The team opened the 1920 season with a loss to the Dayton Triangles, and the Panhandles lost five straight until a victory over the Zanesville Mark Grays.
[1] On August 20, 1920, a meeting was held at Ralph Hay's automobile attended by representatives of four Ohio League teams: the Canton Bulldogs, the Cleveland Tigers, the Dayton Triangles, and the Akron Pros.
The following was achieved during the September 17 meeting: the name of American Professional Football Association was chosen; officers of the league were elected with Jim Thorpe as president; a membership fee of $100 was set; a committee to draft a constitution was named; the secretary of the league was to receive a list of all players used during the season by January 1, 1921; and the trophy that would be awarded to the league champions.
Joseph Carr made the team play mostly away games because they were able to travel on the railroads for free.
[11] The Panhandles opened the season with a 14–0 loss to the Dayton Triangles in the first football game with two APFA teams.
The Panhandles lost their next five games without scoring a point, until a 10–0 win over the Zanesville Mark Grays.
Running back Frank McCormick of the Pros rushed for two touchdowns to give Akron a 14–0 lead in the second quarter.
[21][22] October 17, 1920, at League Park In their third game of the season, the Panhandles played against the non-APFA Fort Wayne Friars.
[23] October 24, 1920, at Mack Park Following the loss, the Panhandles traveled to play the Detroit Heralds, an APFA team.
The Panhandles' passing attack helped them outgain the Heralds, but, according to the Ohio State Journal, it was a close game and "one play decided the outcome.
"[23] The Heralds' left end, Fitzgerald, intercepted a pass from Frank Nesser and ran it back for an 85-yard touchdown.
[26] November 14, 1920, at Canisius Field In front of 9,000 fans, the Panhandles played their last against an APFA opponent, the Buffalo All-Americans, in week 8.
From these six rushing touchdowns, five of the extra points were converted, and the Panhandles' offense allowed a safety.
[27] The Zanesville Signal claimed the Mark Greys outplayed the Panhandles in every aspect and called the game "one of the best ... of the season.
[27] Chris Willis stated this tie was not as bad as the previous weeks because the Athletics had old players from the Akron Indians, a winning team in the Ohio League.
[27] December 5, 1920, at Neil Park In their final date of the 1920 season, the Panhandles played their first and only home game, facing the Columbus Wagner Pirates.
The list of players and the coaching staff is gathered from Uniform Numbers of the NFL: Pre-1933 Defunct Teams,[33] The Columbus Panhandles,[34] and Pro-Football-Reference.com.