| P | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pct | |
| Western Pennsylvania Pro Circuit | |||||||
| Duqesne Country & AC Red and Blacks (C) | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 92 | 86 | .571 |
| Pittsburgh AC Red and White | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 183 | 24 | .875 |
| Latrobe YMCA Orange and Crimson | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | ||
| Greensburg AA Greenies | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | .800 | ||
| Altoona AC | |||||||
| Jeanette AC | |||||||
| Carnegie AC Braddock | |||||||
| Connellsville | |||||||
| Kiskiminetas | |||||||
| Beaver Falls YMCA | |||||||
| Shadyside AC | |||||||
| University Teams | |||||||
| University of Pennsylvania | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Pennsylvania State University | |||||||
| University of Cincinnati | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 26 | .000 |
| Western University of Pennsylvania | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 78 | .000 |
| College Teams | |||||||
| Grove City College | |||||||
| Geneva College | |||||||
| High School Teams | |||||||
| Washington & Jefferson HS Presidents | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | .857 | ||
| Visiting “Amateur” Teams | |||||||
| Chicago AA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 4 | 1.000 |
| Carlisle (PA) Indians | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 4 | 1.000 |
| Wheeling (W.Va) Tigers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .000 |
Results
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| Week 1 | ||||
| 03.09.1895 | Latrobe YMCA | 12 | Jeannette AC | 0 |
| Week 2 | ||||
| 14.09.1895 | Altoona AA | 18 | Latrobe YMCA | 0 |
| Week 3 | ||||
| 21.09.1895 | Latrobe YMCA | W | ||
| 21.09.1895 | Pittsburgh AC | W | Beaver Falls YMCA | L |
| Week 4 | ||||
| 28.09.1895 | Latrobe YMCA | W | ||
| 28.09.1895 | Pittsburgh AC | W | Shadyside AC | L |
| Week 5 | ||||
| 05.10.1895 | Greensburg AA | 25 | Latrobe YMCA | 0 |
| 05.10.1895 | Pittsburgh AC | W | Grove City College | L |
| 05.10.1895 | Duquesne Country & AC | 36 | Western Univ of Pennsylvania | 0 |
| Week 6 | ||||
| 12.10.1895 | Greensburg AA | 42 | Western Univ of Pennsylvania | 2 |
| 12.10.1895 | Piitsburgh AC | W | Geneva College | L |
| 12.10.1895 | Duquesne Country & AC | 4 | Carlisle (PA) Indians | 16 |
| Week 7 | ||||
| 19.10.1895 | Greensburg AA | 12 | Altoona AA | 6 |
| 19.10.1895 | Pittsburgh AC | 18 | Washington & Jefferson HS | 4 |
| 19.10.1895 | Duquesne Country & AC | 26 | University of Cincinnati | 0 |
| Week 8 | ||||
| 23.10.1895 | Duquesne Country & AC | 0 | University of Pennsylvania | 30 |
| 26.10.1895 | Greensburg AA | 44 | Carnegie AA Braddock | 0 |
| 26.10.1895 | Pittsburgh AC | 34 | Kiskiminetas | 0 |
| Week 9 | ||||
| 02.11.1895 | Greensburg AA | 12 | Wheeling (W.Va) Tigers | 0 |
| Midweek | ||||
| 05.11.1895 | Duquesne Country & AC | 0 | Pittsburgh AC | 0 |
| 05.11.1895 | Greensburg AA | 40 | Connellsville | 0 |
| Week 10 | ||||
| 09.11.1895 | Pittsburgh AA | 0 | Greensburg AA | 0 |
| 09.11.1895 | Duquesne Country & AC | 4 | Chicago AA | 34 |
| Week 11 | ||||
| 16.11.1895 | Pittsburgh AC | 11 | Pennsylvania State Univ | 10 |
| 16.11.1895 | Duquesne Country & AC | 12 | Greensburg AA | 0 |
| Week 12 | ||||
| 23.11.1895 | Altoona AA | L | Greensburg AA | W |
| Midweek | ||||
| 27.11.1895 | Greensburg AA | W | Beaver Falls YMCA | L |
| Westmoreland County | Unofficial Championship | |||
| 30.11.1895 | Greensburg AA | 0 | Latrobe YMCA | 4 |
| Western Pennsylvania | Unofficial Championship | |||
| 30.11.1895 | Pittsburgh AC | 6 | Duquesne Country & AC | 10 |
Report
The first Unofficially paid Professional Football player had been “Pudge” Heffelfinger in 1892 in Allegheny Atheltic Association. While the Amateur Football Union still forbade the payment of players clubs like the A.A.A. paid players secretly and in 1894 after winning the Unofficial Western Pennsylvania Pro Football Circuit (the Pittsburgh Area was where early Pro Football flourished) Championship in 1894 the A.A.A. learned they were under investigation for possible payment of players leading to the team not defending its title in 1895.
It fell to Washington & Jefferson High School star quarterback John Brallier became the first openly paid professional player, winning “$10 plus Cake” to play for Latrobe YMCA while he was also playing for Washington & Jefferson High School and the local College. Latrobe YMCA won its first two games under him, and after he left to play for his school when term started they won two more.
Meanwhile, Greensburg Athletic Association, the “Greenies” were putting up a six-game winning streak which included a victory to start with against fellow-Westmoreland County team Latrobe YMCA. Pittsburgh Athletic Club, dubbed the Red and White were also putting up big scores against opponents on the way to a 6-0 start through October 1895.
Duquesne Country and Athletic Club (the Red and Blacks) were also scoring high against opponents, which included the famed Carlisle Indian School and two Universities, including the University of Pennsylvania which stopped by on its way to the National Championship. Back then there were less official rules governing players moving between teams and teams playing teams from Amateur, Professional, High School, College and University alike.
Towards the end of the year in November, a seroes of games between the Big Four saw Duquesne Country and Athletic Club defeat Greensburg Athletic Association 12-0 and then in the following week, an unofficial third place game saw Latrobe YMCA (the Orange and Crimson) defeat Greensburg AA, gaining revenge for an earlier defeat. Latrobe were helped by the return of Brallier, after the end of the Washington & Jefferson High School President’s season.
The same weekend the top two teams in the Circuit, Duquesne Country and Athletic Club and Pittsburgh Athletic Club, met before 10,000 fans in Pittsburgh’s East End Stadium for the Unofficial title game. Duquesne emerged 10-6 winners, and despite a 4-3-1 (Wins-Losses-Ties) record were assured the Championship having beaten the only two previously undefeated teams in Greensburg AA and Pittsburgh AC and having played a tougher schedule.
The DC & AC had also scheduled two matches against Universities including the National Champion (The Universities were stronger than the Pro teams in those days) as well as games against the top “Amateur” side in the Country (Chicago AA) and the Carlisle Indian School, a team of formidable Native Americans at the Indian School in Pennsylvania, who had been defeating all before them. Greensburg had also scheduled a game gainst a non-Pennsylvania team: the Tigers of Wheeling in nearby West Virginia.
All this money floating around Western Pennsylvania back then was down to the booming Coal-mining and Oil-drilling industries in Pennsylvania at the time. Brallier would be famed as the first openly Pro (American) Footballer in history, gaining a free-pass to every NFL game after his contribtion to Pro Football was acknowledged in the 1930s, although the honour of the first Pro would later be granted to “Pudge” Heffelfinger in 1892, Brallier was the first openly-Pro player.
The money at the time was significant. PAC made a profit of $4,500 for the year and Greensburg AA $4,000. A man by the name of Donovan, an Irish name, broke free in the deciding game between Duquesne and Pittsburgh with the score 6-4 to Pittsburgh. his touchdown (then worth four points) and resulting goal kick gave Duquesne a 10-6 win.
References
Bibliography
[1] Professional Football Researchers Association (2011) “Ten Dollars and Cakes: The “Not Quite” First Pro 1895” The Early History of Professional Football. pg. 113-122. PFRA Publications. Connecticut. Available online at the Pro Football Researchers Association at: http://www.footballresearch.com/articles/frpage_topic_1895.html [accessed 31 August 2020]
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Claire Daly, Rebecca Martin, Deirdre and Jason
About this document
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Irish North American and World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 31 August 2020
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.