John Schneider (American football)
Encyclopedia
John J. Schneider was a professional American football
player in the "Ohio League
" and the early National Football League
for the Columbus Panhandles. He played from around 1909 until 1921 with the Panhandles. In 1920 he played in one of the first NFL games during a Panhandles 14-0 loss to the Dayton Triangles
.
He was a teammate of the Panhandles' infamous Nesser Brothers
and later married their sister Mary Rose. However, on one occasion John did not play for Columbus. According to his daughter, Cassidy, the Panhandles sometimes would go to different places and the opposing team would not have enough players. To keep the game scheduled, the opposing team would take somebody from the Panhandles. They were never allowed to take one of the Nesser brothers. During one such game, John, was picked to play against his own team and the Nessers. 'I was the poor fool who got picked to play against the Nessers, and they pulverized me.' He used to say, 'I think that was my scariest day, other than the day I asked the brothers if I could marry their sister.'
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 in the "Ohio League
Ohio League
The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1903 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship . As the name implied, its teams were based in Ohio...
" and the early 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...
for the Columbus Panhandles. He played from around 1909 until 1921 with the Panhandles. In 1920 he played in one of the first NFL games during a Panhandles 14-0 loss to the Dayton Triangles
Dayton Triangles
The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north...
.
He was a teammate of the Panhandles' infamous Nesser Brothers
Nesser Brothers
The Nesser Brothers were a group of football playing brothers who helped make up the most famous football family in the United States from 1907 until the mid-1920s...
and later married their sister Mary Rose. However, on one occasion John did not play for Columbus. According to his daughter, Cassidy, the Panhandles sometimes would go to different places and the opposing team would not have enough players. To keep the game scheduled, the opposing team would take somebody from the Panhandles. They were never allowed to take one of the Nesser brothers. During one such game, John, was picked to play against his own team and the Nessers. 'I was the poor fool who got picked to play against the Nessers, and they pulverized me.' He used to say, 'I think that was my scariest day, other than the day I asked the brothers if I could marry their sister.'