Anthracite League
Encyclopedia
The Anthracite League, also referred to as the Anthracite Association, was a 1924 football
league comprising teams based in eastern Pennsylvania
. These teams were based in coal mining towns, hence the league name's reference to anthracite coal. The league lasted for just one season, before folding. The teams in the league were the Coaldale Big Green
, Wilkes-Barre Barons
, Shenandoah Yellow Jackets
, the Gilberton Cadamounts
, and the Pottsville Maroons
.
, the coal mining towns of eastern Pennsylvania produced a number of outstanding football clubs. An annual competition between the locals for the Curran Cup produced a game that was arguably the equal of that played by the fledgling National Football League
. Although the these teams played each other as independents the success of the NFL eventually helped to prompt these teams to form their own official league.
, Coaldale's manager. On August 28, 1924, Gildea set up a meeting at the town hall in Coaldale
to establish the league. The managers and owners of every major coal region team and the local sportswriters were all invited.
The main reason for the league was to first put an end to teams raiding their opponents' rosters for big-name players. During this, money was being handed over by several managers in record amounts, as they hoped to lure the finest talent available. When the on-field talent wasn't available for signing, these managers would then steal players from other teams with the offer of higher salaries. As a result of the meeting, the teams agreed that the league teams had to secure all of their players prior to the start of the league season. A required list of eligible players had to also be filed by each team for all the others to observe. The plan was that all teams would be required to finish the season with the same players listed on the roster at the start of the year. Also a monetary forfeit of $500 or $1,000 had to be posted by each team to guarantee that the team would stick to its preseason player roster during league play and that there was no objection to any player being signed.
The second reason for establishing a league was to allow for the development of a concise scheduling format for the teams in the region. In the early 1920s, finding open dates when teams could play each other was difficult. Games were often delayed until the latest possible moment, usually 2–3 days before game day. One reason for this was the inability of some clubs to draw enough people into the ballpark. Many of the teams spent a lot of money signing talented players and in order to play them, the managers and owners relied heavily of the number of people in attendance for both home and road games. Every manager knew the importance and longed for the benefits of a sound, opponent-by-opponent schedule. As a result of the meeting, a schedule was agreed upon of twelve set dates from the beginning of October until the end of November. This move was also designed to allow non-league contests of natural rivals from nearby towns to take place at different intervals during and after the league's scheduled games.
With these two issues addressed, the Anthracite League was formed.
, a guard from Dartmouth College
and member of the Columbus Panhandles of the National Football League during the 1923 season
, was signed by Maroons the day after a game in Coaldale. The Maroons were planning to stockpile as much talent as they could in an effort to provide the Maroons fans with a winning team. In doing so, the team's list of hired ringers topped that of any other club in region. In less than a week, several other league teams followed Pottsville's lead and signed every available big-name player, local or otherwise. Gilberton, acquired three new star players just days before their season opener. With the signings of Ben Shaw
, Cecil Grigg
, and Lou Smyth
, all formerly of the NFL's Canton Bulldogs
. The agreement to unify the coal region teams with an eligible player list took a backseat to the individual teams' "win at all cost" attitude.
This development promoted Gildea to schedule a league meeting on September 18, 1924 in Pottsville
. At the meeting Gildea tried to push the understanding of an eligible player list, but to no avail. On September 25, 1924. in Shenandoah
, a second meeting was called to address player eligibility. In this meeting Gildea made known his wished for the teams in the region to thrive off of their own local talent. However the four other teams felt since this was professional football, an eligible player list was a non-issue. The teams further contended that if an eligible list is made and the club must be held to that, then the players get the upper hand on the management and can demand almost any price for a game. Gildea was unable to make the other managers of the AFL agree with his ideas, as a result Coaldale team quit the newly formed league. However Gildea stated that the team would still abide by the league schedule which was earlier arranged with all of the region teams.
, finished second in the standings.
before moving to Boston in 1928 to become the Boston Bulldogs. The Bulldogs franchise then folded during the 1929 season
.
Coaldale fell on hard times after they left the league. The team only won four games in 1924. Around the midpoint mark of their 1925 season they became strictly a traveling team, because every football fan in the region joined the Maroons' fanbase when the team joined the NFL. The team then joined the short lived Eastern League of Professional Football
during its one season in 1926.
Only one of the Wilkes-Barre Barons league games was recorded in the AFL standings. That game was a 34-0 loss to the Maroons. This leaves the issue of the team's remaining league games a mystery. Some historians speculate that Wilkes-Barre attempted to imitate Coaldale's decision and quit the league However some theories say that the team disbanded, or that they just rescheduled most of their games to take advantage of their closer regional opponents. Wilkes-Barre's roster may have also been depleted by the other Anthracite teams.
The Pottsville Maroons were named the 1924 Anthracite League Champions.
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...
league comprising teams based in eastern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. These teams were based in coal mining towns, hence the league name's reference to anthracite coal. The league lasted for just one season, before folding. The teams in the league were the Coaldale Big Green
Coaldale Big Green
The Coaldale Big Green was an early professional football team based in Coaldale, Pennsylvania. The club played as an independent until joining the Anthracite League in 1924. After leaving the league in 1924, the team spent its 1925 season as an independent, then joined the short-lived Eastern...
, Wilkes-Barre Barons
Wilkes-Barre Barons (football)
The Wilkes-Barre Barons were an Anthracite League American football team that, according to historical records, played in only one game in the league's only year of existence, 1924....
, Shenandoah Yellow Jackets
Shenandoah Yellow Jackets
The Shenandoah Yellow Jackets were an Anthracite League football team that played during the league's only year of existence, 1924. They played eight games in their only year of existence, going 4-4 for a .500 winning percentage. They finished third in the five team league....
, the Gilberton Cadamounts
Gilberton Cadamounts
The Gilberton Catamounts, sometimes called the Gilberton Cadamounts and the Gilberton Duck Streeters, were an 1920s-era professional footall team based in Gilberton, Pennsylvania. However the team played many of its home games in nearby Mahanoy City because Gilberton's home field, Stoddard Field....
, and the Pottsville Maroons
Pottsville Maroons
The Pottsville Maroons were an American football team based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1920, they went on to play in the National Football League for four seasons, from 1925–1928...
.
History
In the years following World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the coal mining towns of eastern Pennsylvania produced a number of outstanding football clubs. An annual competition between the locals for the Curran Cup produced a game that was arguably the equal of that played by the fledgling National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. Although the these teams played each other as independents the success of the NFL eventually helped to prompt these teams to form their own official league.
Reasons for a league
The league was founded by James H. GildeaJames H. Gildea
James Hilary Gildea was a newspaperman and a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania....
, Coaldale's manager. On August 28, 1924, Gildea set up a meeting at the town hall in Coaldale
Coaldale, Pennsylvania
Coaldale is the name of some places in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania:*Coaldale, Bedford County, Pennsylvania*Coaldale, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania...
to establish the league. The managers and owners of every major coal region team and the local sportswriters were all invited.
The main reason for the league was to first put an end to teams raiding their opponents' rosters for big-name players. During this, money was being handed over by several managers in record amounts, as they hoped to lure the finest talent available. When the on-field talent wasn't available for signing, these managers would then steal players from other teams with the offer of higher salaries. As a result of the meeting, the teams agreed that the league teams had to secure all of their players prior to the start of the league season. A required list of eligible players had to also be filed by each team for all the others to observe. The plan was that all teams would be required to finish the season with the same players listed on the roster at the start of the year. Also a monetary forfeit of $500 or $1,000 had to be posted by each team to guarantee that the team would stick to its preseason player roster during league play and that there was no objection to any player being signed.
The second reason for establishing a league was to allow for the development of a concise scheduling format for the teams in the region. In the early 1920s, finding open dates when teams could play each other was difficult. Games were often delayed until the latest possible moment, usually 2–3 days before game day. One reason for this was the inability of some clubs to draw enough people into the ballpark. Many of the teams spent a lot of money signing talented players and in order to play them, the managers and owners relied heavily of the number of people in attendance for both home and road games. Every manager knew the importance and longed for the benefits of a sound, opponent-by-opponent schedule. As a result of the meeting, a schedule was agreed upon of twelve set dates from the beginning of October until the end of November. This move was also designed to allow non-league contests of natural rivals from nearby towns to take place at different intervals during and after the league's scheduled games.
With these two issues addressed, the Anthracite League was formed.
Broken agreement
The agreement from that meeting was soon broken by the Pottsville Maroons when Gus SonnenbergGus Sonnenberg
Gustave Adolph Sonnenberg was an American football player and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he was National Wrestling Association world heavyweight champion...
, a guard from Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and member of the Columbus Panhandles of the National Football League during the 1923 season
1923 NFL season
The 1923 NFL season was the 4th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time, all of the clubs that were considered to be part of the NFL fielded teams. The new teams that entered the league included the Duluth Kelleys, the St. Louis All Stars , and a new Cleveland Indians team...
, was signed by Maroons the day after a game in Coaldale. The Maroons were planning to stockpile as much talent as they could in an effort to provide the Maroons fans with a winning team. In doing so, the team's list of hired ringers topped that of any other club in region. In less than a week, several other league teams followed Pottsville's lead and signed every available big-name player, local or otherwise. Gilberton, acquired three new star players just days before their season opener. With the signings of Ben Shaw
Ben Shaw (American football)
Benjamin Shaw was a professional football player during the early years of the National Football League. Roberts won an NFL championship with the Canton Bulldogs in 1923. After that season, he joined the Gilberton Cadamounts in the Anthracite League....
, Cecil Grigg
Cecil Grigg
Cecil Burkett "Tex" Grigg was an American football player who played running back for eight seasons in the National Football League for the Canton Bulldogs, the Rochester Jeffersons, the New York Giants, and the Frankford Yellow Jackets...
, and Lou Smyth
Lou Smyth
Louis Lehman Smyth was a professional football player for the Canton Bulldogs from 1920 until 1923. Smyth won two NFL championships with the Bulldogs in 1922 and 1923 and another with the Yellow Jackets in 1926. He also played for the Hartford Blues, Rochester Jeffersons and the Providence...
, all formerly of the NFL's Canton Bulldogs
Canton Bulldogs
The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and its successor, the National Football League, from 1920 to 1923 and again from 1925 to 1926. The Bulldogs would go on to win the 1917, 1918...
. The agreement to unify the coal region teams with an eligible player list took a backseat to the individual teams' "win at all cost" attitude.
This development promoted Gildea to schedule a league meeting on September 18, 1924 in Pottsville
Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Pottsville is the only city in and the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 15,549 at the 2000 census. The city lies along the west bank of the Schuylkill River, north-west of Philadelphia...
. At the meeting Gildea tried to push the understanding of an eligible player list, but to no avail. On September 25, 1924. in Shenandoah
Shenandoah, Pennsylvania
Shenandoah is a small town located in the lower part of the anthracite Coal Region, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. It is northwest of Philadelphia. The Greater Shenandoah area includes Shenandoah Heights, which is part of West Mahanoy Township and is located just north of Shenandoah.-History:The...
, a second meeting was called to address player eligibility. In this meeting Gildea made known his wished for the teams in the region to thrive off of their own local talent. However the four other teams felt since this was professional football, an eligible player list was a non-issue. The teams further contended that if an eligible list is made and the club must be held to that, then the players get the upper hand on the management and can demand almost any price for a game. Gildea was unable to make the other managers of the AFL agree with his ideas, as a result Coaldale team quit the newly formed league. However Gildea stated that the team would still abide by the league schedule which was earlier arranged with all of the region teams.
Renovated stadiums
Several teams in the Anthracite Football League made structural improvements to their stadiums before the season began. These improvements were made because most of the managers believed that their teams were worthy of the status of a major professional football league. Coaldale constructed a grandstand which could accommodate 8,000 fans. The cost of their projects cost an estimated $3,500. The total cost of the upgrades for all the teams in the league was estimated to be a then-astronomical $15,000.The 1924 season
The Maroons and Coaldale began their opening days with wins against non-league opponents. However the Green Machine left the league after that win. Pottsville soon became the dominant force in the league and won the 1924 league championship with a 12-1-1 record. Giberton, which was led by future Pro Football Hall of Famer Fritz PollardFritz Pollard
Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard was the first African American head coach in the National Football League . Pollard along with Bobby Marshall were the first two African American players in the NFL in 1920...
, finished second in the standings.
Folding the league
The league folded immediately after the season. The Maroons soon went on to be members of the NFL and were shortly the centerpoint of the 1925 NFL Championship controversy1925 NFL Championship controversy
The 1925 National Football League Championship, officially held by the Chicago Cardinals, has been the subject of controversy since it was awarded. The controversy centers around the suspension of the Pottsville Maroons by NFL commissioner Joseph Carr, which prevented them from taking the title.The...
before moving to Boston in 1928 to become the Boston Bulldogs. The Bulldogs franchise then folded during the 1929 season
1929 NFL season
The 1929 NFL season was the 10th regular season of the National Football League. The league increased back to 12 teams with the addition of Orange Tornadoes and Minneapolis Red Jackets and the re-entry of the Buffalo Bisons...
.
Coaldale fell on hard times after they left the league. The team only won four games in 1924. Around the midpoint mark of their 1925 season they became strictly a traveling team, because every football fan in the region joined the Maroons' fanbase when the team joined the NFL. The team then joined the short lived Eastern League of Professional Football
Eastern League of Professional Football
The Eastern League of Professional Football was a football league formed in 1926 by independent clubs from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The Eastern League was a regional minor league that never intended to challenge either the National Football League or even Red Grange's new American Football...
during its one season in 1926.
Only one of the Wilkes-Barre Barons league games was recorded in the AFL standings. That game was a 34-0 loss to the Maroons. This leaves the issue of the team's remaining league games a mystery. Some historians speculate that Wilkes-Barre attempted to imitate Coaldale's decision and quit the league However some theories say that the team disbanded, or that they just rescheduled most of their games to take advantage of their closer regional opponents. Wilkes-Barre's roster may have also been depleted by the other Anthracite teams.
1924 standings
This table is shows both league and non-league game results.The Pottsville Maroons were named the 1924 Anthracite League Champions.
| Team | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pottsville Maroons Pottsville Maroons The Pottsville Maroons were an American football team based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1920, they went on to play in the National Football League for four seasons, from 1925–1928... * |
14 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| Gilberton Cadamounts Gilberton Cadamounts The Gilberton Catamounts, sometimes called the Gilberton Cadamounts and the Gilberton Duck Streeters, were an 1920s-era professional footall team based in Gilberton, Pennsylvania. However the team played many of its home games in nearby Mahanoy City because Gilberton's home field, Stoddard Field.... |
13 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Shenandoah Yellow Jackets Shenandoah Yellow Jackets The Shenandoah Yellow Jackets were an Anthracite League football team that played during the league's only year of existence, 1924. They played eight games in their only year of existence, going 4-4 for a .500 winning percentage. They finished third in the five team league.... |
8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Coaldale Big Green Coaldale Big Green The Coaldale Big Green was an early professional football team based in Coaldale, Pennsylvania. The club played as an independent until joining the Anthracite League in 1924. After leaving the league in 1924, the team spent its 1925 season as an independent, then joined the short-lived Eastern... |
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Wilkes-Barre Barons Wilkes-Barre Barons The Wilkes-Barre Barons were a legendary basketball team from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.The Barons played between 1933 and 1972 in different American leagues. The team won 11 titles during this time, and the most memorable are those were won while playing in the American Basketball League and the... |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Hall of Famers
Individuals enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
- Fritz PollardFritz PollardFrederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard was the first African American head coach in the National Football League . Pollard along with Bobby Marshall were the first two African American players in the NFL in 1920...
(Gilberton) - Wilbur "Pete" Henry (Pottsville)