Canton Bulldogs
As a result of the Bulldogs' early success, along with the league being founded in the city, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is located in Canton.
Jim Thorpe (Sac and Fox), an Olympic champion and renowned all-around athlete, was Canton's most-recognized player in the pre-NFL era.
All in all, this version of the Cleveland-Canton-Philadelphia Bulldogs played from 1961 to 1966, its last two years in Philadelphia as a member of the Continental Football League.
When the Massillon Tigers arrived on the scene and went professional, Canton, as an amateur team, was no longer competitive.
The team was given the goal of beating the rival Massillon Tigers, who had won the Ohio League championship in 1903 and 1904.
However, the worst part of the loss came when coach Bill Laub became injured and was unable to finish the season.
Blondy Wallace, a former All-American for the Penn Quakers, was then named as Laub's successor and team captain.
Due to the money that was being spent by Canton and Massillon on professional players, both teams ended up with a spending deficit that had to be shouldered by local businessmen.
Canton denied the charges, maintaining that Massillon only wanted to ruin the club's reputation before their final game with Latrobe.
The Canton Morning News put a $20,000 price tag on the Massillon Tigers 1906 team, while many speculate that the Bulldogs probably cost even more.
Still, others contend that the games involving top teams like Canton and Massilon were too one-sided and lacked excitement.
In their comeback season, the Pros finished in second place in the standing behind Peggy Parratt and the Shelby Blues.
According to Canton manager Jack Cusack, who was at Turner's bedside when he died, his last words were "I know I must go," he said, "but I'm satisfied, for we beat Peggy Parratt."
[11] In 1916, the Bulldogs went undefeated, beat Massillon 24–0, and were generally recognized as the professional champions, not only of Ohio, but also of the country.
Thorpe would remain the chief attendance draw in professional football until Red Grange entered the game in 1925.
Hay kept Cusack's team pretty much intact in 1919 and the Bulldogs won their third league championship in four years.
[10] They played the Hammond Pros, twice in Chicago at Cubs Park, now called Wrigley Field, in front of crowds of 10,000 fans.
[16] While the Bulldogs were selling out stadiums and promoting professional football in America, many teams were in serious financial trouble.
These teams, who were trying to compete with the Bulldogs, were spending more money than they could afford and were stealing players from one another, which drove salaries even higher.
After scheduling a showcase game between Canton and the Buffalo All-Americans in New York City in December 1920, Thorpe left the Bulldogs at the end of the 1920 season.
The APFA became the National Football League in 1922 and Hay hired Guy Chamberlin as Canton's player-coach.
Things were still up in the air when Hay and Chamberlin left for Chicago to represent the Bulldogs at the league's summer meeting.
[20] He added seven players from Canton, renamed his team the Cleveland Bulldogs, and they won the 1924 NFL championship.
[22] Despite the Bulldogs folding in 1927, the team's heritage played a major role in Canton's selection as the location of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
