Herman Kerchoffe was professional American football

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 for the Pittsburgh Stars

Pittsburgh Stars

The Pittsburgh Stars were a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1902. The team was member of what was referred to as the National Football League. This league has no connection with the National Football League of today. The whole "league" was a curious mixture...

 of the first National Football League in 1902

National Football League (1902)

The National Football League was the first attempt at forming a national professional football league in 1902. The league has no ties with the modern National Football League. In fact the league was only composed of teams from Pennsylvania, which was hardly "national". Two of the teams were based...

, the Massillon Tigers

Massillon Tigers

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...

 in 1904 and the Canton Athletic Club (renamed the Canton Bulldogs

Canton Bulldogs

The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and its successor, the National Football League, from 1920 to 1923 and again from 1925 to 1926. The Bulldogs would go on to win the 1917, 1918...

 in 1906). He was regarded as one of the best offensive linemen from his era.

Kerchoff began his professional career with the Denver Athletic Club and the Chicago Athletic Association Football team

Chicago Athletic Association Football team

The Chicago Athletic Association was an American football team, based in Chicago, Illinois. The club itself had been organized in 1890, and in 1892 it formed a football team...

. In 1902, he helped the Pittsburgh Stars win the first, and only, NFL championship over the Philadelphia Athletics

Philadelphia Athletics (NFL)

The Philadelphia Athletics were a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1902. The team was member of what was referred to as the National Football League. This league has no connection with the National Football League of today. The whole "league" was a curious...

 and the Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies (NFL)

The Philadelphia Phillies were a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1902. The team was member of what was referred to as the National Football League. This league has no connection with the National Football League of today. The whole league was a curious...

. He then became a member of the Franklin Athletic Club

Franklin Athletic Club

The Franklin Athletic Club was an early professional football team based in Franklin, Pennsylvania. It was considered the top team in professional football in 1903, by becoming the becoming the US Football Champions and winning the 1903 World Series of Football, held after the 1903 season, at New...

, which won the 1903 "Pennsylvnia championship" and the 1903 World Series of Football.

In 1904, Kerchoff helped Massillon with a key 44-0 win over the Pittsburgh Lyceum

Pittsburgh Lyceum (American football)

The Pittsburgh Lyceum were a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1906 until 1910. They were regarded as one of the professional football teams in Pittsburgh from 1907 until 1909. The team was also the last championship Pittsburgh would produce until the 1970s...

, a 28-0 victory over the Shelby Blues

Shelby Blues

The Shelby Blues were an American football team based in Shelby, Ohio. The team played in the Ohio League from 1900 to 1919. In 1920, when the Ohio League became the APFA , the Blues did not join but continued to play against APFA teams, only to later suspend operations...

 and a 63-0 victory over the Sharon Buhl Club, the self-proclaimed champions of the western Pennsylvania football circuit. In 1906, Canton's coach, Blondy Wallace

Blondy Wallace

Charles Edgar "Blondy" Wallace was an early professional football player. He was a 240-pound, former Walter Camp second-team All-American tackle from the University of Pennsylvania. He also played two years at Peddie Institute, in New Jersey, winning state championships in 1896 and 1897...

, signed Kerchoff a several other Massillon players to his team. To replace Kerchoff, Massillon signed Tiny Maxwell

Tiny Maxwell

Robert W. "Tiny" Maxwell was a professional football player and referee. He was also a sports editor with the Philadelphia Public Ledger.-Early life:...

. He played for Canton during a two game home and home series against Massillon, which would determine the 1906 "Ohio League

Ohio League

The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1903 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship . As the name implied, its teams were based in Ohio...

" champions. While Canton won the first game, the second game and the championship was won by Massillon. The events that followed the series resulted in accusations of a betting scandal.

Prior to his professional career, Herman played in one season while at Purdue University

Purdue University

Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...

.