Jack Shapiro, a blocking back for the Stapletons, was the shortest player in NFL history, weighing between 119–126 pounds (54–57 kg) and just over 5 feet (1.5 m) tall.
Today the stadium site is occupied by Stapleton Housing located between Broad, Hill and Warren Streets and Tompkins Avenue.
Between 1923 and 1924, Stapes manager Daniel Daley claimed the "New York Metropolitan championship" by beating the best independent pro teams in the area.
The Bears belonged to Red Grange's American Football League, which served as competitor to the NFL during the 1926 season.
[citation needed] In 1928, Blaine further upgraded the team by signing some star players from New York University, like Frank Briante.
He bolstered his squad by re-signing Doug Wycoff back as a player-coach and by signing six graduates from the nationally ranked New York University team.
Mara had then allowed the New York Yankees, owned by Grange's manager C. C. Pyle, to use the franchise when that team moved from the defunct AFL into the NFL.
During its first NFL season in 1929, the team went 3–4–3, defeating the Dayton Triangles, Boston Bulldogs, and the Minneapolis Red Jackets.
That season the Stapes managed to defeat the rival New York Giants 7–6, after a four-yard touchdown run from Doug Wycoff and an extra point kick from Strong.
In July 1931, the team's official name on the league records was changed from the Stapleton Football Club, Inc., to Staten Island Stapes.
While the team posted losses against the Giants, Dodgers, Portsmouth Spartans, and Green Bay Packers, it did manage to defeat the newly established Philadelphia Eagles.
The franchise's failure can be blamed on a combination of the Great Depression and having too small of a stadium that could never accommodate enough fans to make the team profitable.