely the result of this Dr. March's initiative. And I'm so glad I'm in touch with the grandson because you have ever heard of Doc March. No, probably not. He's very important in the history of the NFL. And nobody's heard of him. And the grandson is writing a book about it. So his name will become better known.

Darin Hayes
Yeah, I think you'll have to give me his contact information if you can. When you get this book, I'd love to get them on. And that sounds like a very interesting story. So, but, you know, you brought up quite another question I had, and you somewhat answered it here. Now your, your father, you know, went to four different teams, and matter of fact, in the first, you know, 15 years of the NFL and APFA, these are four of the biggest franchises going, you know, they all competed for championships and that era, you know, but how was it for a player in that era to transfer to a different city, especially, you know, he's going from Chicago to, you know, Frankfurt, you know, you know, Philadelphia area to New York.

Mike Moran
things. I know I the yellow jackets. Well, it was really an athletic club, an athletic association, and they had a golf course. And so they were in a bowling alley, I believe, or all I know is that my father worked. They also provided work for him at the golf course and at the bowling alley. And I would assume I don't know where they lived in Frankfurt and Philly. But when he went to Pottsville, they all stayed in a hotel. There was the Nico Allen Hotel in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. And that was where the team and the players lived. And I know when he went to New York City, he lived with Dr. March for a while. And then they also lived in a hotel, the Hotel Paris. And my father, you know, basically lived out of a suitcase for a lot of his life. They used to stay well; when he was on the railroads, I'd stay in YMCAs or things like that. I mean, it was not. He never owned a home his entire life. He was like, he lived in hotels, and I was an apartment guy. So I think a lot of the guys from the Giants lived in this Hotel Paris in Manhattan. In fact, there was a guy named Jack Cavanaugh who wrote a book about the 1958 Giants. And I think anybody who didn't live in New York City, a lot of those Giants all still lived in a hotel because he talks about after games, they would go to different floors, and then they'd all get on the subway and go into Manhattan out to, you know, I took chores or something. It was I was. I mean, Andy Robustelli took the train home to Stanford, Connecticut, but I don't think it was a nomadic life. Let's put it that way at that time.

Darin Hayes
I'm sure it probably was. Mike, I appreciate you coming on and spending some time sharing this great story about your father. And I want to share with the listeners, once again, you know, if you want to learn more about Hap Moran, Mike's website, HapMaran .org, will have a link for it in our show notes for this podcast. We'll also have it on pigskin -dispatch .com, so you can go and enjoy this great website, the videos, and all the other articles around there. It's really tremendous.

Mike Moran
for one more story? Oh, absolutely. So this guy, Harry March, bought a refitted submarine chaser from World War One. And I have no idea why. And then there were articles in the newspaper that the Giants were going a la Huck Finn down the Mississippi River with this boat with a Harry March on. And they took it down the Mississippi and into Miami. And they put it into the hands of a captain, a real real, a real guy. They left, and the captain stole the boat. Then, my father, the owner, asked my father to go down to Miami and investigate where our boat was. So my father went down there, and he found out that it was called the Kingfisher, that the captain was part of this international scheme to smuggle Chinese out of Mexico into the United States. And the whole thing unraveled because this woman aviator crashed her plane, which was loaded with gold. And anyway, my father's remembrance of this was how seasick he got trying to get to Cuba, where the boat was. A guy ended up in jail. And that was my father's last seamanship thing. And then, like, 20 years later, this guy shows up on the TV show. Like, you know, merchant marine stuff. And then, my father ran into him on the street near where we lived. And we lived in Sunnyside, Jackson Heights, where he went and did your shopping. And my father said, I just looked at him. I said, Hello, captain. And he said, yeah, I just turned and ran the other way. But that's a story that this kid or this kid is the grandson or great-grandson of Harry March. He's been doing he's been doing a lot of research into this crazy story that involved the giant New York Giants and gold and illegal immigrants.

Darin Hayes
Oh my God, my head's spinning, my jaw's on the ground. That story had a lot of pieces moving there. Yeah, well, airplanes filled with gold-crushing and Chinese immigrants from Mexico and the New York Giants. Yeah, there you go. Six degrees of separation. Yeah, my goodness. My goodness, gracious. Well, sir, I really appreciate your taking the time to share your family's story. He is truly an integral part of football history, and we're sure glad that we were able to have you on and share this great story with them. And please continue your great work with your website in spreading the great story of Hap Morant to the world because it is truly remarkable, and we appreciate your time.

Mike Moran
All right, Darin. Thank you.

Born June 5, 1925, was Art Donovan Jr. who was a Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle that played professionally for the Baltimore Colts, New York Yanks and the Dallas Texans during his great career.

Donovan started college at the University of Notre Dame but this was cut short due to his enlisted service in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. Art fought in some of the most famous battles of the war including Iwo Jima and Luzon. Donovan is a true hero as he earned multiple citations for his service and bravery and was even inducted into the U.S. Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame.

-College Career

Art Donovan's collegiate football journey began at Boston College.

Known for his immense size and strength, he quickly established himself as a formidable force on the defensive line. Donovan's physicality and tenacity made him a dominant presence, earning him recognition as an All-American. His college years laid the foundation for a legendary professional career.  

-Road to the Pro Game

Donovan's professional football career was marked by its unique trajectory. Initially drafted by the New York Giants, his path took several turns before he found his true home. He played for the Baltimore Colts, New York Yanks, and Dallas Texans before returning to Baltimore, where he would etch his name in NFL history.  

It was with the Baltimore Colts that Donovan truly flourished. As part of the legendary "Bulldogs" defensive line, alongside the likes of Gino Marchetti and Don Joyce, he became a cornerstone of one of the NFL's most formidable defenses. His ability to disrupt offensive lines and pressure quarterbacks earned him widespread acclaim. Donovan's career was highlighted by two NFL championships with the Colts, solidifying his status as a football icon.  

-Football Legacy

Art Donovan's legacy extends far beyond his on-field accomplishments. Known for his larger-than-life personality and sharp wit, he was as beloved for his colorful character as he was for his football prowess. His ability to entertain audiences with his storytelling and humor made him a popular figure both during and after his playing career.  

Beyond his comedic flair, Donovan was a fierce competitor who left an indelible mark on the game. His impact on the defensive line position is immeasurable, as he helped redefine the role of the defensive tackle. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Donovan's contributions to the sport are celebrated to this day. His story serves as an inspiration to aspiring athletes and football fans alike, showcasing the power of talent, determination, and a unique personality.

After the war Art played football for Boston College before he became a pro.