Pittsburgh Athletic Club (football)
Encyclopedia
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 (Pudge) Heffelfinger becoming the first known professional football player. Heffelfinger was paid $500 by Allegheny to play in a game against Pittsburgh on November 12, 1892. As a result, Heffelfinger became the first person to be paid to play football. Allegheny would go on to win the game, 4-0, when Heffelfinger picked up a Pittsburgh fumble
and ran it 35 yards for a touchdown
. In 1893, Pittsburgh again made history when it signed one of its players, probably halfback
Grant Dibert
, to the first known pro football contract, which covered all of the team's games for the year. .
During the late 1800s, if an athletic club exhibited signs of fame and glory, increased revenues to the club soon followed. Therefore publicity, and football victories, were important to the clubs and new members were attracted to clubs with stature. The quest for club prestige led to the recruiting of football players, at first with indirect financial inducements. The East Ends formed their team around the clubs physical director, William Kirschner
, an offensive lineman. During Kirschner's stint with the football team, it was noted in the Pittsburgh newspapers that Kirschner's salary nearly doubled during football season, while his classes he taught at the club were cut in half. The papers at times hinted to Kirschner's suspiciously professional status, although no one accused him outright.
, who held memberships at both Allegheny and the East End, chose to play for the East Enders, and his performance in the season opener earned the respect of the local press. After their undefeated season, each member of the East End team was presented with a gold watch in the shape of a miniature football which also served as a trophy. However when play began the East End and Allegheny did not play each other. Efforts were made by local media to schedule a game between the two clubs. However O. D. Thompson
, Allegheny's manager, carefully avoided a game. He feared a one-sided loss to Pittsburgh because his team lacked the time needed to practice together that the East End team already had. However a game would occur in 1892.
1892 in East Liberty
. The game ended in a tie: 6-6. There were accusations of dirty play and unprofessionalism, that added fuel to an already bitter rivalry. Pittsburgh accused Allegheny of purposely trying to injure Kirschner, who had been forced out of the game with an ankle injury. Meanwhile Allegheny countered that Kirschner was a professional and should not have been playing anyway. Allegheny even announced it was willing to bet anyone that Pittsburgh had used a pro, other than Kirschner. In fact the team's captain Charley Aull
, found Pittsburgh a new center prior to the team's game against Allegheny, when he supposedly ran into an old friend on the street known only as "Stayer". A few weeks after the game, it was discovered that "Stayer" was actually was A.C. Read
, the captain of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team. While no one could prove that Read actually had been paid, and Pittsburgh had not tried to present him as a member, his presence escalated the situation. Now neither club would hesitate to take the final step to professionalism.
A rematch was scheduled for that November at Recreation Park
which is not far from where Heinz Field
stands today. The spot is marked by a historic marker. In preparation, both clubs went into a full scale behind-the-scenes talks with the top players of the era to strengthen their teams. Cash offers and other inducements were made to players from New York City
to Chicago.
. Heffelfinger was paid $500 (US dollars) to play for Allegheny against Pittsburgh on November 12, 1892. Heffelfinger, who was working as a railroad clerk in Chicago, and playing for Chicago Athletic Association Football team
between arguments with its management, had earlier turned down an offer to play for the Pittsburgh Athletic Club for $250. This set off quite a controversy as Pittsburgh protested the presence of Heffelfinger and other Chicago players. Allegheny retaliated with the fact that Pittsburgh had imported players as well. Allegheny won the game 4-0, in front of 3,000 spectators, when Heffelfinger picked up a fumble, that he forced himself, and ran it in for a touchdown.
It later turned out that Heffelfinger received $500 plus $25 in expenses for the game. Two of his Chicago teammates received “liberal” expense money. Thus, William (Pudge) Heffelfinger now is acknowledged as the first professional football player anywhere.
and the Alleghenys winning, 8-4, at in East Liberty. The year was far more significant for several other reasons, however. On October 4, Pittsburgh, represented by George Barbour, signed a player to a formal pro football contract which stated that the player must participate in all Pittsburgh games and will not play for anyone else during those games. In return the player was paid $50 per game by the Pittsburgh club. While contract has been torn at the signature line, it is believed that the first contracted player was Grant Dibert
who played halfback and was a member of the Pittsburgh A. C. since 1890.
suspended the Allegheny team for its flagrant violations of amateur rules. After successful seasons in 1896 and 1897, the pro football turmoil had upset Allegehny club so greatly that the sport was dropped. By this time the new Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
became the dominating force in Pittsburgh-area football. However the Pittsburgh A. C. also lost ground to the Latrobe Athletic Association
, located in neighboring Westmoreland County
. In 1898 Pittsburgh put together a roster of local stars to play against Duquesne. However the Pittsburgh A. C. lost the game 34-0. Pittsburgh finally decided the cost of paying football players only to watch them lose to Duquesne was a poor investment for the club's treasury. They quietly disappeared from the Pittsburgh football scene.
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, established in 1891, was based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, 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...
. In 1892 the intense competition between two Pittsburgh-area clubs, 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...
and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, led to William (Pudge) Heffelfinger becoming the first known professional football player. Heffelfinger was paid $500 by Allegheny to play in a game against Pittsburgh on November 12, 1892. As a result, Heffelfinger became the first person to be paid to play football. Allegheny would go on to win the game, 4-0, when Heffelfinger picked up a Pittsburgh fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
and ran it 35 yards for a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
. In 1893, Pittsburgh again made history when it signed one of its players, probably halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
Grant Dibert
Grant Dibert
Grant Dibert was an early professional football player with the Pittsburgh Athletic Club however, which was customary at the time, he also played a few side games with the Allegheny Athletic Association. He played the position of halfback. His primary team was the Pittsburgh A...
, to the first known pro football contract, which covered all of the team's games for the year. .
Origins
In 1891 the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, then called the East End Gymnasium Club, decided to field a football team. Their rivial, the Allegheny Athletic Association, started up a football team in 1890 that brought a lot of publicity to their club. In most sports, Allegheny provided little competition for the older East End Gymnasium Club. However in 1890, Allegheny found that it could compete in football. The team soon gave the Allegheny Athletic Association a strong following, since East End did not field a team. The Association's focus on football increased the prestige of the club, which led to an increase in their membership. Soon Allegheny's membership expanded to more than 330 persons and now equalled East End's.During the late 1800s, if an athletic club exhibited signs of fame and glory, increased revenues to the club soon followed. Therefore publicity, and football victories, were important to the clubs and new members were attracted to clubs with stature. The quest for club prestige led to the recruiting of football players, at first with indirect financial inducements. The East Ends formed their team around the clubs physical director, William Kirschner
William Kirschner
Professor William Kirschner was an early football player for the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. He may, or may not, have been one of the earliest professional football players. Even though he had never played football before 1890, he had the ability to learn and adapt to the game quickly...
, an offensive lineman. During Kirschner's stint with the football team, it was noted in the Pittsburgh newspapers that Kirschner's salary nearly doubled during football season, while his classes he taught at the club were cut in half. The papers at times hinted to Kirschner's suspiciously professional status, although no one accused him outright.
1891
The East Enders' completed their first season with 7-0 record. Harry FryHarry Fry
Harry Brittain Fry was a Canadian rower who competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics and in the 1936 Summer Olympics.He was born and died in Dundas....
, who held memberships at both Allegheny and the East End, chose to play for the East Enders, and his performance in the season opener earned the respect of the local press. After their undefeated season, each member of the East End team was presented with a gold watch in the shape of a miniature football which also served as a trophy. However when play began the East End and Allegheny did not play each other. Efforts were made by local media to schedule a game between the two clubs. However O. D. Thompson
O. D. Thompson
Oliver David Thompson, Esq. was an early football player at Yale, who played alongside Walter Camp. After his time at Yale, Thompson played, and served as the manager, for the Allegheny Athletic Association. However Thompson is best known for paying Pudge Heffelfinger $500 to play for Allegheny...
, Allegheny's manager, carefully avoided a game. He feared a one-sided loss to Pittsburgh because his team lacked the time needed to practice together that the East End team already had. However a game would occur in 1892.
Issues with professionalism
The first game between Allegheny and the now renamed Pittsburgh Athletic Club was played on Columbus DayColumbus Day
Many countries in the New World and elsewhere celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, which occurred on October 12, 1492, as an official holiday...
1892 in East Liberty
East Liberty (Pittsburgh)
East Liberty is a culturally diverse neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's East End. It is bordered by Highland Park, Morningside, Stanton Heights, Garfield, Friendship, Shadyside and Larimer, and is represented on by Patrick Dowd...
. The game ended in a tie: 6-6. There were accusations of dirty play and unprofessionalism, that added fuel to an already bitter rivalry. Pittsburgh accused Allegheny of purposely trying to injure Kirschner, who had been forced out of the game with an ankle injury. Meanwhile Allegheny countered that Kirschner was a professional and should not have been playing anyway. Allegheny even announced it was willing to bet anyone that Pittsburgh had used a pro, other than Kirschner. In fact the team's captain Charley Aull
Charley Aull
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.-Professional career:...
, found Pittsburgh a new center prior to the team's game against Allegheny, when he supposedly ran into an old friend on the street known only as "Stayer". A few weeks after the game, it was discovered that "Stayer" was 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 Nittany Lions football team. While no one could prove that Read actually had been paid, and Pittsburgh had not tried to present him as a member, his presence escalated the situation. Now neither club would hesitate to take the final step to professionalism.
A rematch was scheduled for that November at Recreation Park
Recreation Park (Pittsburgh)
Recreation Park, originally known as Union Park, was a stadium located in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, before its 1907 annexation into the city of Pittsburgh, in the latter 19th century to the early 20th century. It was the first official home to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the city's Major League...
which is not far from where Heinz Field
Heinz Field
Heinz Field is a stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh Panthers American football teams, members of the National Football League and National Collegiate Athletic Association respectively...
stands today. The spot is marked by a historic marker. In preparation, both clubs went into a full scale behind-the-scenes talks with the top players of the era to strengthen their teams. Cash offers and other inducements were made to players from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Chicago.
First professional player
The first known professional player was William "Pudge" Heffelfinger, an All-American offensive guard from YaleYale 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...
. Heffelfinger was paid $500 (US dollars) to play for Allegheny against Pittsburgh on November 12, 1892. Heffelfinger, who was working as a railroad clerk in Chicago, and playing for 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...
between arguments with its management, had earlier turned down an offer to play for the Pittsburgh Athletic Club for $250. This set off quite a controversy as Pittsburgh protested the presence of Heffelfinger and other Chicago players. Allegheny retaliated with the fact that Pittsburgh had imported players as well. Allegheny won the game 4-0, in front of 3,000 spectators, when Heffelfinger picked up a fumble, that he forced himself, and ran it in for a touchdown.
It later turned out that Heffelfinger received $500 plus $25 in expenses for the game. Two of his Chicago teammates received “liberal” expense money. Thus, William (Pudge) Heffelfinger now is acknowledged as the first professional football player anywhere.
First pro football contract
In 1893, the Allegheny and Pittsburgh split two games, with the Pittsburgh winning 6-0 at Exposition ParkExposition Park (Pittsburgh)
Exposition Park was a baseball park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1890 to circa 1915. It was located on the north side of the Allegheny River across from Pittsburgh's downtown area. Prior to the construction of this version of Exposition Park, two previous ballparks of the same name were...
and the Alleghenys winning, 8-4, at in East Liberty. The year was far more significant for several other reasons, however. On October 4, Pittsburgh, represented by George Barbour, signed a player to a formal pro football contract which stated that the player must participate in all Pittsburgh games and will not play for anyone else during those games. In return the player was paid $50 per game by the Pittsburgh club. While contract has been torn at the signature line, it is believed that the first contracted player was Grant Dibert
Grant Dibert
Grant Dibert was an early professional football player with the Pittsburgh Athletic Club however, which was customary at the time, he also played a few side games with the Allegheny Athletic Association. He played the position of halfback. His primary team was the Pittsburgh A...
who played halfback and was a member of the Pittsburgh A. C. since 1890.
1894-1898
Pittsburgh continued to play until 1901. However the club lost its major rival, Allegheny, in 1896 when the Amateur Athletic UnionAmateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
suspended the Allegheny team for its flagrant violations of amateur rules. After successful seasons in 1896 and 1897, the pro football turmoil had upset Allegehny club so greatly that the sport was dropped. By this time the new 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...
became the dominating force in Pittsburgh-area football. However the Pittsburgh A. C. also lost ground to the Latrobe Athletic Association
Latrobe Athletic Association
The Latrobe Athletic Association was a professional football team located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, from 1895 until 1909. The team is best known for being the first football club to play a full season while composed entirely of professional players...
, located in neighboring Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...
. In 1898 Pittsburgh put together a roster of local stars to play against Duquesne. However the Pittsburgh A. C. lost the game 34-0. Pittsburgh finally decided the cost of paying football players only to watch them lose to Duquesne was a poor investment for the club's treasury. They quietly disappeared from the Pittsburgh football scene.