Charley Aull
Encyclopedia
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.
also played on the team. Charley was also accused of bringing in a ringer for the club against its rival the Allegheny Athletic Association
That year Aull stated that he met an old friend named "Stayer," on the street prior to the team's October 21 game against Allegheny. Since Pittsburgh was in need of replacement at center
, "Stayer" agreed to replace the injured regular player. A week after the game, it was disclosed that "Stayer" actually was A.C. Read
, the captain of the Penn State football team. 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, Allegheny 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. During the rematch, Aull reportedly received a injury when he was crushed beneath a pile of several Allegheny players. As a result Charley's back was so wrenched he had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. His brother Burt, was also injured during the game, after receiving a fierce blow to the head which forced him to retire from football.
In 1893, Charley was renamed the team's captain. On October 7, 1893, he was reportedly injured in a 10-0 Pittsburgh A.C. win over Western University (today the University of Pittsburgh
). He was out of the Pittsburgh line-up for two weeks with a swollen lip.
In 1895, Aull served as Pittsburgh's quarterback
.
for Penn State from 1889-1891. On November 11, 1889, Penn State suffered their worst loss in football history falling to Lehigh University
106-0. The players arrived back at campus and asked about the game. Aull stated that "We couldn't get at the son-of-a-bitch with the ball."
On October 28, 1900 Aull was the referee for a game between the professional Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
and the amateur Penn State football team. Duquesne won the game, held in Pittsburgh, by a score of 29-0.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. He played professionally for the 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...
. He also played college football from 1889 until 1891 for the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Professional career
Aull served as the team's captain for the 1892 season. His brother BurtBurt Aull
Burt Aull was an early football player with the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, prior to the club's hiring of professional football players. He was the brother of the team's captain and quarterback, Charley Aull...
also played on the team. Charley was also accused of bringing in a ringer for the club against its 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...
That year Aull stated that he met an old friend named "Stayer," on the street prior to the team's October 21 game against Allegheny. Since Pittsburgh was in need of 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...
, "Stayer" agreed to replace the injured regular player. A week after the game, it was disclosed that "Stayer" actually was A.C. Read
A.C. Read
A.C. Read was a college football player and the captain of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, and a college shot putter.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...
, the captain of the Penn State football team. 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, Allegheny hired under the table William "Pudge" Heffelfinger
William Heffelfinger
-External links:...
, a college star formerly from Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, for $500, to play for the club in a November 21 rematch. This game made Heffelfinger the first professional football player. During the rematch, Aull reportedly received a injury when he was crushed beneath a pile of several Allegheny players. As a result Charley's back was so wrenched he had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. His brother Burt, was also injured during the game, after receiving a fierce blow to the head which forced him to retire from football.
In 1893, Charley was renamed the team's captain. On October 7, 1893, he was reportedly injured in a 10-0 Pittsburgh A.C. win over Western University (today the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
). He was out of the Pittsburgh line-up for two weeks with a swollen lip.
In 1895, Aull served as Pittsburgh's quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
.
College football
Prior to his professional career, Aull played at the college levelCollege 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...
for Penn State from 1889-1891. On November 11, 1889, Penn State suffered their worst loss in football history falling to Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
106-0. The players arrived back at campus and asked about the game. Aull stated that "We couldn't get at the son-of-a-bitch with the ball."
On October 28, 1900 Aull was the referee for a game between the professional Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
The Duquesne Country and Athletic Club was a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1895 until 1900. The team was considered one of the best, if not the best, professional football teams in the country from 1898 until 1900...
and the amateur Penn State football team. Duquesne won the game, held in Pittsburgh, by a score of 29-0.