Special Publication by Kapp Advertising - Season 2017 23 The Birth of Pro Football – Part One

The date was November 12, 1892, a day that would for- rugby, which had enjoyed long-time popularity in many John Brallier, had become the first pro football player when ever be etched in sports history, although no one involved nations of the world. On November 6, 1869, Rutgers and he accepted $10 and “cakes” (expenses) to play for the that day could possibly have recognized the importance of Princeton played what was billed as the first college foot- Latrobe, PA, town team against neighboring Jeannette on the occasion. It was the day that the Allegheny Athletic ball game. However, it wasn’t until the 1880s that a great September 3, 1895. Association football team defeated the Pittsburgh Athletic rugby player from Yale, Walter Camp, pioneered rules After the Pro Football Hall of Fame was opened in Club. The game in itself was not a momentous event. changes that slowly transformed rugby into the new game 1963 in Canton, further research uncovered the Pudge But one of the circumstances of the game did make it of American Football. Heffelfinger payment by the Allegheny Athletic Association a never-to-be-forgotten moment in sports history – one Meanwhile, athletic clubs that sponsored a great vari- in 1892 and thus negated the Latrobe claim as the birthplace of the AAA players, William (Pudge) Heffelfinger, was ety of sports teams became a popular phenomenon in the of pro football. openly paid $500 to play the game. Thus pro football United States in the years immediately after the Civil War. Today, Brallier is ranked no higher than seventh in line made its debut more than 100 years ago in comparatively One of the sports the athletic club embraced was football. among the early-day players accepting pay to play. obscure surroundings that could not possibly have provided By the 1880s, most athletic clubs had a football team. the slightest clue to the world-wide popularity the sport Listed below are the first seven players known to have Competition was heated and each club vowed to stock its would be destined to enjoy, been openly paid to play football: teams with the best players available. Toward particularly in the waning • William “Pudge” Heffelfinger – Allegheny Athletic this end, some clubs obtained jobs for star decades of pro football’s Association, Pittsburgh, – $500 for one game on November players. Others “awarded” expensive trophies first century. 12, 1892. or watches to their players, who would in turn While the PAC had sus- pawn their awards, only to receive them again • Ben “Sport” Donnelly – Allegheny Athletic Assocation, pected something illegal and again after each game they played. A Pittsburgh – $250 for one game on November 19, 1892. was afoot, there was no popular practice was to offer double expense • Peter Wright – Allegheny Athletic Association, immediate evidence to back money to players for their services. Since Pittsburgh – $50 per game (under contract) for the entire up its belief that the AAA football players were supposed to be amateurs, 1893 season. had abandoned the standard these practices were questioned by the Amateur • James Van Cleve – Allegheny Athletic Association, practices of the day by actu- Athletic Union but for every tactic declared Pittsburgh – $50 per game (under contract) for the entire ally paying someone to play illegal, a new one was developed. 1893 season. football. Absolute verifica- Thus the scene was set for the AAA-PAC tion, in fact, did not become • Oliver W. Rafferty – Allegheny Athletic Association, showdown. The actions before, during and after public for almost 80 years Pittsburgh – $50 per game (under contract) for the entire the game are as intriguing as the fact that some- until the Pro Football Hall 1893 season. one was openly paid to play football for the first of Fame received and dis- • Lawson Fiscus – Greenburg, PA – $20 per game time. The Allegheny football team, founded in played a document – an (under contract) for the entire 1894 season. 1890, and the Pittsburgh team, founded a year expense accounting sheet later, already were heated rivals when they met • John Brallier – Latrobe, PA, – $10 and expenses for of the Allegheny Athletic in the first of two games in the 1892 season and one game on September 3, 1895. Association that clearly wound up in a 6-6 tie. Adding fuel to the fire The AAA and PAC both focused their attention on the shows a “game performance was the AAA claim that the PAC’s top player strong Chicago Athletic Association team that utilized the bonus to W. Heffelfinger William (Pudge) Heffelfinger, the first and coach, William Kirschner, was a profes- “double expense money” ploy to keep its players happy. for playing (cash) $500. professional football player. sional because, as a paid instructor for the PAC, Heffelfinger, who had been a three-time Yale All-America While it is possible that oth- his salary went up and his work load down guard in 1889, 1890 and 1891, had been granted a leave ers were paid to play before during the football season. With controversy raging, both of absence from his job as a low-salaried railroad office 1892, the AAA expense sheet provides the first irrefutable sides began to explore methods of beefing up their squads. employee in Omaha so he could accompany the Chicago evidence of an out-and-out cash payment. It is appropri- team on a six-game tour of the East. ately referred to today as “pro football’s birth certificate.” For years, Brallier was considered to be first pro The sport of American football itself was relatively new Early-day pro football historians agreed that a 16-year- in 1892. Its roots stemmed from two sports, soccer and old quarterback from Indiana College in Pennsylvania, continued on page 26 Buffalo Bills Drescher’s Fuel Oil PreSeason Opponent Time Network Aug. 17 @ Philadelphia Eagles 7:00 p.m. WKBW Locally owned and happy to serve you! 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