1.
Rock Island, Illinois
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Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is the largest island on the Mississippi River and it is now called Arsenal Island. The population was 39,018 at the 2010 census, located on the Mississippi River, it is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities has a population of about 380,000, the city is home to Rock Island Arsenal, the largest government-owned weapons manufacturing arsenal in the US, which employs 6,000 people. Theres a wide variety of housing available in Rock Island including historic homes, new downtown condos, new construction in the heart of the city, the Rock Island-Milan School District, Rockridge School District along with private schools, serve the city. The District has art galleries and theaters, nightclubs and coffee shops, golf courses, parks, a casino, botanical center, marina, historic tours, bike paths, and festivals offer entertainment opportunities. In 2015 Rock Island was ranked the 32nd Best Small City in the based on economic health, affordability. Rock Island made the list of the nations 25 Most Affordable Housing Markets and this area has been a fortuitous place first for settlement and then for steamboat traffic, bridges, and railroads. Various Native American tribes occupied this area for thousands of years before settlement, by the early nineteenth century, it was occupied chiefly by the historic Sauk tribe. Their major village of Saukenuk was located on the side of Rock Island. After the War of 1812, the United States built Fort Armstrong on the island for defensive reasons in 1816, Saukenuk was the birthplace of the Sauk war chief Black Hawk, for whom the Black Hawk War of 1831–1832 was named. Fort Armstrong served as the US militarys headquarters for the war, today the Black Hawk State Historic Site, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, includes much of the site of the original village of Saukenuk. The park includes a museum and a number of hiking trails along the Rock River, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad was founded here in 1851. It was informally known as the Rock Island Line, as part of later nineteenth-century development, two first-class hotels, the Harper House and the Rock Island House were built in town. Rock Island Arsenal has manufactured military equipment and ordnance for the U. S. Army since the 1880s, the railroad was liquidated in bankruptcy in 1980. The first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River was built between Arsenal Island and Davenport in 1856, two weeks after the bridge opened, the steamboat Effie Afton collided with the bridge, caught fire, and damaged the bridge. The owner of the Effie Afton sued the company for damages. This test case was appealed to the United States Supreme Court, although the original bridge is long gone, a monument exists on Arsenal Island marking the Illinois side
2.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
3.
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
4.
Jimmy Conzelman
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James Gleason Dunn Conzelman was an American football player and coach, baseball executive, and advertising executive. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964 and was selected in 1969 as a quarterback on the National Football League 1920s All-Decade Team. A native of St. Louis, Conzelman played college football for the 1918 Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets team that won the 1919 Rose Bowl, in 1919, he was an All-Missouri Valley Conference quarterback for the Washington University Pikers football team. He was also an owner in Detroit and, as player-coach. He served as coach of the NFLs Chicago Cardinals from 1940 to 1942. He led the Cardinals to an NFL championship in 1947 and Western Division championships in 1947 and 1948 and he was also an executive with St. Louis Browns in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1945. Conzelman was born James Gleason Ryan Dunn in St. Louis, Missouri and he was the son of James Dunn and Marguerite Ryan, though his father died when he was still a baby. In 1902, his mother married a dentist, Oscar Conzelman, Conzelman attended Loyola Academy and later Central High School in St. Louis. He began playing football as a halfback at Central High in 1914, after a realignment of high school districts in 1915, Conzelman attended McKinley High School. He led the 1915 McKinley football team to a league championship, Conzelman enrolled at Washington University in St. Louis in 1916. He played freshman football that year but enlisted in the United States Navy when the United States entered World War I in 1917 and he was stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Station north of Chicago. During two years of service, he played for the Naval Stations football, baseball, and basketball teams and he also took up boxing while in the Navy and won a championship in the middleweight division. He was the quarterback of the 1918 Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets football team that defeated previously undefeated Navy, Conzelmans teammates on the 1918 Great Lakes team included George Halas and Paddy Driscoll, all three of whom were later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. After the war, Conzelman turned down offers to become a professional boxer and he played for the 1919 Washington Pikers football team that compiled a 5–2 record and outscored opponents 127 to 30. Conzelman was selected as the All-Missouri Valley Conference quarterback for 1919 and he also was the catcher for the 1920 Washington University baseball team and organized an orchestra, played banjo, and wrote songs while attending Washington University. During the spring semester of 1920, Conzelman lost his eligibility to play due to academic deficiencies. His father had died in May 1919, and he withdrew from school to help support his mother and younger siblings. In June 1920, Conzelman announced that he would not return to Washington University in the fall and he spent the summer leading an orchestra in Arkansas
5.
Walter Flanigan
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Walter Harrison Flanigan was an American football player and owner of the Rock Island Independents. He was also one of the co-founders of the National Football League, Flanigan joined the Independents as a backup end in 1912. For the following two seasons, he served as the assistant manager, under then-manager Jack Roche. He then became the manager of the team in 1915, Flanigan soon promoted the Independents by scheduling two games in 1917 against the Minneapolis Marines, who were the self-proclaimed North West Pro Champs. This contest would help the Independents gain national attention, Rock Island lost to the Marines by close score of 7–3. However they were defeated by a margin, 33–7, at the second game held in Minneapolis. However World War I and the draft put a temporary halt to Flanigans plans of expanding the team into new markets. However once the war ended, Flanigan brought in players from outside the Rock Island area to build on the team, in 1919, he hired Rube Ursella of the Marines to serve as a player-coach. Rube brought several other Minneapolis players with him and these new players would later help get the team an invitation to join the NFL. The Independents lost only to the Hammond Pros, led by George Halas in 1919, however the Independents still had defeated several Ohio League teams that season, such as the Cincinnati Celts, the Columbus Panhandles and the Akron Indians. Flanigan then challenged the Canton Bulldogs to a game, offering a $5,000 guarantee if they would come to Rock Island for the game. However Canton, which had won the Ohio League championship by defeating their arch-rivals. However, from Rock Islands viewpoint, the Bulldogs were afraid to play the Independents and that was enough for the Independents to claim the U. S. pro title for themselves. In 1920, Flanigan eagerly joined, and helped found, the new American Professional Football Association, five of their six losses were to George Halas and the Decatur Staleys/Chicago Staleys/Chicago Bears. Flanigan then ordered the teams tackle, Ed Healey relieve Coughlin, once Coughlin was safely on his way toward the sideline, Healey delivered a message to Jimmy Conzelman from Flanigan, it read, Coughlin was fired. This act marked the first and only time an owner hired a new coach in the middle of a game, in 1922, Flanigan sold the contract of Ed Healey, who was viewed as an erratic tackle who never would mature, to Halas for $200. However, Healey soon became a star for the Bears and would later be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964, in 1923, Flanigan left the Independents to concentrate on his real estate and insurance businesses. In 1917 Flanigan worked as a sergeant with the Rock Island Police Department
6.
American football
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The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs, or plays, or else they turn over the football to the opposing team, if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs. Points are primarily scored by advancing the ball into the teams end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponents goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins, American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of association football and rugby football. The first game of American football was played on November 6,1869, during the latter half of the 1870s, colleges playing association football switched to the Rugby Union code, which allowed carrying the ball. American football as a whole is the most popular sport in the United States, Professional football and college football are the most popular forms of the game, with the other major levels being high school and youth football. As of 2012, nearly 1.1 million high school athletes and 70,000 college athletes play the sport in the United States annually, almost all of them men, in the United States, American football is referred to as football. The term football was established in the rulebook for the 1876 college football season. The terms gridiron or American football are favored in English-speaking countries where other codes of football are popular, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, American football evolved from the sports of association football and rugby football. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6,1869 between Rutgers and Princeton, two college teams, the game was played between two teams of 25 players each and used a round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with the feet, hands, head or sides, Rutgers won the game 6 goals to 4. Collegiate play continued for years in which matches were played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia, Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19,1873 to create a set of rules for all schools to adhere to. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet were specified, Harvard abstained from the conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. An 1875 Harvard-Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two impressed Princeton athletes and these players introduced the sport to Princeton, a feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to selling refrigerators to Eskimos. Princeton, Harvard, Yale and Columbia then agreed to play using a form of rugby union rules with a modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, although Yale did not join until 1879, the introduction of the snap resulted in unexpected consequences. Prior to the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position, however, a group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they now could hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, both teams in a game between Yale-Princeton used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records, each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0-0 tie
7.
End (American football)
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An end in American and Canadian football is a player who lines up at either end of the line of scrimmage, usually beside the tackles. Rules state that an offensive formation must always consist of seven players on the line of scrimmage. The position was used in this sense until roughly the 1960s, on offense, an end who lines up close to the other linemen is known as a tight end and is the only lineman who aside from blocking can run or catch passes. One who lines up some distance from the line is known as a split end. In recent years and the proliferation of the pass, the generic term wide receiver has come to define both split ends and flankers. The terms “split end” and “flanker” are often ditched today for terms like X and Z receivers, bill Carpenter was the first Lonesome end. On defense, there is a commonly used position called the defensive end and its primary role is to rush the passer, as well as to stop offensive runs to the outer edges of the line of scrimmage. However, as there are no rules regulating the formation of the defense, players at this position commonly take on, don Hutson of the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Green Bay Packers was one of the sports greatest. The self described other end opposite Hutson in college at Alabama was legendary coach Bear Bryant, gaynell Tinsley was another prominent of Hutsons time. Amos Alonzo Stagg of Yale and Arthur Cumnock of Harvard were ends on the first All-America team, Stagg went on to a hall of fame coaching career, some called Cumnock the greatest Harvard player of all time. Mike Ditka and Ron Sellers were some of the last to play the position in college, glossary of American football History of American football positions Tight end Defensive end Wide receiver
8.
Player-coach
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A player-coach is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the squad and also play on the team, very few current major professional sports teams have head coaches who are also players, though it is extremely common for senior players to take a role in managing more junior athletes. Historically, when professional sports had much money to pay players and coaches or managers. Likewise, where player-coaches exist today, they are common at the lower levels where money is less available. The player-coach was, for decades, a long-time fixture in professional basketball. Many notable coaches in the NBA served as player-coaches, including Bill Russell and this was especially true up through the 1970s, when the league was not as financially successful as it is today, and player-coaches were often used to save money. The practice fell out of favor in the 1980s, therefore, if a player is to serve as a coach, he would have to receive commission from his contract as a player. The player, then, is not technically an official coach of his team, one example of a player in recent years who was groomed for eventual official coaching duties using this practice was Avery Johnson. In the early days of professional American football, player-coaches were common, jimmy Conzelman was player-coach for four different teams during the 1920s. As professional football became more respectable, and began to more money. In the mid-1950s Tom Landry played defensive back while serving as coordinator for the New York Giants. In the early 1970s, when Landry was coach of the Dallas Cowboys, in association football, this situation usually arises when a manager leaves a team suddenly, and the chairman has to make a quick decision to appoint someone new as a caretaker manager. The chairman will usually either ask a coach to take charge or turn to the one of clubs most senior players. If this particular player gains good results for the team during his time in charge, he may be appointed full-time manager, however, there are instances when a free agent is appointed by a new team as a manager and offers his playing abilities. He then succeeded Dalglish as Liverpool manager just before Rangers won another Scottish league title, but at the age of 38 he did not register himself as a player for Liverpool. In 1997, Ruud Gullit won the FA Cup with Chelsea in his first season as player-manager, also making history by being the first foreign and he was sacked nine months later, and Chelsea appointed another player-manager in his place. Within weeks of taking over, Vialli guided Chelsea to victory in the League Cup, a number of bigger clubs have appointed player-managers on a temporary basis but not given them permanent contracts
9.
George Halas
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George Stanley Halas Sr. nicknamed Papa Bear and Mr. Everything, was a player, coach, and owner involved with professional American football. He was the founder and owner of the National Football Leagues Chicago Bears and he was also lesser known as an inventor, jurist, radio producer, philanthropist, philatelist, and Major League Baseball player. He was one of the co-founders of the National Football League in 1920, Halas was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a family of Czech-Bohemian immigrants. His parents were migrants from Pilsen, Austria-Hungary, George had a varied career in sports. In 1915, Halas worked temporarily for Western Electric, and was planning on being on the SS Eastland and he was running late, however, as he was attempting to gain weight to play Big Ten football and missed the capsizing. He also became a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and he helped Illinois win the 1918 Big Ten Conference football title. Serving as an ensign in the Navy during World War I, he played for a team at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, and was named the MVP of the 1919 Rose Bowl. Afterward, Halas played minor league baseball, eventually earning a promotion to the New York Yankees, however, a hip injury effectively ended his baseball career. The popular myth was that Halas was succeeded as the Yankees right fielder by Babe Ruth, later that year, Halas played for the Hammond Pros and received about $75 per game. After one year with the Pros, Halas moved to Decatur, Illinois to take a position with the A. E. Staley Company, a starch manufacturer. He served as a sales representative, an outfielder on the company-sponsored baseball team. Halas selected his alma maters colors—orange and navy blue—for the teams uniforms, in 1920, Halas represented the Staleys at the meeting which formed the American Professional Football Association in Canton, Ohio. After suffering financial losses despite a 10–1–2 record, company founder, Halas moved the team to Chicago and took on teammate Dutch Sternaman as a partner. Halas was given a $5,000 bonus for the move to Chicago provided that he keep the Staleys franchise name for the 1921 season, the newly minted Chicago Staleys maneuvered their schedule to win the NFL championship that year. They took the name Bears in 1922 as a tribute to baseballs Chicago Cubs, Halas was not only the teams coach, but also played end and handled ticket sales and the business of running the club. However, severe financial difficulties brought on by the Great Depression put the Bears in dire financial straits even though Jones led them to the NFL title in 1932, Halas returned as coach in 1933 to eliminate the additional cost of paying a head coachs salary. He coached the Bears for another ten seasons and his 1934 team was undefeated until a loss in the championship game to the New York Giants. Every other team in the league immediately began trying to imitate the format, the Bears repeated as NFL champions in 1941, and the 1940s would be remembered as the era of the Monsters of the Midway
10.
Canton Bulldogs
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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 Bulldogs would go on to win the 1917,1918 and 1919 Ohio League championships. They were the NFL champions in 1922 and 1923, in 1921–1923, the Bulldogs played 25 straight games without a defeat, which as of 2016 remains an NFL record. As a result of the Bulldogs early success along with the league being founded in the city, Jim Thorpe, the Olympian and renowned all-around athlete, was Cantons most-recognized player in the pre-NFL era. In 1924, Sam Deutsch, the owner of the NFLs Cleveland Indians, bought the Canton Bulldogs and took the Bulldogs name and its players to Cleveland and named his franchise the Cleveland Bulldogs. He then offered to sell the Canton franchise back to the city of Canton to play in the 1924 season, however there were no interested in the team. The Canton Bulldogs were however re-established in 1925, and the NFL considers the 1925 to 1926 Canton Bulldogs to be the team as the 1920 to 1923 incarnation. All in all, this version of the Cleveland-Canton-Philadelphia Bulldogs played from 1961 to 1966, another Canton Bulldogs team was slated to begin play in the Stars Football League in 2012, although that team never materialized. The Bulldogs name is also in use at Canton McKinley High School, prior to the debut of professional football in the city, an amateur team from Canton was mentioned as being a superior team in Stark County, Ohio. Until about 1902, this team competed with the Akron East Ends for the Ohio Independent Championship, when the Massillon Tigers arrived on the scene and went professional, Canton, as an amateur team, was no longer competitive. The Canton Bulldogs were officially established on November 15,1904 as the Canton Athletic Club, the statement stated that the football team was to be a professional organization, complete with a professional coach. The team was given the goal of beating the rival Massillon Tigers, to do this, Canton went out and offered money to the best players on all the other Ohio League teams. Bill Laub, a player, team captain and coach of the Akron East Ends, was hired as the teams first-ever coach, the team began its 1905 season, with a 7–0 record. The Bulldogs then traveled to Latrobe, Pennsylvania to play the Latrobe Athletic Association, Latrobe was not only the current Pennsylvania champions, but had gone undefeated for the last three seasons. Latrobe were also considered the only pro team capable of competing with Canton and Massillon, Canton would go on to lose its 1905 game to Latrobe, 6–0. However, the worst part of the loss came when coach Bill Laub became injured and was unable to finish the season, Blondy Wallace, a former All-American for the Penn Quakers, was then named as Laubs successor and team captain. Two weeks later, the team would lose the Ohio League championship game to the Massillon Tigers, sometime during the 1906 season, the Canton team became known as the Bulldogs although no one is quite sure how it came to be affixed to the Canton team. It wasnt called that in 1905, nor through most of the 1906 season, as late as November 4, R. C
11.
Massillon Tigers
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The Massillon Tigers were an early professional football team from Massillon, Ohio. Playing in the Ohio League, the team was a rival to the pre-National Football League version of the Canton Bulldogs, the Tigers won Ohio League championships in 1903,1904,1905, and 1906, then merged to become All-Massillons to win another title in 1907. The team returned as the Tigers in 1915 but, with the reemergence of the Bulldogs, pro football was popularized in Ohio when the amateur Massillon Tigers, hired four Pittsburgh pros to play in the season-ending game against Akron. At the same time, pro football declined in the Pittsburgh area, the team opted not to join the APFA in 1920, it remained an independent club through 1923, when the Tigers folded. During their time as an independent, the Tigers never played against any team in the NFL, the Massillon Tigers team name was transferred to Massillon Washington High School, who still uses it today. The Massillon area had fielded several amateur football teams featuring only local players since the early 1890s, however while some had performed well, the others were more likely to be defeated when they played their cross-county arch-rival, Canton. Therefore, a group of 35 area businessmen met on September 3,1903, Jack Goodrich, who expected to play halfback for the new team, was named manager. Meanwhile, Ed J. Stewart, a young and ambitious editor of the city newspaper The Evening Independent, was named as the teams first coach, Stewart had playing experience while attending Western Reserve College and Mount Union College. Apart from being the coach, he later appointed himself as the teams quarterback. Wise, who was the Massillon Clerk of City Council, led a committee to secure the funds for a new football. The local venders only had a sufficient quantity of one style to outfit an entire team. Those jerseys imitated the orange and black striped attire of the Princeton Tigers, when the Tigers began play in 1903, several of the expected starters hadnt touched a football in eight or more years. According to locals belief, Baldy Wittman, 32-year-old proprietor of a cigar store. Charles Cy Rigler, who became a famous major league baseball umpire started at tackle. Wittman opened at an end and was elected the team captain, meanwhile, Stewart lined himself up at quarterback. The Tigers first game against Wooster College ended in a 6-0 defeat, a biased official was the excuse for the loss. The Tigers followed their first ever game with a 16-0 victory over Stewarts alma mater, Mount Union College, a 6-0 victory over the Akron Imperials, after a 34-0 victory over the Dennison Panhandles, the Tigers prepared for their cross-county rivals, a sandlot team from Canton. Betting on the games, during the early 1900s was common and it is believed that over $1000 was risked on the games outcome
12.
Jim Thorpe
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James Francis Thorpe was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe became the first Native American to win a medal for his home country. Considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports, he won Olympic gold medals in the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon, and played American football, professional baseball, in 1983,30 years after his death, the International Olympic Committee restored his Olympic medals. Thorpe grew up in the Sac and Fox Nation in Oklahoma, and attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School, after his Olympic success in 1912, which included a record score in the decathlon, he added a victory in the All-Around Championship of the Amateur Athletic Union. In 1913, Thorpe signed with the New York Giants, Thorpe joined the Canton Bulldogs American football team in 1915, helping them win three professional championships, he later played for six teams in the National Football League. He played as part of several all-American Indian teams throughout his career, from 1920 to 1921, Thorpe was nominally the first president of the American Professional Football Association, which became the NFL in 1922. He played professional sports until age 41, the end of his sports career coinciding with the start of the Great Depression and he struggled to earn a living after that, working several odd jobs. He suffered from alcoholism, and lived his last years in failing health and he was married three times and had eight children, before suffering from heart failure and dying in 1953. Thorpe has received accolades for his athletic accomplishments. The Associated Press named him the greatest athlete from the first 50 years of the 20th century, a Pennsylvania town was named in his honor and a monument site there is the site of his remains, which were the subject of legal action. Thorpe was portrayed in the 1951 film Jim Thorpe – All-American, information about Thorpes birth, name and ethnic background varies widely. He was baptized Jacobus Franciscus Thorpe in the Catholic Church, Thorpe was born in Indian Territory, but no birth certificate has been found. He was generally considered to have born on May 22,1887, near the town of Prague. Hope this will clear up the inquiries as to my birthplace, however, most biographers believe that he was born on May 22,1887, as that is what is listed on his baptismal certificate. Bellemont was a community, now disappeared, on the line between Pottawatomie and Lincoln Counties. While the town of Prague, Lincoln County, now claims to be the birthplace of Thorpe, All his personal references were either Shawnee or Pott County. The Sac and Fox agency is in Stroud, Lincoln County, Thorpes parents were both of mixed-race ancestry. His father, Hiram Thorpe, had an Irish father and a Sac and his mother, Charlotte Vieux, had a French father and a Potawatomi mother, a descendant of Chief Louis Vieux
13.
Ralph Hay
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Hay was the owner of the Canton Bulldogs from 1918 until 1923. However he is recognized for organizing the first meeting of teams that would later form the American Professional Football Association. After high school in Canton, Hay, at age 18, after several years selling cars, Hay went into the car business for himself. Hay Motor Company, and sold Jordan Hupmobiles and Pierce-Arrows, Hay became one of the most successful automobile dealers in the state of Ohio. In 1918, at the age of 27, Hay acquired the Canton Bulldogs from Jack Cusack, Hay had planned to use the team to help promote his car business and pursue his love of football. At the time the Bulldogs were the top team in the unofficial Ohio League, the team did not compete much in 1918 due manning issues related to the United States involvement in World War I. However in 1919, the Bulldogs again won the championship, despite winning a championship, the Bulldogs did not draw well. Not enough fans came to games to pay for the salaries owed to the players. To combat the increasing salaries, as well as the issue of players jumping from team to team, Hay sought to form a league. The league idea came from Cantons star halfback, Jim Thorpe, in August 1920, Hay met in Canton with the managers of the Akron Pros, Cleveland Tigers, and Dayton Triangles to form the American Professional Football Conference. The Akron delegation consisted of Frank Nied and Art Ranney, while Jimmy ODonnell and Stan Cofall represented Cleveland, and Carl Storck Dayton. At the meeting Hay was elected secretary of the league and he then wrote to every important pro team in the Midwest, including George Halas manager of the Decatur Staleys, inviting them to meet in Canton on Friday, September 17,1920 at 8,00 pm. Representatives from ten pro teams showed up, because Hays office was too small, the meeting was held in his automobile showroom. Some of the owners sat on car running boards due to a lack of seats, the resulting organization operated for two years as the American Professional Football Association before its name was changed to the National Football League in 1922. The ten original franchises were from four states, four other franchises the Buffalo All-Americans, Chicago Tigers, Columbus Panhandles, and Detroit Heralds would join the league later that year. Hay was asked to become the president, however he suggested that Jim Thorpe take the position on the belief that his fame would enhance the league. Hay built a team in Canton during the early1920s, signing three future Hall of Famers in tackle Wilbur Henry, tackle Roy Link Lyman, and end Guy Chamberlin. When Chamberlin took over as coach in 1922 from Cap Edwards, however, Hay continued to lose money with the Bulldogs
14.
Akron Indians
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The Akron Pros were a professional football team that played in Akron, Ohio from 1908 to 1926. Fritz Pollard, the first black coach in the NFL. Paul Robeson played for the team in 1921 as well and he was among the earliest stars of professional football, before football became segregated from 1934 to 1946. In 1926, the name was changed back to the Akron Indians, due to financial problems, the team suspended operations in 1927 and surrendered its franchise the following year. Prior to 1908, several semi-pro and amateur teams dominated the Akron football scene, the most dominant of these was a team known as the Akron East Ends. The East Ends dominance of Ohio football went unmatched until the Massillon Tigers paid several ringers from the recently disbanded Pittsburgh Stars to defeat the East Ends in 1903, the Akron Indians date as far back as 1908. The early Indians teams went on to win Ohio League championships in 1908,1909,1913 and 1914, the team was always referred to as the Indians by the fans. From 1908–1913, the Indians had a reputation of playing more of a style of football seen at the level than that of the early athletic clubs. For example, the Indians preferred passing the ball as opposed to running. The team tied for the Akron city title in 190 Before the 1912 season, Peggy Parratt, a football star with the Massillon Tigers, Franklin Athletic Club. He made the move realizing that he could make more money in the large football market that Akron provided. When he arrived in Akron, his first move was to change the name from the Akron Indians to Parratts Indians. With Peggy as player, coach, and owner-manager, the Indians split their series with Shelby and twice defeated Canton, however they were defeated by the unheard of Elyria Athletics, who then took the Ohio championship. The Athletics were mostly former Blues players who formed a team in Elyria after Parratt left for Akron, the following season, Parratt brought most of Elyrias 1912 championship team to Akron, and adding them to his roster. The Indians then beat Shelby and Elyria and they also managed to tie the rapidly improving Canton Pros. However, the game was cancelled due to snowstorm, a week later when the Blues returned to Akron, the Indians were prepared with newly recruited talent that was viewed as even superior to that of Shelbys. The Indians won the game 20–0 and brought the Ohio title back to Akron, for his 1914 recruiting efforts, Parratt signed the usual big-name players, which consisted of a lineup that changed from week to week, with just enough stars on hand to guarantee a win. By late season, the left side of his Akron Indian line was from Notre Dame
15.
Columbus Panhandles
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The Columbus Panhandles were a professional American football team based in Columbus, Ohio. The club was founded in 1901 by workers at the Panhandle shops of the Pennsylvania Railroads and they were a part of the Ohio League from 1904 before folding after one season. The Panhandles are credited with playing in the first NFL game against another NFL opponent and they have zero NFL championships, but Joseph Carr, the teams owner from 1907 to 1922, is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his work as NFL president. The earliest existence of the Panhandles was in 1900, the Columbus Press-Post reported Jack Walsh creating the Panhandle railroad team consisting of big hardy railroad men, no other articles in 1900 were written about the Panhandles. A game was scheduled for October 19 of next year, however, in 1901, managed by William Butler of the Ohio Medical University, the Panhandles played two games against the Columbus Barracks, a team consisting of local soldiers. The results were split, the first was a 2–6 loss while the second was a 12–6 win, Butler left the Panhandles for unknown reasons, and the new manager for the 1902 season was Harry Greenwood. Greenwood placed advertisements in every newspaper he could in order to schedule games against local opponents and his ad read The Panhandle Athletic Club has organized a football team and would like to play any college, high school or manufacturing team on Saturday or Sunday. As a result, the Panhandles scheduled four games in 1902, again, the Panhandles got a new manager for the 1903 season, E. E. Griest. Griest needed help with the team, so he hired Ben Chamberlain to coach the team, after an exhibition game against the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Panhandles won their first game of the season, a 38–0 victory over Neil Avenue Athletic Club. This victory gave the team some unexpected press, the Columbus Citizen wrote the first article praising the team, the Panhandles 1903 season ended with a 5–3 record. In 1904, Joseph Carr, who was a writer for the Ohio State Journal and manager of the railroads baseball team the Famous Panhandle White Sox. However the Panhandles didn’t take off and the team played just two games, Carr tried again three years later in 1907. One of the first things Carr did when he became the owner of the Panhandles was to one the railroads policies. Since most of the players were employed by the railroad. Because of this perk, Carr was able to schedule mostly road games, eliminating the expenses of stadium rental, game promotion, and security for the field. However, while the team did play the majority of their games on the road as a traveling team, the Panhandles adopted an amateur sandlot mentality for their playing style. Since the team was composed mainly of workers, the scenario gave the players limited time to practice. The Panhandles did the majority of their preparation during their lunch breaks, workers had a one-hour break during a normal workday, and the players on the team usually took the first 15 minutes to eat lunch and used the remaining 45 minutes to practice football
16.
Hupmobile
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Hupmobile was an automobile built from 1909 through 1939 by the Hupp Motor Car Company. The prototype was developed in 1908 and had its first successful run on November 8 with investors aboard for champagne at the Tuller Hotel a few blocks away, the company was incorporated in November of that year. The first Hupmobile model, the Hupp 20, was introduced at the 1909 Detroit automobile show, robert Craig Hupp, a former employee of Oldsmobile and Ford, founded the company with investors J. Walter Drake, Joseph Drake, John Baker and Edwin Denby. J. Walter Drake was elected president and Bobby Hupp as vice president, emil Nelson, formerly of Oldsmobile and Packard, joined the company as chief engineer, Charles Hastings, formerly of Oldsmobile, joined as assistant general manager. In late 1909 Bobbys brother Louis Gorham Hupp left his job with the Michigan Central Railroad in Grand Rapids, Hupp Motors obtained sufficient cash deposits at the 1909 automobile show to begin manufacturing the Hupp 20. The first cars were built in a building at 345 Bellevue Avenue in Detroit. The company immediately outgrew this space and began construction of a factory a few blocks away at E. Jefferson Avenue and Concord, the company produced 500 vehicles by the end of the 1909 model year. Production increased to more than 5,000 in the 1910 model year, henry Ford paid the Hupp 20 the ultimate compliment. I recall looking at Bobby Hupps roadster at the first show where it was exhibited, Hupps expansive business plans did not sit well with his investors and in August 1911, they bought him out. Bobby Hupp immediately brought out the RCH motor car and he also combined all of his business enterprises into Hupp Corporation. Hupp Motors was successful in the suit and in early 1912, when Bobby Hupp left Hupp Motors, he informed the company that his supplier companies would devote their full capacity to make parts for the RCH. Facing the loss of manufactured parts from Hupp Corporation and increasing demand for the Hupmobile, Hupp Motors acquired seven acres for a new factory at Mt. Elliott and it moved into the new plant in late April 1912. Hupp Motors sold the Jefferson Avenue plant to the King Motor Car Company, Hale & Kilburn had pioneered the replacement of cast iron with pressed steel for many parts for the interiors of railway carriages. According to Nelson, “None of the Detroit plants would contract” to make a body for the Hupp 32. Edward Budd and Joseph Ledwinka were employed at Hale & Kilburn at the time, Budd as the general manager, Budd was interested in the project. Hale & Kilburn had built some body panels for King and Paige, Budd and Ledwinka worked with Nelson to develop means to manufacture Nelson’s design for this body. They devised a system where the numerous steel stampings were welded together by hand. The dissembled bodies were shipped by rail to Detroit where they were put back together, both the touring car and a coupe were made by this process and even one Hupmobile limousine
17.
Quarterback
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A quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the team and line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is considered the leader of the offensive team. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually the leader of the offense, the quarterback touches the ball on almost every offensive play, and his successes and failures can have a significant impact on the fortunes of his team. Accordingly, the quarterback is among the most glorified and scrutinized positions in team sports, prior to each play, the quarterback will usually tell the rest of his team which play the team will run. After the team is lined up, the center will pass the ball back to the quarterback, usually on a running play, the quarterback will then hand or pitch the ball backwards to a half back or full back. On a passing play, the quarterback is almost always the responsible for trying to throw the ball downfield to an eligible receiver downfield. Depending on the scheme by his team, the quarterbacks role can vary. While quarterbacks in Canadian football need to be able to throw the ball often, in the NFL, quarterbacks are required to wear a uniform number between 1 and 19. In the CFL, the quarterback can wear any number from 0 to 49 and 70 to 99. Because of their numbering, quarterbacks are eligible receivers in the NCAA, NFHS, after a Super Bowl victory, the starting quarterback is the first player to be presented with the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The starting quarterback of the victorious Super Bowl team is chosen for the Im going to Disney World. Campaign, whether they are the Super Bowl MVP or not, examples include Joe Montana, Trent Dilfer, Dilfer was chosen even though teammate Ray Lewis was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXV, due to the bad publicity from Lewis murder trial the prior year. In addition to their role, quarterbacks are occasionally used in other roles. Most teams utilize a backup quarterback as their holder on placekicks, in the Wildcat, a formation where a halfback lines up behind the center and the quarterback lines up out wide, the quarterback can be used as a receiving target or a blocker. A more rare use for a quarterback is to punt the ball himself, Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway was known to perform quick kicks occasionally, typically when the Broncos were facing a third-and-long situation. As Roger Staubachs back-up, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White was also the teams punter, ascending the starting role upon Staubachs retirement, White held his position as the teams punter for several seasons—a double duty he performed to All-American standard at Arizona State University. White also had two touchdown receptions as a Dallas Cowboy, both from the halfback option, if quarterbacks are uncomfortable with the formation the defense is using, they may call an audible change to their play
18.
Tampa Cardinals
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The Tampa Cardinals was a barnstorming football team, that played pick-up games, led by future pro football hall of famer, Jim Thorpe in 1926. During the time, the team was billed as the St. Petersburg Cardinals. The team was organized to play a New Years Day exhibition against the Chicago Bears of the National Football League in what would be Tampa’s first professional football game. However the team would pick up four other games while in Florida. The team has also referred to as Thorpes Cardinals. After the 1925 season, Thorpe formed a team composed primarily of Thorpes teammates from the NFL’s Rock Island Independents, in a 1926 New Years Day football exhibition, the Cardinals played against the Chicago Bears led by Red Grange. The game itself was billed as a clash of old vs. new, with Grange, the star, taking on Thorpe. During the game Grange rushed for a 70-yard touchdown as the Bears notched a 17-3 victory at Plant Field, after the game Thorpe and the core of his Cardinals team remained in Florida to play a few mercenary games under various other names. One game was a win over a Sarasota team constructed by former Florida Gator Robbie Robinson, one week, the Cards were hired to supplement the line-up of the Haven-Villa of Winter Haven, a local club playing out of Winter Haven. The Villas were set to square-off against the Millville Big Blue, Chamberlin was a friend and former teammate of Thorpes during their time with the Canton Bulldogs. Despite being scheduled to appear, Thorpe did not take the field during the game, the exact reason for his absence is not clear. The Cardinals, would go on to lose the game 28-7, in a rematch against Millville was soon scheduled. For the game the Cardinals then headed to St. Petersburg, however, this time Millville was now hired to represent Haven-Villa. The game was held at the St. Petersburg Kennel Club in order to accommodate a large crowd. This time the Cards held Millville to a scoreless tie, a third game was arranged for a few days later in Winter Haven to be played at the local high school stadium. In front of just 500 spectators, the Cardinals were defeated 38-0, in a fourth game between the two clubs the next day, at Adair Park in Lakeland, in the Cardinals final game in Florida. Thorpe’s team took to the field under the banner of the Lena Vistas while Chamberlin’s team was billed as the Eastern States All-Stars, the Cardinals lost yet again 24-0 to Milleville. The team then ended their season, due a lack of interest that led to a disappointing fan turnout, the team finished their tour of Florida with a 0-4-1 record
19.
C. C. Pyle
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Pyle, often called Cash and Carry Pyle, was a Champaign–Urbana, Illinois theater owner and sports agent who represented American football star Red Grange and French tennis player Suzanne Lenglen. After his signing of Grange in 1925 and Granges becoming a star for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League, when Pyles application for the Yankees joining the NFL was rejected, he announced the formation of the first American Football League in 1926. The league lasted one season before folding, in 1926, Pyle signed Lenglen and several of the best tennis players in the world to start the first professional tennis tour, which traveled throughout the U. S. and Canada. Two years later, he inaugurated the first Trans-American Footrace, known as the Bunion Derby, while the 1928 race was not a financial success, Pyle organized a 1929 return along essentially the same route, but from New York to Los Angeles. After managing the Ripleys Believe It or Not exhibit in the Chicago Worlds Fair and he became president of the Radio Transcription Company, a position that he held until his death of a heart attack in Los Angeles, February 3,1939. A play based on his life, C. C, Pyle and the Bunion Derby, was written by Tony Award winner Michael Cristofer and directed by Paul Newman
20.
New York City
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The City of New York, often called New York City or simply New York, is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2015 population of 8,550,405 distributed over an area of about 302.6 square miles. Located at the tip of the state of New York. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has described as the cultural and financial capital of the world. Situated on one of the worlds largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, the five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island – were consolidated into a single city in 1898. In 2013, the MSA produced a gross metropolitan product of nearly US$1.39 trillion, in 2012, the CSA generated a GMP of over US$1.55 trillion. NYCs MSA and CSA GDP are higher than all but 11 and 12 countries, New York City traces its origin to its 1624 founding in Lower Manhattan as a trading post by colonists of the Dutch Republic and was named New Amsterdam in 1626. The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664 and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790. It has been the countrys largest city since 1790, the Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the Americas by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is a symbol of the United States and its democracy. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. Several sources have ranked New York the most photographed city in the world, the names of many of the citys bridges, tapered skyscrapers, and parks are known around the world. Manhattans real estate market is among the most expensive in the world, Manhattans Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere, with multiple signature Chinatowns developing across the city. Providing continuous 24/7 service, the New York City Subway is one of the most extensive metro systems worldwide, with 472 stations in operation. Over 120 colleges and universities are located in New York City, including Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, during the Wisconsinan glaciation, the New York City region was situated at the edge of a large ice sheet over 1,000 feet in depth. The ice sheet scraped away large amounts of soil, leaving the bedrock that serves as the foundation for much of New York City today. Later on, movement of the ice sheet would contribute to the separation of what are now Long Island and Staten Island. The first documented visit by a European was in 1524 by Giovanni da Verrazzano, a Florentine explorer in the service of the French crown and he claimed the area for France and named it Nouvelle Angoulême. Heavy ice kept him from further exploration, and he returned to Spain in August and he proceeded to sail up what the Dutch would name the North River, named first by Hudson as the Mauritius after Maurice, Prince of Orange
21.
Pro Football Hall of Fame
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The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football. As of 2017, there are a total of 310 members of the Hall of Fame, groundbreaking for the building was held on August 11,1962. The original building contained just two rooms, and 19,000 square feet of interior space, in April 1970, ground was broken for the first of many expansions. This first expansion cost $620,000, and was completed in May 1971, the size was increased to 34,000 square feet by adding another room. The pro shop opened with this expansion and this was also an important milestone for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as yearly attendance passed the 200,000 mark for the first time. In November 1977, work began on another project, costing US$1,200,000. It was completed in November 1978, enlarging the shop and research library. The total size of the hall was now 50,500 square feet, the building remained largely unchanged until July 1993. The Hall then announced yet another expansion, costing US$9,200,000 and this expansion was completed in October 1995. The buildings size was increased to 82,307 square feet, the most notable addition was the GameDay Stadium, which shows an NFL Films production on a 20-foot by 42-foot Cinemascope screen. Through 2017, all inductees except one, played part of their professional career in the NFL. For CFL stars, there is a parallel Canadian Football Hall of Fame, only one player, the Chicago Bears have the most Hall of Famers among the leagues franchises with 32 enshrinees. Enshrinees are selected by a 46-person committee, largely made up of media members, each city that has a current NFL team sends one representative from the local media to the committee. A city with more than one franchise sends a representative for each franchise, there are also 13 at-large delegates, and one representative from the Pro Football Writers Association. Except for the PFWA representative, who is appointed to a term, all other appointments are open-ended and terminated only by death, incapacitation, retirement. To be eligible for the process, a player or coach must have been retired for at least five years. Any other contributor such as an owner or executive can be voted in at any time. Fans may nominate any player, coach or contributor by simply writing to the Pro Football Hall of Fame via letter or email
22.
Ed Healey
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Edward Francis Healey Jr. was an American football player. Regarded as one of the best linemen in the days of the National Football League. He was also named in 1969 to the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team, in 1974, he was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. A native of Springfield, Massachusetts, Healey played college football at College of the Holy Cross in 1914 and at Dartmouth College in 1916,1917, and 1919. Healey played professional football as a tackle in the NFL for the Rock Island Independents from 1920 to 1922 and for the Chicago Bears from 1922 to 1927. He never played for a team with a record during his NFL career and, in 1922. He was named as a first-team All Pro player by at least one selector for five years from 1922 to 1926. Healey was born in 1894 in Indian Orchard, a neighborhood at the northeast end of Springfield and his parents, Edward F. Healey, Sr. and Nora Healey were the children of Irish immigrants, both born in Massachusetts. His father worked in the street sprinkler business and later as a contractor in the wood business, Healey had four older sisters and one younger sister. Healey attended Central High School in Springfield, Massachusetts and he then attended and played college football at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1914 and at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, for three years. In Healeys three years with the Dartmouth football program, the teams compiled records of 5–2–2, 5–3, walter Camp reportedly called Healey the best tackle I ever saw. Healey began playing football with the Rock Island Independents in 1920. He helped lead the 1920 Rock Island team to a 6–2–2 record, Healey remained with Rock Island during its 1922 season when the team compiled a 4–2–1 record and finished in fifth place out of 21 teams. Healey began the 1922 NFL season with Rock Island, the team opened its season with a 19–14 victory over the Green Bay Packers before losing a close game, 10–6, against the Chicago Bears. George Halas, owner, coach and player for the Bears, was impressed with Healeys tough tackling, including tackling of Halas, Healey thus became the first NFL player to be sold to another club. Healey later recalled his pleasure at joining a team with superior facilities, At Rock Island, we had no showers, at Wrigley Field, we had a nice warm place to dress and nice warm showers. Healey spent six seasons with the Bears from 1922 to 1927, during Healeys tenure with the Bears, the club never had a losing season, winning at least nine games in five of the six seasons. Healey was selected as a first-team All-Pro by at least one major selector each year from 1922 to 1926, in 1924, he ran more than 30 yards to tackle a teammate who ran the wrong way after intercepting a pass
