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The 1920 APFA season was the inaugural season of the American Professional Football Association, renamed the National Football League in 1922. An agreement to form a league was made by four independent teams from Ohio on August 20, 1920, at Ralph Hay's office in Canton, Ohio, with plans to invite owners of more teams for a second meeting on September 17, 1920. The "American Professional Football Conference" (APFC) was made up of Hay's Canton Bulldogs, Akron Pros, the Cleveland Tigers and the Dayton Triangles, who decided on a six-game schedule to play each other at home-and-away, an agreement to respect each other's player contracts, and to take a stand against signing college students whose class had not yet graduated.
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Berlin Guy "Champ" Chamberlin, sometimes misspelled Guy Chamberlain, was an American professional football player and coach. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1962 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965. He was also named in 1969 to the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team.
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Francis P. DeClerk was an American football player. He played three years in the National Football League with the Rock Island Independents from 1923 to 1925.
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Harry George "King" Cutler Jr. was an American football player and official and a businessman and civil leader in Dayton, Ohio. He played professional football, principally as a tackle, for the Dayton Triangles from 1916 to 1920. He was Dayton's starting left tackle in the first NFL game on October 3, 1920. After his football career, he was in the insurance business in Dayton from 1925 until his retirement in 1963.
Guido Bruce Wyland, referred to in contemporary sources by his given name but listed in modern statistical databases as "Pudge", was an American football player and track athlete. He played professional football, principally as a guard, for the Rock Island Independents from 1917 to 1920. His initial fame came from his accomplishments as a track and field athlete, competing in diverse events, including the 100-yard dash, high and low hurdles, shot put, hammer throw, and discus.
Ervine Carl Wenig was an American football end who played three seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Rock Island Independents.
Joseph Joannas Kraker was an American gridiron football guard. A native of Virginia, Minnesota, Kraker attended high school in the state but played college football at Saskatchewan. After graduating from there, he played for several Canadian football teams, including the Saskatoon Quakers in 1922. He returned to Minnesota in 1923, playing for a team in Hibbing. The following year, Kraker was signed by the Rock Island Independents of the National Football League (NFL), and appeared in five games for the team. He was said to be the only lineman in history to play without shoulder pads.
References
- ↑ "Clipped From The Daily Times". The Daily Times. September 27, 1920. p. 10 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "UNIVERSAL TRACTORS TO DECATUR". The Daily Times. October 2, 1920. p. 15 – via newspapers.com.
- 1 2 "1920 Moline Athletics +Peoria Caterpillars - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com.
- ↑ "Moline Universal Tractors coaches | Pro Football History.com". pro-football-history.com.
- ↑ Turner, Jonathan (15 October 2017). "Independents, Universal Tractors square off in throwback game". Dispatch Argus.
- ↑ "Photos: Rock Island Independents and Moline Universal Tractors". The Quad-City Times. 15 October 2017.
- ↑ "Vintage football game to take place in Rock Island". www.kwqc.com. 10 October 2017.
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