1898 Western Pennsylvania All-Star football team
Encyclopedia
The 1898 Western Pennsylvania All-Star football team was a collection of early football
players, from several teams in the area, to form an all-star
team. The team was formed by Dave Berry
, the manager of the Latrobe Athletic Association
, for the purpose of playing the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
, which fielded a team composed of many of the game's stars from the era. The game between the two clubs ended in a 16-0 Duquesne victory and is considered to be the very first all-star game
for professional football. Contrary to popular belief, while the game was held at Exposition Park
, which would be currently located inside of the city limits of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, the 1898 location of the game was Allegheny, Pennsylvania
which was not incorporated into the city of Pittsburgh until 1907.
began. As a result, many of the team's recently signed players ended up in the United States Army
. Looking for a solution to the problem, Duquesne manager William Chase Temple
went out and signed up replacement players. Temple succeeded, and he received excellent results, when it was noticed that some of the replacements actually ended up being even more talented than the original contracted stars.
However that August, the war ended, with an American
victory, and the soldiers quickly returned home. As a result, the Duquesnes suddenly found themselves with a surplus of pro football stars under contract. The team had so much depth, that it's benchwarmers would have starred for lesser teams. The amount of talent on the field was also reflected on the team's ledgers. Due to the high payroll, Temple eventually took over the payments to the athletes, thus becoming the first individual professional football team owner.
After a 7-0-1 season, the Duquesnes' team was being compared favorably with the 1896 team put together for a two-game stand by the Allegheny Athletic Association
, featuring William Heffelfinger
.
opposed the game and did their best to discourage their players from taking part in it. The Washington & Jefferson Presidents football team
also followed by disallowing their players from taking part in the game. Sam Boyle, an end from Penn State, was asked by Berry to be the team's captain, however he declined. No members from the Pittsburgh Athletic Club
appeared on the team either. Berry was forced to rely heavily on his own Latrobe team, which fielded Eddie Wood
, Doggie Trenchard, Harry Ryan
, George Krebs
, Bill Hammer, Jack Gass
and Grennie Lewis. However George Barclay
and Babe Rinehart, both from the Greensburg Athletic Association, decided to play on Berry's team despite the warnings given to them by Greensburg officials not to do so.
touchdown
. However they could not convert the extra point
, and the score stood 5-0 at halftime (touchdowns were only 5 points at the time). In the third quarter, Duquesne's J.A. Gammons ran 60 yards for a touchdown on a punt return. Roy Jackson scored Duquesne's third touchdown late in the game, after the team put together a scoring drive of 80 yards on just four plays. The extra point attempt failed , however the game ended in a 16-0 Duquesne win.
Hours before the start of his all-star game, Dave Berry was "arrested" by one of his Latrobe players for a debt he claimed Berry owed him. Berry paid the $33 owed and then had the player arrested on false arrest
charges.
. Uncertain weather was also blamed for the poor attendance. However most of the blame went to the leaders of the Greensburg Athletic Association, who were accused of spreading rumors that various star players would not appear in the game.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
players, from several teams in the area, to form an all-star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
team. The team was formed by Dave Berry
Dave Berry (American football)
David J. Berry was a major football manager during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the top promotor for the sport during that time period...
, the manager of the Latrobe Athletic Association
Latrobe Athletic Association
The Latrobe Athletic Association was a professional football team located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, from 1895 until 1909. The team is best known for being the first football club to play a full season while composed entirely of professional players...
, for the purpose of playing the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
The Duquesne Country and Athletic Club was a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1895 until 1900. The team was considered one of the best, if not the best, professional football teams in the country from 1898 until 1900...
, which fielded a team composed of many of the game's stars from the era. The game between the two clubs ended in a 16-0 Duquesne victory and is considered to be the very first all-star game
All-star game
An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league, except in the circumstances of professional sports systems in which a democratic voting system is used...
for professional football. Contrary to popular belief, while the game was held at Exposition Park
Exposition Park (Pittsburgh)
Exposition Park was a baseball park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1890 to circa 1915. It was located on the north side of the Allegheny River across from Pittsburgh's downtown area. Prior to the construction of this version of Exposition Park, two previous ballparks of the same name were...
, which would be currently located inside of the city limits of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, the 1898 location of the game was Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Allegheny City was a Pennsylvania municipality located on the north side of the junction of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, across from downtown Pittsburgh. It was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907...
which was not incorporated into the city of Pittsburgh until 1907.
Origin
At the end of the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club's 1897 season, the club signed a number of talented players to contracts for the upcoming 1898 season. However in April 1898, the Spanish-American WarSpanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
began. As a result, many of the team's recently signed players ended up in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. Looking for a solution to the problem, Duquesne manager William Chase Temple
William Chase Temple
William Chase Temple was a coal, citrus, and lumber baron during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was also a part owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates from baseball's National League...
went out and signed up replacement players. Temple succeeded, and he received excellent results, when it was noticed that some of the replacements actually ended up being even more talented than the original contracted stars.
However that August, the war ended, with an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
victory, and the soldiers quickly returned home. As a result, the Duquesnes suddenly found themselves with a surplus of pro football stars under contract. The team had so much depth, that it's benchwarmers would have starred for lesser teams. The amount of talent on the field was also reflected on the team's ledgers. Due to the high payroll, Temple eventually took over the payments to the athletes, thus becoming the first individual professional football team owner.
After a 7-0-1 season, the Duquesnes' team was being compared favorably with the 1896 team put together for a two-game stand by the Allegheny Athletic Association
Allegheny Athletic Association
The Allegheny Athletic Association was an athletic club that fielded the first ever professional American football player and later the first fully professional football team. The organization was founded in 1890 as a regional athletic club in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, which is today the North...
, featuring William Heffelfinger
William Heffelfinger
-External links:...
.
Fielding an all-star team
However Latrobe manager Dave Berry knew the all-star depth of the Duquesne team. He then conceived the idea of opposing the Duquesnes with an all-star team that drawn from the best players from all the other area teams. A game between the two teams was then arranged for Saturday, December 3, at Exposition Park. Berry began signing up stars, however he did not sign up everyone that he wanted. The leaders of the Greensburg Athletic AssociationGreensburg Athletic Association
The Greensburg Athletic Association was an early organized football team, based in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, that played from 1890 until 1900. The team began as an amateur football club in 1890 and was composed primarily of locals before several professional players were added for the 1895 season...
opposed the game and did their best to discourage their players from taking part in it. The Washington & Jefferson Presidents football team
Washington & Jefferson Presidents football
The Washington & Jefferson Presidents football team represents Washington & Jefferson College in collegiate level football. The team competes in NCAA Division III and is affiliated with the Presidents' Athletic Conference...
also followed by disallowing their players from taking part in the game. Sam Boyle, an end from Penn State, was asked by Berry to be the team's captain, however he declined. No members from the Pittsburgh Athletic Club
Pittsburgh Athletic Club (football)
The Pittsburgh Athletic Club football team, established in 1891, was based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1892 the intense competition between two Pittsburgh-area clubs, the Allegheny Athletic Association and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, led to William Heffelfinger becoming the first known...
appeared on the team either. Berry was forced to rely heavily on his own Latrobe team, which fielded Eddie Wood
Eddie Wood
Edward Wood was an early professional football player for the Latrobe Athletic Association, the Franklin Athletic Club and finally for the Canton Bulldogs of the "Ohio League"...
, Doggie Trenchard, Harry Ryan
Harry Ryan (American football)
Harry J. Ryan was an early professional football player for the Latrobe Athletic Association from 1895 until 1906. He was also selected to be the first captain in that team's history. He played alongside John Brallier who is considered the first openly professional football player...
, George Krebs
George Krebs
George R. Krebs was the fifth head college football coachfor the West Virginia University Mountaineers located in Morgantown, West Virginiaand he held that position for the 1897 season.His coaching record at West Virginia was 5 wins, 4 losses, and 1 tie...
, Bill Hammer, Jack Gass
Jack Gass
John "Jack" Gass was an early professional football player. He played mostly with the Latrobe Athletic Association from 1895 until 1899. In 1898 he was a member of the Western Pennsylvania All-Stars, which was a team put together by Latrobe manager, Dave Berry for the purpose of challenging the...
and Grennie Lewis. However George Barclay
George Barclay (baseball)
George Oliver Barclay was an American football and baseball player. He played Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals and later the Boston Beaneaters. He was also an early professional football player-coach for the Greensburg Athletic Association. He was nicknamed "The Rose" for his...
and Babe Rinehart, both from the Greensburg Athletic Association, decided to play on Berry's team despite the warnings given to them by Greensburg officials not to do so.
The game
The All-Stars were outplayed by their Duquesne opponents. While both teams consisted of top tier players, the All-Stars consisted of lots of individual talent but no teammwork. Meanwhile, Duquesne played the entire 1898 season together and formed the bonds of teamwork during that time. A little into the 2nd quarter, Duquesne scored with a Roy JacksonRoy Jackson (American football)
Dr. M. Roy Jackson was an early professional football player who played for the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club. He also served as the team's captain in 1898 and 1899. Jackson, a fullback, scored 14 touchdowns, often on short plunges after teammates J. A. Gammons or Dave Fultz had put the ball...
touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
. However they could not convert the extra point
Extra Point
Extra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio that covers generic sports-related topical news and opinion. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
, and the score stood 5-0 at halftime (touchdowns were only 5 points at the time). In the third quarter, Duquesne's J.A. Gammons ran 60 yards for a touchdown on a punt return. Roy Jackson scored Duquesne's third touchdown late in the game, after the team put together a scoring drive of 80 yards on just four plays. The extra point attempt failed , however the game ended in a 16-0 Duquesne win.
Hours before the start of his all-star game, Dave Berry was "arrested" by one of his Latrobe players for a debt he claimed Berry owed him. Berry paid the $33 owed and then had the player arrested on false arrest
False arrest
False arrest is a common law tort, where a plaintiff alleges they were held in custody without probable cause, or without an order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction...
charges.
Attendence
Attendance for the game was only a mere 1,500 people. Part of the blame was due to many Pittsburghers considering the football season over with the Thanksgiving gamesThanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
. Uncertain weather was also blamed for the poor attendance. However most of the blame went to the leaders of the Greensburg Athletic Association, who were accused of spreading rumors that various star players would not appear in the game.