1930 Portsmouth Spartans season
| 1930 Portsmouth Spartans season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Hal Griffen |
| Home field | Universal Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–6–3 |
| League place | 7th NFL |
The 1930 Portsmouth Spartans season was the inaugural season for the Portsmouth Spartans in the National Football League (NFL), joining on July 12, 1930.[1] Despite holding a 4–1–1 record going into Week 6, tied for 2nd in the league, the Spartans managed only 1 more win as they finished 5–6–3, seventh in the NFL.
The Spartans scored 176 points which ranked third in the NFL, while the defense allowed 161 points which was eighth in the league..[2] The last remaining active member of the 1930 Portsmouth Spartans was running back Father Lumpkin, who retired after the 1937 season.
Roster
| 1930 Portsmouth Spartans roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Backs
|
Linemen
rookies in italics | |||||
Schedule
Regular season
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 14 | Newark Tornadoes | W 13–6 | 1–0 | Universal Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 24 | Brooklyn Dodgers | W 12–0 | 2–0 | Universal Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | October 5 | Chicago Cardinals | T 0–0 | 2–0–1 | Universal Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | October 8 | Frankford Yellow Jackets | W 39–7 | 3–0–1 | Universal Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 12 | at Minneapolis Red Jackets | L 0–13 | 3–1–1 | Nicollet Park | Recap |
| 6 | October 22 | Chicago Bears | W 7–6 | 4–1–1 | Universal Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | October 26 | at Chicago Cardinals | L 13–23 | 4–2–1 | Comiskey Park | Recap |
| 8 | November 2 | at Green Bay Packers | L 13–47 | 4–3–1 | City Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | November 5 | New York Giants | L 6–19 | 4–4–1 | Universal Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 9 | at Staten Island Stapletons | T 13–13 | 4–4–2 | Thompson Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 15 | at Frankford Yellow Jackets | L 6–7 | 4–5–2 | Frankford Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 30 | at Chicago Bears | L 6–14 | 4–6–2 | Wrigley Field | Recap |
| 13 | December 7 | Minneapolis Red Jackets | W 42–0 | 5–6–2 | Universal Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 14 | Green Bay Packers | T 6–6 | 5–6–3 | Universal Stadium | Recap |
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Newark Tornadoes
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornadoes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Spartans | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
- Date: September 14, 1930
- Game attendance: 4,000
- Box score
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
In Week 1 of their inaugural season, the Spartans hosted the Newark Tornadoes. No scoring was seen in the first half, but the Tornadoes threatened to score in the second quarter, getting down to the Spartans 3-yard line. A fumble recovery and a six-yard loss had the Tornadoes try for a 5-yard field goal attempt, but the drop kick missed wide. In the second half, Bill Glassgow returned a punt from their own 45 to the Tornadoes 20-yard line. But the drive ended on a fumble recovered by the Tornadoes. On the Spartans ensuing drive, two gains of 15 yards and 10 yards set up the 11-yard touchdown pass from Glassgow to Chuck Bennett to put the Spartans up 7–0. Moving into the fourth quarter, Ray Novotny threw a pass to Byron Eby that went for 55 yards and the touchdown, bringing the Portsmouth lead to 13–0 after a blocked extra point. With three minutes left in the game, Newark's Ted Mitchell intercepted a pass and returned it 50 yards before being tackled. The Tornadoes scored on a 15-yard rushing touchdown to bring the score to 13–6, which was the final.[3]
Week 2: vs. Brooklyn Dodgers
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Spartans | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
at Spartan Municipal Stadium
- Date: September 24, 1930
- Game attendance: 6,000
- Box score
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
In Week 2, the Spartans hosted the
Standings
| NFL standings | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |||
| Green Bay Packers | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 234 | 111 | T1 | ||
| New York Giants | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 308 | 98 | L1 | ||
| Chicago Bears | 9 | 4 | 1 | .692 | 169 | 71 | W5 | ||
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 7 | 4 | 1 | .636 | 154 | 59 | L1 | ||
| Providence Steam Roller | 6 | 4 | 1 | .600 | 90 | 125 | L1 | ||
| Staten Island Stapletons | 5 | 5 | 2 | .500 | 95 | 112 | L1 | ||
| Chicago Cardinals | 5 | 6 | 2 | .455 | 128 | 132 | L1 | ||
| Portsmouth Spartans | 5 | 6 | 3 | .455 | 176 | 161 | T1 | ||
| Frankford Yellow Jackets | 4 | 13 | 1 | .235 | 113 | 321 | T1 | ||
| Minneapolis Red Jackets | 1 | 7 | 1 | .125 | 27 | 165 | L6 | ||
| Newark Tornadoes | 1 | 10 | 1 | .091 | 51 | 190 | L6 | ||
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
References
- ^ "Portsmouth Spartans - Ohio History Central".
- ^ "1930 Portsmouth Spartans Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ "SPARTANS WIN GAME". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 15, 1930.
- ^ "Spartans Win Over Brooklyn, Score 12 to 0". The Cincinnati Enquirer.