Dan Daly's book, The National Forgotten League, is loaded with fun, informative facts, notes, and stories. This little nugget about the 1929 Orange Tornadoes caught my attention. The Tornadoes were a professional football team that competed in some manifestation from 1887-1941 and 1958-70. From 1929-30 the Tornadoes were an NFL team. From the time that someone first decided to put personal identifiers on an athletic uniform that identifier has been a number. For some reason, the Tornadoes went a different route in 1929.
Here's their lineup for the first of two games against the Frankford Yellow Jackets:
A-Phil Scott, E, No College
B-Felix McCormick, B, Bucknell
C-Heinie Benkert, B, Rutgers
D-Leon Johnson, E, Colombia
E-George Pease, QB, Columbia
F-Ernie Cuneo, G, Penn State/Columbia
G-Frank Kirkleski, B, Lafayette
H-Ted Mitchell, C, Bucknell
J-Ernie Hambacker, B, Bucknell
L-Ralph Barkman, B, Schuylkill
M-Bob Beattie, T, Princeton
M-Steve Hamas, FB, Penn State
N-Paul Longua, E, Villanova
O-Jack McArthur, G, St. Mary's (California)
P-Bill Feaster, T, Fordham
Q-Bill Clarkin, T, No College
R-Andy Salata, G, Pittsburgh
S-Carl Waite, B, Rutgers/Georgetown
T-Jack Depler, C/T/Coach, Illinois
X-Johnny Tomaini, E, Georgetown
Letters! The 1929 Orange Tornadoes used letters to identify the members of their football team. Teams were often trying gimmicks in the early days of professional football to try and catch the attention of the public. I'm not sure how this would do it. The Tornadoes had a longer professional existence than the other teams that came and went during the NFL's first decade. Their two-year time with the Bears, Cardinals, Packers, and Giants will be best remembered by their unique use of the alphabet.
The double M's are a curiosity. Daly thought that it could just be a typo.
There's no "I" in team.
If you haven't read Dan Daly's book, I highly recommend doing so.
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