A.C. Read
Encyclopedia
A.C. Read was a college football
player and the captain of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team
, and a college shot put
ter.
In 1892, he was suspected of being a paid ringer for the then-amateur Pittsburgh Athletic Club
. According to the story, the Pittsburgh A.C. was in need of a replacement at center
, due to their regular player being injured. The team was also days away from playing their rival, the Allegheny Athletic Association
. Then Pittsburgh captain Charley Aull
reportedly ran into an old friend named "Stayer". Both teams agreed to let "Stayer" play in the place of the injured center. A week later it was discovered that "Stayer" was actually Read. Although no one could prove that Read actually had been paid, and Aull had not tried to present him as a Pittsburgh A.C. member, the incident raised tensions between both clubs. Now no club would hesitate to use ringers or professional players. Allegheny then hired, under the table, William "Pudge" Heffelfinger
, a college star formerly from Yale
, for $500, to play for the club in a November 21 rematch. This game made Heffelfinger the first professional football player.
Read played against the Pittsburgh A.C. on November 5, 1892 when Penn State defeated the club 16–0.
Read played center all season for the Pittsburgh A.C the following season; although no contract was discovered, he is believed to have been paid for his services.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
player and the captain of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
, and a college shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
ter.
In 1892, he was suspected of being a paid ringer for the then-amateur Pittsburgh Athletic Club
Pittsburgh Athletic Club (football)
The Pittsburgh Athletic Club football team, established in 1891, was based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1892 the intense competition between two Pittsburgh-area clubs, the Allegheny Athletic Association and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, led to William Heffelfinger becoming the first known...
. According to the story, the Pittsburgh A.C. was in need of a replacement at center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
, due to their regular player being injured. The team was also days away from playing their rival, the Allegheny Athletic Association
Allegheny Athletic Association
The Allegheny Athletic Association was an athletic club that fielded the first ever professional American football player and later the first fully professional football team. The organization was founded in 1890 as a regional athletic club in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, which is today the North...
. Then Pittsburgh captain Charley Aull
Charley Aull
Charles E. Aull was an early professional football player. He played professionally for the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. He also played college football from 1889 until 1891 for the Penn State Nittany Lions.-Professional career:...
reportedly ran into an old friend named "Stayer". Both teams agreed to let "Stayer" play in the place of the injured center. A week later it was discovered that "Stayer" was actually Read. Although no one could prove that Read actually had been paid, and Aull had not tried to present him as a Pittsburgh A.C. member, the incident raised tensions between both clubs. Now no club would hesitate to use ringers or professional players. Allegheny then hired, under the table, William "Pudge" Heffelfinger
William Heffelfinger
-External links:...
, a college star formerly from Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
, for $500, to play for the club in a November 21 rematch. This game made Heffelfinger the first professional football player.
Read played against the Pittsburgh A.C. on November 5, 1892 when Penn State defeated the club 16–0.
Read played center all season for the Pittsburgh A.C the following season; although no contract was discovered, he is believed to have been paid for his services.