Lou Smyth
Encyclopedia
Louis Lehman Smyth was a professional football
player for the Canton Bulldogs
from 1920
until 1923
. Smyth won two NFL championships with the Bulldogs in 1922 and 1923 and another with the Yellow Jackets in 1926. He also played for the Hartford Blues
, Rochester Jeffersons
and the Providence Steamroller. Outside of the National Football League
, he played for the Gilberton Cadamounts
of the Anthracite League
. During his year in Gilberton, Smyth doubled as a player with the Jeffersons.
In 1923 Smyth led the NFL in touchdowns, with 7.
Smyth was strong runner. He was able to run over opposing linemen due to his size. However he was also an effective passer. Although he completed 25% of his passes, his passing average was better than 20-yards per completion. He also led the league in both touchdown
s rushing and touchdown passes thrown, matching the record held by Jimmy Conzelman from the 1922 season
. On defense, he may also have tied for the NFL lead in interceptions however no official statistics were kept at the time.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player for 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...
from 1920
1920 NFL season
The 1920 APFA season was the inaugural regular season of the National Football League which was called the American Professional Football Association in 1920 and 1921...
until 1923
1923 NFL season
The 1923 NFL season was the 4th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time, all of the clubs that were considered to be part of the NFL fielded teams. The new teams that entered the league included the Duluth Kelleys, the St. Louis All Stars , and a new Cleveland Indians team...
. Smyth won two NFL championships with the Bulldogs in 1922 and 1923 and another with the Yellow Jackets in 1926. He also played for the Hartford Blues
Hartford Blues
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.-Origins:...
, 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...
and the Providence Steamroller. Outside of the National Football League
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...
, he played for the Gilberton Cadamounts
Gilberton Cadamounts
The Gilberton Catamounts, sometimes called the Gilberton Cadamounts and the Gilberton Duck Streeters, were an 1920s-era professional footall team based in Gilberton, Pennsylvania. However the team played many of its home games in nearby Mahanoy City because Gilberton's home field, Stoddard Field....
of the Anthracite League
Anthracite League
The Anthracite League, also referred to as the Anthracite Association, was a 1924 football league comprising teams based in eastern Pennsylvania. These teams were based in coal mining towns, hence the league name's reference to anthracite coal. The league lasted for just one season, before folding...
. During his year in Gilberton, Smyth doubled as a player with the Jeffersons.
In 1923 Smyth led the NFL in touchdowns, with 7.
Smyth was strong runner. He was able to run over opposing linemen due to his size. However he was also an effective passer. Although he completed 25% of his passes, his passing average was better than 20-yards per completion. He also led the league in both touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s rushing and touchdown passes thrown, matching the record held by Jimmy Conzelman from the 1922 season
1922 NFL season
The 1922 NFL season was the 3rd regular season of what was now called National Football League . The NFL fielded 18 teams during the season, including new league teams such as the Milwaukee Badgers, the Oorang Indians, the Racine Legion, and the Toledo Maroons...
. On defense, he may also have tied for the NFL lead in interceptions however no official statistics were kept at the time.
Highlights
- Smyth connected on a few passes to get Canton kicker Pete HenryPete HenryWilbur Francis "Pete" Henry was a professional American football player and coach in the National Football League. He later worked for more than 20 years as athletic director and occasional football coach at Washington & Jefferson College, his alma mater.Henry attended college at Washington &...
within field goalField goal (football)A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
range, for a 6-0 win over the Chicago BearsChicago BearsThe 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...
. - A Canton win over the Chicago Cardinals resulted on November 4, 1923 when Smyth threw a 45-yard pass to Guy ChamberlinGuy ChamberlinBerlin Guy "Champ" Chamberlin was a professional American football player and coach in the National Football League . He played at Nebraska Wesleyan University and then at the University of Nebraska, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He graduated from Nebraska in 1916...
to put Canton at the Cardinals 13-yard-line. Smyth later cross over the goal line for the winning score. - On September 27, 1925, while playing for Rochester Jeffersons, Smyth threw a 55-yard pass to Shag Sheard during a 14-7 loss to the Canton Bulldogs.
- On October 18, 1925 Smyth threw a 40-yard pass to Eddie LynchEddie LynchEdward James "Ace" Lynch was a professional American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He played five seasons for the Rochester Jeffersons , the Detroit Panthers , the Hartford Blues , the Providence Steam Roller , and the Orange Tornadoes ....
during a 7-6 defeat to the Waterbury BluesHartford BluesThe 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.-Origins:...
. - A week later Smyth threw a 20-yard pass to Kellogg in a 33-13 loss to the Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
.