Ohio League

{{Infobox Sports league

| title = Ohio League

| current_season =

| current_season2 =

| last_season =

| upcoming_season =

| logo =

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| Formerly =

| sport = American football

| founded = 1902

| fame = Predecessor to the National Football League (NFL)

| motto =

| inaugural = 1902

| teams = 23

| country = United States

| venue = Armory Park
Idora Park
Indianola Park
League Field
League Park
Luna Bowl
Swayne Field
Tank Stadium
Triangle Park

| champion = Canton Bulldogs

| most_champs = Massillon Tigers (5)

| qualification =

| folded = 1919

| website =

| singles =

| ceo =

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| related_comps = New York Pro Football League (NYPFL)
Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit
Chicago League

| Founder =

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}}

The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1902 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship (OIC). As the name implied, its teams were mostly based in Ohio. It is the direct predecessor to the modern National Football League (NFL).

A proposal to add teams from outside Ohio, such as the Latrobe Athletic Association, to form a formal league known as the "Football Association" fell through prior to the 1904 season.

Though a champion was declared by the group throughout its existence, a formal league was not founded until 1920, when several Ohio League teams added clubs from other states to form the American Professional Football Association. In 1922, the APFA became the National Football League.

All but one of the remaining Ohio League teams left the NFL after the 1926 season, with the sole remaining team, the Dayton Triangles, surviving until 1929, before moving to Brooklyn, playing as the Dodgers. That team merged with the Boston Yanks in 1945. The merger ended after the end of 1945 season. The league cancelled the Brooklyn franchise.

Championships

class="wikitable"

!Year

!Champion

!Deciding game

1902

|Akron East Ends

1903

|Massillon Tigers

|def. Akron East Ends, 11-0

1904

|Massillon Tigers

|def. Akron East Ends, 6-5

1905

|Massillon Tigers

|10

|def. Canton Bulldogs, 10-0

1906

|Massillon Tigers

|10

|def. Canton Bulldogs, 13-6

1907

|Massillon Tigers

|Massillon won by tiebreaker of common opponents. While both Massillon and the Shelby Blues went undefeated and played each other once to a scoreless tie, Shelby tied the Columbus Panhandles, while Massillon had defeated Columbus twice.

1908

|Akron Indians

1909

|Akron Indians

|def. Shelby Blues, 12-9

1910

|Shelby Blues and Shelby TigersBoth teams finished undefeated, but shared so many players that it was impossible to stage a true championship game. Their records were added together and the two organizations shared the title and officially merged in 1911. The Tigers name was spun off to another team.

|14

|def. Akron Indians, 8-5

1911

|Shelby Blues

|10

|def. Canton Bulldogs, 1-0 (forfeit)

1912

|Elyria Athletics

|def. Akron Indians

1913

|Akron Indians

|def. Shelby Blues, 20-0While Akron is traditionally listed as champions, the Dayton Cadets won the Southern Division title with an undefeated record. Akron and Dayton never faced each other.

1914

|Akron Parratt's Indians

|def. Canton Bulldogs, 21-0

1915

|Disputed

|The Professional Football Researchers Association lists 1915 as "no clear champion" and discounts the Youngstown Patricians, the only undefeated team that year, as having a subpar schedule. Canton and Massillon, the next two contenders, tied at 5-2-2.

1916

|Canton Bulldogs

|def. Massillon Tigers, 24-0

1917

|Canton Bulldogs

|def. Detroit Heralds, 7-0

1918

|Dayton Triangles

|def. Detroit Heralds

1919

|Canton Bulldogs

Other teams

Akron Pros
Cincinnati Celts
Cleveland Panthers (debuted 1919, mainly played non-Ohio teams)
Cleveland Tigers
Coleman Athletic Club
Columbus Panhandles
Franklin Athletic Club of Cleveland
Ironton Tanks (merger of Irish Town Rags and the Lombards)
Lancaster Anchors
Portsmouth Spartans (moved to Detroit in 1933, now known as the Detroit Lions)
Shelby Tigers (merged with Shelby Blues in 1911)
Toledo Maroons
Washington Vigilants
Youngstown Patricians
Zanesville Mark Greys

Further, the Detroit Heralds, though based in Michigan, played many of its games against Ohio teams.

Successor leagues

=Ohio Valley League (1925-1929)=

Some of the better teams of the 1920s, who did not join the NFL existed in the Ohio Valley,{{Cite web|url=http://www.profootballresearchers.com/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/17-03-605.pdf|title=the Ohio Valley in 1924|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915091534/http://www.profootballresearchers.com/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/17-03-605.pdf|archive-date=September 15, 2015|url-status=live}} and would form an unofficial but recognized circuit - The Ohio Valley League - which resembled the old Ohio League.{{Cite web|url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/15-03-518.pdf|title=Thorpe's Farewell Season|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907220103/http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/15-03-518.pdf|archive-date=September 7, 2015|url-status=live}} The "league" collapsed at the beginning of the Great Depression.Bob Gill, with Tod Maher. Outsiders II: Minor League And Independent Football, 1951-1985, St. Johann Press, 2010. {{ISBN|1878282654}}

The two stronger teams in the league were the Portsmouth Spartans and the Ironton Tanks,{{Cite web|url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/19-03-703.pdf|title=The "Famous" Ironton Tanks|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907221310/http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/19-03-703.pdf|archive-date=September 7, 2015|url-status=live}} that in the year after the circuit died (1930) beat the New York Giants and Chicago Bears,{{Cite web|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1930iro.html|title=1930 Ironton Tanks}} while the Spartans would join the NFL and would later become the Detroit Lions. Two other noteworthy teams were the Armco Corporation employees teams - Ashland Armco Yellowjackets (Kentucky) and Middletown Armco Blues (Ohio),{{Cite web|url=https://eirball.ie/armco-semi-pro-football-teams-1924-1929/|title=Armco Semi-Pro Football Teams 1924-1929|date=2 September 2019 }} who featured many former college All-Americans, including Red Roberts.{{Cite web|url=http://profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/10-02-333.pdf|title=Armco's Semi-Pro Football Teams|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610194118/http://profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/10-02-333.pdf|archive-date=June 10, 2021|url-status=live }}

==Champions==

1925 Ironton Tanks (9-1-2){{Cite web|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1925iront.html|title=1925 Ironton Tanks}}

1926 Ironton Tanks (11-1-1){{Cite web|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1926irontt.html|title=1926 Ironton Tanks}}

1927 Ashland Armco Yellowjackets (7-1-3){{Cite web|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1927ash.html|title=1927 Ashland Armcos}}

1928 Ironton Tanks (7-1-3){{Cite web|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1928irontt.html|title=1928 Ironton Tanks}}

1929 Portsmouth Spartans (12-2-1){{Cite web|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1929por.html|title=1929 Portsmouth Spartans}}

=Ohio Professional Football League (1941)=

In 1941, there was a resurgence in pro football in Ohio, as local teams tried to form a new professional league called The Ohio Professional Football League (also known as Ohio Valley League).{{cite news |title=Dakotas to Stand Pat On Lineup |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77099456/the-journal-herald/ |newspaper=The Journal Herald |via=Newspapers.com |date=October 10, 1941 |access-date=May 5, 2021}} Six teams came together in an attempt to restore the region's former old glory: The Dayton Dakotas, Dayton Merchants, Cincinnati Pepsi-Colas, Columbus Avondales, Middletown Merchants, and another Canadian team the Thomas Athletic Club from Windsor, Ontario,{{cite news |title=2 Dayton Teams In New Pro Football Circuit |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77098917/dayton-daily-news/ |newspaper=Dayton Daily News |via=Newspapers.com |date=September 21, 1941 |access-date=May 5, 2021}} but they withdrew from the league before the season started.

The circuit operated on a much smaller scale from previous leagues, and did not return for a second season.

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:center" \|+1941 League standings
Team !width="25"\| {{Abbr\|W\|Wins}} !width="25"\| {{Abbr\|L\|Losses}} !width="25"\| {{Abbr\|T\|Ties}} !width="30"\| {{Abbr\|PCT\|Winning percentage}}
style="background:#cfc;" \| style="text-align:left;" \| Cincinnati Pepsi-Colas{{Cite web\|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1941ovflcin.html\|title=1941 Cincinnati Pepsi-Colas (OVFL)}} \| 7 \| 0 \| 0 \| 1.000
style="text-align:left;" \| Dayton Dakotas{{Cite web\|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1941ovfldayd.html\|title=1941 Dayton Dakotas (OVFL)}} \| 5 \| 2 \| 0 \| .714
style="text-align:left;" \| Middletown Merchants{{Cite web\|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1941ovflmid.html\|title=1941 Middletown Merchants (OVFL)}} \| 3 \| 3 \| 1 \| .500
style="text-align:left;" \| Columbus Avondales{{Cite web\|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1941ovflcol.html\|title=1941 Columbus Avondales (OVFL)}} \| 1 \| 5 \| 0 \| .167
style="text-align:left;" \| Dayton Merchants{{Cite web\|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1941ovfldaym.html\|title=1941 Dayton Merchants (OVFL)}} \| 0 \| 7 \| 1 \| .063

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:center"

|+1941 League standings

Team

!width="25"| {{Abbr|W|Wins}}

!width="25"| {{Abbr|L|Losses}}

!width="25"| {{Abbr|T|Ties}}

!width="30"| {{Abbr|PCT|Winning percentage}}

style="background:#cfc;"

| style="text-align:left;" | Cincinnati Pepsi-Colas{{Cite web|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1941ovflcin.html|title=1941 Cincinnati Pepsi-Colas (OVFL)}}

| 7

| 0

| 1.000

style="text-align:left;" | Dayton Dakotas{{Cite web|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1941ovfldayd.html|title=1941 Dayton Dakotas (OVFL)}}

| 5

| 2

| 0

| .714

style="text-align:left;" | Middletown Merchants{{Cite web|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1941ovflmid.html|title=1941 Middletown Merchants (OVFL)}}

| 3

| 1

| .500

style="text-align:left;" | Columbus Avondales{{Cite web|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1941ovflcol.html|title=1941 Columbus Avondales (OVFL)}}

| 1

| 5

| 0

| .167

style="text-align:left;" | Dayton Merchants{{Cite web|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1941ovfldaym.html|title=1941 Dayton Merchants (OVFL)}}

| 0

| 7

| 1

| .063

Notes

{{Cite journal | last1=Braunwart | first1=Bob | last2=Carroll | first2=Bob | year=1981 | title=The Ohio League | url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/03-07-068.pdf | journal=The Coffin Corner | publisher=Professional Football Researchers Association | volume=3 | issue=7 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822043543/http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/03-07-068.pdf | archive-date=2014-08-22 }}
NFL.com history pages: [http://www.nfl.com/history/chronology/1869-1910 1869-1910] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20120513181529/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/bay/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/09-ma-section05.pdf 1911-1920]
Sye, Roy. [http://www.independentfootball.site90.com/FootballResearch/unofficial_independent.htm/ Independent Football History] (Sye is Vice-President of the Professional Football Researchers Association committee in charge of researching professional football prior to 1920.)