1920 APFA season

• 1. Founding The League

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  On the 20th of August 1920, four men gathered in an office in Canton, Ohio to change sports history. Ralph Hay and Jim Thorpe represented the Canton Bulldogs while Jimmy O'Donnell and Stan Cofall spoke for the Cleveland Tigers. Carl Storck arrived from Dayton Triangles and Frank Nied along with Art Ranney came from Akron Pros. They met at Ralph Hay's office to discuss a new professional football organization. These representatives tentatively agreed to call their new league the American Professional Football Conference. Their goal was to introduce a salary cap for all teams. They also promised not to sign college players or anyone under contract with another team. Plans were made by these four clubs to play one another home and away. This created a uniform six game schedule for each team. The purpose stated in local newspapers was to raise the standard of professional football in every way possible. They wanted to eliminate bidding wars for players between rival clubs. The group sought cooperation in forming schedules for bigger teams. Representatives then contacted other major professional teams and invited them to a meeting on September 17.

• 2. Inaugural Season Structure

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  A second meeting took place in Canton on the 17th of September 1920 to formalize the association. Fourteen founding teams decided to form the American Professional Football Association. Participants included original Ohio League clubs plus teams from Illinois, Indiana, New York, and Michigan. Jim Thorpe became the APFA's first president due to his famous name rather than administrative skill. A franchise admission fee of $100 was adopted though George S. Halas later recalled no money changed hands. The new organization did not resemble a modern league but functioned more like a weak form of the NCAA. The league office had no influence on anybody and set no schedules. Each team arranged its own slate of games independently. There were wide variations from club to club in total number of games played. Traditional local rivalries remained regardless of affiliation. Of the 90 games played by APFA teams during the 1920 season, 51 were against non-affiliated teams. No official standings were maintained by the association or published in the press. Fans in different regions held different opinions about who the champion should be. Final determination would come from a meeting of team owners held during winter after the season ended.

• 3. The Akron Pros Campaign

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  The first game involving an APFA team occurred on September 26 when Rock Island Independents beat St. Paul Ideals 48-0. An historic marker now stands at Triangle Park in Dayton marking the location of that first ever game between members. The final game of the season was a 14-14 tie between Chicago Cardinals and non-league Chicago Stayms on the 19th of December 1920. The Decatur Staleys and Canton Bulldogs played the most games in the season with thirteen contests each. The Muncie Flyers played only one game which was the fewest for any team. Buffalo All-Americans scored the most points all season totaling 258 runs. The Akron Pros allowed the fewest points throughout the entire year with just seven conceded. The Akron Pros ended the season as the only undefeated team in the Association. They completed a non-modern perfect season without losing a single match. Only four other teams have since accomplished this feat including the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Each player from the Pros received a golden fob shaped like a football inscribed with 1920 and World Champions. Fritz Pollard was congratulated during an Akron Merchants Association meeting later that year.

• 4. Controversial Championship Decision

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  As there was no playoff system until 1932, a meeting was held to determine the 1920 champions. Carroll notes that each team present had a vote to decide the winner. Since the Akron Pros never lost a game, they were awarded the Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup on the 30th of April 1921. This trophy was a silver loving cup donated by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company. The decision arose with controversy among league members. The Staleys and All-Americans stated they should win because they had more wins overall. Both one-loss teams argued they were not beaten by the Akron Pros directly. Each player from the Pros also received a golden fob inscribed with their name and initials. The Pros did not officially celebrate their championship season until October 1921 when invited to Elks Club of Akron. Most of the team attended what was labeled as grand homecoming celebration for world's champions. Even though the Pros won the trophy in 1920, the league lost track of the event for decades. Published record books listed the 1920 championship as undecided for many years. It was not until the 1970s that the NFL discovered this early vote awarding Akron the title.

• 5. Legacy And Continuity

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  Of the 14 teams that played in the APFA inaugural season only two remain today. The Chicago Cardinals now operate as Arizona Cardinals while Decatur Staleys became Chicago Bears. Bruce Copeland compiled an All-Pro list using games played in Rock Island and other newspapers. Twenty players came from Illinois and thirteen from Ohio according to his records. Rock Island Independents had most players on the list totaling nine individuals. Racine Cardinals had the least representation with just one player selected. As of 2012 ten players have been enshrined in Pro Football Hall of Fame who played in 1920. One non-player Joseph Carr received election to the Hall after serving as league president from 1921 to 1939. He owned Columbus Panhandles during the 1920 season. The league reorganized as National Football League in 1922 becoming direct lineal forerunner of modern organization. Historical rediscovery occurred when researchers found evidence of the original voting process decades later. This restored recognition of Akron Pros as first champions despite long period of official uncertainty.