Nesser Brothers
Encyclopedia
The Nesser Brothers were a group of football
playing brothers who helped make up the most famous football family in the United States
from 1907 until the mid-1920s. The group consisted of seven brothers who worked for Panhandle Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad
in Columbus, Ohio
and who were later used as the foundation for the Columbus Panhandles of the "Ohio League
", and later the National Football League
, when the club was founded by future NFL-President Joe Carr
in 1907.
called Kirsch, near Trier
, Alsace-Lorraine
, which was the border region between Germany and France
. He eventually got a job with the German railroad as an apprentice boilermaker
. Soon afterwards the German government, which operated and controlled all the railroads, sent him to Metz
, where he worked for twelve years as a boilermaker.
In 1870, at the age of twenty, he fought with the German army
in the Franco-Prussian War
although he did not care for the fighting. After the war, around 1873, Theodore met Katerina Steinbach, and the following year the two were married and wasted no time in creating a large family. the couple eventually had eleven children. The first of the football-playing Nesser Brothers were born in Germany: John
(1876) and Phil
(1880).
By 1881 Theodore had grown weary of constant the wars in Europe
and looked to give his family a fresh start in the United States. That year he signed a contract to work with the Pennsylvania Railroad in exchange for boat fare. He was forced to leave his family behind, until he could raise enough money to send for them. He also agreed to work for three years to help the railroad develop improvements to its locomotive firebox.
The railroad sent him to Dennison, Ohio
, to start working. By 1882 he had finally saved enough money for Katerina and the five children to make their way to America. He eventually designed the steam engine that would be used by the railroad the years to come. However when the railroad tweaked his design to get around his patent in 1887, Nesser quit and started a plumbing
business in Columbus. While in Columbus the Nesser family continued to grow with five more children were born including football players: Fred
(1887), Frank
(1889), Al
(1893) and Ray
(1898).
.
None of the brothers attended college, however they were offered various scholarships. On brother, Frank, was offered a chance to go to Notre Dame
but chose to get married instead. Meanwhile Phil was a math genius who never had any formal education beyond the fourth grade. Ted was a football genius and is credited with originating several plays: the triple pass, the criss-cross and the short kickoff, which became popular plays at the college level.
, he was ready to make his mark on football, the sport he truly loved. However if his team was to succeed, he needed an attraction. That led Carr to build his team around pro football’s most famous family, the Nesser brothers. Eventually six brothers would play for the Panhandles. Carr used the Nesser brothers as the backbone of the Panhandles, and the football-playing family remained in that role for nearly twenty years.
Because most of the team’s players were employed by the railroad, they could ride the train free of charge. Because of this perk, Carr was able to schedule mostly road games, eliminating the expenses of stadium rental, game promotion, and security for the field. This perk combined combination with the Nesser brothers, made the Panhandles a major attraction in the early days of professional football. The Nesser brothers were bigger and stronger than most of their opponents. In their prime, they averaged more than 210 pounds apiece, in an era in which the average professional lineman weighed about 180 pounds.
The Nessers were a huge draw everywhere they went. During a game against the Detroit Heralds in Navin Field (later renamed Tiger Stadium) in 1916 the team drew 7,000 spectators, even though the Heralds hiked their ticket prices from $1 to $1.50 only for games against the Panhandles and Jim Thorpe's
Canton Bulldogs. The brothers were written up extensively in out-of-town newspapers, but barely received notice in their hometown of Columbus. This fact is due to the focus of Columbus fans on the Ohio State University
football team. They had little interest in games played by railroad workers. As a consequence, the Panhandles never achieved much of a hometown following.
Ted's son Charlie
also played briefly for the Panhandles in 1921. At the time Ted was a player-coach
for the team. This led to the only time in NFL history where a father and son played together on the same team. The 1921 Panhandles team reported featured six Nesser brothers, a son (Charlie Nesser), a nephew (Ted Hopkins
) and a brother-in-law (John Schneider
) on the team. Four of the brothers retired as players after the 1921 season
, including 46-year-old John, who held the record as the NFL's oldest player until it was later broken by George Blanda
. Meanwhile Al continue to play until 1931.
Meanwhile the football career of Raymond, the youngest of the brothers, remains somewhat of a mystery. It seems he only played in few games with his brothers, but he did appear in photos advertising the Panhandles. He didn’t follow his brothers into the boilermaker trade, either; instead he became a police officer for the city of Columbus. Raymond died on September 2, 1969, at the age of seventy-one.
, Akron Indians, Akron Pros
, Canton Bulldogs
, Shelby Blues
, Cleveland Panthers
and the New York Giants
. Ted, the first Nesser to make money at football, played for Massillon's state championship team in 1904, 1905 and 1906. Older brother John also played for the Tigers, in 1905, before Carr formed the Panhandles in 1907. Meanwhile, Al won two NFL Championships with the Akron Pros (1920) and the New York Giants (1927). Frank was usually recruited by Peggy Parratt
to play for his Akron Indians.
. Meanwhile Fred was a professional boxer
who was considered a legitimate contender for the heavyweight title, held by Jess Willard
. However in 1915, a broken wrist ended his boxing career. Frank was also a star baseball player who never ranked below third in batting in the Ohio State League
and the Southern Association
during his six years as a pro.
, although none of the brothers have been formally inducted into the Hall.
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...
playing brothers who helped make up the most famous football family in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1907 until the mid-1920s. The group consisted of seven brothers who worked for Panhandle Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
and who were later used as the foundation for the Columbus Panhandles of the "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...
", and later the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, when the club was founded by future NFL-President Joe Carr
Joseph Carr
Joseph "Joe" F. Carr was the president of the National Football League from 1921 until his death in 1939. Carr was born in Columbus, Ohio. As a mechanic for the Pennsylvania Railroad in Columbus, he directed the Columbus Panhandles football team in 1907 until 1922...
in 1907.
Origins
The brothers' father, Theodore, was born on January 20, 1850, in a small town in GermanyGerman Confederation
The German Confederation was the loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to coordinate the economies of separate German-speaking countries. It acted as a buffer between the powerful states of Austria and Prussia...
called Kirsch, near Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
, Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
, which was the border region between Germany and France
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
. He eventually got a job with the German railroad as an apprentice boilermaker
Boilermaker
A boilermaker is a trained craftsman who produces steel fabrications from plates and sections. The name originated from craftsmen who would fabricate boilers, but they may work on projects as diverse as bridges to blast furnaces to the construction of mining equipment.-Boilermaking:Many...
. Soon afterwards the German government, which operated and controlled all the railroads, sent him to Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
, where he worked for twelve years as a boilermaker.
In 1870, at the age of twenty, he fought with the German army
German Army (German Empire)
The German Army was the name given the combined land forces of the German Empire, also known as the National Army , Imperial Army or Imperial German Army. The term "Deutsches Heer" is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the German Bundeswehr...
in the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
although he did not care for the fighting. After the war, around 1873, Theodore met Katerina Steinbach, and the following year the two were married and wasted no time in creating a large family. the couple eventually had eleven children. The first of the football-playing Nesser Brothers were born in Germany: John
John Nesser
John Nesser was a professional American football player in the "Ohio League" and the early National Football League for the Columbus Panhandles...
(1876) and Phil
Phil Nesser
Phillip Gregory Nesser born June 6, 1893) was a professional American football player in the "Ohio League" and the early National Football League for the Columbus Panhandles...
(1880).
By 1881 Theodore had grown weary of constant the wars in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and looked to give his family a fresh start in the United States. That year he signed a contract to work with the Pennsylvania Railroad in exchange for boat fare. He was forced to leave his family behind, until he could raise enough money to send for them. He also agreed to work for three years to help the railroad develop improvements to its locomotive firebox.
The railroad sent him to Dennison, Ohio
Dennison, Ohio
Dennison is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,992 at the 2000 census, while the 2006 Census Bureau estimate listed a population of 2,908.- History :...
, to start working. By 1882 he had finally saved enough money for Katerina and the five children to make their way to America. He eventually designed the steam engine that would be used by the railroad the years to come. However when the railroad tweaked his design to get around his patent in 1887, Nesser quit and started a plumbing
Plumber
A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable water, sewage, and drainage in plumbing systems. The term dates from ancient times, and is related to the Latin word for lead, "plumbum." A person engaged in fixing metaphorical "leaks" may also be...
business in Columbus. While in Columbus the Nesser family continued to grow with five more children were born including football players: Fred
Fred Nesser
Frederick W. Nesser was a professional American football player in the "Ohio League" and the early National Football League for the Columbus Panhandles. He was also a member of the Nesser Brothers, a group consisting of seven brothers who made-up the most famous football family in the United States...
(1887), Frank
Frank Nesser
Frank Nesser was a professional football player in the "Ohio League" and the early National Football League. During his career he played mainly for the Columbus Panhandles, however he did also play for a little for the Akron Indians, whenever he was recruited by Indians manager, Peggy Parratt.Frank...
(1889), Al
Al Nesser
Alfred "Al" Louis Nesser was a professional American football offensive lineman. He played for 7 teams in the National Football League and the Cleveland Panthers in the first American Football League...
(1893) and Ray
Ray Nesser
Raymond Nesser was a professional American football player in the "Ohio League" prior to the formation of the National Football League for the Columbus Panhandles...
(1898).
Pennsylvania Railroad
Seven of the eight Nesser boys eventually followed their father to work as boilermakers at the Pennsylvania Railroad. The brothers did backbreaking, muscle-straining work for 10 hours a day at the shops of the Panhandle Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad. However they always rushed through their 1 hour lunch break so they could practice football for 50 minutes before they returned to work. In the event of the rain, they played euchreEuchre
Euchre or eucre, is a trick-taking card game most commonly played with four people in two partnerships with a deck of 24 standard playing cards. It is the game responsible for introducing the joker into modern packs; this was invented around 1860 to act as a top trump or best bower...
.
None of the brothers attended college, however they were offered various scholarships. On brother, Frank, was offered a chance to go to Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
but chose to get married instead. Meanwhile Phil was a math genius who never had any formal education beyond the fourth grade. Ted was a football genius and is credited with originating several plays: the triple pass, the criss-cross and the short kickoff, which became popular plays at the college level.
Columbus Panhandles
In 1907, Joe Carr resurrected and reorganized the Columbus Panhandles, a professional football team that recorded its first season in 1901 but disbanded in 1904 due to financial hardships. With his experience as a sportswriter and a sports executive in baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, he was ready to make his mark on football, the sport he truly loved. However if his team was to succeed, he needed an attraction. That led Carr to build his team around pro football’s most famous family, the Nesser brothers. Eventually six brothers would play for the Panhandles. Carr used the Nesser brothers as the backbone of the Panhandles, and the football-playing family remained in that role for nearly twenty years.
Because most of the team’s players were employed by the railroad, they could ride the train free of charge. Because of this perk, Carr was able to schedule mostly road games, eliminating the expenses of stadium rental, game promotion, and security for the field. This perk combined combination with the Nesser brothers, made the Panhandles a major attraction in the early days of professional football. The Nesser brothers were bigger and stronger than most of their opponents. In their prime, they averaged more than 210 pounds apiece, in an era in which the average professional lineman weighed about 180 pounds.
The Nessers were a huge draw everywhere they went. During a game against the Detroit Heralds in Navin Field (later renamed Tiger Stadium) in 1916 the team drew 7,000 spectators, even though the Heralds hiked their ticket prices from $1 to $1.50 only for games against the Panhandles and Jim Thorpe's
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
Canton Bulldogs. The brothers were written up extensively in out-of-town newspapers, but barely received notice in their hometown of Columbus. This fact is due to the focus of Columbus fans on the Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
football team. They had little interest in games played by railroad workers. As a consequence, the Panhandles never achieved much of a hometown following.
Ted's son Charlie
Charlie Nesser
Charles T. Nesser was a professional football player in the National Football League for the Columbus Panhandles. Charlie played only season, 1921, in the NFL. He was son of Ted Nesser, a member of the infamous Nesser Brothers. During the 1921 season, six of the Nessers played for the Panhandles,...
also played briefly for the Panhandles in 1921. At the time Ted was a player-coach
Player-coach
A player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. The term can be used to refer to both players who serve as head coaches, or as assistant coaches....
for the team. This led to the only time in NFL history where a father and son played together on the same team. The 1921 Panhandles team reported featured six Nesser brothers, a son (Charlie Nesser), a nephew (Ted Hopkins
Ted Hopkins
Edward "Ted" Hopkins is retired former Australian rules footballer, businessman and writer. He is most notable for his four goal effort in the second half of Carlton's remarkable victory in the 1970 VFL Grand Final.-Football career:...
) and a brother-in-law (John Schneider
John Schneider (American football)
John J. Schneider was a professional American football player in the "Ohio League" and the early National Football League for the Columbus Panhandles. He played from around 1909 until 1921 with the Panhandles...
) on the team. Four of the brothers retired as players after the 1921 season
1921 NFL season
The 1921 APFA season was the 2nd regular season of the National Football League, which was then called the American Professional Football Association....
, including 46-year-old John, who held the record as the NFL's oldest player until it was later broken by George Blanda
George Blanda
George Frederick Blanda was a collegiate and professional football quarterback and placekicker...
. Meanwhile Al continue to play until 1931.
Outside football
There were 12 children in the Nesser family. Ironically the only boy who didn't play football was Pete, the largest of the Nesser brothers, who weigh in at 350 pounds. The game just did not appeal to him. He worked as a boilermaker for the Pennsylvania Railroad for a remarkable fifty-seven years, starting in 1890 at age thirteen, and continuing until his retirement in 1947. Pete died on May 29, 1954, at the age of seventy-six.Meanwhile the football career of Raymond, the youngest of the brothers, remains somewhat of a mystery. It seems he only played in few games with his brothers, but he did appear in photos advertising the Panhandles. He didn’t follow his brothers into the boilermaker trade, either; instead he became a police officer for the city of Columbus. Raymond died on September 2, 1969, at the age of seventy-one.
Other teams
The Nessers also played for a little for the Massillon TigersMassillon 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...
, Akron Indians, Akron Pros
Akron Pros
The Akron Pros were a professional football team located played in Akron, Ohio from 1908–1926. The team originated in 1908 as a semi-pro team named the Akron Indians, however name was changed to the Pros in 1920 as the team set out to become a charter member of the American Professional...
, 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...
, 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...
, Cleveland Panthers
Cleveland Panthers
The Cleveland Panthers were a professional American football team that competed in the first American Football League in 1926. Owned by General C. X. Zimmerman , the Panthers played their home games in Luna Bowl in Luna Park...
and the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Ted, the first Nesser to make money at football, played for Massillon's state championship team in 1904, 1905 and 1906. Older brother John also played for the Tigers, in 1905, before Carr formed the Panhandles in 1907. Meanwhile, Al won two NFL Championships with the Akron Pros (1920) and the New York Giants (1927). Frank was usually recruited by Peggy Parratt
Peggy Parratt
George Watson "Peggy" Parratt was a professional football player who played in the "Ohio League" prior to it becoming a part of the National Football League...
to play for his Akron Indians.
Other sports
The Nessers were not restricted to playing only football. In addition to football Phil was a champion hammer throwerHammer throw
The modern or Olympic hammer throw is an athletic throwing event where the object is to throw a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and handle. The name "hammer throw" is derived from older competitions where an actual sledge hammer was thrown...
. Meanwhile Fred was a professional boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
who was considered a legitimate contender for the heavyweight title, held by Jess Willard
Jess Willard
Jess Willard was a world heavyweight boxing champion. He won the heavyweight title from Jack Johnson in April 1915 and lost it to Jack Dempsey in July 1919....
. However in 1915, a broken wrist ended his boxing career. Frank was also a star baseball player who never ranked below third in batting in the Ohio State League
Ohio State League
The first Ohio State League was a baseball league in 1887 before changing names to the Tri-State League.The first 20th century Ohio State League started in 1908 as a class D loop and ran through 1916. Another Ohio State League was formed in 1936 and ran through 1947 except for a break in '42-'43...
and the Southern Association
Southern Association
The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A , Class A1 and Class AA...
during his six years as a pro.
Recognition
Columbus has no plaques or monuments to the Nessers or a street named after them. In 1987, Fred's daughter Vera tried to get the city to name a street after the football pioneering brothers, however her request was rejected. A display recognizing the Nessers' contributions to pro football is on display at the Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
, although none of the brothers have been formally inducted into the Hall.