Union Club of Phoenixville
Encyclopedia
The Union Club of Phoenixville was a professional football
team based in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
. The team was the result of a 1919 merger between the Phoenixville Union Club and the upstart Phoenix Athletic Club. From 1907 until 1919, the Union Club was considered one of the best football teams in eastern Pennsylvania
. However in 1919, the upstart Phoenix Athletic Club signed many of the top players of the area, leaving the Union Club no choice but to merge with the Phoenix A.C. The team is best known for defeating the Canton Bulldogs
14-7, in 1920. The team however would fold in 1921.
, as well as teams from Philadelphia and New Jersey
. Within a few years, the Union Club became one of the strongest teams in the region. Several times they were declared the mythical "Champions of the Schuylkill Valley" and "Champions of Eastern Pennsylvania". However the team experience tragedy on occasion. In November 1913, George Gay, a star player for the Ursinus College
football team, died from a neck injury three days after it was broken in a Phoenixille-Pottstown
game. He broke his neck after being tackled from behind.
and the 1918 flu pandemic had a sever impact on Phoenixville's 1917 football season. The team had only managed to schedule 5 games in 1917, while only one game was played in 1918. In 1919, the Union Club and the new Phoenix Athletic Club merged. The merger began when the Phoenix Athletic Club signed away many of the area's top football players. This left Union in a dilemma. In 1919, Union played what should have been an easy game against a local high school. However that game resulted in scoreless tie. As a result, the Union Club merged with the Phoenix A. C.
Meanwhile the Union Club of Phoenixville ended their 1919 season with a 6-0-3 record. The final game of the season against the Conshohocken Athletic Club
, ended in a scoreless tie. However Phoenixville, managed to sign many ex-college
players to their roster including; Heinie Miller
of Penn
and Butch Spagna
of Lehigh University
.
, Lud Wray
, Fats Eyrich, Bodie Weldon
, Heinie Miller, Earl Potteiger
, Stan Cofall and future Hall of Famer
, Fritz Pollard
. The club also fielded several members (eight in all, including Ockie Anderson
and Swede Youngstrom
) of the Buffalo All-Americans of the National Football League
; Pollard and Cofall also had NFL jobs, Pollard with the Akron Pros
and Cofall with the Cleveland Tigers. The NFL players would play a non-league game with Phoenixville on Saturdays, then hop the train for Buffalo
or Ohio and the next day’s game. This arrangement helped the All-Americans earn extra money. Incidentally, the team had been organized by Bert Bell
, the future NFL commissioner and Philadelphia Eagles
owner, but Bell had planned to play the team as the "Philadelphia Collegians" before Phoenixville's managers came and signed all of Bell's players.
The Phoenixville club went 11-0 in 1920. The team defeated several local teams, including their rivials, the Conshohocken Athletic Club, Holmesburg Athletic Club
, and the pre-NFL Frankford Yellow Jackets
. However the team still had the biggest game of the year, and in team history, to play.
were considered the best pro football team in world. The team featured Joe Guyon
and the legendary Jim Thorpe
, both future Pro Football Hall of Famers. The team was also not only a member of the mythical Ohio League
, which consisted of the best teams in pro football, but won the league's championship in 1916, 1917 and 1919.
On December 12, 1920 an estimated 17,000 fans turned out to watch the Union Club and Canton Bulldogs play at the Baker Bowl
. Despite the Bulldogs scoring first off of a Pete Calac
touchdown
, the Phoenixville soon gained control of the game with a fumble recovery by Heinie Miller. That play set-up a Stan Cofall touchdown pass to Lou Hayes. Later in the third quarter, Cofall blocked a Guyon punt
which was returned for another touchdown by Hayes. While Canton did manage a late game drive to the Phoenixville 20 yard line, a Guyon fumble, was recovered by Phoenxiville's Heinie Miller. Phoenixville would go on to win the game 14-7.
Despite their victory, the Union Club could not claim any national professional championship based upon the outcome of the Canton game. The 1920 Canton Bulldogs were just not the dominant football team that they had been in previous seasons. In the NFL, the Akron Pros
, Decatur Staleys (renamed the Chicago Bears
in 1922) and the Buffalo All-Americans had all placed higher ahead of the Bulldogs in the standings.
in 1921.
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...
team based in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Phoenixville is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Philadelphia, at the junction of French Creek with the Schuylkill River. The population is 16,440 as of the 2010 Census.- History :...
. The team was the result of a 1919 merger between the Phoenixville Union Club and the upstart Phoenix Athletic Club. From 1907 until 1919, the Union Club was considered one of the best football teams in eastern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. However in 1919, the upstart Phoenix Athletic Club signed many of the top players of the area, leaving the Union Club no choice but to merge with the Phoenix A.C. The team is best known for defeating 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...
14-7, in 1920. The team however would fold in 1921.
Origins
In 1907 the Phoenixville Union Club fielded its first football team. The team frequently played rival clubs from Schuylkill CountySchuylkill County, Pennsylvania
-Notable people:*Boxing heavyweight great Muhammad Ali had his training camp in Deer Lake.*Charles Justin Bailey, commanding general of the 81st Division in World War I, was born in Tamaqua on June 21, 1859....
, as well as teams from Philadelphia and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Within a few years, the Union Club became one of the strongest teams in the region. Several times they were declared the mythical "Champions of the Schuylkill Valley" and "Champions of Eastern Pennsylvania". However the team experience tragedy on occasion. In November 1913, George Gay, a star player for the Ursinus College
Ursinus College
Ursinus College is a liberal arts college in Collegeville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.-History:1867Members of the German Reformed Church begin plans to establish a college where "young men could be liberally educated under the benign influence of Christianity." These founders were hoping to...
football team, died from a neck injury three days after it was broken in a Phoenixille-Pottstown
Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Pottstown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States northwest of Philadelphia and southeast of Reading, on the Schuylkill River. Pottstown was laid out in 1752–53 and named Pottsgrove in honor of its founder, John Potts. The old name was abandoned at the time of the...
game. He broke his neck after being tackled from behind.
The merger
World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the 1918 flu pandemic had a sever impact on Phoenixville's 1917 football season. The team had only managed to schedule 5 games in 1917, while only one game was played in 1918. In 1919, the Union Club and the new Phoenix Athletic Club merged. The merger began when the Phoenix Athletic Club signed away many of the area's top football players. This left Union in a dilemma. In 1919, Union played what should have been an easy game against a local high school. However that game resulted in scoreless tie. As a result, the Union Club merged with the Phoenix A. C.
Meanwhile the Union Club of Phoenixville ended their 1919 season with a 6-0-3 record. The final game of the season against the Conshohocken Athletic Club
Conshohocken Athletic Club
The Conshohocken Athletic Club was a professional football team based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania from 1914 until 1920, when the club's financial problems made it impossible to field a team. In the fall of 1921, the newly established Conshohocken Athletic Association took over sponsorship of the...
, ended in a scoreless tie. However Phoenixville, managed to sign many ex-college
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
players to their roster including; Heinie Miller
Heinie Miller
Henry John "Heinie" Miller was a professional football player who played in the early years of the National Football League. He played in the NFL for the Buffalo All-Americans and the Milwaukee Badgers...
of Penn
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and Butch Spagna
Butch Spagna
Joseph "Butch" Spagna was a professional football player during the 1920s.-NFL and AFL experience:He played in the early National Football League for the Buffalo All-Americans, Cleveland Tigers and the Frankford Yellow Jackets...
of Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
.
1920
The 1920 Phoenixville Club fielded many of the top players of the era. These players included Lou LittleLou Little
Lou "Luigi Piccolo" Little was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Georgetown College, now Georgetown University, from 1924 to 1929 and at Columbia University from 1930 to 1956, compiling a career college football record of 151–128–13...
, Lud Wray
Lud Wray
James R. Ludlow "Lud" Wray was a professional American football player, coach, and co-founder, with college teammate Bert Bell, of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He was the first coach of the Boston Braves in 1932 and of the Eagles, 1933-1935...
, Fats Eyrich, Bodie Weldon
Bodie Weldon
John Ambrose Weldon was a professional football player during the 1920s. He played in the American Professional Football Association for the Buffalo All-Americans...
, Heinie Miller, Earl Potteiger
Earl Potteiger
William Earl Potteiger was a professional American football running back and coach. Potteiger played professionally in both baseball and football and coached professionally in basketball, baseball and football...
, Stan Cofall and future Hall of Famer
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
, Fritz Pollard
Fritz Pollard
Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard was the first African American head coach in the National Football League . Pollard along with Bobby Marshall were the first two African American players in the NFL in 1920...
. The club also fielded several members (eight in all, including Ockie Anderson
Ockie Anderson
Oscar Carl "Ockie" Anderson was an All-American football player and coach. In 1916, he was selected as a first-team All-American quarterback while playing for Colgate University...
and Swede Youngstrom
Swede Youngstrom
Adolph Frederick "Swede" Youngstrom was a professional football player. Over the span of his career in the National Football League, Youngstrom played with the Buffalo All-Americans, Canton Bulldogs, Buffalo Bisons, Cleveland Bulldogs and the Frankford Yellow Jackets. He also served as a...
) of the Buffalo All-Americans 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...
; Pollard and Cofall also had NFL jobs, Pollard with the Akron Pros
Akron Pros
The Akron Pros were a professional football team located played in Akron, Ohio from 1908–1926. The team originated in 1908 as a semi-pro team named the Akron Indians, however name was changed to the Pros in 1920 as the team set out to become a charter member of the American Professional...
and Cofall with the Cleveland Tigers. The NFL players would play a non-league game with Phoenixville on Saturdays, then hop the train for Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
or Ohio and the next day’s game. This arrangement helped the All-Americans earn extra money. Incidentally, the team had been organized by Bert Bell
Bert Bell
De Benneville "Bert" Bell was the National Football League commissioner from 1946 until his death in 1959. As commissioner, he helped chart a path for the NFL to facilitate its rise in becoming the most popular sports attraction in the United States...
, the future NFL commissioner and Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
owner, but Bell had planned to play the team as the "Philadelphia Collegians" before Phoenixville's managers came and signed all of Bell's players.
The Phoenixville club went 11-0 in 1920. The team defeated several local teams, including their rivials, the Conshohocken Athletic Club, Holmesburg Athletic Club
Holmesburg Athletic Club
The Holmesburg Athletic Club was a professional football team from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that was in existence from around 1915 until 1923. The team laid claim to the Philadelphia City Championship in 1919 and 1920.-Alumni:...
, and the pre-NFL 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...
. However the team still had the biggest game of the year, and in team history, to play.
The Canton Bulldogs game
At the end of the 1920 season, Phoenixville fans began to wonder how their team stacked up to the best teams of the era. Prior to 1920, the Canton BulldogsCanton 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...
were considered the best pro football team in world. The team featured Joe Guyon
Joe Guyon
Joseph Napoleon Guyon was a professional American football player in the National Football League...
and the legendary Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
, both future Pro Football Hall of Famers. The team was also not only a member of the mythical Ohio League
Ohio League
The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1903 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship . As the name implied, its teams were based in Ohio...
, which consisted of the best teams in pro football, but won the league's championship in 1916, 1917 and 1919.
On December 12, 1920 an estimated 17,000 fans turned out to watch the Union Club and Canton Bulldogs play at the Baker Bowl
Baker Bowl
Baker Bowl is the best-known popular name of a baseball park that formerly stood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Its formal name, painted on its outer wall, was National League Park. It was also initially known as Philadelphia Park or Philadelphia Base Ball Grounds.It was on a small...
. Despite the Bulldogs scoring first off of a Pete Calac
Pete Calac
Pedro "Pete" Calac was a professional football player who played in the Ohio League and during the early years of the National Football League...
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:...
, the Phoenixville soon gained control of the game with a fumble recovery by Heinie Miller. That play set-up a Stan Cofall touchdown pass to Lou Hayes. Later in the third quarter, Cofall blocked a Guyon punt
Punt (football)
In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
which was returned for another touchdown by Hayes. While Canton did manage a late game drive to the Phoenixville 20 yard line, a Guyon fumble, was recovered by Phoenxiville's Heinie Miller. Phoenixville would go on to win the game 14-7.
Despite their victory, the Union Club could not claim any national professional championship based upon the outcome of the Canton game. The 1920 Canton Bulldogs were just not the dominant football team that they had been in previous seasons. In the NFL, the Akron Pros
Akron Pros
The Akron Pros were a professional football team located played in Akron, Ohio from 1908–1926. The team originated in 1908 as a semi-pro team named the Akron Indians, however name was changed to the Pros in 1920 as the team set out to become a charter member of the American Professional...
, Decatur Staleys (renamed the Chicago Bears
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 1922) and the Buffalo All-Americans had all placed higher ahead of the Bulldogs in the standings.
1921 and closure
In 1921, the Union Club's status as a premier professional team disappeared. The club's board of directors rejected Heinie Miller's proposal to for the team to reform with a similar 1920 lineup for the 1921 season. The club instead opted to field a less costly team of mostly local talent. The Big Red went on to a 5-2-0 record in what turned out to be its final season. However Miller, managed to keep most of the 1920 team intact and fielded them in 1921 as the Union Quakers of PhiladelphiaUnion Quakers of Philadelphia
The Union Quakers of Philadelphia were a professional independent football team, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1921. The team evolved from a number of pro players who played with the Union Club of Phoenixville during their 1920 season. During their only season of operation, the club won...
in 1921.