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 Football Association, later called 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).

Car salesman

Hay attended high school in

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, eighth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 70,872 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Canton–Massillo ...

. Following graduation, at age 18, went to work as an automobile salesman for a local dealership. After several years selling cars, Hay went into the car business for himself. He set up the Ralph E. Hay Motor Company, and sold Jordan Hupmobiles and

Pierce-Arrow The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company was an American Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York, active from 1901 to 1938. Although best known for its expensive Luxury vehicle, luxury cars, Pierce-Arrow also manuf ...

s. Hay became one of the most successful automobile dealers in the state of

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

Canton Bulldogs

In 1918, at the age of 27, Hay acquired the Canton Bulldogs from Jack Cusack, when Cusack decided to return to

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

and compete in the

oil industry The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The largest volume products ...

. Hay had planned to use the team to help promote his car business and pursue his love of football. At the time the Bulldogs were the top team 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 p ...

", winning championships in 1916 and 1917. The team did not compete much in 1918 due to manning issues related to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

involvement in

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 ...

. However, in 1919, the Bulldogs again won the championship. Despite winning a championship, the Bulldogs did not draw well. Not enough fans came to games to pay for the high-priced salaries owed to the players. Hay lost money. To combat the increasing salaries, as well as the issue of players jumping from team to team, Hay sought to form a league. The league idea came from Canton's star halfback,

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 ...

, who in turn heard the idea from Rochester Jeffersons owner

Leo Lyons Leo David William Lyons (born 30 November 1943) is an English musician, who was most known as the bassist of the blues rock band Ten Years After. Biography Leo Lyons was born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire in November 1943 and became a profes ...

during a 1917 match between the Bulldogs and the Jeffs.

Formation of the NFL

On Friday, August 20, 1920, Hay met in Canton with the managers of 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 ...

, Cleveland Tigers, and Dayton Triangles to form the American Professional Football Conference. The Akron delegation consisted of

Frank Nied Francis Theodore Nied (August 14, 1894 – May 13, 1969) was a founder of the American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football League in 1922), as well as the owner of the Akron Pros and, as the team became known as ...

and Art Ranney. While Jimmy O'Donnell and Stan Cofall represented Cleveland, and

Carl Storck :''This is about the American football executive, not to be confused with sculptors Carol Storck or Karl Storck Carl H. Storck (born November 14, 1892 – March 13, 1950) was a co-founder of the National Football League (NFL), as well as the fou ...

Dayton. At the meeting Hay was elected secretary of the league. He then wrote to every important pro team in the Midwest, including

George Halas George Stanley Halas Sr. (February 2, 1895 – October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear", was an American professional football end, coach, and executive. He was the founder and owner of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL), ...

manager of the Decatur Staleys, inviting them to meet in Canton on Friday, September 17, 1920, at 8:00 pm. Representatives from ten pro teams showed up. Because Hay's office was too small, the meeting was held in his automobile showroom. Some of the owners sat on car running boards due to a lack of seats. The resulting organization operated for two years as the American Professional Football Association before its name was changed to the National Football League in 1922. The ten original franchises were from four states. The Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Tigers, and Dayton Triangles from Ohio; the Hammond Pros and Muncie Flyers from

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

; the Rochester Jeffersons from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

; and 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 ...

, Decatur Staleys, and Racine Cardinals from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. Four other franchises the Buffalo All-Americans, Chicago Tigers,

Columbus Panhandles The Columbus Panhandles were a professional American football team based in Columbus, Ohio. The club was founded in 1901 by workers at the Panhandle shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad. They were a part of the Ohio League from 1904 before foldi ...

, and Detroit Heralds would join the league later that year. Hay was asked to become the league's president, however he suggested that

take the position on the belief that his fame would enhance the league.

Bulldogs in the NFL

Hay built a strong team in Canton during the early 1920s, signing three future Hall of Famers in tackle Wilbur Henry, tackle Roy "Link" Lyman, and end Guy Chamberlin. When Chamberlin took over as coach in

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

from Cap Edwards, the Bulldogs went undefeated and won the NFL championship. However, Hay continued to lose money with the Bulldogs. Before the 1923 season, he sold the team to a group of local businessmen. The Bulldogs went on to win the 1923 NFL Championship and became the first NFL team to win back-to-back league titles.

Legacy

On April 27, 1961, Canton was selected by the NFL as the site for 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 ...

. The efforts of Hay and the Bulldogs were offered as proof for the shrine to be located in Canton. While Hay has not yet been enshrined in the Hall, the city of Canton put up a plaque on the Bow Federal building in downtown Canton, the site where Ralph's automobile showroom once stood. The plaque recognizes Ralph Hay and

, and the historic meeting on September 17, 1920, that saw the birth of the NFL. In 1972, the

created the Ralph Hay Pioneer Award which honors those who have made innovative contributions throughout pro football history. In 1988, the

Professional Football Researchers Association The Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA) is an organization of researchers whose mission is to preserve and, in some cases, reconstruct professional American football history. It was founded on June 22, 1979 in Canton, Ohio by w ...

established the Ralph Hay Award which is awarded for "lifetime achievement in pro football research and historiography." In 2020, Hay was named a finalist for that year's class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a contributor for the first time, but was not elected. He was named a semifinalist in 2022, and
finalist again for the 2025 class.

Family

Hay was married to Esther Becker, who had previously served as his secretary. They had one daughter. She lived to have multiple children. The family's generation is still going as of today.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hay, Ralph 1891 births 1944 deaths NFL founders NFL franchise owners Canton Bulldogs Sportspeople from Canton, Ohio