Gridiron is another name for American Football because in its early days the field was marked out in a grid pattern.
Early Pro American Football (1890-1919)
The first Pro american Football League was the Western Pennsylvania Pro Football Circuit in the Pittsburgh and surrounding Coal-Mining areas. The Leagues were unofficial, and the players paid under the counter. The first Word series was held in 1901, actually a five-team tournament, and that lasted two seasons. In 1903 the Ohio League became the first League to Officially pay players and when that League saw players salaries spiral due to competition from other teams for their services, four Ohio League teams joined forces with teams from Pennsylvania and Upstate New York to form the American Professional Football Association in 1920, which in 1922 changed its name to the National Football League, the Major League we know today. Canton is home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the NFL Preseason opens there with the latest induction of Hall of Fame players in honour of the Canton Bulldogs, prime players in the Ohio League and formation of the NFL.
Picture Credit: By Everett Collection[Shutterstock]
The first Professional American Football League was the Western Pennsylvania Pro Football Circuit in the Pittsburgh and surrounding Coal-Mining areas. The Leagues were unofficial, and the players paid under the counter. The first Word series was held in 1901, actually a five-team tournament, and that lasted two seasons. In 1903 the Ohio League became the first League to Officially pay players and when that League saw players salaries spiral due to competition from other teams for their services, four Ohio League teams joined forces with teams from Pennsylvania and Upstate New York to form the American Professional Football Association in 1920, which in 1922 changed its name to the National Football League, the Major League we know today. Canton is home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the NFL Preseason opens there with the latest induction of Hall of Fame players in honour of the Canton Bulldogs, prime players in the Ohio League and formation of the NFL.
Early Pro American Football (1890-1919)
Ohio League; Pennsylvania Pro Football Circuit; World Series of Pro Football;
Ohio League
Ohio League Champions 1903-1919
Ohio League 1915-1919 (Irish Players)
Ohio League (Seasons): 1904 1905
World Series of Pro Football:
World Series of Pro Football 1902-1903
World Series of Football (Seasons): 1902 1903
Pennsylvania League
Western Penn Pro Football Circuit (Seasons): 1895 1896
National Football League (Seasons): 1902