Pottsville Maroons

"Boston Bulldogs (NFL) redirects here. For the Boston Bulldogs team that competed in the first American Football League, see Boston Bulldogs (AFL)"

The Pottsville Maroons played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1925 to 1928. The team was owned by Dr. J.G. Streigel and played at Minersville Park, now the site of King's Village shopping plaza. The team became the Boston Bulldogs in 1929 (not related to the Boston Bulldogs of the American Football League three years earlier). The NFL considers the Bulldogs and the Maroons to be the same team.

The Maroons, from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, were one of the best teams in the league in 1925 and 1926, recording regular-season records of 10-2 and 10-2-1, respectively. However, the team suffered losing records the next two seasons. In 1929, the team then moved to Boston, Massachusetts, and became the Bulldogs, but folded after the season.

- but posted the worst record in franchise history. At the end of the season the players were given a small football made of anthracite coal, a memento of the last season played in Pottsville.

1925 NFL Championship controversy

Controversy surrounds who actually won the 1925 NFL Championship. Officially, the Chicago Cardinals are listed as the 1925 NFL champions because they finished with the best record; however, many Pottsville fans at the time claimed that the Maroons were the legitimate champions. The Maroons and Cardinals were the top contenders for the title, with Pottsville winning a late-season meeting between them, 21-7. But the Maroons scheduled a game against a team of Notre Dame All-Stars, which included the famed "Four Horseman" in Philadelphia (winning 9-7). Professional football was still struggling to carve out a niche in a sport that was only previously played collegiately, lacking credibility with fans who viewed the level of play as inferior. This was a major victory on the path to legitimizing the NFL and gaining much needed exposure for the fledgling league. However, on the same day the Frankford Yellow Jackets were scheduled to play a game in the same city. Frankford protested, citing an NFL bylaw that the game's venue violated their protected territory rights.

Although NFL president Joe Carr warned the Maroons in writing that they faced suspension if they played in Philadelphia, the Maroons claimed that Carr approved the game during a telephone call and played anyway. In response, Carr fined the club, suspended it from all league rights and privileges (including the right to play for the NFL championship), and returned its franchise to the league. It should be noted, that the then Chicago Cardinals did not attempt publicly take credit for the title until 1933, when it was acquired by the Bidwell family who still own the modern day franchise (since relocated to St. Louis and now Arizona). There are some who believe that a "curse" exists as a result of the debacle, and that in an era where the NFL has implemented measures to ensure competitive parity, the curse is the reason for the continued poor play of the Cardinals. [ESPN article]

The team has since been immortalized in the town of Pottsville, where there are bars and establishments bearing the team's name and an inspirational picture of the 1925 "World Champion" team displayed in the high school football team's locker room.

In 2003, the NFL briefly decided to address via a vote during an owners meeting on whether or not the league should re-examine the case regarding the 1925 championship. But in October, the NFL voted 30-2 not to reopen the case. Thus the Cardinals are still listed as the 1925 NFL champions. [http://home.comcast.net/~ghostsofthegridiron/Maroons_denied_2003.htm]

Pro Football Hall of Famers

*Wilbur "Pete" Henry
*Walt Kiesling
*John "Blood" McNally

eason-by-season

*The Maroons had the best record toward the championship but were suspended from the league after playing a game in Philadelphia against a team of Notre Dame All-Stars. (see above)

Notes and references

* [http://www.breakerboys1925.com/ BreakerBoys1925.com] - Official site about the history of the team.
*"Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League" (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
* [http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/ptb1925.htm 1925 Pottsville Maroons, Professional Football Reference] (URL last accessed September 30, 2006)
* [http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd1925.htm 1925 Chicago Cardinals, Professional Football Reference] (URL last accessed September 30, 2006)
* [http://nflhistory.net/linescores/pdf/1925.pdf#search=%22American%20Professional%20Football%20Association%22 1925 Football lines, NFL History] (URL last accessed September 30, 2006)
* [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=fleming/050928 Pottsville Maroons, Professional Football Reference]