Canton Bulldogs
First Season |
---|
1924 |
Team History |
Canton Bulldogs (1920-24, 1925-27) Cleveland Bulldogs (1924) |
Conference/Division |
National Football League (1920-27) Ohio League (1903-06, 1911-19) |
Venue |
League Field |
Key People |
Players • Head Coaches • Executives |
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 the American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football League (NFL) in 1922), from 1920 to 1923, and again from 1925 to 1926. The Bulldogs won the 1916, 1917, and 1919 Ohio League championships. They were the NFL champions in 1922 and 1923. In 1921-23, the Bulldogs played 25 straight games without a defeat (including 3 ties), which remains an NFL record.
As a result of the Bulldogs' early success, along with the league being founded in the city, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is located in Canton. Jim Thorpe, the Olympian and renowned all-around athlete, was Canton's most-recognized player in the pre-NFL era.
In 1924, Sam Deutsch, the owner of the NFL's Cleveland Indians, bought the Bulldogs. He took the Bulldogs name and its players to Cleveland and named his franchise the Cleveland Bulldogs. He offered to sell the Canton franchise back to the city of Canton to play in the 1924 season; however, there were no buyers interested in the team. The Canton Bulldogs were re-established in 1925 and the NFL considers the 1925 to 1926 Canton Bulldogs to be the same team as the 1920 to 1923 incarnation.
Publications
Programs by season
1920s
Week | Date | Opponent | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
1921 | |||
Week 1 | October 9 | vs. Hammond Pros | League Field |
1922 | |||
Week 6 | November 5 | vs. Toledo Maroons | Lakeside Park |
Week 10 | November 30 | vs. Akron Pros | Lakeside Park |
See also
List of defunct NFL franchises
Franchises Portal |