Pro Football Is Born - APFA 1920
 

BACKGROUND: No official league governed the pro game of football during the first two decades of the Twentieth Century. Calls for a league of some kind had begun in Ohio as early as 1904 and continued intermittently. The idea never had got past the talking stage because the calls came from outside the "establishment" made up of men who were willing to risk their hard-earned money to back teams for local presige and -- hopefully -- slight profits. Forming a league meant each team would relinquish some control of its own affairs: scheduling, signing players, guarantees. By 1919, four northeastern Ohio clubs that comprised the nebulous "Ohio League" -- the Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Tigers, Massillon Tigers and Akron Indians -- were the top national pro teams. At the time, pro football was the poor step-cousin of the college game and by season's end, two of the four, Massillon and Akron, went bust. A few clubs from other parts of the state qualified as "second-tier" clubs, particularly the high-scoring Dayton Triangles, the mediocre Cincinnati Celts, the aging Columbus Panhandles and the once-strong Toledo Maroons.

The problems that beset pro teams in 1919 -- and put Akron and Massillon under -- looked to become worse in 1920: spiraling salaries; team jumping; and the use of college players. Unless the surviving teams regulated themselves better, salaries would continue to rise, players would go on changing teams from week to week, and collegians would keep popping into pro lineups as "Smith" or "Jones."

Ohio had a long pro football history. But the Ohio team managers were near panic. Strong teams emerging in Illinois, Indiana and western New York threatened Ohio's pro football leadership and could be expected to bid for the services of the best players in 1920. Star players translated into big crowds. But Ohio managers could get only so much blood out of their turnips. Teams situated in cities larger than, say, Canton had potentially stronger economic bases simply because they could, with the help of star attractions, draw more fans. On that promise, they could offer star players more money than the Ohioans, leaving the Buckeyes the dregs. And dregs wouldn't draw flies in an Ohio used to the best. If Ohio pro football -- and each manager's investment -- was to be saved, something drastic had to be done.

DATELINE: August 20, 1920
PLACE: Ralph Hay's Hupmobile office in Canton, Ohio

In addition to selling automobiles, Hay owned and managed the Canton Bulldogs, pro football's most famous team. His coach, star, and primary reason the Bulldogs' were known outside Ohio -- Jim Thorpe -- was also on hand. From this meeting, the American Professional Football Association (APFA) was organized. It was not the first pro football league. Among the less-than-illustrious predecessors was the 1903 National Football League, "national" in that it was made up of two Philadelphia teams and one Pittsburgh team. In 1917, three Indiana semi-pros teams (Hammond, Pine Valley--Lafayette and Wabash) styled themselves a "league" but failed to produce much excitement even among Hoosiers, and the idea disappeared with World War I. Both before and after the war, Chicago newspapers spoke of a "league" of local independent teams, but some of the clubs weren't even semi-pros. Considering the prestige of Ohio pro football, the American Professional Football Association marked the most ambitious effort to date.

The rules holding the APFA together were still pretty pretty "rag-tag" when compared to the modern by-laws of the NFL, so I decided to make them a little more concrete and to enforce them better than they were during the APFA's first season.

No criteria for an APFA league champion was established. The 1920 champion was simply crowned during a league meeting in 1921. I changed this. For an APFA team to qualify for the league championship, it had to meet the following criteria. A team had to play a minimum of 10 games. Eight of those games had to be against a league opponent. No team could face a league opponent more than twice during the season (unless the two teams scheduled a late season "rubber match). With league approval, teams with legitimate title claims can schedule late season "playoff" contests between themselves.

The APFA did pass a rule to forbid teams from raiding other team's rosters with the promise of more money (most players were paid on per-game basis) -- but team jumping was still very common in 1920. I decided to enforce this rule. Players would have to remain on the roster of the team with whom they started the season. To model real life more closely, I decided to let players jump to another team under the following circumstances: a.) a team folds or ceases operation during the season for financial reasons; or b.) a team completes its schedule and disbands.

The APFA passed a no-collegian rule, but such a gentleman's agreement had also existed during the days of the "Ohio League." Despite this rule, it wasn't uncommon to see newly signed players named "Smith" or "Jones" who looked eerily similar to All-American collegians at schools like Notre Dame show up for big rivalry games (i.e. Canton-Massilon). I decided to limit roster additions to players who appeared only in two or more contests for a team.

Only statistics generated in "league" games will go into the official record. There will be no "cheap" stats (rolled up against inferior semi-pro teams) to pad a team's record books. This shouldn't cause any controversy since official stats during this era are few and far between anyway. In my recreation of pro football history, the league founders will realize that future generations will actually take an interest in the statistics generated during a game of football and will track them much better than they did in real life (in the old days, you were lucky to get a scoring summary).

The APFA never discussed capping salaries, so I decided not to cap salaries either. Unless I could track down a specific player's salary (i.e. Jim Thorpe earned an "astronomical" $250 per game), players would be paid as follows -- "star" players $100 per game, regular players (5 games or more) -- $50 per game, all others $25 per game.

I set ticket prices at $1.00, which was about the average at the time.

The Charter Teams:

CANTON BULLDOGS

Head Coach: Jim Thorpe

Home Field: League Park [capacity: 5,000]

Star Players: HB Jim Thorpe

HB Joe Guyon, T Pete "Fats" Henry

1919 W-L Record: 9-0-1 (1.000)
Declared the 1919 Professional Football Champion of the World

1919 Results
Starting Lineup
LE ... Bunny Cocoran (Fordham)
LT ... Pete "Fats" Henry (Washington & Jefferson)
LG... Cap Edwards (Notre Dame)
C ... Al Feeney (Notre Dame)
RG...Dan O'Connor (Georgetown)
RT... "Cub" Buck (Wisconsin)
RE...Tom Whelan (Georgetown)
QB..."Tex" Grigg (Austin)
LH... Jim Thorpe (Carlisle)
RH... Joe Guyon (Georgia Tech)
FB...Pete Calac (West Virginia Wesleyan)

Substitutes
E/T Bull Lowe (Fordham)
G/T/C Dutch Speck (none)
HB/FB/WB Lou Smyth (Centre)
FB/WB Ike Martin (William Jewell)
FB/RB Johnny Gilroy

AKRON INDIANS/PROS

Head Coach: Elgie Tobin

Home Field: League Park [capacity 10,000]

Star Players:
HB Fred "Fritz" Pollard

WB Frank McCormick, FB Andy "Rip" King, E/T Bob "Nasty" Nash

1919 W-L Record 5-5 (.500)
Team lost money and folded following 1919 season; was reorganized for 1920 APFA season.

1919 Results

Starting Lineup

Roster

DAYTON TRIANGLES


Head Coach: Bud Talbott

Home Field: Triangle Park (capacity: 5000)

Star Players: FB Lou Partlow

QB Al Mahrt, T/WB/FB Norb Sacksteder, C Hobby Kinderdine

1919 W-L Record: 4-2-1 (.667)
Dayton claimed the "Ohio League" Championship Title in 1918. note: several of the powerhouse teams, (including Canton and Massillon) didn't organize to play during the 1918 season because of WWI and a major flu epidemic.

1919 Results

Starting Lineup

Substitutes

CLEVELAND TIGERS


Head Coach: Stan Cofall

Home Field: League Park (capacity: 21,000)

Star Players
HB Stan Cofall, C/G/T/FB Al Pierotti, E Harry Baujan

1919 W-L Record: 4-2-2 (.667)
Team known as the "Panthers" in 1919. Cleveland hired several star players from the defunct Massillon Tigers during the offseason.

1919 Results

Starting Line-Up

Substitutes

SFL, cool idea. What are you doing to recreate the history? A program? Some system of your own design?

Believe it or not, I've decided to use Haffners 3-in-1 Football to replay the actual games and track the stats. It is a very vanilla sim, but it did the best job replicating the typical results of this era than any of the other sims I tried, especially considering how incomplete the statistics of that time were. Remember, this is the single-platoon era. Players on offense also played defense. If a player had to leave the game for any reason, he had to remain on the sideline until the following quarter.

The Single-Wing and Notre Dame Box were the innovative formations of the day. Power running was king. Game rules made the forward pass more of a trick play or desperation measure than a standard offensive weapon. For example, if a team threw more than one incompletion during a single set of downs, the team was penalized five yards. An incomplete pass thrown into an opponent's endzone was the same as a punt or kickoff kicked out of the endzone in today's game...it was ruled a touchback and the opponent took possession at their 20 yard line. An incomplete pass thrown from a team's own endzone was a safety for the other team.

Drop-kicks were as frequent as place-kicks during field goal attempts. Football was much more a game of field position. It wasn't uncommon for a team backed inside its own 10 yard line to drop back into punt formation on first or second down and quick kick out of trouble.

I'll be tracking finances manually. I've assigned each team a home and road attendance rating based on what sketchy attendance info I've been able to track down. I've tracked down enough info that I can roughly figure standard travel and lodging costs for a road team. I'll use the player salary scale I posted earlier as part of a team's expenses as well.

I've noted that most of the teams that ended up folding during the formative years of pro football were generally anywhere from $4,000 - $6,000 in the hole, so $4,000 will be the magic red number in my recreation. Any team that goes $4,000 in the red during my replay will cease operation.

BUFFALO ALL-AMERICANS


Head Coach: Tommy Hughitt

Home Field: Canisius Villa (capacity - 7,000); Buffalo Baseball Park (capacity - 15,000)

Star Players: QB Tommy Hughitt

HB Ockie Anderson, T Barnie Lepper, E/G Heinie Miller, E Murray Shelton

1919 Record 9-1-1 (.900)
Team known as the Buffalo Prospects in 1919

1919 Results

Starting Lineup

Substitutes

Going old school I see. I was think it had to be an old game (or a system of your own design...I made many card/dice sport sims when I was a kid) since I don't see FOF or FBPro being suitable to run such a dynasty. :)

Me too! Actually, I've been toying with the idea of creating a career sim that would allow you to begin at watershed moments of pro football history (i.e. Birth of the NFL, 60s AFL Rebel League Challenge, 70s Dynasty Era, 80s Passing Era, USFL Spring League Challenge, etc.). I'd hate to let all this research I've done go to waste ;)


Yes...FOF wouldn't have work at all. ;)

It would have been interesting to run the single-wing in FBPro, but the roster structure of the game didn't lend itself well to the single-platoon era.

Action PC is too weighted toward offense IMO, plus you need a lot more stats and ratings to drive the sim than are readily available from this time period. The quick kick is not even a play option in this game.

I reloaded Haffner, and played a few games with college teams from the mid 20s, and the results were amazingly consistent with box scores from the time. Obviously, not all of the rules of the time are accurately reflected by Haffner, but I figure I can fudge these a bit to more closely approximate the rules and strategy of the time as I replay the games.

ROCHESTER JEFFERSONS


Head Coach: Jack Forsyth

Home Field: Bay Street Park (capacity: 15,000)

Star Players: HB Elmer Oliphant
FB: Jim Laird; HB Bob Argus; T/G/C Lou Usher

1919 Record: 6-2-2 (.750)

1919 Results

Starting Lineup

Substitutes:

COLUMBUS PANHANDLES


Head Coach: Ted Nesser

Home Field: Indianola Park (capacity: 2,000)

Star Players: HB Frank Nesser, C/T/G Ted Nesser, E Homer Ruh

Slogan: "We're the Nessers. We play football."

1919 Record 3-6-1 (.333)

1919 Results (N/A)

Historical Note: Eventually, eight of the Nessers wore 'Handle jerseys -- seven brothers and a son. They never went to college, although they didn't want for offers even after they were well-established as pros. Boilermakers with the railroad by trade, the Nessers were as rugged as three weeks in the desert. None of them was ever accused of using niceties on the gridiron. Newspaper accounts of Panhandle games teem with reports of rival players sent to the sideline with broken bones and other assorted injuries. At least once a year, a story would commend the team for playing a clean game. It's easy to read the unprinted footnote: "Unlike their normal style."

Starting Lineup

Substitutes

DECATUR STALEYS


Head Coach: George Halas

Home Field: Staleys Field (capacity 5,000)

Sponsored By: A.E. Staley Manufacturing Co.

Star Players:
E George Halas
HB Dutch Sternaman, QB Jimmy Conzelman, E Guy Chamberlin, C George Trafton

1919 Record (N/A) Sources report that the 1919 Staleys won the Central Illinois Championship.

Starting Lineup

Substitutes

RACINE (CHICAGO) CARDINALS


Head Coach: Marshall Smith

Home Field: Normal Field (capacity: 8,000)

Star Players:
HB John "Paddy" Driscoll

1919 Record: (N/A)

Starting Lineup

MUNCIE FLYERS



Head Coach: Earl Ball

Home Field: Muncie Field (2,000)

Star Players: FB Ken Huffine, QB Cooney Checkeye

1919 Record: 4-1-1
Won Muncie city championship.

1919 Results: (incomplete)

Starting Lineup Subs

HAMMOND BOBCATS/PROS



Head Coach: Hank Gillo

Home Field: Hammond Field (capacity - 2,000)

Star Players: HB Hank Gillo, HB Frank Specht

1919 Record: (unknown)

1919 Results: (unknown)

Starting Lineup

DETROIT HERALDS



Head Coach: Bill Marshall

Home Field: Navin Field (capacity - 23,000)

Star Players: E Ray Whipple

1919 Record (N/A)

1919 Results (N/A)

Starting Lineup

CHICAGO TIGERS



Head Coach: Guil Falcon

Home Field: Cubs Park (capacity - 14,000)

Star Players: HB Guil Falcon, G Dick Falcon, QB Milt Ghee, FB Oscar Knopp

1919 Record: (N/A)

1919 Results: (N/A)

Starting Lineup

ROCK ISLAND INDEPENDENTS


Head Coach: Rube Ursella

Home Field: Douglas Park (capacity - 8,000)

Star Players: QB Rube Ursella, HB Fred Chicken

1919 Record 9-1-1 (.900)

1919 Results
Starting Lineup

There were two prominent teams of the time that were reportedly invited to the APFA's organizational meeting but declined...the Minneapolis Marines and the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Friars. Since we are reliving football history...in my reality these two teams saw the advantage of joing an organized league, and thus became charter members of the soon-to-be NFL.

Again, the Charter Members of the American Professional Football Association:

Akron Indians
Buffalo All-Americans
Canton Bulldogs
Chicago Tigers
Cleveland Tigers
Columbus Panhandles
Dayton Triangles
Decatur Staleys
Detroit Heralds
Fort Wayne Friars
Hammond Bobcats
Minneapolis Marines
Muncie Flyers
Racine (Chicago) Cardinals
Rochester Jeffersons
Rock Island Independents

CANTON, Ohio -- The newly organized American Professional Football Association today released its fall and winter schedule:

* denotes NON-LEAGUE game

September 26
Rockford Athletic Club @ ROCK ISLAND*
Lansing Oldsmobile @ DETROIT*
St. Paul Ideals @ MINNEAPOLIS*

October 3
Wheeling Stogies @ AKRON*
Pitcairn Quakers @ CANTON*
West Buffalo @ BUFFALO*
All-Buffalo @ ROCHESTER*
Moline Tractors @ DECATUR*
COLUMBUS @ DAYTON
CLEVELAND @ FT.WAYNE
HAMMOND @ DETROIT
MUNCIE @ ROCK ISLAND
MINNEAPOLIS @ CHICAGO CARDINALS

October 10
Toledo Maroons @ CANTON*
All-Buffalo @ BUFFALO*
Fort Porter @ ROCHESTER*
Cleveland Panthers @ DETROIT*
COLUMBUS @ AKRON
CLEVELAND @ DAYTON
HAMMOND @ ROCK ISLAND
MUNCIE @ DECATUR
FT. WAYNE @ MINNEAPOLIS
CHICAGO CARDINALS @ CHICAGO TIGERS

October 17
Cincinnati Celts @ AKRON*
CLEVELAND @ CANTON
HAMMOND @ DAYTON
COLUMBUS @ FT. WAYNE
BUFFALO @ ROCHESTER
MUNCIE @ CHICAGO CARDINALS
DECATUR @ ROCK ISLAND
DETROIT @ CHICAGO TIGERS

October 24
CLEVELAND @ AKRON
CANTON @ DAYTON
COLUMBUS @ DETROIT
HAMMOND @ BUFFALO
ROCHESTER @ FT. WAYNE
MUNCIE @ MINNEAPOLIS
DECATUR @ CHICAGO TIGERS
CHICAGO CARDINALS @ ROCK ISLAND

October 31
AKRON @ CANTON
HAMMOND @ DAYTON
COLUMBUS @ CLEVELAND
ROCHESTER @ BUFFALO
MUNCIE @ FT. WAYNE
DECATUR @ MINNEAPOLIS
DETROIT @ CHICAGO CARDINALS
CHICAGO TIGERS @ ROCK ISLAND

November 7
DAYTON @ AKRON
CANTON @ CLEVELAND
COLUMBUS @ ROCHESTER
MUNCIE @ BUFFALO
HAMMOND @ FT. WAYNE
DECATUR @ ROCK ISLAND
CHICAGO CARDINALS @ CHICAGO TIGERS
MINNEAPOLIS @ DETROIT

November 14
Racine (Wisconsin) @ MINNEAPOLIS*
AKRON @ CLEVELAND
CHICAGO TIGERS @ CANTON
DAYTON @ ROCK ISLAND
COLUMBUS @ BUFFALO
HAMMOND @ ROCHESTER
FT. WAYNE @ DETROIT
DECATUR @ CHICAGO CARDINALS

November 21
Columbus Pirates @ COLUMBUS*
ROCHESTER @ CLEVELAND
CANTON @ BUFFALO
HAMMOND @ DECATUR
MUNCIE @ CHICAGO TIGERS
CHICAGO CARDINALS @ FT. WAYNE
ROCK ISLAND @ MINNEAPOLIS

November 25
CANTON @ AKRON
DETROIT @ DAYTON
COLUMBUS @ MUNCIE
ROCHESTER @ CHICAGO CARDINALS
DECATUR @ CHICAGO TIGERS

November 28
Gary (Indiana) @ MUNCIE*
Columbus Pirates @ COLUMBUS*
HAMMOND @ AKRON
DAYTON @ CANTON
CLEVELAND @ BUFFALO
ROCHESTER @ DETROIT
MINNEAPOLIS @ FT. WAYNE
DECATUR @ CHICAGO CARDINALS
ROCK ISLAND @ CHICAGO TIGERS

December 5
AKRON @ BUFFALO
MUNCIE @ DAYTON
COLUMBUS @ CANTON
CLEVELAND @ ROCHESTER
HAMMOND @ CHICAGO CARDINALS
DECATUR @ FT. WAYNE
MINNEAPOLIS @ CHICAGO TIGERS
ROCK ISLAND @ DETROIT

September 26, 1920
MARINES DEFEAT IDEALS

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota -- The Minneapolis Marines opened their 1920 campaign against their crosstown rival, the St. Paul Ideals. Both elevens played stellar defense, but in the end, the Marines' edge in talent on offense was evident as Minneapolis scored a 15-0 victory at Nicollet Park. The game attracted a crowd of 2,600 spectators.

Minneapolis was able to move the ball well, gaining nearly 300 yards on offense. However, the Marines also showed early-season rust as they turned the ball over three times inside the St. Paul 20 yard-line -- twice by throwing interceptions and once by fumbling away the ball. The Minneapolis defense was rock-solid, holding the St. Paul eleven to minimal gains for most of the game. The Ideals were able to convert only three first downs and were limited to 60 yards on offense.

After a scoreless first period, the Marines took a 6-0 lead on a one yard plunge by halfback Eber Sampson. However, Sampson showed that he was no Rube Ursella (who is now with the Rock Island Independents) as he missed the point-after-attempt. On their next possession, the Ideals pushed to the Minneapolis 42 yard-line before stalling. From there, former Minnesota Gopher star Johnny McGovern tried drop-kicking a field goal, but the kick was wild and went out of bounds at the Marines' 15 yard line.

Another kicking miscue by St. Paul increased the Minneapolis lead in the third quarter. Pinned inside their 10 yard-line, McGovern dropped back to punt out of trouble. Minneapolis guard Dutch Gaustad broke through the line and blocked McGovern's kick out of the St. Paul endzone to make the score 8-0. During the final period, halfback Einar Cleve capped the scoring with another one yard TD plunge. Bill Irgens converted on his extra-point attempt to finalize the score, 15-0.


NOTES:


HB Eber Sampson led all rushers with 116 yards on 26 carries. He also completed 3 of 6 passes for 52 yards and averaged nearly 45 yards on his punts.

MINNEAPOLIS MARINES FINANCIAL REPORT
INITIAL FINANCIAL BACKING (CASH RESERVES): $2,500

$$$ For St. Paul vs. Minneapolis

INCOME:

Gate Receipts: $2,600
Payout From Opponent: $0
Sponsorship: $0
Illegal Side Wagers: $0

EXPENSES:

Stadium Rental: $260
Overhead: $130
Payout to Opponent: $500
Player Salaries: $675
Travel Expenses: $0
Illegal Side Wagers: $0

NET GAME PROFIT/LOSS $1,035

CASH RESERVES $3,535

September 26, 1920

Rock Island Routs Rockford, 37-0

ROCK ISLAND, Illinois -- The Rock Island Independents scored 20 points in the first quarter of their season opener against the Rockford (Illinois) Athletic Association and never looked back as they cruised to a 37-0 victory over their non-league opponent. Despite a stellar afternoon on the gridiron, a steady drizzle dashed the home team's hopes of attracting a sell-out crowd as only 2,800 spectators were in the stands.

Halfback Eddie Novak scored touchdowns on runs of 20 and seven yards; fullback Sid Nichols scored a touchdown on a two yard plunge, tossed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Arnie Wyman, kicked a 16 yard field goal, and also converted four extra points. In addition to his touchdown catch, Wyman also scored a touchdown on a 22-yard broken-field run.

The Rock Island eleven were ball-hawks on defense -- intercepting five Rockford A.A. passes and recovering two fumbles. Backs Fred Chicken and Waddy Kuehl each collected two enemy aerials, while end Bobby Marshall had one.


STATISTICAL NOTES: Quarterback Arnie Wyman was one of the Independents top performers. In addition to calling a nearly perfect game and scoring two touchdowns, Wyman had 52 rushing yards, 19 yards receiving and completed two-of-four passes for 19 yards. Rock Island coach Rube Ursella replaced Wyman at quarterback for most of the second half.

ROCK ISLAND INDEPENDENTS FINANCIAL REPORT
INITIAL FINANCIAL BACKING (CASH RESERVES): $3,000

$$$ For Rock Island vs. Rockford

INCOME:

Gate Receipts: $2,800
Payout From Opponent: $0
Sponsorship: $0
Illegal Side Wagers: $1,500

EXPENSES:

Stadium Rental: $500
Overhead: $250
Payout to Opponent: $1,000
Player Salaries: $1,200
Travel Expenses: $0
Illegal Side Wagers: $0

NET GAME PROFIT/LOSS $1,350

CASH RESERVES $ 4,350

NOTE: Lansing Oldsmobile was a real semi-pro team that played during the early 1920s. However, other than a few final scores from games they played against NFL teams of that era, I wasn't able to track down much information about the team -- zero stats, zero roster information. With this in mind, I assigned Lansing stats that would be generated by a typical semi-pro team of the time running the single-wing offense.

Just for fun, I decided to stock the team with some "legendary" player names from the FOF forum. Without further delay, here are your 1920 Lansing Oldsmobiles...


HERALDS EDGE LANSING OLDSMOBILE
DETROIT -- Pat Dunne and Ray Whipple each returned fumbles for touchdowns as the Detroit Heralds edged visiting Lansing Oldsmobile 12-7 in the opening game for both teams. The Lansing eleven gave a good account of themselves in front of nearly 7,500 spectators at Navin Field. Lansing actually outplayed the home Heralds during the first half, but were continually undermined by drive-killing penalties. On their first play from scrimmage, right halfback Dean Houston went around left end for 30 yards, but the play was called back because of a holding penalty against Lansing. On the next play, Brock Sheriff took the snap and gained 12 yards up the middle, but this result was also nullified by a penalty. It was that kind of afternoon for Lansing.

After a scoreless first period, Detroit's Pat Dunne scooped up a fumble by Dean Houston and raced 53 yards for a touchdown to put Heralds on top 6-0. Late in the first half, Lansing managed to advance to the Detroit 40 yard-line. With time running out, Brock Sheriff moved back to attempt a drop-kick field goal. However, the snap from center sailed over his head. After a mad scurry by both elevens for the loose ball, Detroit's Ray Whipple finally managed to pick it up at the Lansing 15 yard-line and took it the rest of the way to give the Heralds a 12-0 advantage at the half.

The second half became a battle for field position. Lansing advanced to Detroit's side of the field late in the third period, but a poor pass by fullback Jumbo Hou was intercepted by the Heralds at their own 13 yard-line to end the scoring threat. Lansing's Brock Sheriff helped the team avoid a shut-out loss by running for a five-yard touchdown late in the final quarter to cap the scoring.

DETROIT HERALDS FINANCIAL REPORT
INITIAL FINANCIAL BACKING (CASH RESERVES): $5,000

$$$ For Detroit vs. Lansing

INCOME:

Gate Receipts: $7,350
Payout From Opponent: $0
Sponsorship: $0
Illegal Side Wagers: $2,000

EXPENSES:

Stadium Rental: $1,000
Overhead: $368
Payout to Opponent: $500
Player Salaries: $1,200
Travel Expenses: $0
Illegal Side Wagers: $0

NET GAME PROFIT/LOSS $6,782

CASH RESERVES $11,782

APFA -- WEEK ONE TOP PERFORMERS

LEAGUE INVESTIGATING GAMBLING ALLEGATIONS
APFA league officials are investigating allegations that players and team officials of the Rock Island Independents and Detroit Heralds were wagering on their respective games.

League President, Ralph Hay, said the APFA wouldn't tolerate such antics. "Gambling is a cancer that has no place in sports. We've already seen how gamblers nearly destroyed professional baseball (referring to the Chicago Blacksox scandal of 1919). If we find that anyone, player or manager, is making illegal wagers on football contests our teams are involved in, they will be severely punished."

This is some hardcore posting

bump...update?

WEEK TWO -- NON LEAGUE GAMES

BUFFALO ALL-AMERICANS 16; West Buffalo 0
BUFFALO -- Bodie Welton kicked three field goals and QB Tommy Hughitt ran eight yards for a touchdown as the APFA's Buffalo All-Americans opened their season with a 16-0 shut-out of West Buffalo. Hughitt, a former All-American from Michigan, put on a forward-pass clinic, completing 11 of his 15 passes for 181 yards. He also led the All-Americans in rushing, gaining 58 yards on 17 carries. The All-Americans' Murray Shelton was Hughitt's main target. He caught 10 balls and gained 153 yards.

ROCHESTER JEFFS 15; All-Buffalo 9
ROCHESTER -- The APFA's Rochester Jeffersons had to rely on a strong second half effort to help them defeat All-Buffalo 15-9. All-Buffalo controlled the tempo of the game early. Midway through the first period, Rochester's Jim Laird dropped back to punt. His kick was blocked and the loose ball was recovered in Rochester's endzone by All-Buffalo. All-Buffalo missed the point-after-touchdown attempt, so the score stood at 6-0. The next time they took possession of the ball, All-Buffalo drove to the Jeff's 22 yard-line, where a successful field goal made it a 9-0 ballgame. The Jeffs were able to move the ball down the field, thanks to strong running by Laird and Bob Argus. However, turnovers and penalties killed several drives allowing All-Buffalo to maintain their advantage at the half.

Rochester finally put points on the scoreboard during their first drive of the second half. Laird drop-kicked a 36 yard field goal to make the score 9-3. On their next possession, the Jeffs drove to the All-Buffalo 27 yard-line. From there, HB Bob Argus dashed the remaining distance to score a touchdown and tie the game 9-9. Laird was unable to give the Jeffs their first lead of the afternoon when he missed the extra-point. Late in the third quarter, Argus gave Rochester the lead, and utlimately the game, when he scored another touchdown, this time on an 18-yard run. Jim Laird led the Jeffs, gaining 191 yards on 21 carries. In addition to his two touchdowns, Argus finished the game with 48 rushing yards on 15 carries.

AKRON INDIANS 17; Wheeling Stogies 0
AKRON -- Rip King threw a 35 yard touchdown pass to Fritz Pollard and Frank McCormick plowed one yard for another touchdown as the Akron Indians opened their season with a 17-0 victory over the visiting Wheeling Stogies. Charley Copley rounded out the scoring for Akron with a 21 yard field goal and two extra points. Pollard finished the game with 95 rushing yards on 16 carries and also caught two passes for 65 yards.

CANTON BULLDOGS 13; Pitcairn Quakers 0
CANTON -- Player/coach Jim Thorpe booted two field goals and Pete Calac scored a touchdown on a one yard plunge as the Champion Canton Bulldogs began defense of their gridiron crown with a 13-0 victory over the visiting Pitcairn Quakers. Calac led a strong Canton ground attack, gaining 61 yards on 28 carries.

DECATUR STALEYS 24; Moline Tractors 0
DECATUR -- The Staleys rolled for 360 rushing yards as they plowed the visiting Moline Tractors 24-0. Dutch Sternaman and Jimmy Conzelman combined for 279 of those yards and each scored a touchdown. The two Decatur backs also starred on defense -- each intercepted an enemy aerial. The Tractors were stopped cold all afternoon, and managed only 79 total yards for the game.

NEXT UP -- WEEK TWO LEAGUE GAMES

COLUMBUS @ DAYTON
CLEVELAND @ FT.WAYNE
HAMMOND @ DETROIT
MUNCIE @ ROCK ISLAND
MINNEAPOLIS @ CHICAGO CARDINALS

WEEK TWO -- LEAGUE GAMES

DAYTON TRIANGLES 17; COLUMBUS PANHANDLES 7
DAYTON -- The Dayton Triangles rode a strong third quarter performance to an opening day victory over APFA league rival Columbus, 17-7. The visiting Panhandles opened strong. On their first possession, Columbus drove down the field and took a 6-0 lead on a 20 yard touchdown pass from Frank Nesser to Hal Gaulke. Nesser then booted the extra point to make it 7-0. The Triangles closed the gap to 7-3 by the half, thanks to a 35 yard place kick by Hobby Kinderdine.

The Dayton offense finally found its stride during the third period. Norb Sacksteder put the Triangles ahead 9-7 after he scored on a three yard plunge. Kinderdine's point after increased the lead to three, 10-7. Dayton insured its lead late in the third quarter when Al Mahrt tossed a five-yard touchdown pass to Frank Bacon. Kinderdine's extra point capped the scoring 17-7.

Frank Nesser paced the Columbus eleven, he gained 68 yards on 19 carries, completed 9-of-19 passes for 175 yards, and intercepted a Dayton pass while on defense. Frank Bacon was Dayton's leading ground-gainer. He piled up 84 yards on 14 carries. In addition, Bacon pulled down six passes for 89 yards and finished with one interception on defense. Al Mahrt was the leading passer for the Triangles, completing 12-of-20 passes for 163 yards.

CLEVELAND TIGERS 7; FT. WAYNE FRIARS 0
FT. WAYNE -- Cleveland reserve fullback Jim Bryant scored on an eight yard run late in the first quarter, and his defense made it stand as the Cleveland Tigers downed the home Fort Wayne Friars 7-0 in the season opener for both teams. From the beginning, the game was a titanic defensive battle with both teams struggling to produce even minimal gains on offense.

Tuffy Conn was Cleveland's standout on offense, rushing 22 times for 40 yards. However. his biggest value was on defense where he intercepted three Ft. Wayne passes. The Friars were paced by former Notre Dame great, Joe Pliska, who gained 49 yards on 12 carries.

DETROIT HERALDS 18; HAMMOND BOBCATS 14
DETROIT -- Detroit back Charlie Guy was a terror for the home Heralds Sunday afternoon. He intercepted four passes, returning three for touchdowns and helped put down a late Hammond rally as the Detroit Heralds held on to an 18-14 victory over the Bobcats. Guy intercepted his first Hammond pass late in the first period and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown to give Detroit a 6-0 lead. On Hammond's very next possession, Guy did it again, this time returning his interception 26 yards for a score. He added another 26 yard interception return for a score early in the second quarter to give the Heralds a commanding 18-0 lead at the half.

The Bobcats defense stiffened during the second half. Swede Larson, signed by Hammond during just the past week, picked off a Detroit pass and rumbled 57 yards for a touchdown to make the score 18-7. Hank Gillo closed the gap even further during the final stanza, scoring on a four yard run late in the game to make it 18-14. Hammond then attempted an onside kick, but the kick was recovered by Heralds, who then proceded to run out the clock.

MUNCIE FLYERS 6; ROCK ISLAND INDEPENDENTS 5
ROCK ISLAND -- Mickey Hole capitalized on a late Rock Island turnover as he tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Spencer Pope which helped to propel the visiting Muncie Flyers past the Independents, 6-5.

The Independents took a 3-0 lead, midway through the second period on a 38-yard drop kick field goal by Sid Nichols. Just before the half, the Independents took a 5-0 lead after scoring a safety. The Flyers' Cliff Baldwin mishandled a punt inside the Muncie five yard-line and was forced to fall on the ball in his own endzone where he was tackled.

The Rock Island defense made the lead stand through most of the second half. However, late in the game, Arnie Wyman fumbled while fighting for extra yardage. The ball was recovered by Muncie at the Independents' 25. Three plays later Hole found Pope for the touchdown and the victory.

Muncie's Cooney Checkaye and Mickey Hole combined to complete an efficient 9-of-11 passes for 102 yards and one touchdown. Pope finished the game with six catches for 93 yards. Ken Huffine was the defensive star of the game for Muncie. He intercepted five Rock Island passes and made several key tackles.

Rock Island's Arnie Wyman led all rushers with 66 yards on nine carries. However, he completed only 3-of-13 passes for 21 yards and was intercepted three times.

CHICAGO CARDINALS 19; MINNEAPOLIS MARINES 0
CHICAGO -- Paddy Driscoll scored on a five yard run, drop kicked a 27-yard field goal and booted two extra points to help lead the Chicago Cardinals to a 19-0 victory over the visiting Minneapolis Marines. Driscoll was unstoppable on this day, running the ball 26 times for 210 yards, and passed for 44 additional yards.

Although Minneapolis is known for its solid defensive play, it was the Cardinals' defense that shined. They shut down the powerful Marines' running attack and limited Minneapolis to just 84 total yards.

WEEK THREE -- NON LEAGUE GAMES

CANTON BULLDOGS 42; Toledo Maroons 0
CANTON -- Jim Thorpe returned the Maroons' first punt 53 yards for a touchdown and the rout was on. Ike Martin and Joe Guyon each scored rushing touchdowns in the second period to give the Bulldogs a 21-0 lead at the half. Pete Calac, who finished the afternoon with a game-best 111 rushing yards on 18 carries, had three touchdown runs in the second half. The Canton defense didn't allow Toledo a single completed pass in 16 attempts, intercepting three.

BUFFALO ALL-AMERICANS 53; All-Buffalo 0
BUFFALO -- After a good showing the previous week in a close loss to Rochester, All-Buffalo fell on its face against the crosstown rival All-Americans, losing 53-0. In addition to winning the Buffalo city championship, the All-Americans played a nearly flawless game on both sides of the ball. The scoring floodgates were opened midway through the initial quarter, when Swede Youngstrom broke through the All-Buffalo line and blocked a punt out of the endzone for a safety. Tommy Hughitt tossed two TD passes -- one to Murray Shelton, the other to Heine Miller -- to give the All-Americans a 16-0 lead at the half. By the time Hughitt had retired to the sideline midway through the third quarter, he had completed 8-of-12 pass for 148 yards and rushed for 101 yards on 20 carries and Buffalo had scored two additional TDs -- a 23 yard blocked punt return by Murray Shelton and a four-yard run by Bodie Welton. Ockie Anderson then took command, scoring twice on runs from eight yards out, and tossing an eight yard pass to Miller. On defense, the All-Americans limited All-Buffalo to just one first down and 69 total yards.

ROCHESTER JEFFS 14; Fort Porter 0
ROCHESTER -- Lou Usher booted two field goals, and Jim Laird returned an interception for a touchdown as the Jeffs blanked Fort Porter 14-0.

DETROIT HERALDS 13; Cleveland Panthers 6
DETROIT -- Steamer Hornung kicked two field goals and Marshall Jones scored on a 29-yard run as the Heralds fought off a strong challenge from the Cleveland Panthers 13-6. The Heralds gained 316 yards on the ground.

NEXT UP -- LEAGUE GAMES
COLUMBUS @ AKRON
CLEVELAND @ DAYTON
HAMMOND @ ROCK ISLAND
MUNCIE @ DECATUR
FT. WAYNE @ MINNEAPOLIS
CHICAGO CARDINALS @ CHICAGO TIGERS

WEEK THREE -- LEAGUE GAMES

AKRON INDIANS 17; COLUMBUS PANHANDLES 7
AKRON -- Akron jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead on a 10 yard TD pass from Rip King to Charley Copley and a 16 yard TD run by Frank McCormick. The 'Handles closed the gap to seven during the second period when Frank Nesser scored on a five yard run. Akron's Ken Crawford kicked a 13 yard FG with just seconds remaining in the second period to give the Indians a 17-7 lead. Both offenses wore down in the second half, which became a punting contest between Nesser and King.

DAYTON TRIANGLES 24; CLEVELAND TIGERS 7
DAYTON -- After trailing 7-0 at the half, the Dayton Triangles scored 24 unanswered points to down the visiting Cleveland Tigers 24-7. The only score during the first half was a 45 yard TD pass from Cleveland's Mark Devlin to end Harry Baujan. Hobby Kinderdine finally put Dayton on the scoreboard in the third with a 31-yard place kick. On the Triangle's next possession, Al Mahrt put Dayton ahead for good when he hooked up with George Roudebush on a 44-yard TD strike. Frank Bacon and Lou Paltrow each added rushing TDs to secure the victory for Dayton.

ROCK ISLAND 17; HAMMOND BOBCATS 0
ROCK ISLAND -- Eddie Novak and Jerry Mansfield scored a pair of rushing TDs and Rube Ursella nailed a short field goal attempt as the Independents got back on the winning track, blanking the Bobcats 17-0.

DECATUR STALEYS 17; MUNCIE FLYERS 0
DECATUR -- Guy Chamberlin returned an interception 46 yards for a TD, Jimmy Conzelman scored on a 28 yard run and Dutch Sternaman added a 19 yard field goal as the Staleys blanked the Flyers 17-0.

MINNEAPOLIS MARINES 13; FT. WAYNE FRIARS 0
MINNEAPOLIS -- Bill Irgens threw a 57 yard TD pass to Einar Cleve and Eber Sampson scored another TD on a five yard scamper as the Marines blanked the visiting Ft. Wayne Friars, 13-0.

CHICAGO CARDINALS 6; CHICAGO TIGERS 6
CHICAGO -- The battle for Chicago ended in a draw, 6-6. The Tigers scored first when Milt Ghee heaved a pass to Shorty DesJardien, who took the ball 83 yards for a touchdown. The Cardinals' Paddy Driscoll booted two field goals in the second period to knot the game 6-6. Neither team was able to generate much offense in the second half. The Tigers were able to drive into Cardinals' territory late in the third quarter. However, with the ball at the Cardinals' 21, Ghee threw an ill-advised pass that was intercepted by Driscoll to kill the drive.

WEEK FOUR (10/17)

AKRON INDIANS 21; Cincinnati Celts 0
AKRON -- The Indians gave the Celts a warm reception in the only non-league game on the schedule for the week, downing Cincy 21-0. Scotty Bierce intercepted a pass during the second quarter and returned it 63 yards for a TD to give the Indians a 7-0 lead at the half. After a scoreless third period, Frank McCormick added two rushing TDs in the final quarter to secure the victory. The Akron eleven played stellar defense, holding the Celts to minus-two total yards for the game.

CLEVELAND TIGERS 21; CANTON BULLDOGS 14
CANTON -- In a major upset, the visiting Tigers from Cleveland surprised defending champion Canton, 21-14, before a stunned crowd at League Park. After a scoreless first period, the Clevelanders took command during the second quarter, scoring touchdowns on a 37-yard pass from Al Pierotti to end Bert Baston, an 87-yard pass from Sandy Hastings to Tuffy Conn, and a one-yard TD plunge by back Stan Cofall. Trailing 21-0 in the third quarter, the Bulldogs were forced to abandon their favored running attack and go to the air. Although Joe Guyon and Jim Thorpe each tossed TD passes during the second half to draw Canton close to the Tigers, the Bulldogs' passers also threw a combined four interceptions -- Thorpe himself was intercepted three times. The early league loss severely hurts Canton's chance to repeat as the champions of professional football.

DAYTON TRIANGLES 53; HAMMOND BOBCATS 3
DAYTON -- Al Mahrt completed 10-of-17 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns, and scored another touchdown on a one-yard run as the Dayton Triangles throttled the Hammond Bobcats 53-3. The Bobcats could manage only a 14-yard field goal by Louie Kolls.

COLUMBUS PANHANDLES 14; FORT WAYNE FRIARS 0
FORT WAYNE -- Frank Nesser tossed a 57-yard TD pass to Jim Flower and John Schneider scored on a one yard run as the 'Handles won their first game of the season.

BUFFALO ALL-AMERICANS 20; ROCHESTER JEFFS 10
ROCHESTER -- Rochesters' Jim Laird led all rushers with 138 yards on 21 carries and scored a touchdown, but it wasn't enough as the Jeffs fell to the All-Americans 20-10. Laird put the Jeffs on the board first, when he broke loose for a 44-yard TD run. Buffalo's Bodie Weldon made it 7-3, when he drop-kicked a 13-yard field goal during the second quarter. Buffalo cut the lead to 7-6 in the third period, when Weldon booted a 32 yard field goal. On the Jeffs' next possession, Laird matched Buffalo's field goal with his own 36-yarder to extend Rochester's lead 10-6. Buffalo's Tommy Hughitt then took charge. He drove the All-Americans down the field and connected with Murray Shelton on a 20-yard TD pass to give Buffalo its first lead of the day, 13-10. Buffalo's Pat Smith scored on a four yard run late in the game to insure a Buffalo victory, 20-10.

CHICAGO CARDINALS 13; MUNCIE FLYERS 6
CHICAGO -- Paddy Driscoll gained 154 yards on 29 carries and scored two second-half rushing TDs to help lead the Cards from a 6-0 halftime deficit to a 13-6 victory over the Muncie Flyers.

DECATUR STALEYS 24; ROCK ISLAND INDEPENDENTS 21
ROCK ISLAND -- A fourth-quarter 50-yard TD pass from Jimmy Conzelman to Guy Chamberlin capped an amazing comeback by the Decatur Staleys, as they rallied from a 21-0 halftime deficit to a 24-21 victory over the Rock Island Independents. After a scoreless first period, the Independents exploded offensively in the second quarter. Rube Ursella broke loose and scored on a 39-yard touchdown run, and Sid Nichols hooked up with Jerry Mansfield for two TD passes. The Staleys finally got on the scoreboard midway through the third period on a five-yard TD run by Dutch Sternaman. The momentum of the game began to swing in Decatur's favor on Rock Island's next possession as George Halas scooped up a Fred Chicken fumble and raced 25 yards for a touchdown to cut the Rock Island lead to 21-14. A 17-yard field goal by Decatur's Hugh Blacklock late in the third period made it a 21-17 ballgame, before Conzelman's and Chamberlin's heroics in the final quarter.

DETROIT HERALDS 6; CHICAGO TIGERS 0
CHICAGO -- Pierce Wilson's five-yard TD run was the only scoring in this defensive struggle at Cubs Park.

WEEK FIVE (10/24)
No non-league games this week.

CLEVELAND TIGERS 7; AKRON INDIANS 6
AKRON -- Mark Devlin's point-after-touchdown place-kick following Al Pierotti's one-yard TD run proved to be the difference as the Tigers downed the Indians 7-6. Akron's points came from two Ken Crawford field goals.

DAYTON TRIANGLES 30; CANTON BULLDOGS 0
DAYTON -- The Bulldogs first road trip of the season turned into a nightmare as the Dayton Triangles pounded them 30-0. Al Mahrt and Norb Sacksteder combined for three touchdown passes as the Dayton aerial attack netted 322 yards. In addition to experiencing its most lopsided loss, the Bulldogs' chances to defend its championship are all but gone after suffering its second consecutive loss. Meanwhile, the Triangles (4-0) have established themselves as a strong favorite for the first APFA crown.

COLUMBUS PANHANDLES 14; DETROIT HERALDS 12
DETROIT -- Missed extra-point place-kicks cost the Detroit Heralds. The visiting Panhandles and the Heralds each scored two TDs in their contest. However, Oscar Kuehner's extra points proved to be the difference as Columbus upset Detroit 14-12.

BUFFALO ALL-AMERICANS 37; HAMMOND BOBCATS 0
BUFFALO -- The All-Americans continue to look impressive as they roll up over 400 yards of offense and shut down the Hammond Bobcats.

FORT WAYNE FRIARS 10; ROCHESTER JEFFS 3
FORT WAYNE -- The Friars pick up their first win of the season as they down the visiting Jeffs 10-3. Joe Pliska paced the Friars, gaining 54 yards on 18 carries and scored the game's only TD.

MINNEAPOLIS MARINES 7; MUNCIE FLYERS 0
MINNEAPOLIS -- Bill Irgens tossed a 21-yard TD pass to Sheepy Redeen to lead the Marines to a 7-0 victory over the Muncie Flyers.

DECATUR STALEYS 23; CHICAGO TIGERS 0
CHICAGO -- Dutch Sternaman scored a rushing TD and kicked three field goals and Jimmy Conzelman found Guy Chamberlin for a 76-yard TD pass as the Decatur Staleys overwhelmed the Chicago Tigers 23-0 at Cubs Park.

CHICAGO CARDINALS 0; ROCK ISLAND INDEPENDENTS 0
ROCK ISLAND -- The Cardinals and Independents battled to a scoreless tie in a driving rain storm. Only 800 fans braved the elements.

Canton Daily News
October 25, 1920

What's Wrong with the Bulldogs?
Canton fans have watched in disbelief as our beloved Bulldogs have struggled to find a way into the victory column this season. Undefeated and undisputed as the champions of professional football in 1919, the Bulldogs have now lost two consecutive games. To make matters worse, yesterday's loss to cross-state rival Dayton wasn't even close -- a 30-0 laugher for the hometown Triangles. The talk of the town is, "what is wrong with the Canton Bulldogs?"

Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. Perhaps one needs to start at the top -- in this case with the great Indian himself, Jim Thorpe. Some might say that Thorpe isn't the player he used to be. However, talk to any opponent and they will tell you to a man that the great Thorpe still runs as hard as he ever did; that he is still as difficult to tackle as he ever was. Despite this, Thorpe has definitely not been as productive this season for Canton.

For the past several years, Thorpe has been splitting his time between pro football and major league baseball. Some have complained that as the highest paid player in the game of pro football -- some place his salary at $300 per game -- that sport should be his sole endeavor.

No one can deny that age has definitely robbed Thorpe of some of his durability. He was forced from the Dayton game midway through the second period nursing a shoulder injury. Even while he was playing, Thorpe wasn't much of a factor, especially on offense. He gained only two yards rushing and failed to complete a single pass in his seven attempts. He also threw an interception.

This brings us to perhaps the biggest probelm faced by the Bulldogs. None of the Bulldogs' backs can consistently throw the forward pass. Thorpe, as great as he is, has certainly never been the greatest passer. Neither are his backfield mates, Pete Calac and Joe Guyon. Not since former Dartmouth star Milt Ghee, now with the Chicago Tigers, have the Canton Bulldogs had a top-notch passer. In recent years, the Bulldogs have been successful with a virtually unstoppable running attack and smothering defensive play. The past two weeks have seen the defense play like a shadow of its former self, causing the Bulldogs to fall behind early. In the Dayton game, for example, the Triangles were able to build a 20-0 first quarter lead and pass for over 300 yards against the vaunted Canton defense. This has forced the team to pass much more than they normally like to do, thus exposing the team's most glaring offensive deficiency.

With the hope of a repeat championship now a virtual impossibility, it is hoped that the team will address its shortcomings, quickly. The Bulldogs need to do so if they hope to remain one of the nation's premier professional football organizations.

WEEK SIX (10/31)
No nonleague games this week

CANTON BULLDOGS 14; AKRON INDIANS 3
CANTON -- Jim Thorpe scored two TDs, one on a six-yard run and another on a 77-yard punt return as the Bulldogs won their first APFA league game. The Canton defense held Fritz Pollard to just 12 yards on 14 carries.

DAYTON TRIANGLES 17; HAMMOND BOBCATS 14
DAYTON -- George Roudebush kicked a 33 yard field goal midway through the final period to give the Dayton Triangles a hard-fought 17-14 victory over the Hammond Bobcats, a team they whalloped 53-3 just two weeks previous. Back Frank Bacon paced the Triangles, rushing for 70 yards on 14 carries and scoring a TD on a 36-yard reception from Al Mahrt.

COLUMBUS PANHANDLES 35; CLEVELAND TIGERS 14
CLEVELAND -- Frank Nesser threw three TD passes and scored a rushing TD from one-yard out to lead the Handles to a 35-14 victory over the Tigers. Nesser completed 7-of-12 passes for 296 yards, rushed for 55 yards, and had an interception on defense.

BUFFALO ALL-AMERICANS 39; ROCHESTER JEFFS 7
BUFFALO -- Ockie Anderson scored two rushing TDs, threw for another, and Tommy Hughitt scored a rushing TD, passed for a TD and kicked two field goals as Buffalo overwhelmed the visiting Rochester Jeffersons 39-7. Anderson led the All-Americans offensively, gaining 142 rushing yards. He also pulled down an interception while on defense. Jim Laird was the only bright spot for the Jeffs. He gained 71 yards rushing, scored Rochester's only TD and intercepted two Buffalo passes.

MUNCIE FLYERS 9; FT. WAYNE FRIARS 0
FORT WAYNE -- The Ft. Wayne Friars won several battles during their APFA game against cross-state rival Muncie, but ultimately lost the war. Cooney Checkaye booted a 26-yard field goal and Ken Huffine returned an interception 57 yards for a TD to give the Flyers a 9-0 victory over the Friars. The Friars dominated the Flyers statistically. They had 13 first downs to only two for Muncie. In total yardage, the Friars finished with 271 offensive yards compared to just 38 yards for Muncie. Despite this, Muncie's Ken Huffine was able to come up with enough big plays on defense (four turnovers) to kill several Ft. Wayne scoring threats.

DECATUR STALEYS 6; MINNEAPOLIS MARINES 0
MINNEAPOLIS -- Dutch Sternaman kicked two field goals to help the Decatur Staleys stay undefeated as they downed the Minneapolis Marines 6-0.

CHICAGO CARDINALS 7; DETROIT HERALDS 0
CHICAGO -- Paddy Driscoll's only pass completion against the Detroit Heralds was a 38-yard TD pass to end Lenny Sachs that proved to be the difference as the Cards downed the Heralds 7-0. Driscoll missed on eight of his nine pass attempts and had two intercepted.

ROCK ISLAND INDEPENDENTS 13; CHICAGO TIGERS 0
ROCK ISLAND -- Sid Nichols returned a punt for a TD and booted two field goals as the Independents defeated the Tigers 13-0.

As we head into November (1920), let's take a look at the APFA's statistical leaders so far...

WEEK SEVEN (November 7)
No Non-league Games This Week

DAYTON TRIANGLES 24; AKRON INDIANS 21
AKRON -- Al Mahrt tossed a one yard TD pass to George Roudebush with 0:03 to play in the game to keep the Triangles undefeated. Dayton entered the final period with a 17-7 advantage over Akron. However, the Triangles saw that lead vanish as Rip King hooked up twice with Fritz Pollard on TD passes to give the Indians a 21-17 lead late in the game. With time running out, Mahrt conducted a clinic on pin-point passing, moving Dayton down the field and scoring the game-winning touchdown.

CANTON BULLDOGS 14; CLEVELAND TIGERS 7
CLEVELAND -- Jim Thorpe returned a punt for a touchdown for the second consecutive week and also tossed a 38-yard TD pass to backfield mate Joe Guyon to lead the Bulldogs past the Tigers 14-7 before a large crowd in Cleveland.

ROCHESTER JEFFS 21; COLUMBUS PANHANDLES 14
ROCHESTER -- Jim Laird rushed for 142 yards and scored a touchdown to help lead the Jeffs past the Handles 21-14.

BUFFALO ALL-AMERICANS 44; MUNCIE FLYERS 6
BUFFALO -- Ockie Anderson tossed three TD passes to Murray Shelton and rushed for two more as the All-Americans crushed the Flyers from Muncie, 44-6. Anderson finished the game with 123 yards rushing and passed for an additional 136 yards. Shelton finished the game with 10 receptions for 202 yards and four touchdowns. Bodie Weldon starred on defense for Buffalo with two interceptions.

HAMMOND BOBCATS 10; FT. WAYNE FRIARS 6
FT. WAYNE -- The Hammond Bobcats overcame two field goals by Ft. Wayne's Gus Dorias with fouth quarter heroics by G Louie Kolls. Kolls returned a fumble 21-yards for a TD and kicked an 11-yard FG to give the Bobcats their first victory of the season, 10-6, over the Friars.

DECATUR STALEYS 9; ROCK ISLAND INDEPENDENTS 0
ROCK ISLAND -- Dutch Sternaman kicked a 42 yard field goal and Jimmy Conzelman tossed a 45 yard TD pass to George Halas as the Staleys blanked the Independents 9-0. Halas finished the game with three receptions for 88 yards.

CHICAGO CARDINALS 7; CHICAGO TIGERS 7
CHICAGO -- The Chicago city championship remains undecided as the Cardinals and Tigers battled to a 7-7 draw at Cubs field in their second meeting of the year. The first game between the clubs also ended in a tie, 6-6. The Tigers scored first when Milt Ghee threw a 55 yard TD pass to Shorty DesJardien to take a 7-0 lead. The Tigers' defense looked like it might make that lead stand. However, late in the final period, Paddy Driscoll eluded several tacklers and scored on an eight-yard run. His extra-point kick evened the score. After the game, managers for both teams said they might be interested in scheduling another contest late in the season to decide the Chicago champion.

MINNEAPOLIS MARINES 3; DETROIT HERALDS 0
DETROIT -- Eber Sampson's 10 yard field goal in the first quarter were all the points the Marines needed as they blanked the Heralds 3-0 at Navin Field.

WEEK EIGHT (November 14)

Non-League Game

MINNEAPOLIS MARINES 21; Racine (Wisconsin) Legion 0
MINNEAPOLIS -- Eber Sampson kicked three field goals and scored a TD on a 26-yard run as the Marines blanked the visiting Legion 21-0.

League Games

CLEVELAND TIGERS 21; AKRON INDIANS 0
CLEVELAND -- The Tigers outgained the Indians 265-126 and Cleveland's Tuffy Conn scored on an 85 yard pass from Mark Devlin, led all rushers with 46 yards and pulled down two interceptions as the Tigers blanked the visiting Indians 21-0.

CANTON BULLDOGS 24; CHICAGO TIGERS 0
CANTON -- Joe Guyon returned a punt 60 yards for a TD (the third consecutive week a Canton player has done this) and Jim Thorpe threw a 26 yard TD to Guyon and kicked a 10 yard field goal as the resurgent Bulldogs won their third straight league game 24-0 over the visiting Chicago Tigers. Pete Calac rounded out the scoring by the home team with a six-yard TD run.

ROCK ISLAND INDEPENDENTS 25; DAYTON TRIANGLES 0
ROCK ISLAND -- The Triangles have lived by the pass so far this season. Yesterday they died by the pass as Rock Island defenders intercepted six Dayton aerials and returned three of them for TDs; rolling to a 25-0 victory over the previously undefeated Triangles. Bobby Marshall scored two of those TDs and led the Independents with three interceptions.

BUFFALO ALL-AMERICANS 7; COLUMBUS PANHANDLES 7
BUFFALO -- Frank Nesser and his 'Handles played their most physical game of the season as they battled the Buffalo All-Americans to a 7-7 draw. Columbus' rough play sent several All-Americans to the sideline with injuries -- Tommy Hughitt (ankle); Buck Gavin (shoulder), Heine Miller (hand) and Lud Wray (eye).

ROCHESTER JEFFS 27; HAMMOND BOBCATS 0
ROCHESTER -- Jim Laird rushed for 102 yards and scored four TDs as the Jeffs blanked Hammond 27-0.

FT. WAYNE FRIARS 9; DETROIT HERALDS 6
DETROIT -- Joe Pliska returned a punt 58 yards for a TD and Gus Dorias kicked a 15-yard field goal to lead the Ft. Wayne Friars past the Detroit Heralds 9-6. Detroit' only score came on a one-yard TD run by Ty Krentler.

CHICAGO CARDINALS 14; DECATUR STALEYS 9
CHICAGO -- Paddy Driscoll threw one TD pass and rushed for another TD as the Cardinals handed the Decatur Staleys their first loss of the season, 14-9, at Cubs Field. Driscoll tossed an 11-yard TD pass to Lenny Sachs and broke loose for a 44-yard TD run to give the Cards a 14-0 lead at the half. The Staleys fought back in the second half. Hugh Blacklock booted a 40-yrd FG in the third quarter and Bob Koehler scored on a 10-yard run in the final quarter to narrow the Cardinals' lead, but they would get no closer.