William Kirschner
Encyclopedia
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. During the 1890s he was viewed as one of the best offensive linemen in Pennsylvania
.
and gymnastics
. A year before the team began, Kirschner and Grant Dibert
(who were both East End members) played on a pick-up team called the "All-Pittsburghs". Kirschner played center
for the "All-Pittsburghs" so that he could square off against Allegheny's John Moorehead
. While Allegheny proved too much for the "All-Pittsburghs", Kirschner and several other East End players left the game with the experience needed to form a team in 1891.
However rivialry aside, Kirschner did play one game for Allegheny in 1890 during a 6-4 loss to the Cleveland Athletic Club
. Allegheny manager, O. D. Thompson
was able to persuade Kirschner to play a guard
position.
team.
Up until the 1892 season, hints professionalism in Pittsburgh football were centered around Kirschner. The Pittsburgh media had noted that the professor's salary went up in the autumn while the number of classes he taught went down. Some rival clubs, such as the Allegheny Athletic Association
, felt that the professor's ability, his reduced class load, and his salary were connected. It was not uncommon to think that the increased salary and reduced workload were payment for coaching and playing on the team. Despite these concerns, the Amateur Athletic Union
, the organization that policed amateur athletics, never investigated these claims. If they had, Kirschner may have had the honor of being the first professional football player, instead of Pudge Heffelfinger.
During a 6-6 tie between Pittsburgh and Allegheny in 1892, Pittsburgh accused the Allegheny players of purposely trying to injure Kirschner. Allegheny countered that the professor was a professional who didn't belong on the field anyway.
to watch a game involving the Chicago Athletic Association
. Here Pittsburgh's manager scouted Pudge Heffelfinger and felt that he would be an ideal replacement for the injury-prone Kirschner. However Allegheny would nabbed him a few weeks later and use him against Pittsburgh.
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...
player for the Pittsburgh Athletic Club
Pittsburgh Athletic Club (football)
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 Heffelfinger becoming the first known...
. 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. During the 1890s he was viewed as one of the best offensive linemen 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...
.
Formation of the team
When the Pittsburgh A. C. (then called the East End Gymnasium Club) formed its team in 1891, Kirschner, who was an standout lineman, became the team’s bulwark. Prior to the formation of the football program, the club excelled at track and fieldTrack and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
and gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
. A year before the team began, Kirschner and 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 were both East End members) played on a pick-up team called the "All-Pittsburghs". Kirschner played center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
for the "All-Pittsburghs" so that he could square off against Allegheny's John Moorehead
John Moorehead
John K. Moorehead, Jr. was an American football player for Yale. He played alongside Walter Camp, the inventor of the modern game, during the late 1870s. He was also a member, and club president, of the Allegheny Athletic Association, an amateur football club which fielded the first recognized...
. While Allegheny proved too much for the "All-Pittsburghs", Kirschner and several other East End players left the game with the experience needed to form a team in 1891.
However rivialry aside, Kirschner did play one game for Allegheny in 1890 during a 6-4 loss to the Cleveland Athletic Club
Cleveland Athletic Club
The Cleveland Athletic Club is a historic organization in a historic building designed by J. Milton Dyer. The club was in financial difficulaty in 2007....
. Allegheny manager, 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...
was able to persuade Kirschner to play a guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
position.
Issues with professionalism
Prior to being involved in the club's football program, Kirschner served as the club's physical director. In 1891 the East Enders, behind Kirschner, rolled to a 7-0 record. However the club was referred to as a semi-proSemi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
team.
Up until the 1892 season, hints professionalism in Pittsburgh football were centered around Kirschner. The Pittsburgh media had noted that the professor's salary went up in the autumn while the number of classes he taught went down. Some rival clubs, such as 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...
, felt that the professor's ability, his reduced class load, and his salary were connected. It was not uncommon to think that the increased salary and reduced workload were payment for coaching and playing on the team. Despite these concerns, the Amateur Athletic Union
Amateur 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...
, the organization that policed amateur athletics, never investigated these claims. If they had, Kirschner may have had the honor of being the first professional football player, instead of Pudge Heffelfinger.
During a 6-6 tie between Pittsburgh and Allegheny in 1892, Pittsburgh accused the Allegheny players of purposely trying to injure Kirschner. Allegheny countered that the professor was a professional who didn't belong on the field anyway.
Heffelfinger as a replacement?
In 1892, Pittsburgh manager George Barbour traveled to Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
to watch a game involving the Chicago Athletic Association
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...
. Here Pittsburgh's manager scouted Pudge Heffelfinger and felt that he would be an ideal replacement for the injury-prone Kirschner. However Allegheny would nabbed him a few weeks later and use him against Pittsburgh.