Happy Birthday to Professional Football

[JÂy RÛßeÒ]

http://www.profootballhof.com/history/general/birth.aspx

The date was November 12, 1892, a day that would forever be etched in sports history, although no one involved that day could possibly have recognized the importance of the occasion. It was the day that the Allegheny Athletic Association football team defeated the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. The game in itself was not a momentous event. But one of the circumstances of the game did make it a never-to-be-forgotten moment in sports history – one of the AAA players, William (Pudge) Heffelfinger, was openly paid $500 to play the game. Thus pro football made its debut more than 100 years ago in comparatively obscure surroundings that could not possibly have provided the slightest clue to the world-wide popularity the sport would be destined to enjoy, particularly in the waning decades of pro football's first century.

[KRC]

Heffelfinger always denied that he ever was paid to play football. Brailler was the first to acknowledge receipt of payment to play football and always claimed he was first. Historians believed this until the infamous Nelson Ross manuscript was dropped off at the Steelers offices in the 1960s. I talked about this with Dan Rooney a couple of years ago when I was in his office. Here is what he said:

 

KRC: {Referring to Leo Lyons , owner of the Rochester Jeffersons} Did Leo have a preference, one way or another, as far as where the Hall of Fame should be located?

DR: I think that he was for Canton. Most of the people were for Canton. We really didn’t do a very good job for Latrobe. But, it was the money issue that swung it, to be honest with you. We said that Latrobe is where the first pro football game was played. Well, that is not true. Where the first pro football game was played was actually in Pittsburgh. It was down where the present stadium is. A fella by the name, you have probably heard of him, Pudge Huff..Heff..

 

KRC: Heffelfinger.

DR: He was really the first and it went from there. The reason Pittsburgh was so important in professional football is that the mills and the mines, they started to get football teams and they did it with the idea of creating good feeling and closeness in their company. All the big guys that they had all played a form of football. They picked it up and started the teams. As they went on, they started to bring in, which we call ringers of course today, and they started to bring guys in that they paid and they start to pay more. They usually paid, like a special player, a running back. Jim Thorpe was one that got a lot of money because…I don’t think that he ever played in the Pittsburgh area. He came here to play games, but he was never involved, but he was a tremendous player and he had a good name. Some of these teams were trying to pay him to get a) with getting his ability but 2) to get his ability. They would advertise that he was coming.

 

KRC: I knew it was the Pittsburgh Athletic Club and the Allegheny Athletic Association I guess were the first two that played a professional game together.

DR: Yeah.

 

KRC: Which is where Heffelfinger came in.

DR: Yes.

 

KRC: I think he was with Allegheny?

DR: Yes.

 

KRC: I guess that all came about through the Nelson Ross manuscript, which actually came here. It came to the Steeler’s offices in the 70s.

DR: I was there. It would have been the 70s, because that is when we opened the stadium. This fella came in to see me. He stopped at the secretary. The receptionist said that there is a fella here who wants to see you. I usually talk to people. He came in. I don’t even think that he sat down. He had this book. He says, “I’d like to present this book to you.” I said, “What is it?” He said, “It’s good. You are going to enjoy it. It is the history of professional football.” I expressed my appreciation. So he leaves. He was only with me fifteen minutes at most. He leaves. So I start looking. This is tremendous. So I turned it over to the Hall of Fame and they said that this is really great. They said, “How can we get this guy?” “I don’t know. He walked into my office and gave it to me. I don’t know.” So we actually put it in the paper, but he never came forward. I am sure you saw it.

 

KRC: Yes. I have read through it.

DR: It was amazing to get it that way.

 

KRC: He just drops it off and leaves. {Chuckles}

DR: {Chuckles} Exactly.