Who Played in the First NFL Game?

Did you know that the first NFL game was played on October 3, 1920? The teams that played were the Decatur Staleys and the Chicago Cardinals. George Halas, the founder of the NFL, was the coach of the Staleys.

The Teams

The very first NFL game was played on October 3, 1920 between the Dayton Triangles and the Columbus Panhandles. The game was held at Triangle Park in Dayton, Ohio and saw a crowd of about 3,000 people in attendance. The Triangles won the game 14-0.

The Chicago Tigers

On September 26, 1920, the Chicago Tigers and the Decatur Staleys (now the Chicago Bears) played what is considered to be the first NFL game. The Tigers were a dominant team in the early years of professional football, winning NFL championships in 1920 and 1921. Founded in 1919 by George Halas, the Staleys were one of the charter members of the NFL.

The Dayton Triangles

The Dayton Triangles were a professional American football team in Dayton, Ohio, founded in 1913 by Carl Storck. The team played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1920 to 1929, and again briefly from 1931 to 1933. The Triangles were the first NFL team fully based in the state of Ohio (although the Akron Pros had a three-game home schedule in the state during their 1920 season), and they were also the longest-surviving NFL team that was not a charter member of the league at its inception.,,,

The Triangles won their only NFL Championship in their first ever season as a part of the NFL in 1920. In 1926, despite posting a 6-4-1 record, head coach Lew Hayman was fired after leading the Triangles for six seasons.,,,

The Triangles’ new head coach was Albert Capellani, who had been with the NFL’s Milwaukee Badgers since 1925 and led them to an 11-3 record and a berth in the 1925 NFL Championship Game. Hovering around .500 for most of his tenure as head coach, Capellani led the Triangles to their second – and last – NFL Championship in 1929.,,,

A year later, however, tragedy struck when Capellani’s wife unexpectedly died; distraught, he resigned from coaching and was succeeded by Preston Gibson. Gibson would only last one season before being replaced by James Fisk after going 4-5-1.

The Players

On November 22, 1869, Rutgers and Princeton faced off in the first-ever college football game. The game was played in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Rutgers won by a score of 6-4. However, the game was far from perfect. In fact, it was quite ugly. There were a total of 18 players on each team, and there were no rules to speak of. The players simply resorted to whatever they could do to score points. As a result, the game was very chaotic and lacked any real structure.

The Chicago Tigers Players

The Chicago Tigers were a charter member of the National Football League (NFL) in 1920. The team played its home games at Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs baseball franchise. The Tigers were established by George Halas, who would later become one of the most important figures in NFL history as the founder and owner of the Chicago Bears. The Tigers finished their only season in the NFL with a record of 7-1-2, good for second place in the league behind the Akron Pros.

The following year, the Tigers merged with another Chicago-based team, the Cardinals, to form the Cardinals-Tigers. However, this team only lasted one season as well, as Halas decided to focus his energies on his Bears franchise instead.

Despite their short existence, the Tigers were able to field some talented players. Some of these players went on to have successful careers elsewhere in the NFL, while others became league pioneers in other ways. Here is a look at some of the most notable players who suited up for the Chicago Tigers.

Quarterback Jimmy Conzelman was one of the stars of the 1920 Chicago Tigers squad. He would go on to have an impressive career in both college football and professional baseball before making his mark as a head coach in the NFL. Conzelman won two NFL championships as a head coach, first with the Cardinals in 1925 and then with the Detroit Lions in 1935. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964.

Tackle Paddy Driscoll was another star player on that 1920 Tigers team. He was named All-Pro five times during his career and was inducted into boththe College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame. In addition to his contributions on the gridiron, Driscoll also served as NFL president from 1929 to 1931 and helped shape many of the early rules of professional football.

Running back Joe Sternaman was also a member of that 1920 Tiger squad. He played college football at Illinois before embarking on a lengthy professional career that included stops with several different NFL teams. Sternaman was one of those rare players who excelled at both offense and defense; he led his team in scoring for three straight seasons (1923-1925) while also serving as their primary punter and defensive back during that same span.

The Dayton Triangles Players

On October 3, 1920, they played in the first ever NFL game against the Columbus Panhandles at Triangle Park in Dayton, Ohio. Scheduled as a Thanksgiving Day game, it was rained out and moved to the following Sunday. The Triangles participated in the NFL from 1920 to 1929. In 1930, they became founding members of the second American Football League (1930-1931), which merged into the NFL in 1931. The team then took the name Brooklyn Dodgers until 1944 when the name was changed back to Brooklyn Tigers and eventually to New York Yankees in 1945. In 1946, they were one of fifteen teams that merged into a new National Football League. For their contributions over nearly three decades of play in two different leagues, including being one of only two teams to have played in both the NFL and AFL, the Triangles were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963

The following players were members of the Dayton Triangles team that played in the first ever NFL game:
– Gus Dorais
– Glenn Presnell
– Joe Guyon
– Pete Henry
– Wilbur “Pete” Palmer
– Walt Keisling

The Game

The game was played on Thursday, October 20, 1892, between two teams from Allegheny, Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Allegheny Athletic Association won the game by a score of 32–0.

The Score

The Highlights

The first NFL game was between the Allegheny Athletic Association and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club on November 12, 1898. This is also considered the first ever professional football game. William “Pudge” Heffelfinger was paid $500 to play for the Allegheny Athletic Association, becoming the first professional football player.