New York Pro Football League
Encyclopedia
The New York Pro Football League was a professional American football
league active in the 1910s
and based in upstate New York
, primarily Western New York
. Between 1920 and 1921, the league's best teams were absorbed into the National Football League
, though none survive in that league today. It was one of the biggest challengers to the Ohio League
in professional football in the 1910s.
Its formation was highly informal; the teams were largely clustered around the two cities of Rochester, New York
and Buffalo, New York
, with rural teams to fill the differences. Rochester had built its reputation around a strong "sandlot football"
circuit, for instance, and was most popular when it consisted mostly of local teams. Rochester's best team, the Jeffersons, was instrumental in bringing the NYPFL and the Ohio League
together to form the NFL.
format (as opposed to a single-game championship) in 1919.
The Buffalo Semi-Pro, Rochester, and Central New York divisions were known to have championships. In the Buffalo division, the Buffalo Prospects
defeated the Tonawanda Lumberjacks
by a score of 12-7. In Central New York, All-Syracuse
defeated the Watertown Red & Black
and advanced to face Buffalo the next week. Buffalo defeated Syracuse 23-0. The Rochester Jeffersons
won the Rochester circuit title.
This led to the two-game "New York Pro Championship" between the Buffalo and Rochester divisions over Thanksgiving weekend in 1919, with the Buffalo Prospects defeating the Rochester Jeffersons by a score of 20-0 in the second of two games (the first, held on Thanksgiving Day, was a scoreless tie, necessitating a rematch).
, stemming back to 1917, when both teams went barnstorming
in Ohio. The Jeffersons were able to land a game against the top team in the nation, the Canton Bulldogs
, where Jeffersons owner Leo Lyons
suggested to Bulldogs coach Jim Thorpe
and owner Ralph Hay
that a league format could eventually become as popular as Major League Baseball
.
Buffalo, too, had connections to the Ohio League. In addition to a team of "Buffalo All-Stars" barnstorming in 1917 against the Detroit Heralds and Massillon Tigers
, Buffalo quarterback Tommy Hughitt
had moonlighted as a member of the Ohio League's Youngstown Patricians
.
When the Ohio League owners moved to make a national league in 1920, Buffalo and Rochester, being familiar to the league owners, were invited to join, and both accepted.
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...
league active in the 1910s
1910s
File:1910s montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Model T Ford is introduced and becomes widespread; The sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic causes the deaths of nearly 1,500 people and attracts global and historical attention; Title bar: All the events below are part of World War I ; French Army lookout...
and based in upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
, primarily Western New York
Western New York
Western New York is the westernmost region of the state of New York. It includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands, the Genesee Valley, and the Southern Tier. Some historians, scholars and others...
. Between 1920 and 1921, the league's best teams were absorbed into 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...
, though none survive in that league today. It was one of the biggest challengers to 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...
in professional football in the 1910s.
Its formation was highly informal; the teams were largely clustered around the two cities of Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
and Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, with rural teams to fill the differences. Rochester had built its reputation around a strong "sandlot football"
Street football (American)
Street football, also known as backyard football or sandlot football, is a simplified variant of American football primarily played informally by youth...
circuit, for instance, and was most popular when it consisted mostly of local teams. Rochester's best team, the Jeffersons, was instrumental in bringing the NYPFL and 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...
together to form the NFL.
Known champions
- 1908: Buffalo Oakdales 7-2-2
- 1909: Buffalo Oakdales 5-1-0
- 1910: Buffalo Cazenovias 9-1-1
- 1911: Buffalo Cazenovias 6-0-1
- 1912: records incomplete
- 1913: Lancaster 8-0-1
- 1914: All-Lancaster 6-0-1
- 1915: Rochester JeffersonsRochester JeffersonsThe Rochester Jeffersons from Rochester, New York played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925.Formed as an amateur outfit by a rag-tag group of Rochester-area teenagers after the turn of the century , the team became known as the Jeffersons in reference to the locale of their playing...
3-1-3 (records incomplete) - 1916: Rochester JeffersonsRochester JeffersonsThe Rochester Jeffersons from Rochester, New York played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925.Formed as an amateur outfit by a rag-tag group of Rochester-area teenagers after the turn of the century , the team became known as the Jeffersons in reference to the locale of their playing...
- 1917: All-TonawandaTonawanda KardexThe Tonawanda Kardex was an American football team active between 1916 and 1921. It played its games in City of Tonawanda, New York, a suburb of Buffalo with close ties to North Tonawanda, New York where American Kardex was founded...
, def. Rochester Jeffersons 9-7 - 1918: Buffalo Niagaras.
- Due to war and flu concerns in 1918, Buffalo played a six-game schedule (all wins) only in its own city. The Jeffersons continued operating, including a game against the Detroit Heralds and one game against a local squad, but never challenged Buffalo to a title match.
- 1919: See below
1919 playoffs
The NYPFL is believed to have been the first professional football league to use a playoffPlayoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
format (as opposed to a single-game championship) in 1919.
The Buffalo Semi-Pro, Rochester, and Central New York divisions were known to have championships. In the Buffalo division, the Buffalo Prospects
Buffalo (NFL)
Buffalo, New York had a turbulent, early-era National Football League team that operated under three different names and several different owners between the 1910s and 1920s...
defeated the Tonawanda Lumberjacks
Tonawanda Kardex
The Tonawanda Kardex was an American football team active between 1916 and 1921. It played its games in City of Tonawanda, New York, a suburb of Buffalo with close ties to North Tonawanda, New York where American Kardex was founded...
by a score of 12-7. In Central New York, All-Syracuse
Syracuse Pros
The Syracuse Pros, also sometimes referred to as the Syracuse Eleven, were a professional American football team from Syracuse, New York. It is suspected, though not known for sure, that the team joined the American Professional Football Association in 1921 and left the same year...
defeated the Watertown Red & Black
Watertown Red & Black
The Watertown Red & Black is a semi-professional American football team based in Watertown, New York. Founded in 1896, the team is the oldest semi-pro football team in the United States...
and advanced to face Buffalo the next week. Buffalo defeated Syracuse 23-0. The Rochester Jeffersons
Rochester Jeffersons
The Rochester Jeffersons from Rochester, New York played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925.Formed as an amateur outfit by a rag-tag group of Rochester-area teenagers after the turn of the century , the team became known as the Jeffersons in reference to the locale of their playing...
won the Rochester circuit title.
This led to the two-game "New York Pro Championship" between the Buffalo and Rochester divisions over Thanksgiving weekend in 1919, with the Buffalo Prospects defeating the Rochester Jeffersons by a score of 20-0 in the second of two games (the first, held on Thanksgiving Day, was a scoreless tie, necessitating a rematch).
Role in the NFL's founding
Both Buffalo and Rochester had significant ties to the teams in the Ohio LeagueOhio 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...
, stemming back to 1917, when both teams went barnstorming
Barnstorm (sports)
Barnstorming in athletics refers to sports teams or individuals that travel to various locations, usually small towns, to stage exhibition matches....
in Ohio. The Jeffersons were able to land a game against the top team in the nation, 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...
, where Jeffersons owner Leo Lyons
Leo Lyons (American football)
Leo V. Lyons was a co-founder of the National Football League. He was a player, manager,coach and owner of the Rochester Jeffersons from 1908 to 1925.-Early career:...
suggested to Bulldogs coach Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
and owner Ralph Hay
Ralph Hay
Ralph E. Hay was the owner of the Canton Bulldogs from 1918 until 1923. However he is mostly recognized for organizing the first meeting of teams that would later former the American Professional Football Association, later called the National Football League....
that a league format could eventually become as popular as Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
.
Buffalo, too, had connections to the Ohio League. In addition to a team of "Buffalo All-Stars" barnstorming in 1917 against the Detroit Heralds and 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...
, Buffalo quarterback Tommy Hughitt
Tommy Hughitt
Ernest Fredrick Hughitt , was a National Football League utility player and coach. He was also an All-American quarterback for the University of Michigan in 1913....
had moonlighted as a member of the Ohio League's Youngstown Patricians
Youngstown Patricians
The Youngstown Patricians were a semi-professional football team based in Youngstown, Ohio. In the 1910s, the team briefly held the professional football championship and established itself as a fierce rival of more experienced clubs around the country, some of which later formed the core of the...
.
When the Ohio League owners moved to make a national league in 1920, Buffalo and Rochester, being familiar to the league owners, were invited to join, and both accepted.
Buffalo Semi Pro Football League
- Buffalo Niagaras/ProspectsBuffalo (NFL)Buffalo, New York had a turbulent, early-era National Football League team that operated under three different names and several different owners between the 1910s and 1920s...
. Two teams led by utility player Tommy HughittTommy HughittErnest Fredrick Hughitt , was a National Football League utility player and coach. He was also an All-American quarterback for the University of Michigan in 1913....
; Hughitt's teams were the best in the league. Joined the NFL in 1920 as the Buffalo All-Americans, where it played until 1927, and was revived for one last season in 1929. Successor to the Buffalo All-Stars, who played from 1915 to 1917. - All-Tonawanda LumberjacksTonawanda KardexThe Tonawanda Kardex was an American football team active between 1916 and 1921. It played its games in City of Tonawanda, New York, a suburb of Buffalo with close ties to North Tonawanda, New York where American Kardex was founded...
. An all-star team of players from Tonawanda, New YorkTonawanda, New YorkTonawanda may refer to:*Glacial Lake Tonawanda*North Tonawanda, New York, a city in Niagara County, north across Tonawanda Creek from the City and Town*Tonawanda , New York, consisting of the Town of Tonawanda less the Village of Kenmore...
; known to have formed in 1916 and coached for its entire existence by Tam RoseTam RoseWalter Sumner "Tam" Rose was a professional football player in the National Football League with the Tonawanda Kardex. He served as the team's halfback as well as head coach. Before joining the NFL, Rose was a captain of the Syracuse University football team from 1913-1915...
. Joined the NFL in 1921 as the Tonawanda Lumbermen, or, under its sponsored name, as Tonawanda Kardex (after title sponsor Rand Kardex), but folded after one game in the league. - Buffalo Pierce-Arrows. Team sponsored by the Pierce-ArrowPierce-ArrowPierce-Arrow was an American automobile manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York, which was active from 1901-1938. Although best known for its expensive luxury cars, Pierce-Arrow also manufactured commercial trucks, fire trucks, camp trailers, motorcycles, and bicycles.-Early history:The forerunner...
automobile manufacturer. - Buffalo Oakdales. Said to be an early dominant team in Buffalo semiprofessional football, but had fallen by the wayside by 1912 and folded around 1915.
- All-Buffalo. An all-star team from Buffalo that existed in some form until at least 1921.
- West Buffalo. Existed until at least 1920.
- Lancaster Malleables. Based in Lancaster, New YorkLancaster, New YorkLancaster, New York may refer to the following locations in Erie County, New York:*Lancaster , New York*Lancaster , New York...
. - Fort Porter 74th Infantry Division. A team based at Fort PorterFort PorterFort Porter was constructed between 1841 and 1844 at Buffalo in Erie County, New York and named for General Peter Buell Porter. The site was bounded by Porter Avenue, Busti Avenue and the Erie Barge Canal. It was initially a square masonry two-story redoubt, 62 feet square, with crenelated walls...
from the time of its reactivation in 1917 to at least 1920.
Rochester sandlot circuit
- Rochester JeffersonsRochester JeffersonsThe Rochester Jeffersons from Rochester, New York played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925.Formed as an amateur outfit by a rag-tag group of Rochester-area teenagers after the turn of the century , the team became known as the Jeffersons in reference to the locale of their playing...
. Based in Rochester, New YorkRochester, New YorkRochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
; they were the best team among a number of other Rochester-based teams. Joined the NFL in 1920, and played until 1925. - Rochester Scalpers. One of many Rochester-based teams; existed until at least 1920.
- Rochester Oxfords. Another of many Rochester-based teams, and one of the better ones; it peaked in 1922 under the leadership of Romey Farrell. It existed until at least 1926, in its latter years, solely as a semiprofessional team.
- Dutchtown Russers. Team backed by local wrestler Max Russer.
- 19th Ward Regals. Operated by Leo Powers, founded 1920, ended 1921.
Central New York division
- All-SyracuseSyracuse ProsThe Syracuse Pros, also sometimes referred to as the Syracuse Eleven, were a professional American football team from Syracuse, New York. It is suspected, though not known for sure, that the team joined the American Professional Football Association in 1921 and left the same year...
. Based in Syracuse, New YorkSyracuse, New YorkSyracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. Traces its history to the Syracuse Athletic Club, which was founded in 1890. May have joined the NFL in 1921, though there is significant doubt regarding this. - Watertown Red and BlacksWatertown Red & BlackThe Watertown Red & Black is a semi-professional American football team based in Watertown, New York. Founded in 1896, the team is the oldest semi-pro football team in the United States...
. Based in Watertown, New York. The team never joined the NFL, but is the only one still in operation today; it is known today as the Watertown Red & Black and operates as a semiprofessional member of the Empire Football League.
- All Fulton and Oswego. Based in Oswego County, New YorkOswego County, New YorkOswego County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 Census, the estimated population was 122,109. The City of Oswego and the Village of Pulaski serve as the dual county seats in a two shire system of government...
. Appears most frequently in historical records as a regional rival to the Red & Black.
Unaffiliated
- Jamestown Alcos. Based in Jamestown, New YorkJamestown, New YorkJamestown is a city in Chautauqua County, New York in the United States. The population was 31,146 at the 2010 census.The City of Jamestown is adjacent to Town of Ellicott and is at the southern tip of Chautauqua Lake...
. - Geneva Glenwoods. Based in Geneva, New YorkGeneva, New YorkGeneva is a city in Ontario and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 13,617 at the 2000 census. Some claim it is named after the city and canton of Geneva in Switzerland. Others believe the name came from confusion over the letters in the word "Seneca" written in cursive...
; oddly, this team had a home field that had no goal posts, which meant that no field goals could be attempted. - Endicott-Johnson Athletic Association. Based in Binghamton, New YorkBinghamton, New YorkBinghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
; existed until at least 1921. - LeRoy. Unnamed team from LeRoy, New York.
- Kanaweola Athletic ClubKanaweola Athletic ClubThe Kanaweola Athletic Club was a bicycling club, which later fielded a professional football team, based in Elmira, New York. The club operated an indoor bicycling track inside the Steele Memorial Library building...
(some spellings have Ranaweola). Based in Elmira, New YorkElmira, New YorkElmira is a city in Chemung County, New York, USA. It is the principal city of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses Chemung County, New York. The population was 29,200 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chemung County.The City of Elmira is located in...
. Known to have existed in 1902, since they hosted the first ever night game in professional football, against the Philadelphia AthleticsPhiladelphia 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...
. Kanaweola lost the game, 39-0. Status unknown afterward.