The1922 NFL season was the thirdregular season of what was now called theNational Football League (NFL); the league changed its name from American Professional Football Association (APFA) on June 24, 1922.
| Regular season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | October 1 – December 10, 1922 |
| Champions | Canton Bulldogs |
ProsIndiansA total of 75 games were played by the 18 teams of the league, with a claimed total attendance in excess of 400,000. The league championship was won by theCanton Bulldogs, the first of two back-to back titles.
Background
editThe NFL fielded 18 teams during the season, including new league teams such as theMilwaukee Badgers, theOorang Indians, theRacine Legion, and theToledo Maroons. Technically, it was also Green Bay's first full season in the league, after their membership was suspended because the team had fielded college players in1921.
The team representatives filed for a new franchise before the 1922 season under the name of the Green Bay Athletic club, and were registered in the league under the nameGreen Bay Blues. They returned to the original name a year later; most teams around the league continued to call them the Packers.[1] Meanwhile, the Chicago Staleys changed their name to theChicago Bears, and the Racine Cardinals changed their name to theChicago Cardinals.
TheMuncie Flyers,Cleveland Indians,Brickley's New York Giants,Cincinnati Celts,Tonawanda Kardex,Washington Senators, andDetroit Tigers dropped out of the league. A 19th team, theYoungstown Patricians, was scheduled to join the league, and had its schedule laid out, but folded before playing in the league. A 20th, thePhiladelphia Union Quakers, also was set to join (but presumably not as far along as the Youngstown plans), but did not, due partly to the fact that the Quakers were merely a front for the existing Buffalo All-Americans to play extra games on Saturday. After a four-year hiatus, the Quakers instead joined theAmerican Football League (1926).
TheCanton Bulldogs were named the 1922 NFL Champions after ending the season with a 10–0–2 record.
The league's teams salary cap was $1,200 per game,[2] while the new teams expansion fee was $500.[3]
Teams
editEighteen teams competed in the NFL during the 1922 season, down from 21 clubs during the previous season.
| First season in NFL | Team folded this season |
Standings
edit| NFL standings | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |||
| Canton Bulldogs | 10 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 184 | 15 | W6 | ||
| Chicago Bears | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 123 | 44 | L1 | ||
| Chicago Cardinals | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 96 | 50 | W1 | ||
| Toledo Maroons | 5 | 2 | 2 | .714 | 94 | 59 | L2 | ||
| Rock Island Independents | 4 | 2 | 1 | .667 | 154 | 27 | L1 | ||
| Racine Legion | 6 | 4 | 1 | .600 | 122 | 56 | L1 | ||
| Dayton Triangles | 4 | 3 | 1 | .571 | 80 | 62 | W1 | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 3 | 3 | .571 | 70 | 54 | W2 | ||
| Buffalo All-Americans | 5 | 4 | 1 | .556 | 87 | 41 | W2 | ||
| Akron Pros | 3 | 5 | 2 | .375 | 146 | 95 | L3 | ||
| Milwaukee Badgers | 2 | 4 | 3 | .333 | 51 | 71 | L3 | ||
| Oorang Indians | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 69 | 190 | W2 | ||
| Minneapolis Marines | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 | 19 | 40 | L1 | ||
| Louisville Brecks | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 | 13 | 140 | W1 | ||
| Evansville Crimson Giants | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 6 | 88 | L3 | ||
| Rochester Jeffersons | 0 | 4 | 1 | .000 | 13 | 76 | L4 | ||
| Hammond Pros | 0 | 5 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 69 | L2 | ||
| Columbus Panhandles | 0 | 8 | 0 | .000 | 24 | 174 | L8 | ||
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Attendance
editAccording to league presidentJoe F. Carr, more than 400,000 people attended the 75 games played by the teams of the National Football League in 1922.[4]
References
edit- ^"The Taylorville Scandal"(PDF).
- ^"A Few More Loose Ends 1922"(PDF).The Professional Football Researchers Association.
- ^"Ditto1923"(PDF).The Professional Football Researchers Association.
- ^"Canton Bulldogs Win Pro Football Crown: More Than 400,000 Witnessed Games Played by Champs,"Scranton Times, Jan. 1, 1923, p. 14.
Further reading
edit- Tom Bennett, et al. (eds.),The NFL's Official Encyclopedic History of Professional Football. Revised and expanded edition. New York: Macmillan, 1977.
- Bob Carroll, et al. (eds.),Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. New York: HarperCollins, 1999.
- Santo Labombarda and NFL Communications Department (eds.),2024 NFL Record and Fact Book. New York: National Football League, 2024.
- Tod Maher and Bob Gill (eds.),The Pro Football Encyclopedia: The Complete and Definitive Record of Professional Football. New York: Macmillan USA, 1997.
- David S. Neft, Richard M. Cohen, and Rick Korch,The Football Encyclopedia: The Complete History of Professional Football from 1892 to the Present. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991.