The Akron Pros were a professional football team that played in Akron , Ohio from 1908 to 1926. The team originated in 1908 as a semi-pro team named the Akron Indians , but later became Akron Pros in 1920 as the team set out to become a charter member of the American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football League (NFL) in 1922). Fritz Pollard , the first black head coach in the NFL, co-coached the Akron Pros in 1921. Paul Robeson played for the team in 1921 as well. He was among the earliest stars of professional football before football became segregated from 1934 to 1946. In 1926, the name was changed back to the Akron Indians, after the earlier semi-pro team. Due to financial problems, the team suspended operations in 1927 and surrendered its franchise the following year.
49-790: Before 1908, several semi-pro and amateur teams dominated the Akron football scene. The most dominant of these was a team known as the Akron East Ends . The East Ends' dominance of Ohio football went unmatched until the Massillon Tigers paid several ringers from the recently disbanded Pittsburgh Stars to defeat the East Ends in 1903. The Akron Indians date as far back as 1908. The early Indians teams went on to win Ohio League championships in 1908, 1909, 1913 and 1914. The team
98-713: A salary cap for the teams, not to sign college players nor players under contract with another team, and became united as the American Professional Football Conference. They then contacted other major professional teams and invited them to a meeting for September 17. At the meeting in September, held at Ralph Hay's Hupmobile showroom, representatives of the Rock Island Independents , the Muncie Flyers ,
147-590: A 7–0 victory in a rematch to Canton, as well as a second win over Dayton, the Pros were recognized as the top team in Ohio. The Pros then held the Buffalo All-Americans to a scoreless tie in front of only 3,000. At the game, Nied and Ranney agreed to sell Bob Nash to Buffalo for $ 300 and five percent of the gate in the first known player deal between NFL clubs. However, since the Pros held the best record in
196-756: A championship, before becoming charter members of the American Professional Football Association (APFA) which became the National Football League (NFL). The Panhandles are credited with playing in the first NFL game against the Dayton Triangles. They have no NFL championships, but Joseph Carr , the team's owner from 1907 to 1922, is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his work as NFL president. The earliest existence of
245-702: A different team. This rumor, however, is false; Rockne was too much of a family man to play that much pro football, and Notre Dame had most of its home games during the pro football season. On August 20, 1920, a meeting attended by representatives of four Ohio League teams—the Canton Bulldogs , the Cleveland Tigers , the Dayton Triangles , and the Akron Pros —was held. At the meeting, the representatives tentatively agreed to introduce
294-407: A father and son played together on the same team. The Nesser brothers nephew, Ted Hopkins and brother-in-law, John Schneider , also played on the team. The Panhandles' rosters did not include many former college players or All-Americans , so the athletic field in the railroad yards was the place where the team found out who could play. The team's "dirty" reputation was learned and developed on
343-577: A few ex-collegians and formed a respectable team, which he named the Cleveland Tigers . In 1916 a local brewer, Burkhardt Brewing Company, took over the remains of the Indians and renamed the club the Akron Burkhardts . The team was reorganized by Howe Welch and his brothers Chang and Suey . After three seasons, Welch was a player, coach, and manager for Akron, playing against many of professional football's early stars. The 1916 Burkhardts had
392-626: A football team and would like to play any college, high school or manufacturing team on Saturday or Sunday." As a result, the Panhandles scheduled four games in 1902: three against the Columbus Barracks and one against the Dennison Panhandles, and finished with a 0–3–1 record. Again, the Panhandles got a new manager for the 1903 season, E. E. Griest. Griest needed help with the team, so he hired Ben Chamberlain to coach
441-460: A one-hour break during a normal workday, and the players on the team usually took the first 15 minutes to eat lunch and used the remaining 45 minutes to practice football. An athletic field behind the railroad shops in Columbus became the team's practice field. However Carr knew that if his team was to succeed, he needed an attraction. Carr built his team around pro football's most famous family
490-653: A touchdown. Following the 1921 season, Carr became the league's new president and renamed the APFA, the NFL. He then discontinued the Panhandles after the 1922 season because of cost and salary demands. Following the 1922 season, the Panhandles became the Columbus Tigers. In 1923, the Tigers attained their best ranking in the NFL, finishing eighth. During that season multiple players won awards. Rookie end Gus Tebell , who
539-628: A winning record despite falling to the Bulldogs and splitting a two-game series with the Columbus Panhandles . In 1918 the team was once again renamed the Indians, however, this is disputed due to many records of the time still referring to the club as the Burkhardts until 1920. The 1919 team, finished their season 5–5–0. However, the Indians lost money despite the presence of one of the country's best breakaway runners, Fritz Pollard ,
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#1732790818106588-734: The Akron Indians . Columbus Panhandles The Columbus Panhandles were a professional American football team based in Columbus, Ohio . The club was founded in 1901 by workers at the Panhandle shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad . They were a part of the Ohio League from 1904 before folding after one season. Three years later, the team tried again, playing in the Ohio League from 1907 to 1919, not winning
637-490: The Columbus Barracks , a team consisting of local soldiers. The results were split; the first was a 2–6 loss while the second was a 12–6 win. Butler left the Panhandles for unknown reasons, and the new manager for the 1902 season was Harry Greenwood. Greenwood placed advertisements in every newspaper he could in order to schedule games against local opponents. His ad read "The Panhandle Athletic Club has organized
686-670: The Decatur Staleys , the Massillon Tigers , the Chicago Cardinals , the Rochester Jeffersons , and the Hammond Pros were present. The following was achieved: the name of American Professional Football Association was chosen; officers of the league were elected with Jim Thorpe as president; a membership fee of $ 100 was set; a committee to draft a constitution was named; the secretary of the league
735-551: The Nesser Brothers , who were already drawing crowds throughout the country. Carr used the seven Nesser brothers as the backbone of the Panhandles, and the football-playing family remained in that role for nearly 20 years. None of the Nessers attended college, despite many offers. The seven Nesser brothers, who worked as boilermakers for the Pennsylvania Railroad , were exceptionally large and strong for people living in
784-586: The Ohio League , a forerunner to the National Football League . They played in Akron, Ohio , from 1894 until at least 1904. Its primary rivals were the amateur Canton Athletic Association (which eventually evolved into the professional Canton Bulldogs ), the Shelby Blues , and later the Massillon Tigers . The team became known as the Akron Athletic Club around 1904. The East Ends, along with
833-438: The Shelby Blues , joined the Indians. He made the move after realizing that he could make more money in the large football market that Akron provided. When he arrived in Akron, his first move was to change the team name from the "Akron" Indians to "Parratt's Indians" . With Peggy as a player, coach, and owner-manager, the Indians split their series with Shelby and twice defeated Canton, 14–7 and 19–7. However, they were defeated by
882-704: The Akron Imperials and the Akron Blues, were one of the top amateur teams in Akron. According to Professional Football Researchers Association founder Bob Carroll ; Akron was, for several years prior to 1903, a top contender for the Ohio Independent Championship (OIC), though this was in the days before the association became a force in the professional game; Akron was also passed over for the World Series of Football when it
931-472: The Akron Indians. This new team played for the next four seasons before disbanding due to declining financial support and the team's poor record after the 1926 season . The team suspended operations in 1927 and formally surrendered its franchise the following year. †= Never played in the league Akron East Ends The Akron East Ends was an amateur American Football team that played in
980-539: The Indian moniker and went with "Pros," hoping to inspire better results, or at least better attendance. Nied and Ranney befriended and signed Fritz Pollard to their team. The two co-owners later made Pollard the first African-American coach in the NFL. The minutes for the September 17, 1920, meeting that formed the APFA, were kept on the stationery of the Akron Pros football team by one of the owners, Art Ranney. Ranney
1029-482: The Indians' championship game against Shelby, the Blues loaded their team with a collection of famous players from big eastern schools and supported each member with a payroll of $ 700 for just that one game. However, the game was canceled due to a snowstorm. A week later when the Blues returned to Akron, the Indians were prepared with newly recruited talent that was viewed as even superior to that of Shelby's. The Indians won
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#17327908181061078-558: The Panhandles was in 1900; the Columbus Press-Post reported Jack Walsh creating the "Panhandle railroad team" consisting of "big hardy railroad men." No other articles in 1900 were written about the Panhandles. A game was scheduled for October 19 of next year, however, no source provided an outcome. In 1901, managed by William Butler of the Ohio Medical University, the Panhandles played two games against
1127-479: The Pros defeated the Columbus Panhandles 37–0 using former guard , Frank McCormick as a wingback . After a 13–0 win over the Cincinnati Celts , the Pros played the Cleveland Tigers , a team composed mainly of ex-stars from the Massillon Tigers . Bob Nash , who played for Massillon in 1919, broke up a Stan Cofall punt resulting in an Akron touchdown and a final score of 7–0. The Pros then shocked
1176-417: The Pros in win percentage, 9 + 1 ⁄ 2 wins to 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 losses (.864), both teams beating out the Decatur Staleys , who would have a season that counted 11 wins to 2 losses (.846). The Pros finished in 3rd place in 1921 and 10th place in 1922. The team only finished higher than 13th place in 1925, when it completed the season at fifth. Following the 1925 season, the Pros returned to being
1225-536: The Tigers. The next season, they finished tenth. Boni Petcoff was awarded 1st Team All-NFL by the Green Bay Press-Gazette . Petcoff and Paul Goebel were both awarded 2nd Team All NFL by the Green Bay Press-Gazette , with the latter being awarded 2nd Team All NFL by the Collyer's Eye as well. Then, the Tigers ended their final two seasons 20th and 19th, respectively. †= Never played in
1274-399: The early 20th century. Frank Nesser was 6-foot 1-inch tall and weighed 235 pounds. They all were exceptionally great athletes for their time. Carr took out ads describing his Panhandles as the toughest professional team in football, led by the famous Nesser brothers. In 1921 the Panhandles line-up included player-coach Ted Nesser and his son Charlie . It is the only time in NFL history
1323-499: The entire left side of his Akron Indian line was from Notre Dame. The team dominated the Ohio League for the season. However, it managed to lose to Canton 6–0 on November 15, 1914. Despite the win, Canton's captain Harry Turner died when his spine broke during a tackle on Akron fullback Joe Collins. Turner's death marked the first fatal accident involving a major professional football team in Ohio. To avoid an Akron title in 1915
1372-515: The first league match-up. What is known for a fact is that the first contests between teams listed as APFA members occurred on October 3, 1920. On that date, the Panhandles were defeated by the Dayton Triangles, 14–0, at Triangle Park , and the Rock Island Independents beat the Muncie Flyers , 45–0, in Rock Island . Frank Bacon of the Triangles is credited with the first punt return for
1421-402: The first things Carr did when he became the owner of the Panhandles was to exploit one of the railroad's policies. Since most of the team's players were employed by the railroad, they could ride the train free of charge. Because of this perk, Carr was able to schedule mostly road games, eliminating the expenses of stadium rental, game promotion, and security for the field. While the team did play
1470-461: The franchise, the Nesser-led team went a combined 22–10–1. The majority of the early pro teams would go out of their way to schedule the Panhandles, as they knew it would be easy to advertise a game featuring the famous Nessers. In 1915, The Panhandles were rumored to have played against the legendary Knute Rockne six times in 1915. According to the team, each time they played Rockne, he was on
1519-579: The game 20–0 and brought the Ohio title back to Akron. For his 1914 recruiting efforts, Parratt signed the usual big-name players, which consisted of a lineup that changed from week to week, with just enough stars on hand to guarantee a win. However, in 1914, he also employed several former Notre Dame stars, including the legendary Knute Rockne , Howard "Horse" Edwards, "Deke" Jones, and Joe Collins , as well as several Ohio collegiate stars like Ed Kagy , Dwight Wertz , Homer Davidson , Dutch Powell , Frank Nesser , and Ralph "Fat" Waldsmith . By late season,
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1568-425: The game, scored a touchdown and had an opportunity to tie the game. However, Akron's kicker, Joe Fogg , missed the extra point attempt, as Akron lost the Ohio title for the second straight year. The team seemed to fade from view after the 1904 contest, not wanting to pursue professional football any further. Player-coach Bill Laub moved onto the Canton Bulldogs . By no later than 1908, it had been superseded by
1617-490: The league by beating the Canton Bulldogs , who were considered the top team in the nation in 1920 with stars Jim Thorpe , Joe Guyon , Pete Calac , and Pete Henry , 10–0. However, after a rained-out game against the Detroit Heralds , the Pros played a reorganized Tigers team that held the Pros to a 7–7 tie. The team, under the rushing of Pollard and McCormick, rebounded by defeating the Dayton Triangles 13–0. After
1666-461: The league's first black player. From 1917 through at least 1921, the Indians name was sold off to Suey Welch , who fielded it as an independent club. After experiencing financial losses from 1912 to 1919, the team was sold to Art Ranney , an Akron businessman and former football player at the University of Akron , and Frank Nied , a cigar store proprietor in 1920. The new owners soon dropped
1715-650: The league, they only had to avoid losing a game, while Buffalo and the Decatur Staleys had to win to capture the AFPA Championship. The Pros held the Staleys to a scoreless tie in front of 12,000 fans at Cub Park . Both the All-Americans and the Staleys complained about the championship, arguing that Akron had not defeated them. The Pros were not named the AFPA Champs until April 30, 1921, after
1764-411: The loss in 1904, and in turn, began paying at least half of its players. On the 1904 Thanksgiving Day matchup , Akron traveled to Massillon, with about 1500 fans, to face the Tigers. The game was played in front of a total estimated crowd of 7,300 spectators. This was by far the largest attendance to date for a professional football game. Massillon jumped to an early 6-0 lead. Akron, in the last seconds of
1813-422: The majority of their games on the road as a traveling team , their home games were played at Indianola Park . The Panhandles adopted an amateur sandlot mentality for their playing style. Since the team was composed mainly of railroad workers, the scenario gave the players limited time to practice and prepare for games. The Panhandles did the majority of their preparation during their lunch breaks. Workers had
1862-500: The owners of the Massillon Tigers raided Parratt's Akron roster and took away many of his star players. Canton manager Jack Cusack also picked up some former Akron players and signed Jim Thorpe to his renamed Canton Bulldogs team. By the end of the season, Parratt's team was made up mostly of Akron sandlotters. After the disastrous 1915 season, Parratt returned to Cleveland, where he took some of his former Akron players and
1911-471: The railroad yards, not in college stadiums. The press sometimes criticized the Panhandles for their rough play; but it was a big draw for the fans and a main reason many paid to attend games. Over a span of 20 years, the Panhandles were considered the best pro team in the city of Columbus. The team compiled a 33–5 record against opponents from Columbus, including a 32–1 record over their last 33 games. Between 1914 and 1916, which were seen as best years of
1960-519: The railroad's baseball team the Famous Panhandle White Sox , took over the football team. However, the Panhandles didn't take off and the team played just two games. Carr tried again three years later in 1907. Carr saw the potential for professional football not only to be a great spectator sport but also to become a successful business venture and envisioned pro football being just as popular as Major League Baseball . One of
2009-510: The state title. A game was scheduled and East Ends appeared to be in luck when several Massillon starters fell victim to injury. However, the Tigers replaced its injured stars by buying the roster of the Pittsburgh Stars , the champions of the 1902 National Football League . In a game that had the feel of being one step short of a full-out riot, Akron lost to Massillon, 11-0, for the Ohio Independent Championship. Akron vowed to avenge
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2058-552: The team managers got together at Canton and voted the title to Akron, granting the team the Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup . (Not coincidentally, Ranney, then the league's secretary, presided over the meeting as de facto President of the league, since neither President Jim Thorpe nor Vice President Stan Cofall appeared at the meeting.) According to modern NFL tie-breaking rules, the 1920 Buffalo All-Americans would be co-champions. They would be tied with
2107-637: The team. After an exhibition game against the Ohio State Buckeyes , the Panhandles won their first game of the season, a 38–0 victory over Neil Avenue Athletic Club. This victory gave the team some unexpected press; the Columbus Citizen wrote the first article praising the team. The Panhandles 1903 season ended with a 5–3 record. In 1904, Joseph Carr , who was a sports writer for the Ohio State Journal and manager of
2156-456: The unheard-of Elyria Athletics , who then took the Ohio championship. The Athletics were mostly former Blues players who formed a team in Elyria after Parratt left for Akron. The following season, Parratt brought most of Elyria's 1912 championship team to Akron and added them to his roster. The Indians then beat Shelby and Elyria. They also managed to tie the rapidly improving Canton Pros. During
2205-608: Was also the coach, was awarded 1st Team All NFL by the Canton Daily News as well as the Green Bay Press-Gazette . Gus Sonnenberg , Paul Goebel , Jack Sack , and Bob Rapp were all awarded 1st Team All-NFL by the Canton Daily News . Pete Stinchcomb was awarded 2nd Team All-NFL by Collyer's Eye . During this time, and at the time of the team folding, Jerry Corcoran was owner of
2254-466: Was always referred to as the Indians by the fans. From 1908 to 1913, the Indians had a reputation of playing more of a style of football seen at the college level than that of the early athletic clubs. For example, the Indians preferred passing the ball as opposed to running. Before the 1912 season, Peggy Parratt , an early football star with the Massillon Tigers , Franklin Athletic Club and
2303-623: Was first held in 1902. The East Ends were on the verge of winning the 1903 OIC on a common-opponent tiebreaker over the Shelby Blues. However, the Massillon Tigers began making a run for the title. Akron initially dismissed Massillon, telling them to "go play for a couple of years" before trying to challenge the East Ends. However, Akron was unable to match Massillon's margin of victory over Canton. The East Ends defeated Canton 17-6, while Massillon defeated that same team 16-0. Akron felt compelled to play and beat Massillon and prove itself worthy of
2352-491: Was then elected secretary-treasurer of the league (later renamed the National Football League in 1922). Pollard and most of the top 1919 players planned to return to the Pros in 1920. The team opened the season at League Park in early October by defeating the Wheeling Stogies, 43–0. Al Nesser , one of the infamous football-playing Nesser Brothers , scored three touchdowns on fumble recoveries. The following week
2401-477: Was to receive a list of all players used during the season by January 1, 1921; and the trophy that would be awarded to the league champions. During this time, the Panhandles were admitted into the league. The Panhandles may have played in the first game with two APFA opponents. However, due to not having the games start at a standardized time, and the failure of the future NFL to record the start times, historians can not determine for sure which two teams played in
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