Milwaukee Badgers, Duluth Kelleys, Buffalo Bisons Hammond Pros, Columbus Tigers, Kansas City Cowboys, Dayton Triangles, Rock Island Independents, Pottsville Maroons, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers all played against the Chicago Cardinals - the League's Champions.

Pro football longest continuos franchise, the Cardinals, finished the 1925 season at 11-2-1, and were awarded the NFL Crown. The Cardinals, who played in Chicago in this era, played 13 of its 14 games at home on the south side of the city, in Comiskey Park. The Cardinals only road game was a 0-0 tie at Wrigley Gum Field, the north-side home of their arch-rival, the Chicago Bears.

Rated as one of the top defensive teams in professional football history, The Chicago Cardinals shutout seven opponents during the 1925 season, and yielded more than 10 points only once, when they lost 21-7 to the Pottsville Maroons before 6,000 fans.

The Pottsville eleven, based in Pennsylvania, and the Chicago Cardinals faced off late in the season in what the Chicago newspaper were declaring the league's championship. However, after losing to Pottsville, when the Cardinals won its remaining two games on the schedule and finished with the best record in the league, the NFL crowned the Cardinals its champions.

Even though, the Chicago Cardinals won the league championship they were drew 3,000-to-6,000 fans per game while teams like the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants were playing to packed stadiums.

When the Cardinals beat the Bears 9-0 at Comiskey Park in October they drew 13,000, but when they played a 0-0 tie during the Thanksgiving week in Wrigley Field, home of the Bears and the 'Galloping Ghost' Red Grange, 39,000 fans showed up.

In a pre-game review of the December 6th Pottsville-Cardinal game, the old 'Chicago American Newspaper' wrote: 'The Coal Miners (from Pennsylvania) are due in town tomorrow with 200 coal busters who are ready to bet their week's wages that their boys can whack the stuffing out of our westerners... the fans appear to have warmed to the spectacle of the two strongest pro teams in the league... and they stormed Comiskey Park for choice seats.'

Joining the Pro Ranks - Red Grange
College Football Legend

Late in 1924 rumors were flying that after the college season ended that All-American halfback Red Grange would join the pro ranks after his final season at the University of Illinois. Called - the Galloping Ghost - Grange swept into stardom with a dazzling performance against the University of Michigan in 1924. His eyes seemed to be shouting - 'Catch me, if you can,' as he sped by Michigan defenders. Grange, a collegiate superstar, scored five touchdowns in the 1924 Illinois' 39-14 triumph over Michigan. Four of those TD came in the very first quarter on three long runs from scrimmage and a kickoff return, and he also hurled a 18-yard touchdown pass. Grange carried the ball 15 times for 212 yards, completed 6-of-8 passes for 64 yards and returned 3 kickoffs for 126 yards. This resounding scoring display came as Illinois was dedicating its newly built stadium.

A three-time college All-American, he signed with the Chicago Bears and tickets for all upcoming Bear games were quickly sold out. Not so good news: On December 10, 1925, Red Grange aggravated an old arm injury in a 24-0 Bears loss to Pittsburgh. Grange to play in Detroit: Detroit Lions' owner Jimmy Conzelman said: When I heard about the crowds he (Grange) was pulling in, I booked the Bears for a game in Detroit... the tickets began to move like mad. I figured we would make $20,000 clear on the game (big money in the 1920s. That meant we could wipe out our debts and have a few dollars left. On Wednesday before the game George Halas (Bears owner) phoned and told me that Grange had been hurt and might not be able to play. I thought it only fair to tell the newspapers and I did. A few hours before the game was about to start, I looked out the window and saw a long line at the box office. I remembered thinking to myself - What a great sports town. Grange isn't going to play but they're still lining up to buy tickets. Then I got the news from the ticket man. They were lining up to get refunds. Footballhistorian.com - The History of Football

Famous Football Players

Profession Football These Days... December 1925
Newspaper Clipping - focusing on whether professional football would kill off college football-

Actual wording from the old Chicago Daily News after collegiate star Red Grange joined the Chicago Bears and was playing before packed professional stadiums throughout the nation.

December 8, 1925 Edition:

Many verbal missiles are being cast in the general direction of professional football these days, especially since the advent of Red Grange on the post-graduate field. College coaches and hundreds of others interested in amateur athletics and the benefits accruing for the 'simon pures' have voiced disfavor and viewed with alarm the rapid growth of the game in which players profit.

In the meantime the professional game has grown. This fall, specially since the close of the regular conference seasons, capacity crowds have turned out. The polo grounds at New York was crowded with 65,000 fans to see Grange and the Chicago Bears.

Despite the cold (weather) the Chicago Cardinals and Pottsville attracted a crowd to the White Sox park which would do credit to a baseball contest (6,000 fans). The result, at least is pleasing to Chris O'Brien, owner of the Cardinals, and other men who have financed the game from its small beginnings.

O'Brien stated in the Daily News article: Professional football here in Chicago and other places where the college gridirons cannot accommodate thousands of sportsmen who like a good clean battle, and it is on that the professional league was organized five years ago.

O'Brien continued: I may say that college football never need fear any inroads from professional sport. the college game belongs on the campus and, despite the fears of some of the coaches, will always be the leading student sport. The professional game belongs in another field in the commercial world, where workers want to get away from their daily grind just as they leave factory and office to see a baseball game. footballhistorian.com - Archives - Newspaper Clippings

=================================================

visit our www.baseballhistorian.com

=================================================

On to the Championship - 1925 Chicago Cardinals
Regrouping after season opening 10-6 loss to the Hammomd Pros - Chicago Cardinals 1925

Chicago Cardinals 1925 Football History In the era of the 1920s, there was no set schedule for NFL teams, and the club owners could continue to schedule games late in the season. The rules in effect stated: competing teams could start no earlier than September 25, 1925 and have games schedule through December 6... however teams could continue their scheduling until December 20 or opt to stop playing after their December 6th game. A disorganized schedule brought many problems for the twenty NFL squads, not the least was who would win the professional World Champion. The Duluth Kelleys played just three games and lost them all handily and then dropped out of the NFL.

The Frankford (Pennsylvania) Yellow Jackets faced off with 20 opponents - including four in an eight day stretch. Sunday games were banned in Pennsylvania, so the Yellow Jackets played home games on Saturday and jumped on a train to play elsewhere on Sunday. The Frankford eleven finished with a solid 13-7 record, sixth place in the standings.

The fore-mentioned Duluth Kelleys were 0-3, while the following three teams played all their games on the road so as to draw bigger crowds - the Hammond Pros 0-4, the Rochester Jeffersons 0-6-1 and the Columbus Tigers 0-9. Old NFL records indicate that the largest crowd ever, at that time, watched the Chicago Bears with legend Red Grange do battle in New York's Polo Grounds when the Bears beat the Giants 19-7. Attendance is officially listed at over 73,000 fans.

The Chicago Cardinals, meanwhile, were coached by newly appointed Norm Barry - a notoriously defense-minded taskmaster. Together with Cardinals' owner Chris O'Brien, Barry made many player changes during the off-season. Gone were veteran players, Garland Buckeye, Nick McInerney, Bill Whalen and Rip King. O'Brien kept standout defensive linemen Eddie Anderson, Fred Gilles, and Will Brennan - all well-known stars who played both offense and defense during this era's one-platoon system. The above trio were joined by newly acquired 200-pound end/tackle Herb Blumer, 204-pound tackle Buck Evans, power-packed 210-pound guard Jerry Luntz and muscular 195-pound center Ralph Claypool. And, Lenny Sachs and Wilfred Smith re-signed with the Cardinals after leaving and playing elsewhere. The 1925 Cardinals were led by popular Hall of Fame Paddy Driscoll in the backfield.

Driscoll rated by many historians as the top player of the 1920s was pro football leading halfback/quarterback and drop/kicker (field goals). In the backfield joining Driscoll were local raised veterans Art Folz, a former Englewood High School star (Chicago) and Bob Koehler (Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois). And to add more speed on offense and defense two swift-running newcomers were brought onboard - Hal 'Swede' Erickson from Washington and Jefferson and Red Dunn out of Marquette University.

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 (Index)

www.baseballhistorian.com | www.basketballhistorian.com | www.bowlinghistorian.com | www.boxinghistorian.com | www.crosstownclassic.com | www.hockeyhistorian.com