One of the more striking artifacts found in the Professional Football Hall of Fame is a football carved from shiny black anthracite. Etched with the words: Pottsville Maroons, NFL and World Champions, it is more of a quest than an honor. The Maroons may have been the best team in the NFL in 1925, but they don't have that title.
Pottsville, Pennsylvania in the 1920s was a unique place in a unique time. The small town produced anthracite, shiny black, high carbon coal, lots of it. In the early 20th century, Pottsville was booming. Pennsylvania, with Ohio, was also in the center of the professional football world. The Pottsville football team held it's own against the best in the early '20s. In 1924, Dr. J.G. Striegel decided to spruce up his team. He called Joseph Zacko, owner of a local sporting goods store, and placed an order for 25 matching jerseys. "The color isn't important." When Zacko delivered 25 maroon-colored jerseys, the Pottsville Maroons were born. The freshly attired 1924 team rolled through a 12-1-1 season to win the Anthracite League Championship. In 1925 they would take on the NFL.
Striegel looked to make a strong squad better. One of his holdovers was the punishing runner Tony Latone. His style was a fairly accurate preview of one that would hit the NFL a few years later, Bronko Nagurski. To balance the power of Latone, backs Barney Wentz, Hoot Flanagan and Walter French could fly. Charlie Berry, perhaps the best athlete on the team, was a dangerous receiver and a defensive star. At a time when kicking often decided the games, Berry was one of the best. The Stein brothers, Herb and Russ, Russ Hathaway, Duke Osborn and Frank Racis, who found it appropriate to wear a wool ball cap rather a leather helmet, formed a dominant line. To coach this collection, Striegel hired Dick Rauch. This was particularly significant as most leaders around the league were little more than on-field captains. The Maroons further seperated themselves from the NFL norm when Striegel insisted that all players must live in Pottsville. It was common for players at the time to "job in" for weekend games. This setup allowed for Rauch to practice his team daily. The 1925 Pottsville Maroons were skilled and prepared.
It wasn't the regular season that gave the Maroons their troubles. It wasn't any of the games at all. They dominated. They fell asleep in two games against Providence and Frankford. They made up for those losses with a vengeance in return engagements, by destroying Providence 34-0 and Frankford 49-0. Eight of ten wins were shutouts. There were no Championship Games in those days. Since the Chicago Cardinals had reasonable claims to the title, the two teams arranged for a game to be played in Chicago to settle matters. The Maroons left no doubt with a 21-7 win.
This is where Striegel should have called it a season. Celebrated a championship and their place in history. The NFL in the 1920s was such a different beast from what we know today. Teams were struggling. Some going under. Any chance for a solid payday was a reason to suit up. Striegel decided a payday was worth risking the championship. As the best professional team in the east, the Pottsville Maroons would play a Notre Dame All-Star team. A team that included the Four Horsemen. In the 1920s college football was king, and no team was a greater draw than Notre Dame. The NFL was fighting for legitimacy in those days. Players were jumping from team to team, some were jumping from college teams under assumed names, teams were folding, new teams were stumbling. The NFL needed the respect of the public to survive those tough early years. This was the burden of league president Joe Carr, and his resulting strength. The Pottsville-Notre Dame game was to be played in the territorial market of the rival Frankford Yellow Jackets. Granted, this was a Frankford team that thought that they were getting the Notre Dame game until Pottsville served them a beat down. This was also a Frankford team that quickly scheduled a home game to be played the same day as the Notre Dame game, just to strengthen their complaint against the Maroons. Striegel was warned by Carr three times prior to the game that it couldn't be played within the Frankford market. Striegel still chose the game and the payday. Pottsville beat Notre Dame 9-7. Despite the repercussions, this was a huge accomplishment for the NFL in the public eye. It raised the prestige and respect of professional football. It also cost the Pottsville Maroons a championship. While all this was going on the Chicago Cardinals decided to pad their win total. They played and won hastily arranged games with Hammond and Milwaukee. To cloud matters even more, Milwaukee suited up high school players just to field a team. Everything was a mess. Pretty much the only thing that was clear was that Pottsville violated league rules by playing the game in Philadelphia. They also ignored three direct orders from Joe Carr. The Pottsville Maroons were kicked out of the league. To add insult to injury, the Notre Dame game failed to bring the big money that was expected. The Cardinals were fined and placed on probation for playing an illegal game against Milwaukee. The Cardinals had the best record in the league, once the Maroons weren't in it, and was awarded the NFL title. Interestingly, Cardinals owner Chris O'Brien wouldn't accept the championship. The decision, of course, was the league's to make, not O'Brien's, but the vote was tabled and apparently not picked up again. The NFL never actually went through the formality of awarding the NFL Championship to anyone.
Few question whether the Pottsville Maroons were the best team in 1925. It can even be argued that they were the best professional team ever assembled. Perhaps challenged only by the 1922-23 Canton Bulldogs. They would have been the unquestioned champions if they hadn't disqualified themselves. League president Joe Carr really had no choice but to kick the Maroons out of the league. The public had to see a uniformity in the rules, a legitimacy in the league. The "traveling circus" days of professional football had to end. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the saga is the resolve of the Pottsville residents. For over 80 years they have claimed that 1925 Championship. They have continually urged the NFL to do the same. As recently as 2003, the people of Pottsville have presented their case to the NFL at the annual owners meetings. Author David Fleming wrote "The Breaker Boys" detailing the stories and wrongs done to the Pottsville Maroons. The fact that the 1925 title was never technically awarded only fuels the fire. Even a quick glance at the league standings show the Chicago Cardinals at the top since the Pottsville Maroons weren't eligible. It's easy to side with the Maroons and the people of Pottsville. They had a dynamite team that beat everybody they faced. The Notre Dame game was for respect, their own and for the NFL, and survival. I doubt any of the players regret playing that game despite the cost. The Maroons were allowed back in the league the following year. They nearly won it all too. They faded in '27 and eventually moved to Boston. Since the Cardinal have had such a bleak history, the Bidwill family, current and longtime owners of the Cardinals, have a tight grip on that title that was never awarded. They will never give it up no matter how hard Pottsville tries to claim it.
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