- McKeesport Olympics
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McKeesport Olympics Founded 1896 Folded c1940 Based in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, United States League Independent Team History McKeesport Olympics (1896-c1940) Team Colors Unknown Owner(s) McKeesport Athletic Club The McKeesport Olympics were a professional football team from McKeesport, Pennsylvania from 1896 until around 1940. The Olympics were considered one of the top football teams in Pennsylvania from 1910 until 1919.
The Olympics played against many of the teams that would go on to form the National Football League. These teams included the Buffalo All-Americans, Rochester Jeffersons and the Canton Bulldogs. The primary reason the Olympics never joined the NFL during the early era was the state of Pennsylvania's blue laws which prevented football from being played on Sunday; as a result, no Pennsylvania team joined the NFL (which played most of its games on Sundays) until 1924, though because most teams were available to play on Saturdays, they were able to schedule exhibition games against NFL teams fairly easily. Why the Olympics never joined after that was unclear. The team also played against a current NFL team, the Pittsburgh Pirates (renamed the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1940) twice. The first game between the two clubs was held on October 31, 1938. The Pirates, led by Byron White, would go on to win that game 21-6. However almost a year later, on October 4, 1939 in McKeesport, while the Pirates would go on to win that game too, the semi-pro Olympics held them to a much closer score, 9-6.
The Olympics also played against several strong clubs that never made it into the NFL. These teams included the Youngstown Patricians and the Shelby Blues. However the Olympics main rivals were the Pitcairn Quakers, another strong team from the Pittsburgh-area. In 1919 the Olympics had won the first game of the two-game series, 3-0 and had employed the entire Cleveland Indians team just for that game. However Pitcairn would win the second game due to a last minute field goal by Paul Rupp.
References
- Johnson, Pearce (1987). "When Did They Start?". Coffin Corner (Professional Football Researchers Association) 9 (6): 1–5. http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/09-06-304.pdf.
- Dugo, Andy (1969). "Patcairn's Grid Quakers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 9 (June 3): 13. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19690603&id=wUoNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EG0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7272,319811.
- "Patcairn Quakers defeat McKeesport Olympics". Pittsburgh Gazette 9 (November 23): 27. 1919. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1126&dat=19191123&id=sD8NAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EmgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5690,559104.
- Hogrogian, John (1996). "Byron White's Rookie Season". Coffin Corner (Professional Football Researchers Association) 18 (6): 1–14. http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/18-06-675.pdf.
- Hogrogian, John (2000). "Twelve Interesting Things About The 1939 NFL Season". Coffin Corner (Professional Football Researchers Association) 22 (3): 1–5. http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/22-03-851.pdf.
- PFRA: Western New York Committee (2007). 1921 Rochester Jeffersons. Professional Football Researchers Association. pp. 1–8. http://www.profootballresearchers.org/WNY/1921_Rochester_Jeffersons.pdf.
- PFRA Research. "Thrope Arrives". Coffin Corner (Professional Football Researchers Association): 1–5. http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Articles/Thorpe_Arrives.pdf.
- PFRA Research. "Parratt Wins Again". Coffin Corner (Professional Football Researchers Association): 1–5. http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Articles/Parratt_Wins_Again.pdf.
Early Pennsylvania American football teams 1890–1945 Pre-1900 Allegheny Athletic Association | Duquesne Country and Athletic Club | Greensburg Athletic Association | Homestead Library & Athletic Club | Jeannette Athletic Club | Latrobe Athletic Association | Pittsburgh Athletic Club | Pittsburgh Lyceum | Western Pennsylvania All-StarsNational Football League (1902) Philadelphia Athletics | Philadelphia Phillies | Pittsburgh Stars1903–1921 Conshohocken Athletic Club | Franklin Athletic Club | Glassport Odds | Holmesburg Athletic Club | McKeesport Olympics | Oil City Athletic Club | Pitcairn Quakers | Union Club of Phoenixville | Union Quakers of PhiladelphiaAnthracite League (1924) Coaldale Big Green | Gilberton Cadamounts | Pottsville Maroons | Shenandoah Yellow Jackets | Wilkes-Barre BaronsEastern League of Professional Football (1926) All-Lancaster Red Roses | Bethlehem Bears | Clifton Heights Orange & Black | Coaldale Big Green | Mount Carmel WolverinesAFL I (1926) AFL II (1936) Pittsburgh AmericansEarly NFL (1921–1930) Wartime NFL (1941–1945) Categories:- Defunct sports teams in Pennsylvania
- Sports clubs established in 1896
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