Celebrating Black History Month; In Conshohocken, That’s Easy
February 12, 2018Conshohocken Pros vs The Philadelphia Yellow Jackets
March 14, 2018Memories of Conshohocken’s Professional Football Teams
Philadelphia Eagles Championship
Stirs memories of Conshohocken’s Professional Football Teams
By Jack Coll
2-27-18
During the early part of last century the borough of Conshohocken fielded some pretty good professional football teams. In the fall of 1893 the first organized football team made its debut in Conshohocken.
The State of Pennsylvania is the father of professional football and Conshohocken was certainly at the forefront of professional football in its infancy. The first paid player in the history of the game according to the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio was the great “Pudge Heffelfinger, in a game between two Pittsburg Athletic Clubs in 1892. Pudge was paid an astounding $500 for his services and of course Heffelfinger won the game when he not only caused a fumble but recovered it for a touchdown.
A year later, in the fall of 1893, Conshohocken formed its first football team, sponsored by the Y.M.A.A. (Young Men’s Athletic Association). The Conshohocken team was organized two years before the first all-professional game was played in Latrobe Pennsylvania. Latrobe beat neighboring Jeannette 12-0, each player received ten dollars.
Conshohocken’s first team was called the “Ironmen,” and consisted of 13 players, most of whom worked in the town’s steel mills, hence the name “Ironmen.” Members of the team included Sam Wright, Ben Cressman, Charles Herron, Fred and Arthur Clark, (sons of Charles Heber Clark), Eugene and Bud Beaver, (sons of Dr. David Beaver, a civil war surgeon whose home and office was located at the northeast corner of Fourth Avenue and Fayette Street, years later most of us knew the property as the 401 Diner.) Also playing on the Ironmen team was Alan Caine, George Lukens, (later Dr. George Lukens), and Louis and Max Vielhaber.
These early organized teams, some paying players from time to time, other players played for the sport of it, the love of the game you might say, well these teams flourished with good seasons and some down seasons.
It wasn’t until Bob Crawford who owned and coached the professional teams from 1914 until 1922 that Conshohocken’s football teams were cast into the national spotlight. The 1914 team went on to become undefeated and un-scored upon. The Frankford A. A., (Athletic Association) was the closest game for Conshy all year beating Frankford 18-0. Other games and scores included a 40-0 win over Wilmington, a 39-0 beating of the Wissahickon All Stars, a 34-0 victory over Paschall of Philadelphia, 33-0 vs. U.S.S. Michigan and a 35-0 thrashing of the U.S.S. Connecticut team.
Conshy finished the season 12-0 and faced a much tougher schedule in 1915, once again the Conshy Professionals finished the season undefeated and un-scored upon beating the Alpha Club out of New Jersey 60-0.
In 1916, football was at a fever pitch in Conshohocken, home games would draw between 6,000 and 10,000 spectators to games played at the Conshohocken Football Field located at Eleventh Avenue and Harry Street, (later renamed the Conshohocken Community Field and later yet the Albert A. Garthwaite Field, (The “A” Field). When the team traveled a train would be chartered to provide transportation for the fans to-and-from the away games.
Conshohocken won their first five games of the 1916 season outscoring their opponents 210-0, with victories over East Falls, 64-0; Pennsgrove New Jersey, 40-0, Atlantic Fleet Reserves, 33-0; among other victories.
On November 4, 1916, the Carlisle Indians came to town, the former team of the great Jim Thrope. Thorpe went on to play with the Canton Bulldogs and later played on the first New York Giants Team in 1925. Thorpe ran out of the backfield with Conshohocken’s Johnny McBride. Even without Thorpe Carlisle was a tough team, the 4,000 Conshohocken fans were stunned when Carlisle drove the ball down the field early in the second quarter and a fullback named Herman crossed the goal-line giving the Indians a 6-0 lead. The locals had never been scored upon or were behind in a game and were as shocked as the fans were. Conshohocken tied the game at 6-6 before the half.
Conshohocken was described as a fired-up team following the halftime intermission. On their first possession the locals drove the ball towards the west goal where they had a first and goal inside the ten yard line. Quarterback Billy Pownall completed a pass to Pick Campbell, a former West Conshohocken Reliance standout. Campbell was hit at the goal line, a second Indian came in to hit Campbell feet first. Pownall and Cal Riggs hustled down to help their teammate. One thing led to another and a bench clearing brawl ensued. The Carlisle team left the field under orders from their manager and headed for the Conshohocken train station. The fans were upset about the Indians leaving the field without finishing the game but became hostile when they learned the Indians were given $800.00 at halftime.
The crowd rushed out onto Fayette Street in hot pursuit of the Indian ballplayers. The Indians grew a little un-easy with 4,000 Conshohocken fans screaming and yelling after them as they made their way down Fayette Street so the Indians began to run for the train station. Half the Indians got bottled up by the crowd as they reached the train station but the other half of the Indian team got lucky as they reached the train station a train was pulling out of the station for Philadelphia.
Conshohocken Chief of Police Billy Hill gathered up the rest of the Indians and locked them up in the borough hall then located at Hector and Forrest Street. The chief locked up the Indians for stealing money having received their $800.00 at halftime and not finishing the game. Once the County District Attorney Aubrey Anderson got involved he claimed that because the Indians were from the Carlisle Indian School that they were part of a federal institution and fell under United States Government protection and Anderson demanded that they be released from jail. Hill later changed his story that the reason for locking the Indians up was for their own protection from the mob that had surrounded them at the train station. The Indians were released and escorted to the train station late that evening and given protection to board the train.
Conshohocken later got the money back and the game was declared a 6-6 tie, although Conshohocken looked upon the game as a forfeit. The Carlisle Indians Coach Merton Clevett who was locked up with the rest of the Indians later threatened a $10,000 lawsuit for damages and for being illegally locked up. The following week Conshohocken lost to Holmesburg in front of 8,000 fans at the Community Field. Conshohocken had posted a record of 28-0-1 before the defeat. Conshy bounced back to win their final three games of the year but Holmesburg claimed the 1916 championship.
When the 1917 season rolled around our country was at war and Bob Crawford lost most of his talented team to the war effort. One player of note with the Conshohocken squad was the great oarsman from East Falls Jack Kelly who played running back for Conshy during the 1917 season. Kelly was the father of the late Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco. Conshohocken didn’t field a team in 1918 because of the war. Crawford was responsible for recruiting a large contingent of Conshohocken men to join the war effort. Conshohocken sent more men and women off to war during World War One than any other town or borough in the nation per capita. The borough was recognized by the Federal Government by naming a merchant ship, “The Conshohocken.” The Conshohocken ship was the last ship built at the Chester Ship yard.
John Kelly, Former East Falls resident, well known oarsman and father of Princess Grace Kelly was a running back for the Conshohocken Professionals in 1917.
In 1919 the Conshohocken Professionals bounced back in a big way after World War One had ended. Crawford assembled a great team that included Earl Pottieger, Seth Mitchell, Pick Campbell, Pat Ryan, Blubber Jones, Cal Riggs and Harry Bergey.
The Conshohocken professional football team were Eastern Seaboard Champions in 1919. Their team photo hangs in the Halls of the Professional Football Hall of Fame located in Canton Ohio on a rotating basis. (if you get the chance check out the Hall of Fame)
