The infamous "Highland Blvd Donnybrook" erupts between New York's two football franchises. He declares the "old ways" to be in place, with referees once again relegated to the position of scorekeepers. The news was a front page article on every notable newspaper in the country. MaBack To The Old Ways: Marshall Cooper not-so surprisingly resurfaces, forming his own League with teams from Wichita, Columbus, Buffalo, Birmingham and New York.
Radio sportscasters and newspaper columnists all over the country begin calling for Walker's ouster and the return of Marshall Cooper. Fans and owners are not happy with the subdued direction of the League. Judge Hugh Walker's newly regulated League opens to low gate earnings and uninspired games played by unmotivated players. Though some players and fans resist, Walker is successful, though Marshall Cooper resigns. A judge by profession, Hugh Walker champions additional regulations upon the League, including the rights of referees to impose penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct. The first League game between the Shamrocks and Bottlers also ushers in a new era when it is broadcast over the radio.ĭecemHugh Walker takes co-ownership of the League after the death of his brother Tobias from a stroke. Newcomers the Milwaukee Bottlers and Atlanta Golden Knights also join the fray. The Cougars nickname, once attached to Hartford, is transferred to a Trenton franchise.
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Cooper goes on to be thrice decorated for valor and survives the war to become a pivotal persona in the formation of professional football in America.ĪpThe League Is Back: Tobias Walker and Marshall Cooper reconstitute The League, ushering in what many consider as "The Golden Age of Football." Initial teams include the re-formed New York Shamrocks, Chicago Scouts and Boston Spirit. It's said that hostilities on both sides ceased during play and cheers could be heard both in American and German. Other Battles Overseas:Lieutenant Marshall Cooper of the 4th Brigade, former halfback of the Chicago Scouts, organizes an impromptu football match in the muddy fields near Amiens in-between bouts of bloody combat with the Germans. The League plays exactly one season, with the New York Shamrocks emerging as League champions, before America enters World War I and siphons off most of the young men playing the game. The bronze trophy intended for the tournament's winner disappears before it can be awarded, and is never seen again.įebruWalker Forms League: Tobias "Wolf" Walker forms the first professional football league with four teams: The Boston Spirit, New York Shamrocks, Chicago Scouts and Hartford Cougars. The rules are worked out at a heated conference the day before the tournament with all eight teams agreeing to "keep the uglier boorish behavior off the field." In reality, the tournament turns out to be a bloody affair, with the winning team from Burroughs University in Wisconsin, led by legendary coach Ned "Two by Four" Perkins, finishing with less than half their starters still on the field. JEarly College Ball: The first collegiate tournament is played in Chicago. Eastman is rumored to have made 100 times as much from betting on the game, which some still claim was fixed. The players are paid between $50-$100 each. Rules of conduct are worked out between team captains before games because attempts to have referees do more than tally the final score are vehemently resisted.ĪpFirst Professional Game: Railroad magnate Hollis Eastman, a former quarterback for Evanswood University in Cambridge Massachusetts, sponsors the first "professional" football game between the Belmont Bearcats and the Lexington Pioneers. Black days, but the scandal passes and the game is better for the changes.ĪugEarly Days of Football: Some universities, prompted by generous and influential alumni, begin staging football matches again. Betting on these matches becomes a profitable underground business. Averse to regulation and unwilling to halt the "Gentlemanly Sport of Football" many college teams arrange matches covertly. Universities across the country attempt to ban or regulate football after a player from Eastern Methodist Tech is killed during a rough and tumble game. Ivy league universities adapt Canadian rugby rules and create the game of American Football.