Swede Youngstrom
Encyclopedia
Adolph Frederick "Swede" Youngstrom (May 24, 1897 – August 5, 1968) was a professional football
player. Over the span of his career in the National Football League
, Youngstrom played with the Buffalo All-Americans, Canton Bulldogs
, Buffalo Bisons
, Cleveland Bulldogs
and the Frankford Yellow Jackets
. He also served as a player-coach
for the Yellow Jackets in 1927
. Outside of the NFL, Youngstrom played pro football for the Millville Big Blue and the Haven-Villa of Winter Haven
.
. The school's football team practiced after classes. Youngstrom then sought his parent’s permission to go out for the football team. However his parents refused to let him play. Swede’s father feared that his son, who eighed just 140 pounds, would be susceptible to injury.
However during his senior year at Waltham, Swedejoined the team without his parent’s consent or knowledge. However, when a local paper included some highlights involving Swede's on-field performance the secret was revealed. Youngstrom's father however did not let on that he knew of his son’s involvement with the team. Instead, he sneaked to a Waltham practice session and watched his boy in action. After being impressed by his son's performance, Swede's father permitted him to stay with the team.
in 1914. At Dartmouth, he played every position on the offensive line, however he was best known for playin the guard
position. However he also played on defense as well. Swede's defensive play was also outstanding. He was credited with blocking nine punts
in his senior year, three of those blocks came in the 1919 title game against Colgate University
. His stellar play earned him a spot on Walter Camp’s
All-American team.
, with Dartmouth teammate Ed Healey
when he was approached by representatives from Buffalo with an offer to play for their 1920 team in the new American Professional Football Association (renamed the National Football League in 1922). During his first season with the All-Americans, Youngstrom is reported to have blocked nine punts, the same number of blocks he attained during his senior year at Dartmouth. Three of those blocks were returned for touchdowns
.
In 1922, Youngstrom's play began to attract All-Pro
mention. In 1923 the All-Americans went 5-4-3, but Youngstrom’s stellar play earned him a spot on the Green Bay Press-Gazette
All-Pro team. A year later, Swede ended up being the only bright spot for the Buffalo franchise (now called the Bisons) during terrible season, receiving All-Pro honors for the third consecutive year.
on Saturdays, then hopped the train for Buffalo and the next day’s game. The Quakers played their games on Saturdays because Philadelphia
blue laws
prohibited professional sports being played on Sunday.
Youngstrom also played for the Millville Big Blue, a professional football team based in Millville, New Jersey
from 1921 until around 1928. The team won the mythical "Pro Football Championship of New Jersey" in 1923 and again in 1925. He also played for the Haven-Villa of Winter Haven, a barnstorming
team, made up of several Big Blue members.
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. Over the span of his career 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...
, Youngstrom played with the Buffalo All-Americans, 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...
, Buffalo Bisons
Buffalo (NFL)
Buffalo, New York had a turbulent, early-era National Football League team that operated under three different names and several different owners between the 1910s and 1920s...
, Cleveland Bulldogs
Cleveland Bulldogs
The Cleveland Bulldogs was a team that played in Cleveland, Ohio in the National Football League. They were originally called the Indians in 1923, not to be confused with the Cleveland Indians NFL franchise in 1922...
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...
. He also served as a player-coach
Player-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 the Yellow Jackets in 1927
1927 NFL season
The 1927 NFL season was the 8th regular season of the National Football League. Prior to the season, the league decided to eliminate the financially weaker teams. As a result, the league dropped from 22 to 12 teams, and a majority of the remaining teams were centered around the East Coast instead...
. Outside of the NFL, Youngstrom played pro football for the Millville Big Blue and the Haven-Villa of Winter Haven
Haven-Villa of Winter Haven
The Haven-Villa of Winter Haven was a professional football team based in Winter Haven, Florida in 1926. While the team originated as a successful local team...
.
Early career
Swede's first exposure to football came during his time at Waltham High SchoolWaltham High School
Waltham High School is the only public high school serving the city of Waltham, Massachusetts.-Old School Building:The old Waltham High School was originally constructed in 1902. Designed by Samuel Patch and Robert Glancey, it follows the local contemporary style of Romanesque and Classical...
. The school's football team practiced after classes. Youngstrom then sought his parent’s permission to go out for the football team. However his parents refused to let him play. Swede’s father feared that his son, who eighed just 140 pounds, would be susceptible to injury.
However during his senior year at Waltham, Swedejoined the team without his parent’s consent or knowledge. However, when a local paper included some highlights involving Swede's on-field performance the secret was revealed. Youngstrom's father however did not let on that he knew of his son’s involvement with the team. Instead, he sneaked to a Waltham practice session and watched his boy in action. After being impressed by his son's performance, Swede's father permitted him to stay with the team.
College
After high school, Swede entered Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth 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...
in 1914. At Dartmouth, he played every position on the offensive line, however he was best known for playin the guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
position. However he also played on defense as well. Swede's defensive play was also outstanding. He was credited with blocking nine punts
Punt (football)
In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
in his senior year, three of those blocks came in the 1919 title game against Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
. His stellar play earned him a spot on Walter Camp’s
Walter Camp
Walter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
All-American team.
Buffalo
After graduating, Swede was operating a candy store in Hanover, New HampshireHanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
, with Dartmouth teammate Ed Healey
Ed Healey
Edward Francis Healey, Jr. was a professional football player for the Rock Island Independents, and best known with the Chicago Bears.-College years:...
when he was approached by representatives from Buffalo with an offer to play for their 1920 team in the new American Professional Football Association (renamed the National Football League in 1922). During his first season with the All-Americans, Youngstrom is reported to have blocked nine punts, the same number of blocks he attained during his senior year at Dartmouth. Three of those blocks were returned for touchdowns
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
.
In 1922, Youngstrom's play began to attract All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
mention. In 1923 the All-Americans went 5-4-3, but Youngstrom’s stellar play earned him a spot on the Green Bay Press-Gazette
Green Bay Press-Gazette
The Green Bay Press-Gazette is a newspaper whose primary coverage is of northeastern Wisconsin, including Green Bay. It was founded as the Green Bay Gazette in 1866 as a weekly paper, becoming a daily newspaper in 1871. The Green Bay Gazette merged with its major competitor, the Green Bay Free...
All-Pro team. A year later, Swede ended up being the only bright spot for the Buffalo franchise (now called the Bisons) during terrible season, receiving All-Pro honors for the third consecutive year.
Frankford Yellow Jackets
In 1926, Youngstrom accepted an offer to play for the Frankford Yellow Jackets. In addition to his duties on the field, Swede was asked to coach the linemen. He spent two seasons with the Jackets, and played a major role in helping the team win the 1926 NFL title. He would then serve as the team's player-coach for the 1927 season.Independent football
In 1921 the rules governing players in the AFPA were somewhat lax and many players took advantage of this situation by playing for teams in other leagues to make a little extra money between games. Eight members of the Buffalo squad, including Youngstrom) played for a non-league team called the Union Quakers of PhiladelphiaUnion Quakers of Philadelphia
The Union Quakers of Philadelphia were a professional independent football team, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1921. The team evolved from a number of pro players who played with the Union Club of Phoenixville during their 1920 season. During their only season of operation, the club won...
on Saturdays, then hopped the train for Buffalo and the next day’s game. The Quakers played their games on Saturdays because Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
blue laws
Blue Laws
The Blue Laws of the Colony of Connecticut, as distinct from the generic term "blue law" that refers to any laws regulating activities on Sunday, were the initial statutes set up by the Gov. Theophilus Eaton with the assistance of the Rev. John Cotton in 1655 for the Colony of New Haven, now part...
prohibited professional sports being played on Sunday.
Youngstrom also played for the Millville Big Blue, a professional football team based in Millville, New Jersey
Millville, New Jersey
Millville is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city population was 26,847. Millville, Bridgeton and Vineland are the three principal New Jersey cities of the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area which...
from 1921 until around 1928. The team won the mythical "Pro Football Championship of New Jersey" in 1923 and again in 1925. He also played for the Haven-Villa of Winter Haven, a barnstorming
Barnstorm (sports)
Barnstorming in athletics refers to sports teams or individuals that travel to various locations, usually small towns, to stage exhibition matches....
team, made up of several Big Blue members.