Wikipedia

1896 Chicago Athletic Association football team

The 1896 Chicago Athletic Association football team was an American football team representing the Chicago Athletic Association (CAA). Led by captain and future Chicago mayor William Hale Thompson, the team compiled a 9–1–1 record while allowing only ten points. The team played its home games at Athletic Park,[a] located at 35th Street and Wentworth Avenue in Chicago.

1896 Chicago Athletic Association football
LeagueIndependent
Record9–1–1
Captain
Home fieldAthletic Park
Seasons
← 1895
1897 →

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultSource
September 12at Waukegan Athletic AssociationWaukegan, ILW 10–0[1]
September 26Proviso
W 48–0 or 54–0[2][3][4]
October 3at Northwestern
L 0–4[5]
October 10Illinois Cycling Club
  • Athletic Park
  • Chicago, IL
T 0–0[6]
October 17Chicago Dental
  • Athletic Park
  • Chicago, IL
W 66–0 or 60–0[7][8][9]
October 24Indianapolis Light Artillery
  • Athletic Park
  • Chicago, IL
W 12–0[10]
October 31First Regiment
  • Athletic Park
  • Chicago, IL
W 46–0 or 66–0[11][4][b]
November 3Illinois Cycling Club
  • Athletic Park
  • Chicago, IL
W 34–0 or 26–0[12][13]
November 7Indianapolis Light Artillery
  • Athletic Park
  • Chicago, IL
W 24–0[14]
November 21Chicago Physicians and Surgeons
  • Athletic Park
  • Chicago, IL
W 12–0[15]
November 26Boston Athletic Association
  • Athletic Park
  • Chicago, IL
W 12–6[16]

Player purge

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Team of late 1896 season, after several players were expelled

In mid-November, the CAA, seeking to maintain an amateur standing and to avoid any appearance of professionalism, purged from its roster six players of questionable amateur status: tackle Harry G. Hadden, end Paul G. Brown, halfback Philip S. Graver, quarterback William H. Aldrich, and guards Lee K. Stewart and Ben Thomas. With the exception of Thomas, all had traveled to Pittsburgh to temporarily play for the Allegheny Athletic Association – a suspected but not admitted professional team – in defiance of the wishes of CAA president Edwin A. Potter and Captain William Hale Thompson.[17] Thomas, who intended to make the trip but did not because of an ailing knee or leg, received the same sentence as those who did go.[17][18] The CAA at first charged the six players with insubordination and supposed professionalism, but decided not to investigate the charge of professionalism and instead expelled the players on the grounds of insubordination and conduct detrimental to the reputation of the club.[19]

Hadden and Brown denied being paid by Allegheny.[20] Despite their denials, the 1896 Allegheny team is recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the first completely professional football team.[21]

Notes

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  1. ^ Also known as CAA Field, Athletic Field, and 35th Street Grounds, and formerly as South Side Park.
  2. ^ The Chicago Sunday Chronicle reported a score of 46–0, but its box score listed 11 touchdowns (worth 4 points each) and 11 conversion kicks (2 points each) for a total of 66 points.[11] The same paper weeks later (November 23) gave the score of the same game as 66–0.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Athletics Win at Waukegan". The Chicago Sunday Tribune. September 13, 1896. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "C. A. A. Too Strong for Proviso". The Sunday Inter Ocean. Chicago. September 27, 1896. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Review of the Season". The Chicago Daily Tribune. November 23, 1896. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c "Good Prospects for C. A. A." The Chicago Chronicle. November 23, 1896. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Luck with Van Doozer". The Chicago Sunday Tribune. October 4, 1896. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Neither Side Scored". The Sunday Inter Ocean. Chicago. October 11, 1896. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Athletics Play in Fine Form". The Chicago Sunday Tribune. October 18, 1896. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "C. A. A. Eleven Win Easily". The Sunday Inter Ocean. Chicago. October 18, 1896. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Will Play The Dentists". The Chicago Chronicle. October 17, 1896. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Thompson's Men Victorious". The Sunday Inter Ocean. Chicago. October 25, 1896. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b "Soldiers Get No Quarter". The Sunday Chronicle. Chicago. November 1, 1896. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "C. A. A. in a Walk". The Daily Inter Ocean. Chicago. November 4, 1896. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Win as They Please". The Chicago Daily Tribune. November 4, 1896. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "C. A. A. Again Victorious". The Sunday Inter Ocean. Chicago. November 8, 1896. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Physicians Are Defeated". The Sunday Inter Ocean. Chicago. November 22, 1896. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "C. A. A. the Winner". The Chicago Daily Tribune. November 27, 1896. pp. 1, 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ a b "Team Is Crippled". The Daily Inter Ocean. Chicago. November 12, 1896. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Expels Players". The Boston Daily Globe. November 12, 1896. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Players Are Expelled". The Daily Inter Ocean. Chicago. November 14, 1896. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Drop Six Crack Players". The Chicago Chronicle. November 14, 1896. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "1896 - The First Completely Professional Team". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
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