Pro Football: Its Ups and Downs
Encyclopedia
Pro Football: Its Ups and Downs, published in 1934, is a novel by Dr. Harry March
that was the first ever attempt to write a history of professional American football
. March had served in several executive offices with the New York Giants
of the National Football League
in the late 1920s and was a founder of the second American Football League
. The book, while popular and entertaining with some important information and interesting anecdotes, is often viewed as inaccurate by modern sports historians. Jack Cusack
, manager of the Canton Bulldogs
from 1912 to 1917, summed up the book's flaws by stating; "In my library is a book... entitled Pro Football: Its "Ups and Downs" and in my opinion it is something of a historical novel."
While in living in Canton, Ohio
in the early 1900s, March played in or watched hundreds of football games featuring the best professionals of the day such as Christy Mathewson
, Fielding Yost
, Walter Okeson, Knute Rockne
and Pudge Heffelfinger. These experiences would inspire and help him to write the book. However, March had been only peripherally involved with pro football prior to the formation of the NFL and his role with the New York Giants and second AFL. He also only provided a small amount of genuine research into what he wrote about. Instead March relied for his memory and unsubstantiated rumours regarding the details of events that were several decades old. This resulted in March making many factual errors. These inaccuracies were further compounded when later authors and experts wrote about pro football history for the next three decades and borrowed liberally from March's book, apparently never bothering to check his information for accuracy.
In the 1980s, Bob Carroll
, executive director of Pro Football Researchers Association and Beau Riffenburgh
, the senior writer for the National Football League's publishing branch, NFL Properties, put together a study. It was the first-ever 17-year history of the NFL's direct predecessor, the "Ohio League
" and also the first work to correct many commonly held misconceptions about the early events in pro football and to discount myths that were created by March.
Harry March
Harry Addison March was an early football historian and promoter, as well as a medical doctor. He also helped organize the National Football League and well as the second American Football League. March is also credited with convincing Tim Mara to purchase an NFL franchise for New York City, which...
that was the first ever attempt to write a history of 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...
. March had served in several executive offices with 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...
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...
in the late 1920s and was a founder of the second American Football League
American Football League (1936)
Sometimes called AFL II, the second American Football League was a professional American football league that operated in 1936 and 1937. The AFL operated in direct competition with the more established National Football League throughout its existence...
. The book, while popular and entertaining with some important information and interesting anecdotes, is often viewed as inaccurate by modern sports historians. Jack Cusack
Jack Cusack
Jack Cusack was one of the prominent early figures in professional football in Ohio. At the age of twenty-one, Cusack became the manager and owner of the Canton Bulldogs, one of the leading teams of the day...
, manager of 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...
from 1912 to 1917, summed up the book's flaws by stating; "In my library is a book... entitled Pro Football: Its "Ups and Downs" and in my opinion it is something of a historical novel."
While in living in Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in the early 1900s, March played in or watched hundreds of football games featuring the best professionals of the day such as Christy Mathewson
Christy Mathewson
Christopher "Christy" Mathewson , nicknamed "Big Six", "The Christian Gentleman", or "Matty", was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire career in what is known as the dead-ball era...
, Fielding Yost
Fielding Yost
Fielding Harris Yost was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Ohio Wesleyan University , the University of Nebraska–Lincoln , the University of Kansas , Stanford University , San Jose State University , and the University...
, Walter Okeson, Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
and Pudge Heffelfinger. These experiences would inspire and help him to write the book. However, March had been only peripherally involved with pro football prior to the formation of the NFL and his role with the New York Giants and second AFL. He also only provided a small amount of genuine research into what he wrote about. Instead March relied for his memory and unsubstantiated rumours regarding the details of events that were several decades old. This resulted in March making many factual errors. These inaccuracies were further compounded when later authors and experts wrote about pro football history for the next three decades and borrowed liberally from March's book, apparently never bothering to check his information for accuracy.
In the 1980s, Bob Carroll
Bob Carroll (author)
Robert Nuehardt Carroll, Jr. was an American historian and author.Carroll was best known for his contributions to American football research. He was the founder and executive director of the Professional Football Researchers Association , and edited the group's newsletter, The Coffin Corner until...
, executive director of Pro Football Researchers Association and Beau Riffenburgh
Beau Riffenburgh
Beau Riffenburgh is an author and historian specializing in polar exploration. He is also an award winning American Football coach and author of books on football history.- Early career :...
, the senior writer for the National Football League's publishing branch, NFL Properties, put together a study. It was the first-ever 17-year history of the NFL's direct predecessor, 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 also the first work to correct many commonly held misconceptions about the early events in pro football and to discount myths that were created by March.
Inaccuracies
Some of the inaccuracies from Pro Football: Its Ups and Downs include:- John BrallierJohn BrallierJohn Kinport "Sal" Brallier was one of the first professional American football players. He was nationally acknowledged as the first openly paid professional football player when he was given $10 to play for the Latrobe Athletic Association for a game against the Jeanette Athletic Association in...
was the first professional football player in 1895 for the Latrobe Athletic AssociationLatrobe Athletic AssociationThe 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...
. While Brallier honestly believed himself to be the first pro, his word was taken at face value by March. Today it is widely accepted that Pudge Heffelfinger was the first professional football player when he played for the Allegheny Athletic AssociationAllegheny Athletic AssociationThe 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...
in 1892; Heffelfinger denied he ever took money to play football for most of his life, which led to the misconception. Brallier was instead the first openly professional football player.
- Several inaccuracies exist regarding March's interpretation of the Canton Bulldogs–Massillon Tigers betting scandal. The event centered around a two game series between the Canton BulldogsCanton BulldogsThe 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...
and the Massillon TigersMassillon TigersThe 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 1906. March practiced medicine in Canton in 1906 and was named one of the Bulldogs team doctors. Of the incident, March stated that Canton coach Blondy WallaceBlondy WallaceCharles 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...
persuaded a Canton player to deliberately throw the game. When accused by his teammates this player said he had simply obeyed orders. The player then quickly left town, on the first available train, while still in his uniform. However, this player, mentioned by March, was obviously Eddie WoodEddie WoodEdward Wood was an early professional football player for the Latrobe Athletic Association, the Franklin Athletic Club and finally for the Canton Bulldogs of the "Ohio League"...
who signed on to play in the game while still being a member of the Latrobe Athletic Association in PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. March gave the impression that he was running for his life from angry fans and teammates, however, even before the second Canton-Massillon game began, it was announced that Wood would be on the first train back to Latrobe once the game ended. Not to mention that when Wood returned on the following Thursday with the Latrobe team, he was not attacked by the fans or his teammates. Also during the second Canton-Massillon game, Wood scored the Bulldogs only score of the game. As for following Wallace's orders, Wood often crashed the middle of the field on defense, allowing the Tigers to escape outside. However, Massillon was historically known for running up the middle of field.
- Eddie Wood was also erroneously credited for catching the first forward pass in pro football by Harry March in his book. During the second game of the Bullodgs-Tigers scandal on November 24, 1906 Wood reportedly caught a couple of the new forward passes. March somehow stated that those catches in a championship game, at the end of the season, were very first catches in professional football. It was later discovered that Peggy ParrattPeggy ParrattGeorge 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...
threw an earlier "recorded" pass to Bullet Riley on October 25th, for professional football's first forward pass. A second recorded pass was thrown to Clark SchrontzClark SchrontzClark A. Schrontz was a professional American football player. In 1902 he won a championship in the first National Football League with the Pittsburgh Stars. A year later he was a member of the Franklin Athletic Club football team that was considered the "best in the world"...
two days later on October 27th. Instead Wood is credited with being the third person to catch a forward in pro football history.