1.
Frankford Yellow Jackets
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The Yellow Jackets won the NFL championship in 1926. The team played its games from 1923 in Frankford Stadium in Frankford. The Frankford Athletic Association was organized in May 1899 in the parlor of the Suburban Club, the cost of purchasing a share in the association was $10. However, there were also contributing memberships, ranging from $1 to $2.50, the Association was a community-based non-profit organization of local residents and businesses. In keeping with its charter, which stated that all profits shall be donated to charity, the beneficiaries of this generosity included Frankford Hospital, the Frankford Day Nursery, the local Boy Scouts, and the local American Legion Post 211. The officers of the Association never received a salary or compensation for their work on behalf of the team, the associations clubhouse was originally located at the current site of Frankford High School. The field at this site, known as Wistar Field, became the first official home of the Yellow Jackets, several years later, when the construction of the current high school was proposed, the team moved to Browns Field. The Association initially fielded a team, however soccer and football clubs were also formed. The original Frankford Athletic Association apparently disbanded prior to the 1909 football season, several of the original players from the 1899 football team kept the team together, and they became known as Loyola Athletic Club. In keeping with Yellow Jackets tradition, they carried the Frankford name again in 1912, in the early 1920s, the Frankford Athletic Associations Yellow Jackets gained the reputation as being one of the best independent football teams in the nation. In 1922, Frankford absorbed the Philadelphia City Champion team, the Union Quakers of Philadelphia and that year Frankford captured the unofficial championship of Philadelphia. During the 1922 and 1923 seasons the Yellow Jackets compiled a 6–2–1 record against teams from the National Football League and this led to the Association being granted an NFL franchise in 1924. The Yellow Jackets assembled in September 1924 under coach Punk Berryman to begin preparing for the upcoming season, the team included players Harry Dayhoff, Russ Stein, Joe Spagna, Whitey Thomas, Al Bedner, and Bob Jamison. The team often played 15 to 20 games a season, frequently, they would schedule two games on the same weekend, typically one at home on Saturday and, because of Pennsylvanias blue laws, an away game on Sunday. In their very first game as a member of the NFL, Frankford finished the season with an overall record of 17–3–1, with an 11–2–1 record in league play. They finished third in league standings only behind the Cleveland Bulldogs and Chicago Bears, under modern standings tabulation procedures, after a 9–0–1 start, Frankford lost several key players, including Chamberlin, to injuries. After a 49–0 defeat to the Pottsville Maroons, Frankfords captain Bull Behman was suspended indefinitely from the team for indifferent play and he was accused of not giving his best during the past few weeks because of some dissension with other players. The move helped improve the team, which posted a 13–7 record in league play, the Yellow Jackets had a part in the 1925 NFL Championship controversy
2.
National Football League
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The National Football League is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The NFL is one of the four professional sports leagues in North America. The NFLs 17-week regular season runs from the week after Labor Day to the week after Christmas, with each team playing 16 games, the NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League in 1966, and the first Super Bowl was held at the end of that season, the merger was completed in 1970. Today, the NFL has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States. S. The NFLs executive officer is the commissioner, who has authority in governing the league. The team with the most NFL championships is the Green Bay Packers with thirteen, the current NFL champions are the New England Patriots, who defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34–28 in Super Bowl LI. Another meeting held on September 17,1920 resulted in the renaming of the league to the American Professional Football Association, the league hired Jim Thorpe as its first president, and consisted of 14 teams. Only two of these teams, the Decatur Staleys and the Chicago Cardinals, remain, the first event occurred on September 26,1920 when the Rock Island Independents defeated the non-league St. Paul Ideals 48–0 at Douglas Park. On October 3,1920, the first full week of league play occurred, the following season resulted in the Chicago Staleys controversially winning the title over the Buffalo All-Americans. In 1922, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League, in 1932, the season ended with the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans tied for first in the league standings. This method had used since the leagues creation in 1920. The league quickly determined that a game between Chicago and Portsmouth was needed to decide the leagues champion. Playing with altered rules to accommodate the playing field, the Bears won the game 9–0. Fan interest in the de facto championship game led the NFL, beginning in 1933, the 1934 season also marked the first of 12 seasons in which African Americans were absent from the league. The de facto ban was rescinded in 1946, following public pressure, the NFL was always the foremost professional football league in the United States, it nevertheless faced a large number of rival professional leagues through the 1930s and 1940s. Rival leagues included at least three separate American Football Leagues and the All-America Football Conference, on top of regional leagues of varying caliber. Three NFL teams trace their histories to these leagues, including the Los Angeles Rams
3.
Hartford Blues
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The Hartford Blues of the National Football League played only in the 1926 NFL season, with a record of 3–7. The team was based in Hartford, Connecticut but played at the East Hartford Velodrome, the Blues began as the Waterbury Blues and were owned by George Mulligan, the leading sports promoter in Connecticut during the 1920s. He hired local men, both college players and walk-ons, at a per game wage. The players practiced once a week, on Sunday morning, just before each game, in 1925 Mulligan set his sights on signing Harry Stuhldreher, the quarterback of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame. He immediately accepted Mulligans offer to play for the Blues for $7,500, Waterburys other top backs at the start of the 1925 season were Ken Simendinger, from Holy Cross, and Dutch Forst, from Villanova. The line featured two other Notre Dame alumni, ed Hunsinger played with the Four Horsemen in 1924 and rejoined Stuhldreher as an end in Waterbury. Art Garvey, a tackle, had played pro ball for several years since leaving Notre Dame in 1922. He had received some All-League mention as a Chicago Bear in 1923, another lineman, Dick McGrath, doubled as captain and coach. The Blues opened their season on September 27 by whipping a team from Yonkers, soon after, Mulligan signed Jim Crowley, another ex-Horseman, to join Stuhldreher in the backfield against Adams, Massachusetts. Crowleys regular job was assistant coach at the University of Georgia, the Blues put on a good show by driving to a 34–0 triumph, with Crowley scoring three touchdowns and Stuhldreher booting two field goals and three extra points. Crowley picked up his check after the game and left the team, in their only NFL contest of 1925, the Blues beat the Rochester Jeffersons 7–6. Soon after the Blues closest rival in Connecticut, the West Siders franchise, soon folded and George Mulligan immediately picked up the lease on Clarkin Field, according to the Hartford Courant, Waterburys poor support of the team prompted the move. The same article reported that Mulligan had already posted entrance money with the NFL, the new Hartford Blues debuted on November 8,1925 by beating the Rochester Jeffersons, 8–6, in a rematch. Stuhldreher suffered a concussion during the game, held in bad weather before a disappointing crowd of 2,000. On Thanksgiving Day however, the Blues didnt schedule a game because a number of key players, the reinforced Blues dominated the circuit ensure its claim on the state championship. However, instead of ending the season George Mulligan had other plans and he booked a game for December 6 at Clarkin Field against Pere Marquette, probably the strongest pro team in Boston. The Blues beat Pere Marquette, 12–0, Mulligan had attempted to schedule the Blues against Red Grange and the Chicago Bears. However, the Bears had already booked a game against the Providence Steam Roller, however, shortly after Mulligan booked a final season game at Clarkin Field
