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The Providence Steam Rollers were a professional American football team based in Providence, Rhode Island in the National Football League (NFL) from 1925 to 1931. Providence was the first New England team to win an NFL championship. The Steam Roller won the league's championship in 1928, which is the latest NFL championship win by a defunct team to date. Most of their home games were played at the Cycledrome, a 10,000-seat stadium that was built as a velodrome for bicycle races.
The Cincinnati Celts was the first professional football team to play in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team played in the unofficial "Ohio League" and the American Professional Football Association. The Celts were a traveling team, playing all of their APFA games in other cities' stadia. In its only season in the APFA, 1921, the team had a record of 1–3. For the entire span of the team's existence, the Celts were coached by Mel Doherty, who was also the team's center.
The Evansville Crimson Giants were a professional American football team based in Evansville, Indiana and were a part of the National Football League in 1921 and 1922. The Giants home games were played at Bosse Field. According to the Evansville Courier and Press in 1921, 'they surprised local fans in developing a winning team' and 'the Giants' one-sided victories over inferior non-league teams has had good fan reaction.' However, the team did not succeed, mostly due to scheduling mistakes and management problems. Evansville's local sporting enthusiasts also failed to respond favorably and attend the home games.
The Muncie Flyers, known as the Congerville Flyers for most of their existence, were a professional American football team from Muncie, Indiana, that played from 1905 to 1926. The Flyers were an independent squad for most of their existence, but are remembered mostly for their very brief stint in the American Professional Football Association. With only three official league games, one in 1920 and two in 1921, the Flyers are the third-shortest-lived team in league history, behind the two games of the original New York Giants and the one game of the Tonawanda Kardex Lumbermen, and the shortest by a team not from the state of New York.
Louisville, Kentucky had two professional American football teams in the National Football League: the Louisville Breckenridges from 1921 to 1924 and the Louisville Colonels in 1926.
The Massillon Tigers were an early professional football team from Massillon, Ohio. Playing in the "Ohio League", the team was a rival to the pre-National Football League version of the Canton Bulldogs. The Tigers won Ohio League championships in 1903, 1904, 1905, and 1906, then merged to become "All-Massillons" to win another title in 1907. The team returned as the Tigers in 1915 but, with the reemergence of the Bulldogs, only won one more Ohio League title. Pro football was popularized in Ohio when the amateur Massillon Tigers hired four Pittsburgh pros to play in the season-ending game against Akron. At the same time, pro football declined in the Pittsburgh area, and the emphasis on the pro game moved west from Pennsylvania to Ohio.
Franklin Leo Fausch was a professional football player-coach for the Evansville Crimson Giants of the National Football League in 1921 and 1922. He was also the owner, co-founder, president and general manager of the Crimson Giants during their brief time in the NFL. Prior to establishing the Crimson Giants, Fausch played for a local semi-pro team called the Evansville Ex-Collegians.
Mark B. Ingle was an attorney as well as a professional football player in the early 1920s. Ingle played in the National Football League (NFL) in 1921 for the Evansville Crimson Giants. He was also a co-founder of the team, along with Frank Fausch, and served as the team's vice-president.
Ellis Menzies Lindsey was an attorney as well as a professional football player in the early 1920s. Lindsey was a quarterback for the Evansville Crimson Giants of the National Football League in 1921. He was also a co-manager of the semi-pro Evansville Ex-Collegians in 1920, before joining the Crimson Giants. After a dispute with Crimson Giants' owner Frank Fausch, Lindsey tried to re-establish the Ex-Collegians team. The new team was back by Evansville's baseball club and named the Evansville Pros. However that team last only two games before folding.
Clarence Adolph Spiegel was a professional football player in the early 1920s. He played in the early National Football League for the Evansville Crimson Giants. He also worked as a promotion manager for about 30 years. Prior to that, he was the owner of a family-owned and operated furniture store located in Evansville, Indiana. During World War I, he served as a private in the Army.
Joseph C. Windbiel Jr. was a professional football player who played in the early 1920s in the National Football League. He played for the AFPA's Evansville Crimson Giants during the 1921 season. He also reportedly played for the Detroit Heralds before the team joined the NFL in 1920. Before playing pro football, Windbiel played at the college level for the University of Dayton. At Dayton, Windbiel was a three-time letterman and the captain of the school's 1916 team.
Otho Addison "Doc" Gorman was a professional football player during the early 1920s. He played in the National Football League, in 1921 and 1922, for the Evansville Crimson Giants. Gorman also played halfback at the college level for St. Louis University.
Earl Oscar Warweg was an American football player and architect.
Walter Guy Morrison was a professional baseball player. He played briefly in the majors for the Boston Braves in 1927 and 1928. He also served as the baseball and football coach at Montclair State University in 1929. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1934.
Benjamin Bosse was an American politician, manufacturer, and businessman who served as the 19th mayor of Evansville, Indiana, from 1914 until his death in 1922. He died during his third term as Mayor.
Herbert Raymond Henderson was a professional football player in the early 1920s. He played for one season, in 1921, for the Evansville Crimson Giants of the National Football League. Prior to playing pro football, Henderson played at the college level at Ohio State. There he was a starting halfback on the Buckeyes 1920 Big Ten Championship team. He also participated in the 1921 Rose Bowl Game. He later served as a football coach at Central High School in Evansville, Indiana for 4 years with a record of 26-8-2. After his coaching career ended, Henderson became an Athletic Business Manager. He stayed in that position for 5 years. He then made his mark as a Football Official in Indiana and was a grader of the Big Ten Conference officials for several years. He was the 86th person inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame on November 30, 1979.
Benjamin Franklin Roller was an American physician, a professional wrestler and a football player.
Dan Policowski was an early professional football player for the Massillon Tigers from 1904 to 1906. Originally from Canton, Ohio, which was the home of the Tigers', rival the Canton Bulldogs, Policowski played end under the alias Dan Riley. He was also known as "Bullet Riley".
William John Laub was the Mayor of Akron, Ohio, 1916–17, and an early professional American football player-coach. Laub was the first head coach of the Canton Bulldogs and a player-coach for the Akron East Ends.
Arthur Lamont "Tiger" McFarland was an early professional American football player who played with the Greensburg Athletic Association as well as the Latrobe Athletic Association. He later played for the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1902 version of the National Football League and for the 1903 US Football Champions, the Franklin Athletic Club. Sweet also won, with Franklin, the 1903 World Series of Football, held that December at Madison Square Garden.
References
- Maltby, Marc S. (1992). "The Early Struggles Of Professional Football: Evansville, Indiana" (PDF). Coffin Corner. 14 (4). Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–8. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 7, 2010.
- Bashore, Mel (1993). "More Crimson Giants" (PDF). Coffin Corner. 15 (1). Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 7, 2010.
- Pro Football Archives Archived 2013-12-05 at the Wayback Machine
- 1917 DePauw Tigers Team