John Brallier
Encyclopedia
John Kinport "Sal" Brallier (December 12, 1876 – September 17, 1960) was one of the first professional American football
players. He was nationally acknowledged as the first openly paid professional football player when he was given $10 to play for the Latrobe Athletic Association
for a game against the Jeanette Athletic Association in 1895
.
, near Indiana
. He was the son of Dr. Emanuel Brallier, a physician
, and his wife, Lucy M. Kinport Brallier. His grandparents were from Alsace-Lorraine
, accounting for the French
-sounding name. As a boy, Brallier remembered having worked in a glass factory. His first recollection of football was in 1890, at the age of 13, playing in high school
for the West Indiana Public School
team. By his sophomore year in 1892, he was the captain and right halfback
.
In 1893, while still attending high school, also played quarterback
for the Indiana Normal
football club in 1893 and 1894. The team won three of four games played that year. Among Brallier’s teammates was left guard Alex Stewart, future father of movie star James Stewart
. During the fourth game of the 1894 season, Normal lost 28–0 to Washington & Jefferson College
. However, Brallier’s outstanding play led the Presidents coach E. Gard Edwards to write from Pittsburgh asking Brallier to play football for his team. Further correspondence followed through the winter between Brallier and Washington & Jefferson Presidents manager H. Wilson Boyd. The result was that Brallier agreed to go to Washington & Jefferson “if all expenses are paid for the entire year.” The young football star graduated from Indiana Public School that spring and was awaiting the start of college when something happened 30 miles away in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
that was to affect his career and the rest of his life.
found himself in a scheduling conflict. Blair, who also played baseball in nearby Greensburg
discovered that the team's first football game against the Jeannette Athletic Club conflicted with a prior baseball commitment. Manager David Berry
, who was now seeking a replacement for Blair, had heard of Brallier's performance as Indiana Normal's quarterback. He contacted the 17-year-old at his home in Indiana and offered him expenses to play for Latrobe. However, Brallier was not particularly anxious to play, anticipating his entrance into Washington & Jefferson College in a few weeks. The young quarterback was afraid that an injury would jeopardize his scholarship, so the Latrobe offered to pay him to "make it worthwhile". Finally, Berry offered $10 a game plus expenses, while promising several other games and he threw in "some cakes". This offer made Brallier the first openly paid football player. The quarterback arrived in Latrobe the night before the game and practiced with the team under a street light. Latrobe would go on to win the game. Brallier kicked two field goals for a final score of 12–0.
While Brallier was considered the first professional football player and deemed a national icon for many years, it wasn't until after his death in 1960 that evidence proved John Brallier was not in fact the first professional football player, but merely the first one to openly admit he was paid. William "Pudge" Heffelfinger of the Allegheny Athletic Association
is now considered the first professional player.
squad before leaving for college. Brallier promptly won the varsity quarterback position at Washington & Jefferson, and made his first start for the Presidents on September 28, 1895 against Denison University
. Washington & Jefferson won the game 32–0. The 1895 Washington & Jefferson team won six games, tied Penn State University, and lost only to the Pittsburgh Athletic Club
, which was composed of former college stars. After the Washington & Jefferson season, Brallier returned to Latrobe to play another game, against Greensburg Athletic Association
on November 30, 1895, which ended in a 4–0 loss. Brallier suffered an injury late in the game.
Going into the 1896 season, Brallier had nine different offers from schools, colleges, and athletic clubs to play football for them. Both Washington & Jefferson and Latrobe wanted him to return, and his services also were sought by West Virginia University
, Grove City College
, Kiski Prep, Indiana Normal, Johnstown Athletic Club, Allegheny Athletic Association
, and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club.
He accepted the West Virginia University offer, since he wanted to continue his education and the Mountaineers' offer was better than other schools could offer. However, he later stated that "unfortunately, the football management got into financial difficulties and could not take care of their men as promised." Brallier and two other players left after four games, one with Geneva College
and three with Lafayette College
, had been played. Brallier had captained the team and "Doggie" Trenchard
, a former All-American from Princeton
was the Mountaineer's coach. After the Lafayette game, Brallier accepted a Latrobe Athletic Association's offer to serve as its quarterback and coach.
team to assemble some football talent to play for Punxsutawney in a deciding third game with rival DuBois
. After a fun-filled week of practice and occupancy of the hotel’s third floor, the game at DuBois lasted only 12 minutes before a riot ended play with Punxsutawney leading, 12–0. Both teams had outsiders with Latrobe's Harry Ryan
and Ed Abbaticchio joining Brallier. The problem arose when the officials disallowed a DuBois score, although Punxsutawney's captain, Lawson Fiscus
, offered to start the game anew with no score. Speculation was that the riot gave DuBois a chance to escape what may have been a rather sound drubbing in a game on which great amounts of money had been wagered. Brallier returned to Latrobe for the 1897 season.
On May 11, 1898, during the Spanish–American War, Brallier entered the U.S. Army. Although he was not mustered out until November, he was stationed near Latrobe for football season. He signed a contract to play for Latrobe for $150 and expenses for the season. He played three games, then left in mid-October to join the Pittsburgh Athletic Club at an increase in salary. After the Pittsburgh team’s season was over he rejoined Latrobe for a final game against the Greensburg Athletic Association.
to play quarterback. However, Penn had worried that Brallier had played so much professional ball that the school's amateur standing would be at stake. Pennsylvania was trying quite hard to get Harvard
on their schedule. However, Harvard had refused to play Penn on the grounds that some of Quakers' players were not amateurs.
After the Penn incident Brallier toured the city’s dental schools and decided to attend Medico-Chirurgical College
, from where his older brother had graduated the year before. Ironically Medico-Chi, as it was called, later became part of the University of Pennsylvania. Before leaving for school that fall, Brallier helped coach the Indiana Normal team and turned down a Latrobe offer. Brallier had planned to give up football for his studies. However, pressure from the football coach and squad members changed his mind. Brallier was elected captain and quarterbacked the school’s undefeated team which wound up gloriously with a win over rival Jefferson Medical College.
During the summers of 1899 and 1900, John Brallier worked with the surveying corps of Lackawanna Iron & Steel Company
. In 1900, he helped lay out the town of Wehrum
south of Vintondale, Pennsylvania
in Cambria County. Before the 1900 season, Brallier had an offer from the University of Maryland
to take up the coaching position.” He refused it, stating that he wanted to dedicate more time to his studies. He returned to Medico-Chi and captained another undefeated team in its regular schedule. He graduated in 1902 with a degree in Orthodontia.
for 1902. He had turned down pro football offers from the Franklin Athletic Club
and Oil City Athletic Club
, located in northwestern Pennsylvania. From 1903 to 1905 Brallier led Latrobe to three straight undefeated seasons. Including wins against the Canton Bulldogs
, who later became a founding member of the National Football League
. Brallier wrote in retrospect in 1934 that the 1903 Latrobe backfield “was the best I had ever played with and the best I have ever seen.” In 1906 the team began to experience financial problems. Brallier finished his career in 1907 and was considered as one of the best players of his era, right alongside Pudge Heffelfinger. In 1907, the decrease in community interest and the team's change to an amateur club status coincided with his last year as a player, although he continued to help coach local town teams.
but the Hall went to Canton, Ohio
.
Brallier spent his time, after retirement, in parts of Canada
and Florida
. He enjoyed his recognition as one of the first professional football players. When he died on September 17, 1960, at age 83, he was the last surviving member of the Latrobe football team. In 1979, John Brallier was voted one of the "Best Pros Not in the Hall of Fame" by the Pro Football Researchers Association.
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. He was nationally acknowledged as the first openly paid professional football player when he was given $10 to play for 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 a game against the Jeanette Athletic Association in 1895
1895 in sports
-American football:College championship* College football national championship – Penn Quakers and Yale Bulldogs Events* 3 September – the earliest known professional football game is played in Latrobe, Pennsylvania where Latrobe YMCA defeats the Jeannette Athletic Club 12–0.-Association...
.
Early life
Brallier was born in Cherry Tree, PennsylvaniaCherry Tree, Pennsylvania
Cherry Tree is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 443 at the 2000 census.-History:Cherry Tree is situated mostly in a valley near the headwaters of West Branch of the Susquehanna River where the river is fed by Cush Cushion Creek.Cherry Tree was originally...
, near Indiana
Indiana, Pennsylvania
Indiana is a borough in and the county seat of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,895 at the 2000 census.The borough and the region as a whole promotes itself as the "Christmas Tree Capital of the World" because the national Christmas Tree Grower's Association was...
. He was the son of Dr. Emanuel Brallier, a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, and his wife, Lucy M. Kinport Brallier. His grandparents were from Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
, accounting for the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-sounding name. As a boy, Brallier remembered having worked in a glass factory. His first recollection of football was in 1890, at the age of 13, playing in high school
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
for the West Indiana Public School
Indiana Area School District
Indiana Area School District is a public school district in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. It is composed of White Township and Armstrong Township, along with Indiana and Shelocta boroughs.- Elementary schools :...
team. By his sophomore year in 1892, he was the captain and right halfback
Halfback (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...
.
In 1893, while still attending high school, also played quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the Indiana Normal
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania is a public university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, USA. The university is northeast of Pittsburgh. It is the largest university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and is the commonwealth's fifth largest university...
football club in 1893 and 1894. The team won three of four games played that year. Among Brallier’s teammates was left guard Alex Stewart, future father of movie star James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
. During the fourth game of the 1894 season, Normal lost 28–0 to Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, also known as W & J College or W&J, is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States, which is south of Pittsburgh...
. However, Brallier’s outstanding play led the Presidents coach E. Gard Edwards to write from Pittsburgh asking Brallier to play football for his team. Further correspondence followed through the winter between Brallier and Washington & Jefferson Presidents manager H. Wilson Boyd. The result was that Brallier agreed to go to Washington & Jefferson “if all expenses are paid for the entire year.” The young football star graduated from Indiana Public School that spring and was awaiting the start of college when something happened 30 miles away in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States, approximately southeast of Pittsburgh.The city population was 7,634 as of the 2000 census . It is located near the Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorporated as a borough in 1854, and as a city in 1999...
that was to affect his career and the rest of his life.
Pro football pioneer
In 1895 the town of Latrobe established a formal football team. However, just before the start of the season, Latrobe quarterback Eddie BlairEddie Blair
Dr. James Edward Blair was an early professional football player with the Latrobe Athletic Association. He was also a skilled surgeon. He later relocated to Burlington, New Jersey, where he became active in He took a prominent part in the city council for a time and was a surgeon for the Third...
found himself in a scheduling conflict. Blair, who also played baseball in nearby Greensburg
Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Greensburg is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city is named after Nathanael Greene, a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War...
discovered that the team's first football game against the Jeannette Athletic Club conflicted with a prior baseball commitment. Manager David 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...
, who was now seeking a replacement for Blair, had heard of Brallier's performance as Indiana Normal's quarterback. He contacted the 17-year-old at his home in Indiana and offered him expenses to play for Latrobe. However, Brallier was not particularly anxious to play, anticipating his entrance into Washington & Jefferson College in a few weeks. The young quarterback was afraid that an injury would jeopardize his scholarship, so the Latrobe offered to pay him to "make it worthwhile". Finally, Berry offered $10 a game plus expenses, while promising several other games and he threw in "some cakes". This offer made Brallier the first openly paid football player. The quarterback arrived in Latrobe the night before the game and practiced with the team under a street light. Latrobe would go on to win the game. Brallier kicked two field goals for a final score of 12–0.
While Brallier was considered the first professional football player and deemed a national icon for many years, it wasn't until after his death in 1960 that evidence proved John Brallier was not in fact the first professional football player, but merely the first one to openly admit he was paid. William "Pudge" Heffelfinger of 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...
is now considered the first professional player.
College career
Brallier remained with Latrobe for a second game against an AltoonaAltoona, Pennsylvania
-History:A major railroad town, Altoona was founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 as the site for a shop complex. Altoona was incorporated as a borough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868...
squad before leaving for college. Brallier promptly won the varsity quarterback position at Washington & Jefferson, and made his first start for the Presidents on September 28, 1895 against Denison University
Denison University
Denison University is private, coeducational, and residential college of liberal arts and sciences founded in 1831. It is located in Granville, Ohio, United States, approximately 30 miles east of Columbus, the state capital...
. Washington & Jefferson won the game 32–0. The 1895 Washington & Jefferson team won six games, tied Penn State University, and lost only to 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...
, which was composed of former college stars. After the Washington & Jefferson season, Brallier returned to Latrobe to play another game, against Greensburg Athletic Association
Greensburg 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...
on November 30, 1895, which ended in a 4–0 loss. Brallier suffered an injury late in the game.
Going into the 1896 season, Brallier had nine different offers from schools, colleges, and athletic clubs to play football for them. Both Washington & Jefferson and Latrobe wanted him to return, and his services also were sought by 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;...
, Grove City College
Grove City College
Grove City College is a Christian liberal arts college in Grove City, Pennsylvania, about north of Pittsburgh. According to the College Bulletin, its stated three-fold mission is to provide an excellent education at an affordable price in a thoroughly Christian environment...
, Kiski Prep, Indiana Normal, Johnstown Athletic Club, 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...
, and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club.
He accepted the West Virginia University offer, since he wanted to continue his education and the Mountaineers' offer was better than other schools could offer. However, he later stated that "unfortunately, the football management got into financial difficulties and could not take care of their men as promised." Brallier and two other players left after four games, one with Geneva College
Geneva College
Geneva College is a Christian liberal arts college in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, United States, north of Pittsburgh. Founded in 1848, in Northwood, Ohio, the college moved to its present location in 1880, where it continues to educate a student body of about 1400 traditional undergraduates in...
and three with 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...
, had been played. Brallier had captained the team and "Doggie" Trenchard
Thomas Trenchard
-External links:...
, a former All-American from Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
was the Mountaineer's coach. After the Lafayette game, Brallier accepted a Latrobe Athletic Association's offer to serve as its quarterback and coach.
Returning to the pro ranks
After Latrobe's season, Brallier received an offer from a hotel proprietor who managed Punxsutawney’sPunxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Punxsutawney is a borough in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, United States, northeast of Pittsburgh. In 1907, Punxsutawney and Claysville boroughs were consolidated and incorporated as Greater Punxsutawney. A high-grade soft coal was mined in the surrounding region...
team to assemble some football talent to play for Punxsutawney in a deciding third game with rival DuBois
DuBois, Pennsylvania
DuBois is a city in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, northeast of Pittsburgh. It is the principal city in the DuBois, Pa Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. After a fun-filled week of practice and occupancy of the hotel’s third floor, the game at DuBois lasted only 12 minutes before a riot ended play with Punxsutawney leading, 12–0. Both teams had outsiders with Latrobe's 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...
and Ed Abbaticchio joining Brallier. The problem arose when the officials disallowed a DuBois score, although Punxsutawney's captain, Lawson Fiscus
Lawson Fiscus
Ira Lawson Fiscus was one of the first professional football players. He attended Princeton University, where his outstanding play at offensive guard earned him the title Samson of Princeton, before going on to play professionally with the Allegheny Athletic Association in 1891 and the Greensburg...
, offered to start the game anew with no score. Speculation was that the riot gave DuBois a chance to escape what may have been a rather sound drubbing in a game on which great amounts of money had been wagered. Brallier returned to Latrobe for the 1897 season.
On May 11, 1898, during the Spanish–American War, Brallier entered the U.S. Army. Although he was not mustered out until November, he was stationed near Latrobe for football season. He signed a contract to play for Latrobe for $150 and expenses for the season. He played three games, then left in mid-October to join the Pittsburgh Athletic Club at an increase in salary. After the Pittsburgh team’s season was over he rejoined Latrobe for a final game against the Greensburg Athletic Association.
Second college career
In the fall of 1899, Brallier received an offer from the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
to play quarterback. However, Penn had worried that Brallier had played so much professional ball that the school's amateur standing would be at stake. Pennsylvania was trying quite hard to get Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
on their schedule. However, Harvard had refused to play Penn on the grounds that some of Quakers' players were not amateurs.
After the Penn incident Brallier toured the city’s dental schools and decided to attend Medico-Chirurgical College
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, from where his older brother had graduated the year before. Ironically Medico-Chi, as it was called, later became part of the University of Pennsylvania. Before leaving for school that fall, Brallier helped coach the Indiana Normal team and turned down a Latrobe offer. Brallier had planned to give up football for his studies. However, pressure from the football coach and squad members changed his mind. Brallier was elected captain and quarterbacked the school’s undefeated team which wound up gloriously with a win over rival Jefferson Medical College.
During the summers of 1899 and 1900, John Brallier worked with the surveying corps of Lackawanna Iron & Steel Company
Lackawanna Steel Company
The Lackawanna Steel Company was an American steel manufacturing company that existed as an independent company from 1840 to 1922, and as a subsidiary of the Bethlehem Steel company from 1922 to 1983. Founded by the Scranton family, it was once the second-largest steel company in the world ....
. In 1900, he helped lay out the town of Wehrum
Wehrum, Pennsylvania
Wehrum is an abandoned coal mining company town in Buffington Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania that thrived for a time during the early 20th Century. The mine upon which it was entirely dependent closed in 1929, and the last known inhabitants left in 1934...
south of Vintondale, Pennsylvania
Vintondale, Pennsylvania
Vintondale is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 528 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
in Cambria County. Before the 1900 season, Brallier had an offer from the University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
to take up the coaching position.” He refused it, stating that he wanted to dedicate more time to his studies. He returned to Medico-Chi and captained another undefeated team in its regular schedule. He graduated in 1902 with a degree in Orthodontia.
Returning again to the pro ranks
Brallier rejoined the Latrobe football team as player-coachPlayer-coach
A player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. The term can be used to refer to both players who serve as head coaches, or as assistant coaches....
for 1902. He had turned down pro football offers from the Franklin Athletic Club
Franklin Athletic Club
The Franklin Athletic Club was an early professional football team based in Franklin, Pennsylvania. It was considered the top team in professional football in 1903, by becoming the becoming the US Football Champions and winning the 1903 World Series of Football, held after the 1903 season, at New...
and Oil City Athletic Club
Oil City Athletic Club
The Oil City Athletic Club was a professional football team based in Oil City, Pennsylvania from 1893 until 1903. The team was the interstate rivial of the Franklin Athletic Club...
, located in northwestern Pennsylvania. From 1903 to 1905 Brallier led Latrobe to three straight undefeated seasons. Including wins against the 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...
, who later became a founding member of 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...
. Brallier wrote in retrospect in 1934 that the 1903 Latrobe backfield “was the best I had ever played with and the best I have ever seen.” In 1906 the team began to experience financial problems. Brallier finished his career in 1907 and was considered as one of the best players of his era, right alongside Pudge Heffelfinger. In 1907, the decrease in community interest and the team's change to an amateur club status coincided with his last year as a player, although he continued to help coach local town teams.
After football
Brallier went on to practice dentistry, and served the community during a 20-year tenure as a school director, from which he retired at the end of 1931. In March 1941, tragedy struck when his wife was killed in an automobile accident. In the early 1950s, Latrobe was recognized by the National Football League as the birthplace of professional football, and Dr. Brallier was given lifetime passes for all National Football League games. Latrobe became a candidate for the proposed 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...
but the Hall went to Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Brallier spent his time, after retirement, in parts of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. He enjoyed his recognition as one of the first professional football players. When he died on September 17, 1960, at age 83, he was the last surviving member of the Latrobe football team. In 1979, John Brallier was voted one of the "Best Pros Not in the Hall of Fame" by the Pro Football Researchers Association.