The 1920 Cleveland Tigers season was the franchise's inaugural season in the

American Professional Football Association The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

(APFA) and fifth total as an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

team. The Tigers entered the season coming off a 5-win, 2-loss, 2-tie (5–2–2) record in 1919. After the 1919 season, several representatives from the

Ohio League The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1902 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship (OIC). As the name implied, its teams were mostly based in Ohio. It is the direct p ...

, a loose organization of professional football teams, wanted to form a new professional league; thus, the APFA was created. The Tigers opened the season with a 0–0

tie Tie has two principal meanings: * Tie (draw), a finish to a competition with identical results, particularly sports * Necktie, a long piece of cloth worn around the neck or shoulders Tie or TIE may also refer to: Engineering and technology * T ...

against the

Dayton Triangles The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association (now the National Football League (NFL)) in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Trian ...

, en route to a 2–4–2 record, which placed the team 10th in the final standings. In week 8, the Tigers scored 7 points against the

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

, which was the only points Akron allowed all season. The sportswriter Bruce Copeland compiled the 1920

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

list, but no players from the Tigers were on it. As of 2012, no player from the 1920 Tigers roster has been enshrined in the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

Offseason

The Cleveland Tigers finished 5–2–2 in their 1919 season in the

. After the 1919 season, representatives of four Ohio League teams—the

Canton Bulldogs The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and the American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football Lea ...

, the Tigers, the

, and the

—called a meeting on August 20, 1920, to discuss the formation of a new league. At the meeting, they tentatively agreed on a

salary cap In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Seve ...

and pledged not to sign college players or players already under contract with other teams. They also agreed on a name for the circuit: the American Professional Football Conference. They then invited other professional teams to a second meeting on September 17. At the second meeting, held at Bulldogs owner

Ralph Hay Ralph Edward Hay (January 12, 1891July 29, 1944) was the owner of the Canton Bulldogs from 1918 through the 1922 season. However, he is mostly recognized for organizing the first meeting of teams that would later form the American Professional ...

Hupmobile Hupmobile was a line of automobiles built from 1909 through 1939 by the Hupp Motor Car Company of Detroit. The prototype was developed in 1908. History Founding In 1909, Bobby Hupp co-founded Hupp Motor Car Company, with Charles Hastin ...

showroom in Canton, representatives of the

Rock Island Independents The Rock Island Independents were a professional American football team, based in Rock Island, Illinois, from 1907 to 1926. The Independents were a founding National Football League franchise. They hosted what has been retrospectively designated ...

, 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, b ...

, the

Decatur Staleys The Chicago Bears American football franchise is a charter member of the National Football League (NFL), and has played in all of the league's 100 seasons. The team has captured nine NFL championships – eight NFL championships and one Super ...

, the

Racine Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

, the

Massillon Tigers The Massillon Tigers were an early professional football team from Massillon, Ohio. Playing in the " Ohio League", the team was a rival to the pre-National Football League version of the Canton Bulldogs. The Tigers won Ohio League championshi ...

, the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

, and the

Hammond Pros The Hammond Pros were an American football team from Hammond, Indiana that played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1926 as a traveling team. History The Pros were established by local businessman Paul Parduhn and Dr. Alva Young. ...

agreed to join the league. Representatives of the

Buffalo All-Americans Buffalo, New York had a turbulent, early-era National Football League team that operated under multiple names and several different owners between the 1910s and 1920s. The early NFL-era franchise was variously called the Buffalo All-Stars fr ...

and

Rochester Jeffersons The Rochester Jeffersons were an American football team based in Rochester, New York from 1898 to 1925. The team was a founding member of the National Football League (NFL), in which they played from 1920 to 1925. History Formed as an amateur ...

could not attend the meeting, but sent letters to Hay asking to be included in the league. Team representatives changed the league's name slightly to the American Professional Football Association and elected officers, installing Jim Thorpe as president. Under the new league structure, teams created their schedules dynamically as the season progressed, so there were no minimum or maximum number of games needed to be played. Also, representatives of each team voted to determine the winner of the APFA trophy.

Schedule

Standings

Game summaries

Game 1: at Dayton Triangles

''October 10, 1920, at Triangle Park'' In their opening game of the 1920 season, the Tigers played the Dayton Triangles. The Triangles were coming off a historic game; it was the first match between two APFA teams. No team scored in this game, and it ended in a 0–0 tie.

Game 2: at Canton Bulldogs

''October 17, 1920, at Lakeside Park'' The Tigers next faced the Canton Bulldogs, which would be the Bulldogs' first APFA opponent. The Tigers lost 7–0 before a crowd of 7,000 people. The Bulldogs' offense had 15 first downs, and the only score of the game came when the Bulldogs' Ike Martin had a 7-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe (; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete who won Olympic gold medals and played professional American football, football, baseball, and basketball. A citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was ...

of the Bulldogs, who would later be enshrined in the

, made his season debut in the game, coming in as a substitute in the fourth quarter.

Game 3: at Akron Pros

''October 24, 1920, at League Park'' The Akron Pros were the Tigers' next opponent. Playing in front of 6,000 fans, the game was called a "punting duel" by the ''

Youngstown Vindicator ''The Vindicator'' is a daily newspaper serving Youngstown, Ohio, United States and the Mahoning County region as well as southern Trumbull County and northern Columbiana County. ''The Vindicator'' was established in 1869. As of September 1, ...

''. The only score came from a

punt block In gridiron football, a punt is a kick performed by dropping the ball from the hands and then kicking the ball before it hits the ground. The most common use of this tactic is to punt the ball downfield to the opposing team, usually on the final ...

by Akron's Bob Nash in the first quarter. Nash grabbed the ball from the Tigers' punter,

Stan Cofall Stanley Bingham Cofall (May 5, 1894 – September 21, 1961) was an American football player and coach. Early life Cofall was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Fred and Ida Bingham Cofall. In 1910 he played football at East Technical High School. He th ...

, on the 8-yard line and ran in for the score. With an extra point from

Charlie Copley Charles Francis Copley (September 1, 1887 – May 29, 1944) was a professional football player who played for the Akron Pros and the Milwaukee Badgers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Muhlenberg College and Mis ...

, the Pros defeated the Tigers 7–0 to keep their undefeated season alive. During the game, injuries for both teams occurred. Pollard of the Pros dislocated his right shoulder, and Toughey Conn for the Tigers injured his right leg in the fourth quarter.

Game 4: vs. Columbus Panhandles

''October 31, 1920, at League Park'' On Halloween the Tigers played against the Columbus Panhandles in front of 5,000 fans, The Tigers won 7–0. The lone score came from a rushing touchdown in the second quarter from Charlie Brickley. This was the eighth straight loss for the Panhandles, dating back to 1919, and the seventh straight without scoring. According to football historian Chris Willis, this loss for the Panhandles crushed the city of Columbus and made the Panhandles challenge lesser teams for the rest of the season.

Game 5: vs. Canton Bulldogs

''November 7, 1920, at Dunn Field'' Tigers' next game was played against the Canton Bulldogs, who were coming off their first loss of the season. Neither team scored in the first quarter, but the Bulldogs ran for two touchdowns in the second. Calac and Grigg had 6- and 15-yard rushing touchdowns. The Bulldogs' defense forced two safeties—one in the third and one in the fourth quarter—to win the game 18–0.

Game 6: vs. Akron Pros

''November 14, 1920, at Dunn Park,

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

'' In their second game of November, the Tigers had a rematch with the Pros. Playing in front of 8,000 fans, the Pros allowed their first and only points of the year from a 50-yard touchdown pass from Mark Devlin to Tuffy Conn and an extra point by Al Pierotti in the third quarter. Pollard had a 20-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter and Copley made an extra point to tie the game at 7–7, making it the second tie of the season for the Tigers.

Game 7: vs. Toledo Maroons

''November 21, 1920, at Dunn Field, Cleveland, Ohio'' The

Toledo Maroons The Toledo Maroons were a professional American football team based in Toledo, Ohio in the National Football League in 1922 and 1923. Prior to joining the NFL, the Maroons played in the unofficial "Ohio League" from 1902 until 1921. History O ...

were the Tigers' next opponent. The Maroons were an independent team but joined the APFA in 1922. Prior to this game, the Maroons did not score a point against an APFA tem all season, and that streak continued into this game. In the first quarter, Baston blocked a kick and ran it for a touchdown. He would later score the game's final points in the fourth as he caught a receiving touchdown from Pierotti. The final score of the game was a 14–0 victory for the Tigers.

Game 8: at Buffalo All-Americans

''November 28, 1920, at Buffalo Baseball Park'' In their final game of the 1920 season, the Tigers played against the Buffalo All-Americans, who were coming off their first loss of the season. The '' Public Ledger'' called the game "scrappy"; most forward passes were blocked, and neither team's offense was productive. A total of 5,000 fans showed up to the game. The All-Americans had possession on the 5-yard line and the 1-foot line, but the Tigers' defense stopped them. The only score of the game came in the third quarter when Buffalo quarterback Oscar Anderson scored an 8-yard rushing touchdown going around end.

Post-season

Due to several losses, the Tigers did not contend for the APFA trophy in 1920, a prize awarded by the league's owners to the league's best team at the end of the season. The Tigers' performance of 2–4–2 would be the team's best before folding in

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

. Sportswriter Bruce Copeland compiled the 1920 All Pro team, but no players made the list. As of 2012, no players from the 1920 Dayton Triangles were enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Roster

The following saw action in at least one game for the 1920 Cleveland Tigers. The number of APFA games in which they appeared follows in parentheses."1920 Cleveland Tigers Roster & Players,"
Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com Linemen *

Bert Baston Albert Preston Baston (December 3, 1894 – November 16, 1979) was an American football end who played for the Cleveland Tigers of the American Professional Football Conference (APFC) for one season. He played college football for the Minneso ...

(8) * Harry Baujan (6) * Tom Gormley (8) *

John Haggerty John Haggerty (born October 17, 1960, Chicago) is an influential Chicago guitarist. Haggerty was a member of Naked Raygun from 1983 to 1989. Upon leaving Naked Raygun, He formed the band Pegboy with brother Joe Haggerty, Steve Saylors, and Larr ...

(5) * Pat Herron (1) * George Kerr (2) * Phil Marshall (1) * Ed O'Hearn (5) * Irving Pearlman (8) * Al Pierotti (5) * Frank Rydzewski (3) * Herb Sies (1) * Joe Spagna (3) * Ed Stahl (3) *

Claude Thornhill Claude Thornhill (August 10, 1908 – July 1, 1965) was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. He composed the jazz and pop standards "Snowfall" and "I Wish I Had You". Early years Thornhill was the son of J. Chester Thornhill ...

(8) * Ray Trowbridge (3) * Al Wesbecher (5) Backs *

George Brickley George Vincent Brickley (July 19, 1894 – February 23, 1947) was an American professional athlete that competed in baseball and American football. In baseball, he played as an outfielder in the majors for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1913. H ...

(5) * Jim Bryant (3) *

(3) * George Conn (6) * Earl Cramer (7) * Mark Devlin (4) *

Dinger Doane Erling Eugene "Dinger" Doane (October 14, 1893 – June 5, 1948) was an American football player. He excelled at football at Somerville High School from 1912 to 1914 before being a standout at Tufts University where he scored a touchdown in Tuft ...

(4) *

Moon Ducote Richard Joseph "Moon" "Duke" DuCôté ( ; August 28, 1897 – March 26, 1937) was an American baseball, American football, football, and basketball coach, football and baseball player, official (American football), football official, and busines ...

(1) *

Johnny Gilroy John Roland Gilroy (March 5, 1896 – July 20, 1952), also known as "the Great Gilroy", was an All-American American football, football Halfback (American football), halfback for Georgetown University and a professional football player for the Ca ...

(2) * Charlie Hastings (3) * Joey Mattern (1) * Jack O'Hearn (5) * Leo Petree (2)

Offseason

Schedule

Standings

Game summaries

Game 1: at Dayton Triangles

Game 2: at Canton Bulldogs

Game 3: at Akron Pros

Game 4: vs. Columbus Panhandles

Game 5: vs. Canton Bulldogs

Game 6: vs. Akron Pros

Game 7: vs. Toledo Maroons

Game 8: at Buffalo All-Americans

Post-season

Roster

References

Further reading