Pitcairn Quakers
Encyclopedia
The Pitcairn Quakers were a professional football
team from Pitcairn, Pennsylvania
. The team played as an independent from 1904 until 1920 and featured the best players in the community as well as some famous college-level
players. A few of those players, were college All-Americans. At one time the team was loaded with Native Americans
from the nearby Carlisle Indian School. The team played many of the midwestern teams that would later become future members of the National Football League
.
quarterback
Terry DeLozier, who became the team's first coach. Ed Johnston became the team's coach in 1914 and brought with him many ex-college players. Later George Vedernack, a friend of Jim Thorpe
, became the team's coach. The team usually played on consecutive days, usually Saturdays and Sundays. They would at times play up to five games in a span of only nine days.
took over as the head football coach at Pitt
, he decided to try out his experimental plays for the Panthers on the Quakers. If those plays were workable, Warner would then use them against his college opponents. As a result, the forward pass
and the criss-cross formation were used by the Quakers in 1914 and later by Pitt in the early 1920s. The forward pass once resulted in a 140-0 Quakers victory over a team from nearby South Fork
. During that game, the Quakers completed 14 consecutive passes.
, decided to venture into the midwest and play many of the top teams from Indiana
and Ohio
. After a $12,000 investment made by the team's manager, the Quakers began to establish a loyal fanbase and began play in the midwest. During this time the Quakers played against, "Ohio League
" teams such as the Canton Bulldogs
, Massillon Tigers
, Fort Wayne Friars
and Dayton Triangles
.
In 1916 the Quakers posted a 7-8 record, and lost every game they played against their Ohio League opponents. However in each game, Pitcairn held those opponents to close scores. A year later, the Quakers defeated the Youngstown Patricians
16-0, and the Fort Wayne Friars 10-9. They also lost to the Canton Bulldogs by rspectable 12-7 score. After suspending operations in 1918, due to manning shortages associated with World War I
and the 1918 flu pandemic, the team returned in 1919. Despite a disappointing 1919 record of 5-5, the Quakers went into their final game against their local rivals the McKeesport Olympics
. The Olympics had won the first game of the two-game series, 3-0 and had employed the entire Cleveland Indians team just for that game. However Pitcairn would won the game due to a last minute field goal
by Paul Rupp.
The team quietly folded in 1920.
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...
team from Pitcairn, Pennsylvania
Pitcairn, Pennsylvania
Pitcairn is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, east of Pittsburgh. Early in the 20th century, it was the site of large railroad yards and shops that employed nearly ten thousand men. The population increased from 2,601 in 1900 to 6,310 in 1940, but has since declined...
. The team played as an independent from 1904 until 1920 and featured the best players in the community as well as some famous college-level
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...
players. A few of those players, were college All-Americans. At one time the team was loaded with Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
from the nearby Carlisle Indian School. The team played many of the midwestern teams that would later become future members of 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...
.
Origin
The Quakers were established in 1904 out of a local need for sports entertainment. The team was founded by Clyde Collins, his cousin John Johnstonbaugh and former PittUniversity 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...
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...
Terry DeLozier, who became the team's first coach. Ed Johnston became the team's coach in 1914 and brought with him many ex-college players. Later George Vedernack, a friend of 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...
, became the team's coach. The team usually played on consecutive days, usually Saturdays and Sundays. They would at times play up to five games in a span of only nine days.
Pop Warner
After Glenn "Pop" WarnerGlenn Scobey Warner
Glenn Scobey Warner , most commonly known as Pop Warner, was an American football player and coach...
took over as the head football coach at Pitt
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 decided to try out his experimental plays for the Panthers on the Quakers. If those plays were workable, Warner would then use them against his college opponents. As a result, the forward pass
Forward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
and the criss-cross formation were used by the Quakers in 1914 and later by Pitt in the early 1920s. The forward pass once resulted in a 140-0 Quakers victory over a team from nearby South Fork
South Fork, Pennsylvania
South Fork is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. During that game, the Quakers completed 14 consecutive passes.
In to the midwest
In 1915 the Quakers, after establishing themselves as the top team in the Pittsburgh-areaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, decided to venture into the midwest and play many of the top teams from Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. After a $12,000 investment made by the team's manager, the Quakers began to establish a loyal fanbase and began play in the midwest. During this time the Quakers played against, "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...
" teams such as 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...
, 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...
, Fort Wayne Friars
Fort Wayne Friars
The Fort Wayne Friars were an early professional football team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The team, which was also known as the Friars Athletic Association, consistently fielded good and noteworthy teams...
and Dayton Triangles
Dayton Triangles
The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north...
.
In 1916 the Quakers posted a 7-8 record, and lost every game they played against their Ohio League opponents. However in each game, Pitcairn held those opponents to close scores. A year later, the Quakers defeated the 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...
16-0, and the Fort Wayne Friars 10-9. They also lost to the Canton Bulldogs by rspectable 12-7 score. After suspending operations in 1918, due to manning shortages associated with World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the 1918 flu pandemic, the team returned in 1919. Despite a disappointing 1919 record of 5-5, the Quakers went into their final game against their local rivals the McKeesport Olympics
McKeesport Olympics
The McKeesport Olympics were a professional football team from McKeesport, Pennsylvania from 1896 until around 1940. The Olympics were considered one of the top football teams in Pennsylvania from 1910 until 1919....
. The Olympics had won the first game of the two-game series, 3-0 and had employed the entire Cleveland Indians team just for that game. However Pitcairn would won the game due to a last minute field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
by Paul Rupp.
The team quietly folded in 1920.
Record against future NFL teams
| Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Akron Indians-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... |
0 | 1 |
| 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... |
0 | 4 |
| Cleveland Indians Cleveland Indians (NFL) The Cleveland Indians was a professional football team in the National Football League for the 1931 season. The 1931 team was a league-sponsored club that only played games on the road. The NFL intended to locate this team permanently in Cleveland... |
0 | 2 |
| Cincinnati Celts Cincinnati Celts The Cincinnati Celts was the first professional football team to play in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team played in the unofficial "Ohio League" and the American Professional Football Association . The Celts were a traveling team, playing all of their APFA games in other cities' stadia... |
0 | 1 |
| Dayton Triangles Dayton Triangles The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north... |
0 | 3 |
| Detroit Heralds | 0 | 1 |
| Tonawanda Kardex 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... |
0 | 1 |