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

. The team played in the unofficial "

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 pr ...

" 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 ma ...

in 1922). The Celts were a

traveling team Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel ca ...

, 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 1 ...

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 George Milton Roudebush (January 25, 1894 – February 29, 1992) was an American professional football player with the Canton Bulldogs, Cincinnati Celts of the " Ohio League", and the Dayton Triangles of the early National Football League (NFL). ...

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

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, 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

end zone The end zone is the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field. ...

, 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 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