1922 NFL season

Last updated

1922 NFL season
Regular season
DurationOctober 1 – December 10, 1922
Champions Canton Bulldogs
USA Midwest and Northeast.svg
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Pros
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All-Americans
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Bulldogs
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Cardinals
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Bears
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Panhandles
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Triangles
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Crimson Giants
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Packers
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Brecks
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Badgers
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Marines
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Legion
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Jeffersons
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Independents
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Maroons
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Traveling teams
Blue 000080 pog.svg Pros
Blue 000080 pog.svg Indians

The 1922 NFL season was the third regular season of what was now called the National Football League (NFL); the league changed its name from American Professional Football Association (APFA) on June 24, 1922.

Contents

A total of 75 games were played by the 18 teams of the league, with a claimed total attendance in excess of 400,000. The league championship was won by the Canton Bulldogs, the first of two back-to back titles.

Background

The NFL fielded 18 teams during the season, including new league teams such as the Milwaukee Badgers, the Oorang Indians, the Racine Legion, and the Toledo Maroons. Technically, it was also Green Bay's first full season in the league, after their membership was suspended because the team had fielded college players in 1921.

The team representatives filed for a new franchise before the 1922 season under the name of the Green Bay Athletic club, and were registered in the league under the name Green Bay Blues. They returned to the original name a year later; most teams around the league continued to call them the Packers. [1] Meanwhile, the Chicago Staleys changed their name to the Chicago Bears, and the Racine Cardinals changed their name to the Chicago Cardinals.

The Muncie Flyers, Cleveland Indians, Brickley's New York Giants, Cincinnati Celts, Tonawanda Kardex, Washington Senators, and Detroit Tigers dropped out of the league. A 19th team, the Youngstown Patricians, was scheduled to join the league, and had its schedule laid out, but folded before playing in the league. A 20th, the Philadelphia Union Quakers, also was set to join (but presumably not as far along as the Youngstown plans), but did not, due partly to the fact that the Quakers were merely a front for the existing Buffalo All-Americans to play extra games on Saturday. After a four-year hiatus, the Quakers instead joined the American Football League (1926).

The Canton Bulldogs were named the 1922 NFL Champions after ending the season with a 10–0–2 record.

The league's teams salary cap was $1,200 per game, [2] while the new teams expansion fee was $500. [3]

Teams

Eighteen teams competed in the NFL during the 1922 season, down from 21 clubs during the previous season.

First season in NFLTeam folded this season
TeamHead coach(es)Stadium(s)
Akron Pros Untz Brewer Akron League Park
Buffalo All-Americans Tommy Hughitt Buffalo Baseball Park
Canton Bulldogs Guy Chamberlin Lakeside Park
Chicago Bears George Halas Cubs Park
Chicago Cardinals Paddy Driscoll Comiskey Park
Columbus Panhandles Herb Dell Neil Park
Dayton Triangles Carl Storck Triangle Park
Evansville Crimson Giants Frank Fausch Bosse Field
Green Bay (Blues) Packers Curly Lambeau Hagemeister Park
Hammond Pros Wally Hess Traveling team
Louisville Brecks Hubert Wiggs Eclipse Park
Milwaukee Badgers Budge Garrett (6 games)
Jimmy Conzelman (3 games)
Athletic Park
Minneapolis Marines Russell Tollefson Nicollet Park
Oorang Indians Jim Thorpe Traveling team
Racine Legion Babe Ruetz Horlick Field
Rochester Jeffersons Doc Alexander Rochester Baseball Park
Rock Island Independents Jimmy Conzelman Douglas Park
Toledo Maroons Guil Falcon Swayne Field

Standings

NFL standings
WLTPCTPFPASTK
Canton Bulldogs 10021.00018415W6
Chicago Bears 930.75012344L1
Chicago Cardinals 830.7279650W1
Toledo Maroons 522.7149459L2
Rock Island Independents 421.66715427L1
Racine Legion 641.60012256L1
Dayton Triangles 431.5718062W1
Green Bay Packers 433.5717054W2
Buffalo All-Americans 541.5568741W2
Akron Pros 352.37514695L3
Milwaukee Badgers 243.3335171L3
Oorang Indians 360.33369190W2
Minneapolis Marines 130.2501940L1
Louisville Brecks 130.25013140W1
Evansville Crimson Giants 030.000688L3
Rochester Jeffersons 041.0001376L4
Hammond Pros 051.000069L2
Columbus Panhandles 080.00024174L8
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Attendance

According to league president Joe F. Carr, more than 400,000 people attended the 75 games played by the teams of the National Football League in 1922. [4]

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References

  1. "The Taylorville Scandal" (PDF).
  2. "A Few More Loose Ends 1922" (PDF). The Professional Football Researchers Association.
  3. "Ditto1923" (PDF). The Professional Football Researchers Association.
  4. "Canton Bulldogs Win Pro Football Crown: More Than 400,000 Witnessed Games Played by Champs," Scranton Times, Jan. 1, 1923, p. 14.

Further reading