Hartford Blues
Encyclopedia
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 leading sports promoter in Connecticut during the 1920s. He hired local men, both former 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 Mulligan's offer to play for the Blues for $7,500, plus a $500 bonus. Waterbury's 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 brawny 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.
32-0. Soon after Mulligan signed Jim Crowley
, another ex-Horseman, to join Stuhldreher in the backfield against Adams, Massachusetts
. Crowley's 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
and renamed his team the Hartford Blues. According to the Hartford Courant, Waterbury's poor support of the team prompted the move. The same article reported that Mulligan had already posted entrance money with the NFL, and that Hartford would have a place in the league in 1926.
The new Hartford Blues debued on November 8, 1925 by beating the Rochester Jeffersons, 8-6, in a rematch. Stuhldreher suffered a mild concussion during the game, held in bad weather before a disappointing crowd of 2,000. On Thanksgiving Day however, the Blues didn't schedule a game because a number of key players, including Stuhldreher, had to be elsewhere coaching college or high school teams. So to beef up the Blues, Mulligan signed five new players: back Obie Bristow
and guard Steve Owen from the Kansas City Cowboys which ended its season in Hartford; fullback
Roy Mackert
from the Rochester Jeffersons; end Herb Kopf, and, most newsworthy, halfback
Don Miller
, became the third Horsemen to sign a contract with Mulligan. The reinforced Blues dominated the circuit ensure its claim on the state championship.
However, instead of ending the season George Mulligan had other plans. He booked a game for December 6 at Clarkin Field against Pere Marquette
, probably the strongest pro team in Boston. Of the new recruits, Bristow, Owen, and Miller were still in the line-up, and Mulligan added another new man in end Grattan O'Connell
, a Bristol, Connecticut
, native who had just finished his senior season at Boston College
and turned pro immediately. 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. He brought in the Cleveland Bulldogs
as opponents, and he signed all four Horsemen to play in the Hartford backfield. The Hartford Courant speculated that Mulligan might be paying $5,000 for the one-day services of Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Elmer Layden
. However the Bulldogs won the game 13-6 .
of the American Football League
.
The Blues began the 1926 NFL season
disappointingly with a 21-0 loss to the New York Giants
. The team later added two losses in back-to-back games against the Frankford Yellow Jackets
and a loss 6-0 loss to the Brooklyn Lions, at Ebbets Field
. The team would go on to only win three games during the season, against the Brooklyn Lions 16-6, the Dayton Triangles
16-0, and the Canton Bulldogs
16-7 in a game that ended early due to darkness and a lack of field lights. The remaining four games were losses to the Kansas City Cowboys
, the Buffalo Bisons, the Duluth Eskimos and the non-league All-New Britain team. The remaining games were cancelled due to scheduling conflicts or weather conditions. The Blues ended their stint in the NFL after the season and returned to being an independent for 1927, playing one season as the Hartford Giants before folding.
in East Hartford
. The grass football field barely fit inside the wooden track. Its capacity was 8,000 spectators.
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
played only in the 1926 NFL season
1926 NFL season
The 1926 NFL season was the 7th regular season of the National Football League. The league grew to 22 teams, a figure that would not be equaled in professional football until 1961, adding the Brooklyn Lions, the Hartford Blues, the Los Angeles Buccaneers, and the Louisville Colonels, with Racine...
, with a record of 3-7. The team was based in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
but played at the East Hartford Velodrome.
Origins
The Blues began as the Waterbury Blues and were owned by George MulliganGeorge Mulligan
George Mulligan was the leading sports promoter in Connecticut during the early 1900s. He was also the founder and owner of the Hartford Blues of the National Football League...
, the leading sports promoter in Connecticut during the 1920s. He hired local men, both former 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
Harry Stuhldreher
Harry Augustus Stuhldreher was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played quarterback at University of Notre Dame from 1922 to 1924, where he was a three-time All-American and member of the legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield...
, the quarterback of the Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen (football)
The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame comprised a winning group of American football players at the University of Notre Dame under coach Knute Rockne. They were the backfield of Notre Dame's 1924 football team...
of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
. He immediately accepted Mulligan's offer to play for the Blues for $7,500, plus a $500 bonus. Waterbury's other top backs at the start of the 1925 season were Ken Simendinger
Ken Simendinger
Kenneth Alphonse Simendinger was a professional football in the National Football League for the Hartford Blues in 1926. He also played for the Waterbury-Hartford Blues in 1924, prior to that team's entry into the NFL...
, from Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
, and Dutch Forst
Dutch Forst
Arthur Henry Forst was a professional football player in the early National Football League for the Providence Steam Roller. He was also a professional player for the Waterbury Blues , prior to that teams entry into the NFL in 1926.-References:...
, from Villanova
Villanova
Villanova may refer to:In botany:*Villanova, a genus of plants in the family Phyllanthaceae, an invalid name replaced by Flueggea, or bushweed*Villanova , a genus of plants in the family Asteraceae.In education:*St...
. The line featured two other Notre Dame alumni. Ed Hunsinger
Ed Hunsinger
Edward Hunsinger was a former All-American defensive end at the University of Notre Dame. He played for the Fighting Irish from 1922 until 1924, along side the famed Four Horsemen. However he also was involved with the Irish All-Stars 1925 exhibition game against the Pottsville Maroons, which led...
played with the Four Horsemen in 1924 and rejoined Stuhldreher as an end in Waterbury. Art Garvey
Art Garvey
Arthur A. "Hec" Garvey was a professional American football offensive lineman. He played for 9 teams in 3 leagues over 9 seasons.-References:...
, a brawny 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
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1923. Another lineman, Dick McGrath
Dick McGrath
Richard James McGrath was a professional football player in the early National Football League for the Brooklyn Lions. He also played professionally for the Waterbury Blues in 1925, prior to the club's entry into the NFL in 1926 as the Hartford Blues. He served the Blues, not only as the team's...
, doubled as captain and coach.
1925 season
The Blues opened their season on September 27 by whipping a team from Yonkers, New YorkYonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
32-0. Soon after Mulligan signed Jim Crowley
Jim Crowley
James Harold "Jim" Crowley was an American football player and coach. He gained fame as one-fourth of the University of Notre Dame's legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield where he played halfback from 1922 to 1924. After a brief career as a professional football player, Crowley turned to coaching...
, another ex-Horseman, to join Stuhldreher in the backfield against Adams, Massachusetts
Adams, Massachusetts
Adams is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,485 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. Crowley's regular job was assistant coach at the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
. 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
Rochester Jeffersons
The Rochester Jeffersons from Rochester, New York played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925.Formed as an amateur outfit by a rag-tag group of Rochester-area teenagers after the turn of the century , the team became known as the Jeffersons in reference to the locale of their playing...
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
Morgan G. Bulkeley Stadium
Morgan G. Bulkeley Stadium was a sports stadium located in Hartford, Connecticut. The facility housed the Eastern League's Hartford Senators and the Hartford Blues of the National Football League. It also included a 1/5 mile dirt oval for motor sports...
and renamed his team the Hartford Blues. According to the Hartford Courant, Waterbury's poor support of the team prompted the move. The same article reported that Mulligan had already posted entrance money with the NFL, and that Hartford would have a place in the league in 1926.
The new Hartford Blues debued on November 8, 1925 by beating the Rochester Jeffersons, 8-6, in a rematch. Stuhldreher suffered a mild concussion during the game, held in bad weather before a disappointing crowd of 2,000. On Thanksgiving Day however, the Blues didn't schedule a game because a number of key players, including Stuhldreher, had to be elsewhere coaching college or high school teams. So to beef up the Blues, Mulligan signed five new players: back Obie Bristow
Obie Bristow
Jessie Gordon Bristow was a professional football player in the early National Football League for the Kansas City Cowboys and the Cleveland Bulldogs. He was also a professional player for the Hartford Blues, prior to that teams entry into the NFL in 1926....
and guard Steve Owen from the Kansas City Cowboys which ended its season in Hartford; fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
Roy Mackert
Roy Mackert
Charles Leroy "Roy" Mackert was an American football player. He played professional football for the Rochester Jeffersons for one season in 1925. Mackert played college football for Maryland, and returned there in 1935 as the line coach....
from the Rochester Jeffersons; end Herb Kopf, and, most newsworthy, halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
Don Miller
Don Miller
Don Miller may refer to:*Don Miller , member of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame, the backfield of Notre Dame's 1924 football team*Don Miller Don Miller may refer to:*Don Miller (American football), member of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame, the backfield of Notre Dame's 1924 football team*Don...
, became the third Horsemen to sign a contract with Mulligan. The reinforced Blues dominated the circuit ensure its claim on the state championship.
Pere Marquette
Pere Marquette or Père Marquette may refer to:*Father Jacques Marquette, a French Jesuit missionary and namesake of Marquette University*Father Marquette National Memorial in Straits State Park...
, probably the strongest pro team in Boston. Of the new recruits, Bristow, Owen, and Miller were still in the line-up, and Mulligan added another new man in end Grattan O'Connell
Grattan O'Connell
John Grattan O'Connell was a professional football player in the early National Football League for the Hartford Blues and the Providence Steam Roller. Prior to his professional career, he played at the football at the college level, while attending Boston College. While in college, he started...
, a Bristol, Connecticut
Bristol, Connecticut
Bristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 61,353. Bristol is primarily known as the home of ESPN, whose central studios are in the city. Bristol is also home to...
, native who had just finished his senior season at Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
and turned pro immediately. The Blues beat Pere Marquette, 12-0. Mulligan had attempted to schedule the Blues against Red Grange
Red Grange
Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost", was a college and professional American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and for the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League...
and the Chicago Bears. However, the Bears had already booked a game against the Providence Steam Roller
Providence Steam Roller
The Providence Steam Roller was a professional American football team based in Providence, Rhode Island in the National Football League from 1925 to 1931. Providence was the first New England team to win an NFL championship...
. However, shortly after Mulligan booked a final season game at Clarkin Field. He brought in the Cleveland Bulldogs
Cleveland Bulldogs
The Cleveland Bulldogs was a team that played in Cleveland, Ohio in the National Football League. They were originally called the Indians in 1923, not to be confused with the Cleveland Indians NFL franchise in 1922...
as opponents, and he signed all four Horsemen to play in the Hartford backfield. The Hartford Courant speculated that Mulligan might be paying $5,000 for the one-day services of Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Elmer Layden
Elmer Layden
Elmer Francis Layden was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame where he starred at fullback as a member of the legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield...
. However the Bulldogs won the game 13-6 .
1926 season
Layden and Stuhldreher left to join the Brooklyn HorsemenBrooklyn Horsemen
The Brooklyn Horsemen was a professional football team that competed in the American Football League during the 1926 season.On November 12, 1926, the team withdrew from the AFL and merged with Brooklyn Lions of the National Football League. The new team created by the merger was initially called...
of the American Football League
American Football League (1926)
The first American Football League , sometimes called AFL I, AFLG, or the Grange League, was a professional American football league that operated in 1926. It was the first major competitor to the National Football League. Founded by C. C...
.
The Blues began the 1926 NFL season
1926 NFL season
The 1926 NFL season was the 7th regular season of the National Football League. The league grew to 22 teams, a figure that would not be equaled in professional football until 1961, adding the Brooklyn Lions, the Hartford Blues, the Los Angeles Buccaneers, and the Louisville Colonels, with Racine...
disappointingly with a 21-0 loss to the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The team later added two losses in back-to-back games against the Frankford Yellow Jackets
Frankford Yellow Jackets
The Frankford Yellow Jackets were a professional American football team, part of the National Football League from 1924 to 1931, though its origin dates back to as early as 1899 with the Frankford Athletic Association. The Yellow Jackets won the NFL championship in 1926...
and a loss 6-0 loss to the Brooklyn Lions, at Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...
. The team would go on to only win three games during the season, against the Brooklyn Lions 16-6, the Dayton Triangles
Dayton Triangles
The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north...
16-0, and the Canton Bulldogs
Canton Bulldogs
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 National Football League, from 1920 to 1923 and again from 1925 to 1926. The Bulldogs would go on to win the 1917, 1918...
16-7 in a game that ended early due to darkness and a lack of field lights. The remaining four games were losses to the Kansas City Cowboys
Kansas City (NFL)
Kansas City, Missouri had a National Football League team prior to the Chiefs that operated under two different names: The Blues in 1924 and the Cowboys from 1925-1926. The Blues competed as a traveling team, playing all of their NFL games in other cities' stadia in their only year under that name...
, the Buffalo Bisons, the Duluth Eskimos and the non-league All-New Britain team. The remaining games were cancelled due to scheduling conflicts or weather conditions. The Blues ended their stint in the NFL after the season and returned to being an independent for 1927, playing one season as the Hartford Giants before folding.
Season-by-season
| Year | W | L | T | Finish | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 7 | 2 | 4 | N/A | Dick McGrath Dick McGrath Richard James McGrath was a professional football player in the early National Football League for the Brooklyn Lions. He also played professionally for the Waterbury Blues in 1925, prior to the club's entry into the NFL in 1926 as the Hartford Blues. He served the Blues, not only as the team's... |
| 1925 | 10 | 2 | 0 | N/A | Dick McGrath Dick McGrath Richard James McGrath was a professional football player in the early National Football League for the Brooklyn Lions. He also played professionally for the Waterbury Blues in 1925, prior to the club's entry into the NFL in 1926 as the Hartford Blues. He served the Blues, not only as the team's... |
| 1926 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 13th | Jack Keogh Jack Keogh Dr. John Joseph Keogh was a professional football head coach for the Hartford Blues during their only season in the National Football League, in 1926. Prior to the 1926 season, Keogh was an assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania. Outside of football, he worked as a dentist in Philadelphia... |
| 1927 | 7 | 1 | 0 | Inc. | Vincent Lacava Vincent Lacava Dr. Vincent D. Lacava was a semi-professional football coach and general manager in 1927 for the Hartford Giants. The team had previously been known as the Hartford Blues and played in the National Football League, the year prior. However after the Blues' 1926 season, the NFL's owners voted to... |
East Hartford Velodrome
The Blues played their 1926 season in the East Hartford Velodrome, a then-new bicycle track located across the Connecticut RiverConnecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
in East Hartford
East Hartford, Connecticut
East Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,252 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
. The grass football field barely fit inside the wooden track. Its capacity was 8,000 spectators.