The Eastern League of Professional Football was a football

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 formed in 1926 by independent clubs from 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...

 and New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

. The Eastern League was a regional minor league

Minor league

Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...

 that never intended to challenge either 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...

 or even Red Grange's

Red Grange

Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost", was a college and professional American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and for the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League...

 new American Football League's

American Football League (1926)

The first American Football League , sometimes called AFL I, AFLG, or the Grange League, was a professional American football league that operated in 1926. It was the first major competitor to the National Football League. Founded by C. C...

, dominance over the sport. In the league's only season the championship was awarded to All-Lancaster Red Roses

All-Lancaster Red Roses

The All-Lancaster Red Roses were an Eastern League of Professional Football team that played during the league's only year of existence, 1926. They finished third in the 10-team league with a 5-2-3 record...

 over the Bethlehem Bears

Bethlehem 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...

 in a controversial move.

History

In January 1926, James H. Gildea

James H. Gildea

James Hilary Gildea was a newspaperman and a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania....

, the owner/manager of 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...

 football club, began pushing his idea for a football league in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Gildea's intention was to organize a circuit of teams that were well established and successful but unable to compete financially with the teams of the National Football League. As the core of the new circuit, Gildea sought out the membership of the old Anthracite League

Anthracite League

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...

 clubs. He also courted several other well established Pennsylvania and New Jersey clubs.

The 1926 season

By the time the 1926 football season opened, ten teams were on board with the newly christened Eastern League of Professional Football. The league's first season had plenty of ups and downs, including financial difficulties that led one club to drop out of the circuit, and a controversy surrounding the championship. The game on the field, however, was very competitive. Five teams had league records of .500 or better. However the Eastern League's still remained organized until the next season.

1926 Championship controversy

The Bethlehem Bears

Bethlehem 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...

 and the All-Lancaster Red Roses

All-Lancaster Red Roses

The All-Lancaster Red Roses were an Eastern League of Professional Football team that played during the league's only year of existence, 1926. They finished third in the 10-team league with a 5-2-3 record...

 were the top two teams in the league. On November 28, 1926 both teams meet for a game that would most likely determine the league champion. The Bears won the 3-0 due to a last minute field goal by Gyp Downey.

The Bears ended the season with 6-2-2 record against league opponents and a post-season victory over All-Lancaster. Bethlehem felt that these actions were enough to legitimize their claim to an Eastern League championship. However there was some question regarding Bethlehem's claim to the championship. These questions may have been related to the introduction of several "ringers" into the Bears line-up for the team's final four games against Eastern League opponents. Local newspapers soon reported that the league awarded the title to the 5-2-3 All-Lancaster Red Roses. Presumably on the basis of that team's October victory over the second-place Gilberton Catamounts. After the season, Bethlehem offered 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...

 of the National Football League $4,000 to play them at home. The Bears then lost to Pottsville in a lopsided defeat.

1926 Standings

This table is shows both league and non-league unofficial standings.

The All-Lancaster Red Roses were named the 1926 Anthracite League Champions.

Team	Wins	Losses	Ties	%	PF	PA	Notes
Bethlehem Bears Bethlehem 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...	6	2	2	.750	72	45
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....	5	2	2	.714	51	22
All-Lancaster Red Roses All-Lancaster Red Roses The All-Lancaster Red Roses were an Eastern League of Professional Football team that played during the league's only year of existence, 1926. They finished third in the 10-team league with a 5-2-3 record...	5	2	3	.714	49	49	Awarded league championship
Mount Carmel Wolverines Mount Carmel Wolverines The Mount Carmel Wolverines were an Eastern League of Professional Football team based in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, USA that played during the league's only year of existence, 1926. They finished fourth in the league with a 5-3-1 record ....	5	3	1	.625	91	43
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...	4	4	3	.500	63	43
Atlantic City Roses	2	4	2	.333	22	65
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....	2	5	1	.286	55	41
Mount Airy Athletic Club	1	3	1	.250	13	67
Newark Blues	1	6	0	.142	7	58
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...	1	1	1	.500	3	10	Withdrew from league 13 October 1926