The Bethlehem Bears were an early professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team from

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton and Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Bethle ...

. The team was initiated and formed by Michael "Gyp" Downey who served as

player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

and the team's manager. The Bears competed in the

Eastern League of Professional Football The Eastern League of Professional Football was an american football minor league formed in 1926 by independent clubs from Pennsylvania and New Jersey (separate from the ''" Eastern Pennsylvania Football League"'' which played in the late 1930s an ...

in 1926.

Carl Beck

The best known member of the team's line-up was Carl Beck, who won the 1924

Anthracite League The Anthracite League, also referred to as the Anthracite Association, was a short-lived American football Minor league football (gridiron), minor league comprising teams based in coal-mining towns in eastern Pennsylvania (hence the league name' ...

championship with the

Pottsville Maroons The Pottsville Maroons were an American football team based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in the northeastern part of the state. Founded in 1920, they played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1925 to 1928. In 1929 they relocated to Bost ...

. He also won the 1925 NFL Championship with the Maroons before it was stripped from the team due to a disputed rules violation.

1926 season

The Bears began their 1926 league season against the

Coaldale Big Green The Coaldale Big Green was an early professional football team based in Coaldale, Pennsylvania. The club played as an independent until joining the Anthracite League in 1924. After leaving the league in 1924, the team spent its 1925 season as a ...

, was widely expected to contend for the new league's championship. Beck suffered an injury in the second half of the game and Bethlehem was defeated in a 16-0 shut-out. However, the Bears later rebounded in a 10-0 victory against the

Clifton Heights Black & Orange The Clifton Heights Orange and Black was a professional football team from Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, a town located just to the southwest of Philadelphia, from 1921 until around 1932. The team was operated by the Clifton Heights Athletic As ...

. A few weeks later the Bears defeated the Gilberton Catamounts, featuring future

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Fritz Pollard Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard (January 27, 1894 – May 11, 1986) was an American professional football player and coach. In 1921, he became the first African-American head coach in the National Football League (NFL). Pollard and Bobby Mar ...

, 9-0. This win set up a championship scenario for a game between the Bears and the All-Lancaster Red Roses.

1926 Championship controversy

The Bears and the Red Roses were the top two teams in the league. On November 28, 1926 both teams meet for a game that would most likely determine the league champion. The Bears won the 3-0 due to a last minute

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, ...

by Downey. The Bears ended the season with 6-2-2 record against league opponents and a post-season victory over All-Lancaster. Bethlehem felt that these actions were enough to legitimize their claim to an Eastern League championship. However, there was some question regarding Bethlehem's claim to the championship. These questions may have been related to the introduction of several "ringers" into the Bears line-up for the team's final four games against Eastern League opponents. Local newspapers soon reported that the league awarded the title to the 5-2-3 All-Lancaster Red Roses. Presumably on the basis of that team's October victory over the second-place Gilberton Catamounts. After the season, Bethlehem offered the

of the National Football League $4,000 to play them at home. The Bears then lost to Pottsville in a lopsided defeat.

1926 All-Eastern League Selections

The Bears players elected to be 1926 "All-Eastern League" selections, as announced by league president Herman Meyer. * Carl Beck 1st Team Right Halfback *

Mike Gaffney Michael Victor Gaffney (born 30 November 1959) is an Australian politician. He has been an Independent member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council since 2009, representing the seat of Mersey. Born in Devonport, Gaffney was trained as a teacher ...

2nd Team Left End * Charlie Eastman 2nd Team

Left Guard In American football, a guard (G), otherwise known as an offensive guard (OG), is an offensive line player who lines up between the center and the tackles. Like other offensive line positions, guards are used primarily for blocking. Right ...

Notes

{{Defunct Pennsylvania sports teams American football teams established in 1926 Defunct American football teams in Pennsylvania American football teams disestablished in 1926 1926 establishments in Pennsylvania 1926 disestablishments in Pennsylvania