John Chalmers Tschappat Jr. (June 22, 1896 – February 6, 1958), sometimes listed as John Franklin Tschappat, was 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 ...
player. He played at the
tackle position for 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 ...
of 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 ...
(later renamed the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, 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 ...
) (NFL) during the
1921 APFA season
The 1921 APFA season was the second season of the American Professional Football Association, which was renamed the National Football League in 1922.
The Staleys, who moved their base of operations from Decatur, Illinois, to Chicago mid-seas ...
, the second regular season of the National Football League.
Tschappat was born in
Bellaire, Ohio
Bellaire is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 3,870 at the 2020 census, having peaked in 1920. It is part of the Wheeling metropolitan area.
The Bellaire Brid ...
in 1896 and later attended
Bellaire High School.
His father, John Tschappat Sr., was an Ohio native who was employed as a boiler maker.
Tschappat played
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
at
West Virginia Wesleyan College
West Virginia Wesleyan College is a private college in Buckhannon, West Virginia, United States. It has an enrollment of about 1,055 students from 35 U.S. states and 26 countries. The school was founded in 1890 by the West Virginia Conference of ...
in 1916. In 1918,
Walter Camp
Walter Chauncey Camp (April 7, 1859 – March 14, 1925) was an American college football player and coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". Among a long list of inventions, he created the sport's line of scrimmage a ...
's ''Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide'' named Tschappat to its All-West Virginia eleven. Tschappat also studied chemistry as a special student at
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
in 1917.
During the
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
era, he served in the United States Army Medical Department from June 1918 to March 1919 and was stationed at the Medical Detachment, Infirmary Convalescent Center,
Camp Hancock, Georgia.
[Application for Headstone for John Tschappat, born June 22, 1896, died February 26, 1958. National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Applications for Headstones for U.S. military veterans, 1925-1941; National Archives Microfilm Publication: A1, 2110-C; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General; Record Group Number: 92. Ancestry.com. U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963 atabase on-line] He became a sergeant.
[
After his discharge from the military, Tschappat returned to Ohio. In the fall of 1919, in the early days of professional football in 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 ...
, he served as the line coach for Bellaire Athletic Association team during the 1919 season.
In the fall of 1921, he played at the tackle position for the 1921 Dayton Triangles of 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 ...
during the 1921 APFA season
The 1921 APFA season was the second season of the American Professional Football Association, which was renamed the National Football League in 1922.
The Staleys, who moved their base of operations from Decatur, Illinois, to Chicago mid-seas ...
, the second regular season of the NFL.
He is buried at Greenwood Cemetery, Bellaire, Ohio.[
He is a member of the Bellaire High School Wall of Fame.
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tschappat, Chalmers
1896 births
1958 deaths
American football tackles
West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats football players
Dayton Triangles players
Players of American football from Bellaire, Ohio
United States Army non-commissioned officers