The Allegheny Athletic Association played its sixth and last season of American football in 1896. With a new roster made up largely of former college All-Americans and current and former Chicago Athletic Association players, the team played only two games, on consecutive days, winning both by shutout.[1] The Pro Football Hall of Fame credits the 1896 Allegheny team as the first completely professional football team.[2]
1896 Allegheny Athletic Association football | |
---|---|
Record | 2–0 |
Manager | |
Captain | |
Home field | Exposition Park |
Seasons |
Schedule
editDate | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
November 10 | Duquesne Country and Athletic Club | W 12–0 | 2,000–4,000+ | [3][4] | |
November 11 | Pittsburgh Athletic Club |
| W 18–0 | 2,000–3,000 | [5][6] |
Personnel
editRoster
editStarters
edit- William H. "Pork" Aldrich – quarterback
- George H. Brooke – fullback
- Paul G. Brown – right end
- Ben "Sport" Donnelly – left guard (2nd game)
- Phil S. Graver – right halfback
- Harry G. Hadden – right tackle
- William "Pudge" Heffelfinger – captain,[7] left guard (1st game), left halfback (2nd game)
- Walter Howard – left halfback (1st game)
- Langdon "Biffy" Lea – left tackle
- Archibald Stevenson – center
- Lee K. "Doc" Stewart – right guard
- Thomas "Doggie" Trenchard – left end
Reserves
edit- Robert Lynn Osborne
- Abram S. Valentine
- Fielding H. Yost
Management
edit- O. D. Thompson – manager
- W. M. Greenwood – assistant manager
References
edit- ^ a b PFRA Research. "Last Hurrah in Allegheny: The 3A's Exit in a Blaze of Glory: 1896" (PDF). Professional Football Researchers Association. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "1896 - The First Completely Professional Team". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
The Allegheny Athletic Association team fielded the first completely professional team for its abbreviated two-game season.
- ^ "Shook the Stars". Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette. November 11, 1896. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Great Cheers for D. C. & A. C." The Pittsburg Post. November 11, 1896. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Free for All Fight". Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette. November 12, 1896. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Defeated by the All-Stars". The Pittsburg Post. November 12, 1896. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "An Astral Aggregation". The Pittsburg Times. November 10, 1896. p. 8.
- ^ "Dropped from C.A.A. Rolls". The Chicago Tribune. November 14, 1896. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.