Union Quakers of Philadelphia
Encyclopedia
The Union Quakers of Philadelphia were a professional independent football
team, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, in 1921. The team evolved from a number of pro players who played with the Union Club of Phoenixville
during their 1920 season. During their only season of operation, the club won the mythical "Philadelphia City Championship". All of the team's home games were played at the Baker Bowl
.
, created a proposal for the directors of the Phoenixville Union Club to sponsor his pro football team for a second season. The team was to have the same line-up as the previous year's. However the proposal was declined by the Club who opted instead to field a less costly team of mostly local talent. As a result, Miller and Leo Conway quickly announced the formation of the Union Athletic Association of Philadelphia.
The Union Club, however, was often referred to by the press as the "Union Athletic Association", a name that was associated with the Phoenixville team. So in order to avoid confusion, the new organization's name was soon changed to the Union Quakers of Philadelphia. The "Union" reference was kept as an attempt to maintain some continuity and to remind the fans that this was essentially the same line-up that had been so successful in Phoenixille in 1920. The team was also feature many players from the University of Pennsylvania
, who were nicknamed the "Quakers". For example, Bill Hollenback
a former All-American at Penn
played for the Union Quakers in 1921, as did future Philadelphia Eagles
founder, co-owner and coach, Bert Bell
. The team's manager Leo Conway was also Penn alumnus as were most of the Union Quakers offensive linemen, like Heinie Miller, Lou Little
and Lud Wray
.
24-0. The Yellow Jackets were members of the Anthracite League
, a group of teams located in Pennsylvania
's coal mining
belt. For their second game of the 1921 campaign, the Union Quakers defeated another Anthracite team,, the Coaldale Big Green
2-0. The game's only score came via a safety, by Stan Cofall.
However a week later, the Union Quakers were scheduled to play the New York Brickley Giants, a member of the American Professional Football Association. While a fumble from Philadelphia's Clarence Beck
, led to a Giants field goal
in the games opening minutes, the Union Quakers defense prevented the Giants from gaining a first down the whole game. However Philadelphia was unable to score the entire game and lost their first game of the season 3-0.
After the Giants game, Philadelphia played the Holmesburg Athletic Club
. Holmesburg, Conshohocken Athletic Club
and the pre-NFL Frankford Yellow Jackets
were considered the top teams in eastern Pennsylvania at the time. The Union Quakers defeated Holmesburg 21-0, by way of two Johnny Scott
touchdowns and one by Ockie Anderson
. However the biggest game of the season would take place a week later as Philadelphia was scheduled to play another AFPA team, the Canton Bulldogs
.
The previous season, while still under the Phoenixville moniker, the Union Quakers defeated the Bulldogs 7-3. The 1921 Bulldogs team no longer featured the legendary Jim Thorpe
, however newer players like Pete Henry
and Pie Way has stepped up to create a strong team.
, the owner of the Buffalo All-Americans lodged a protest with APFA officials regarding the Quakers-Bulldogs game. Many of the Buffalo players were associated with the Quakers in 1921, just as they had been with the Phoenixville team the previous year. These players would play a non-league game with the Quakers on Saturdays and then take a train to Buffalo and the next day’s game. This arrangement helped the Buffalo players, earn extra money in between league games.
McNeil felt that his team's poor performance in a crucial game against the Akron Pros
, was due to his key players being exhausted from Union's victory over Holmesburg two days earlier. Meanwhile Buffalo was still a contender to win 1921 AFPA Championship and was scheduled to Canton the day after Union. McNeil feared that his players would be too tired from playing with the Quakers that they would deliever another lack luster performance and lose not only the game to Canton, but eliminate themselves from winning the AFPA title. McNeil then told Canton that the rules league's rules governing games against non-league teams were prohibited without the prior approval of the league. As a result, Canton cancelled their game against the Quakers. Meanwhile Heinie Miller, Lud Wray, Lou Little, Johnny Scott and Butch Spagna
, who were previously involved in an on-going financial dispute with McNeil, decided to leave the All-Americans and played the remainder of the season with the Quakers.
Leo Conway was able to arrange for the Union Quakers to play another AFPA team, to make up for the loss of the Canton game. The Rochester Jeffersons
played the Quakers to a 3-3 tie. Since the Jeffs were losing large amounts of money during the 1921 season and needed the revenue from the Union Quakers game, the AFPA decided to not interfere. Buffalo's Swede Youngstrom
and Pat Smith
played for Quakers against Rochester before heading back to Buffalo for that club's game with Canton. It would be their last game for the Quakers.
, who had previously faced the Quakers as a member of both the Brickley Giants and Rochester Jeffersons, future Hall of Famer
Joe Guyon
and Pete Calac
, both of whom were playing with the Cleveland Tigers at the time. The team then prepared to play another top independent eastern Pennsylvania team the Conshohocken Athletic Club
. That game resulted in 14-0 Union Quakers victory. Two days later the Quakers travelled to Frankford
to take on the pre-NFL Frankford Yellow Jackets
. Tiny Maxwell
, a former pro and college football
standout, officiated the game, which ended in a scoreless tie. On December 3, 1921, the Union Quakers were finally able to schedule and play a game against the Canton Bulldogs. Despite a hard fought game, the Quakers lost the game, 14-9, due to a late touchdown reception by Canton's Harry Robb
.
and Harry Robb, who had just caught the winning touchdown for Canton, during the December 3rd contest. The Quakers-Yellow Jackets game resulted in 7-0 victory for the Union Quakers and gave them bragging rights as the Philadelphia City Champions. Afterwards the Quakers entered into a rematch against the Canton Bulldogs. The second game between the two teams, resulted in a 34-0 Union Quakers victory.
of the first American Football League
. That team would go on to win the league's only championship. Bell and Wray would later re-emerge as the owners and founders of the modern-day Philadelphia Eagles
, which founded in 1934 after the Yellow Jackets folded.
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, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, in 1921. The team evolved from a number of pro players who played with the Union Club of Phoenixville
Union Club of Phoenixville
The Union Club of Phoenixville was a professional football team based in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The team was the result of a 1919 merger between the Phoenixville Union Club and the upstart Phoenix Athletic Club. From 1907 until 1919, the Union Club was considered one of the best football teams...
during their 1920 season. During their only season of operation, the club won the mythical "Philadelphia City Championship". All of the team's home games were played at the Baker Bowl
Baker Bowl
Baker Bowl is the best-known popular name of a baseball park that formerly stood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Its formal name, painted on its outer wall, was National League Park. It was also initially known as Philadelphia Park or Philadelphia Base Ball Grounds.It was on a small...
.
Origins
At the end of a highly successful 1920 football season, the team's coach and captain, Heinie MillerHeinie Miller
Henry John "Heinie" Miller was a professional football player who played in the early years of the National Football League. He played in the NFL for the Buffalo All-Americans and the Milwaukee Badgers...
, created a proposal for the directors of the Phoenixville Union Club to sponsor his pro football team for a second season. The team was to have the same line-up as the previous year's. However the proposal was declined by the Club who opted instead to field a less costly team of mostly local talent. As a result, Miller and Leo Conway quickly announced the formation of the Union Athletic Association of Philadelphia.
The Union Club, however, was often referred to by the press as the "Union Athletic Association", a name that was associated with the Phoenixville team. So in order to avoid confusion, the new organization's name was soon changed to the Union Quakers of Philadelphia. The "Union" reference was kept as an attempt to maintain some continuity and to remind the fans that this was essentially the same line-up that had been so successful in Phoenixille in 1920. The team was also feature many players from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, who were nicknamed the "Quakers". For example, Bill Hollenback
Bill Hollenback
-References:* *, which tracks the Football history of the Union Club of Phoenixville-External links:...
a former All-American at Penn
Penn
-Places:England*Penn, Buckinghamshire*Penn, West MidlandsUnited States*Penn, North Dakota*Pennsylvania**Penn, Pennsylvania*Penn Lake Park, Pennsylvania*Penn Township , several municipalities-Education:...
played for the Union Quakers in 1921, as did future Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
founder, co-owner and coach, Bert Bell
Bert Bell
De Benneville "Bert" Bell was the National Football League commissioner from 1946 until his death in 1959. As commissioner, he helped chart a path for the NFL to facilitate its rise in becoming the most popular sports attraction in the United States...
. The team's manager Leo Conway was also Penn alumnus as were most of the Union Quakers offensive linemen, like Heinie Miller, Lou Little
Lou Little
Lou "Luigi Piccolo" Little was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Georgetown College, now Georgetown University, from 1924 to 1929 and at Columbia University from 1930 to 1956, compiling a career college football record of 151–128–13...
and Lud Wray
Lud Wray
James R. Ludlow "Lud" Wray was a professional American football player, coach, and co-founder, with college teammate Bert Bell, of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He was the first coach of the Boston Braves in 1932 and of the Eagles, 1933-1935...
.
3-1 start
In their inauguaral game the Union Quakers defeated the Shenandoah Yellow JacketsShenandoah Yellow Jackets
The Shenandoah Yellow Jackets were an Anthracite League football team that played during the league's only year of existence, 1924. They played eight games in their only year of existence, going 4-4 for a .500 winning percentage. They finished third in the five team league....
24-0. The Yellow Jackets were members of the Anthracite League
Anthracite League
The Anthracite League, also referred to as the Anthracite Association, was a 1924 football league comprising teams based in eastern Pennsylvania. These teams were based in coal mining towns, hence the league name's reference to anthracite coal. The league lasted for just one season, before folding...
, a group of teams located in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The 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...
's coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
belt. For their second game of the 1921 campaign, the Union Quakers defeated another Anthracite team,, the Coaldale Big Green
Coaldale Big Green
The Coaldale Big Green was an early professional football team based in Coaldale, Pennsylvania. The club played as an independent until joining the Anthracite League in 1924. After leaving the league in 1924, the team spent its 1925 season as an independent, then joined the short-lived Eastern...
2-0. The game's only score came via a safety, by Stan Cofall.
However a week later, the Union Quakers were scheduled to play the New York Brickley Giants, a member of the American Professional Football Association. While a fumble from Philadelphia's Clarence Beck
Clarence Beck
Clarence Robert Beck was a professional football player from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Beck attended high school at Harrisburg Tech where he scored a 105 yard touchdown for Tech against their rival Steelton. After high school, Beck attended Pennsylvania State University where be became a star...
, led to a Giants 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...
in the games opening minutes, the Union Quakers defense prevented the Giants from gaining a first down the whole game. However Philadelphia was unable to score the entire game and lost their first game of the season 3-0.
After the Giants game, Philadelphia played the Holmesburg Athletic Club
Holmesburg Athletic Club
The Holmesburg Athletic Club was a professional football team from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that was in existence from around 1915 until 1923. The team laid claim to the Philadelphia City Championship in 1919 and 1920.-Alumni:...
. Holmesburg, Conshohocken Athletic Club
Conshohocken Athletic Club
The Conshohocken Athletic Club was a professional football team based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania from 1914 until 1920, when the club's financial problems made it impossible to field a team. In the fall of 1921, the newly established Conshohocken Athletic Association took over sponsorship of the...
and the pre-NFL Frankford Yellow Jackets
Frankford Yellow Jackets
The Frankford Yellow Jackets were a professional American football team, part of the National Football League from 1924 to 1931, though its origin dates back to as early as 1899 with the Frankford Athletic Association. The Yellow Jackets won the NFL championship in 1926...
were considered the top teams in eastern Pennsylvania at the time. The Union Quakers defeated Holmesburg 21-0, by way of two Johnny Scott
Johnny Scott
Johnny Scott may refer to:*Johnny Scott , defensive lineman in the Canadian Football League*Johnny Scott , jazz vocalist and tenor saxophonist...
touchdowns and one by Ockie Anderson
Ockie Anderson
Oscar Carl "Ockie" Anderson was an All-American football player and coach. In 1916, he was selected as a first-team All-American quarterback while playing for Colgate University...
. However the biggest game of the season would take place a week later as Philadelphia was scheduled to play another AFPA team, 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...
.
The previous season, while still under the Phoenixville moniker, the Union Quakers defeated the Bulldogs 7-3. The 1921 Bulldogs team no longer featured the legendary 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...
, however newer players like Pete Henry
Pete Henry
Wilbur Francis "Pete" Henry was a professional American football player and coach in the National Football League. He later worked for more than 20 years as athletic director and occasional football coach at Washington & Jefferson College, his alma mater.Henry attended college at Washington &...
and Pie Way has stepped up to create a strong team.
Cancellation and dispute with Buffalo
The night before the Bulldogs game, Frank McNeilFrank McNeil
Francis Kenneth McNeil was a professional American football player for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He attended Washington & Jefferson College.-Notes:...
, the owner of the Buffalo All-Americans lodged a protest with APFA officials regarding the Quakers-Bulldogs game. Many of the Buffalo players were associated with the Quakers in 1921, just as they had been with the Phoenixville team the previous year. These players would play a non-league game with the Quakers on Saturdays and then take a train to Buffalo and the next day’s game. This arrangement helped the Buffalo players, earn extra money in between league games.
McNeil felt that his team's poor performance in a crucial game against the 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...
, was due to his key players being exhausted from Union's victory over Holmesburg two days earlier. Meanwhile Buffalo was still a contender to win 1921 AFPA Championship and was scheduled to Canton the day after Union. McNeil feared that his players would be too tired from playing with the Quakers that they would deliever another lack luster performance and lose not only the game to Canton, but eliminate themselves from winning the AFPA title. McNeil then told Canton that the rules league's rules governing games against non-league teams were prohibited without the prior approval of the league. As a result, Canton cancelled their game against the Quakers. Meanwhile Heinie Miller, Lud Wray, Lou Little, Johnny Scott and Butch Spagna
Butch Spagna
Joseph "Butch" Spagna was a professional football player during the 1920s.-NFL and AFL experience:He played in the early National Football League for the Buffalo All-Americans, Cleveland Tigers and the Frankford Yellow Jackets...
, who were previously involved in an on-going financial dispute with McNeil, decided to leave the All-Americans and played the remainder of the season with the Quakers.
Leo Conway was able to arrange for the Union Quakers to play another AFPA team, to make up for the loss of the Canton game. 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...
played the Quakers to a 3-3 tie. Since the Jeffs were losing large amounts of money during the 1921 season and needed the revenue from the Union Quakers game, the AFPA decided to not interfere. Buffalo's Swede Youngstrom
Swede Youngstrom
Adolph Frederick "Swede" Youngstrom was a professional football player. Over the span of his career in the National Football League, Youngstrom played with the Buffalo All-Americans, Canton Bulldogs, Buffalo Bisons, Cleveland Bulldogs and the Frankford Yellow Jackets. He also served as a...
and Pat Smith
Pat Smith
Pat Smith is a former collegiate wrestler at Oklahoma State University and a former assistant coach at OSU. During his collegiate wrestling career, he became the first four-time NCAA wrestling champion in the sports history, a feat only equalled one other time by Cael Sanderson. Smith resigned...
played for Quakers against Rochester before heading back to Buffalo for that club's game with Canton. It would be their last game for the Quakers.
Strong schedule
The Quakers brought in to strengthen their roster. These players included Jim LairdJim Laird
Jim Tyler Laird was a professional American football player who played running back for the Rochester Jeffersons, the Buffalo All-Americans, the Canton Bulldogs, the Providence Steam Rollers, and the Staten Island Stapletons. In 1926, he was a player-coach for the Providence Steam Rollers...
, who had previously faced the Quakers as a member of both the Brickley Giants and Rochester Jeffersons, future Hall of Famer
Pro 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...
Joe Guyon
Joe Guyon
Joseph Napoleon Guyon was a professional American football player in the National Football League...
and Pete Calac
Pete Calac
Pedro "Pete" Calac was a professional football player who played in the Ohio League and during the early years of the National Football League...
, both of whom were playing with the Cleveland Tigers at the time. The team then prepared to play another top independent eastern Pennsylvania team the Conshohocken Athletic Club
Conshohocken Athletic Club
The Conshohocken Athletic Club was a professional football team based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania from 1914 until 1920, when the club's financial problems made it impossible to field a team. In the fall of 1921, the newly established Conshohocken Athletic Association took over sponsorship of the...
. That game resulted in 14-0 Union Quakers victory. Two days later the Quakers travelled to Frankford
Frankford, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Frankford is a large and important neighborhood in the lower Northeast section of Philadelphia situated about six miles northeast of Center City. Although its borders are vaguely defined, the neighborhood is bounded roughly by the original course of Frankford Creek, now roughly Adams to Aramingo...
to take on the pre-NFL Frankford Yellow Jackets
Frankford Yellow Jackets
The Frankford Yellow Jackets were a professional American football team, part of the National Football League from 1924 to 1931, though its origin dates back to as early as 1899 with the Frankford Athletic Association. The Yellow Jackets won the NFL championship in 1926...
. Tiny Maxwell
Tiny Maxwell
Robert W. "Tiny" Maxwell was a professional football player and referee. He was also a sports editor with the Philadelphia Public Ledger.-Early life:...
, a former pro and college football
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...
standout, officiated the game, which ended in a scoreless tie. On December 3, 1921, the Union Quakers were finally able to schedule and play a game against the Canton Bulldogs. Despite a hard fought game, the Quakers lost the game, 14-9, due to a late touchdown reception by Canton's Harry Robb
Harry Robb
Harry Duplein Robb was an American football player and coach during the 1920s. He was born in Pitcairn, Pennsylvania and attended Peabody High School in Pittsburgh. Upon his high school graduation, he attended college at both Penn State University and Columbia University...
.
City champions
However the Union Quakers soon scheduled rematches against Frankford and Canton. The also signed two former Penn State Nittany Lions' football players, Hinkey HainesHinkey Haines
Henry Luther "Hinkey" Haines was a professional athlete who played American football in the National Football League and baseball in the Major League Baseball association...
and Harry Robb, who had just caught the winning touchdown for Canton, during the December 3rd contest. The Quakers-Yellow Jackets game resulted in 7-0 victory for the Union Quakers and gave them bragging rights as the Philadelphia City Champions. Afterwards the Quakers entered into a rematch against the Canton Bulldogs. The second game between the two teams, resulted in a 34-0 Union Quakers victory.
Possible NFL franchise?
Since the team's time in Phoenixville in 1920, Leo Conway had been trying to get the club into the AFPA. He had been present at several league meetings and before the 1921 season and had met with several franchise owners during the season. Wins over the Canton Bulldogs and Frankford Yellow Jackets showed that the Union Quakers could be a strong team in the league. During the off season Leo Conway and Heinie Miller attended meetings of the APFA. Before those series of meetings, two major items were decided. It was first concluded the APFA would change its name to the National Football League, and that Philadelphia would be awarded a league franchise. However for reasons unknown (the heavy use of players already on NFL teams was a likely factor), the Union Quakers plans to enter the NFL were eventually dropped. Whatever members of the Union Quakers team who were not already on an NFL squad were absorbed by the Frankford Yellow Jackets, who posted a 13-0-1 record in 1922. Leo Conway disappeared from the Phialdelphia football scene until 1926 when he went on to own and manage the similarly named Philadelphia QuakersPhiladelphia Quakers (AFL)
Not to be confused with the defunct Philadelphia Quakers team of the National Hockey League, the Philadelphia Quakers baseball team who became the Philadelphia Phillies in 1890 or the University of Pennsylvania athletics teams, the Pennsylvania Quakers....
of the first American Football League
American Football League (1926)
The first American Football League , sometimes called AFL I, AFLG, or the Grange League, was a professional American football league that operated in 1926. It was the first major competitor to the National Football League. Founded by C. C...
. That team would go on to win the league's only championship. Bell and Wray would later re-emerge as the owners and founders of the modern-day Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, which founded in 1934 after the Yellow Jackets folded.