The Cincinnati Celts (pronounced with a hard C) was the first professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

team to play in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

. The team played in the unofficial " Ohio League" and the American Professional Football Association (renamed the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

in 1922). The Celts were a traveling team, playing all of their APFA games in other cities' stadia. In its only season in the APFA, 1921, the team had a record of 1–3. For the entire span of the team's existence, the Celts were coached by Mel Doherty, who was also the team's center.

History

Origins

The Celts were established in 1910 as a semi-pro team made up primarily of players from

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the ...

in nearby

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. During the first 10 years of their existence, the team flourished while playing numerous semi-pro teams from Ohio. An early member of the squad, George Roudebush, referred to the team as being run “by a bunch of wild Irishmen.” In 1914, Lou Partlow played for the Celts.

1916 Pine Village game

One of the greatest moments in the team's early existence came against a team from

Pine Village, Indiana Pine Village is a town in Adams Township, Warren County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 217 at the 2010 census. History The town was founded at the location of a trading post called Pine Village, which may have been named for ...

, in 1916. While Pine Village consisted of only 300 residents, it was the top team in Indiana before

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, compiling a record of 12 undefeated seasons. In 117 games, the team had only one tie-game finish. Pine Village faced the Celts before a crowd of 2,500 people in nearby Lafayette. With Pine Village leading Cincinnati 6–2, the Celts were forced to punt. George Roudebush then lined up behind the punter. Under the rules of the time, anyone lining up behind the punter was eligible to recover the kick as a free ball. After the ball was kicked, Roudebush ran down the field. Pine Village, not wanting to touch the ball, was unaware that Roudebush was eligible to recover it. Roudebush recovered the ball in the Pine Village

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, giving the Celts a 9–6 victory.

NFL

The Celts were not initially invited to join the new APFA when the league was formed in 1920. The team accepted an invitation the following year, but proved unable to compete against league foes, being outscored 117–14 in their only four league games. The team's only two touchdowns, and sole victory, came during a 14–0 shutout of the

Muncie Flyers The Muncie Flyers, known as the Congerville Flyers for most of their existence, were a professional American football team from Muncie, Indiana, that played from 1905 to 1926. The Flyers were an independent squad for most of their existence, but ...

. The Celts also faced the 1920 APFA champion

Akron Pros The Akron Pros were a professional football team that played in Akron, Ohio from 1908 to 1926. The team originated in 1908 as a semi-pro team named the Akron Indians, but later became Akron Pros in 1920 as the team set out to become a charter ...

, Cleveland Tigers and the Evansville Crimson Giants, losing handily in each contest. The Celts finally withdrew from the league in 1922, just prior to it being renamed the National Football League. For many years, the NFL record book listed the Celts as having an APFA record of 0–8–0. After reviewing records from the era, the NFL corrected the standings. The team's finances were also troubling. Game attendance for the Celts never reached above 2,500 spectators. As a result of this and other financial issues, the Celts were unable to pay the nominal league fees. The Celts continued as an amateur team until 1923.

Season-by-season

External links

Cincinnati Celts profile at Ohio History Central
* {{Ohio League Baseball teams established in 1910 Baseball teams disestablished in 1923 1910 establishments in Ohio 1923 disestablishments in Ohio Defunct National Football League teams American football teams in Cincinnati Ohio League teams Defunct American football teams in Ohio