 | |
| Founded | 1926 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1926 |
| Based in | Philadelphia,Pennsylvania,United States |
| League | American Football League |
| Team history | Philadelphia Quakers (1926) |
| Team colors | Light Blue, Yellow, White |
| Head coaches | Bob Folwell |
| Owner(s) | L. S. Conway |
| AFL Championship wins | 1926 |
| Home field(s) | Sesquicentennial Stadium |
ThePhiladelphia Quakers were a professionalAmerican football team that competed in thefirst American Football League in1926 and won the league's only championship.
Owned by L. S. Conway,[1] the Quakers played their home games inSesquicentennial Stadium on Saturdays because ofPennsylvania’sBlue laws prohibiting work or business on Sundays. Coached byBob Folwell, the majority of the team played their college football inPennsylvania.[2] The Quakers had nine players (includingCentury Milstead,Charlie Way,Butch Spagna, andBull Behman) who had previously played for variousNational Football League teams. The combined experience gave the team an edge in line play, particularly on defense (the Quakers yielded only five points per game for the 1926 season). The addition ofAll-AmericanGlenn Killinger merely added to the defensive riches: he intercepted four passes in his league debut (November 4, 1926, in a 24-0 victory over theRock Island Independents).[3]
Unlike half of their league opponents, the Quakers had no financial connection with league foundersC. C. Pyle andRed Grange; Conway had previously owned anotherPhiladelphia Quakers football team in 1921, which was an on-field success but forced to disband when its player-sharing scheme with the NFL'sBuffalo All-Americans was halted[4] and a bid to join the NFL in1922 fell through.[5] In addition to having a championship team, the AFL Quakers drew well in the stadium in the midst of theSesquicentennial Exposition. When the fair ended (early November), the audience in the soon-to-be renamed Municipal Stadium diminished, but still drew well when the Quakers defeated theNew York Yankees 13-7 on a Bob Dinsmore punt return that decided the game - and the league championship (November 27, 1926).[6][7]
At the time of the championship-clinching game, the AFL had only four active teams (the Quakers, the Yankees, theLos Angeles Wildcats, and theChicago Bulls), three of which were being subsidized by C. C. Pyle and Red Grange.[8] The latter three teams played games in the last two weeks of the season while the Quakers started challengingNational Football League teams for a “pro football championship game.” TheNFL championsFrankford Yellow Jackets were the first to refuse, claiming that their postseason schedule had been already set. Additional challenges by the Quakers were unanswered untilTim Mara, owner of the seventh placeNew York Giants, accepted the challenge, scheduling a game for December 12, 1926, at thePolo Grounds.
As the Yankees and the Bulls were playing the AFL's last official game (a 7-3 Yankees victory inComiskey Park),[9] the Quakers and the Giants were battling in front of 5,000 fans in the middle of a driving snowstorm. While the score was only 3–0 athalftime, Quaker errors led to the Giants winning the game 31–0.[10] Both the Quakers and the AFL were no more.
At the end of the season, former NFL playerWilfred Smith of theChicago Tribune presented a combined NFL-AFLAll-Pro team in his column. Three Quakers were named to the second team:George Tully,Bull Behman, andAl Kreuz.[11]
| Year | W | L | T | Finish | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1st | Bob Folwell |
Upon the completion of aNew York Yankees 7–3 victory over theChicago Bulls inComiskey Park on December 12, 1926, the first AFL was officially dead. The simultaneous 31-0 drubbing of the Quakers by theNew York Giants in thePolo Grounds left the AFL champions in a similar state.[12]
It was, however, not the end of the professional football career for five Philadelphia Quakers. The following men were on rosters of NFL teams in the1927 season:[13]
Bob Beattie – 1927 New York Yankees, 1929Orange Tornadoes, 1930Newark Tornadoes
Bull Behman – 1927–31Frankford Yellow Jackets (player-coach 1930–31)
Adrian Ford – 1927Pottsville Maroons, 1927 Frankford Yellow Jackets
Century Milstead – 1927–28 New York Giants
George Tully – 1927 Frankford Yellow Jackets
On the other hand, the pro football careers of several former NFL players ended with the 1926 Quakers:
Charlie Cartin – 1925 Frankford Yellow Jackets
Saville Crowther – 1925 Frankford Yellow Jackets
Doc Elliott – 1922–23Canton Bulldogs, 1924–25Cleveland Bulldogs
Glenn Killinger – 1921 Canton Bulldogs, 1926 New York Giants
Johnny Schott – 1920-23Buffalo All-Americans
Butch Spagna – 1920Cleveland Tigers, 1920-21 Buffalo All-Americans, 1924-25 Frankford Yellow Jackets
George Sullivan – 1924-25 Frankford Yellow Jackets
Whitey Thomas – 1924 Frankford Yellow Jackets
Charlie Way – 1921 Canton Bulldogs, 1924 Frankford Yellow Jackets
NOTE: Doc Elliott came out of retirement in 1931 to play for theCleveland Indians.