Carl Beck
Encyclopedia
Carl Linnwood Beck was a professional football
player from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
. After attending high school, Beck attended the West Virginia University
, Bucknell University
and Lafayette College
. He made his professional debut in the National Football League
in 1921 with the Buffalo All-Americans. He played for the All-Americans for 1 year, before leaving the NFL. He later returned to the NFL in 1925 as star with both the Pottsville Maroons
and the Frankford Yellow Jackets
. When he wasn't playing football, Beck worked as a police officer for the Harrisburg Police Department.
Beck score 34 touchdowns, many on long runs. He is still considered one of the greatest running backs ever developed in Pennsylvania
. Beck totalled an amazing 445 points in his three years of high school. He scored six touchdowns in each of three games, and five in four more. He returned four kickoffs for touchdownss. In one 1919 game, Beck scored four touchdowns in the first seven minutes.
.
of the Eastern League of Professional Football
. While with the Bears, Beck scored a touchdown in a game against Clifton Heights Black & Orange
for a 10-0 Bears win. However he and several other Bears players were mysteriously absent from the very next game against the Shenandoah Red Jackets
. This move was supposedly a walk-out. As a result manager, Gyp Downey, tried to ban all of the involved players from playing in the league. However he withdrew his motion the very next week and the players returned to the team.
In a game against the Gilberton Catamounts Carl tackled Gilberton's halfback, future-Hall of Famer
, Fritz Pollard
, in the open field, to preserve a 9-0 win for the Bears. The Bethlehem would finish the season in second place.
Beck went on to receive first team All-Eastern League honors in 1926. While he only scored two touchdowns, including one in non-league play, for the Bears, his strong running ability was a key component of the team's success.
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...
player from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
. After attending high school, Beck attended the West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
, Bucknell University
Bucknell University
Bucknell University is a private liberal arts university located alongside the West Branch Susquehanna River in the rolling countryside of Central Pennsylvania in the town of Lewisburg, 30 miles southeast of Williamsport and 60 miles north of Harrisburg. The university consists of the College of...
and Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
. He made his professional debut in the 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...
in 1921 with the Buffalo All-Americans. He played for the All-Americans for 1 year, before leaving the NFL. He later returned to the NFL in 1925 as star with both 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...
and the Frankford Yellow Jackets
Frankford Yellow Jackets
The Frankford Yellow Jackets were a professional American football team, part of the National Football League from 1924 to 1931, though its origin dates back to as early as 1899 with the Frankford Athletic Association. The Yellow Jackets won the NFL championship in 1926...
. When he wasn't playing football, Beck worked as a police officer for the Harrisburg Police Department.
High school
Beck attended Harrisburg Tech, located on Walnut Street. The school closed after the 1925-26 school year. In 1918 and 1919 Beck helped the Tech Maroons win back-to-back state championships in football. In 1919 Beck and the Maroons won the high school national championship. At halfbackHalfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
Beck score 34 touchdowns, many on long runs. He is still considered one of the greatest running backs ever developed in 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...
. Beck totalled an amazing 445 points in his three years of high school. He scored six touchdowns in each of three games, and five in four more. He returned four kickoffs for touchdownss. In one 1919 game, Beck scored four touchdowns in the first seven minutes.
Buffalo All-Americans
Professionally he played in the American Professional Football Association, later known as the National Football League, for the Buffalo All-Americans.Pottsville Maroons
In 1922, the then-independent Pottsville Maroons attracted the sponsorship of several area businessmen. These men upgraded the club by luring talented pro players such as Benny Boynton, Stan Cofall and Beck to the team. In 1924 Beck helped the Maroons win the 1924 Anthracite League champuionship. This move placed Carl with his brother, Clarence, on the Maroons team. In 1925 the Maroons entered the NFL. That year Carl played on the Maroons team that won the 1925 NFL Championship, before it was stripped from the team due to a disputed rules violation1925 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...
.
Bethlehem Bears
In 1926 played for the Bethlehem BearsBethlehem Bears
The Bethlehem Bears were an early professional football team from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The team was formed by Michael "Gyp" Downey who served as player-coach and the team's manager...
of the 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...
. While with the Bears, Beck scored a touchdown in a game against Clifton Heights Black & Orange
Clifton Heights Black & Orange
The Clifton Heights Orange and Black was a professional football team from Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, a town located just to the southwest of Philadelphia, from 1921 until around 1932. The team was operated by the Clifton Heights Athletic Association to compete against the other towns of...
for a 10-0 Bears win. However he and several other Bears players were mysteriously absent from the very next game against the Shenandoah Red Jackets
Shenandoah Red Jackets
The Shenandoah Red Jackets were an Eastern League of Professional Football team based in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, USA that played during the league's only year of existence, 1926. They went 2-5-1 , finishing seventh in the league....
. This move was supposedly a walk-out. As a result manager, Gyp Downey, tried to ban all of the involved players from playing in the league. However he withdrew his motion the very next week and the players returned to the team.
In a game against the Gilberton Catamounts Carl tackled Gilberton's halfback, future-Hall of Famer
Pro 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 Pollard
Fritz 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...
, in the open field, to preserve a 9-0 win for the Bears. The Bethlehem would finish the season in second place.
Beck went on to receive first team All-Eastern League honors in 1926. While he only scored two touchdowns, including one in non-league play, for the Bears, his strong running ability was a key component of the team's success.