Duluth Eskimos
Newark Tornadoes (1930) | |
| Team colors | Red, white (Duluth Kelleys) Midnight blue, white (Duluth Eskimos) |
|---|---|
| Head coaches | Joey Sternaman (1923) Dewey Scanlon (1924–1926) Ernie Nevers (1927) |
| Owner(s) | Ole Haugsrud |
| Named for | Kelley-Duluth Hardware Store Ernie Nevers |
| Home field(s) | Athletic Park, Traveling team |
The Duluth Eskimos were a professional football team from Duluth, Minnesota in the National Football League (NFL). After spending most of their time as a traveling team, they withdrew from the league after the 1927 season.
A distinction of the Eskimos is they were one of the first NFL teams to use a logo.[1]
History
Initial formation
The team initially formed in 1923 as the Kelleys (officially the Kelley Duluths, after the Kelley-Duluth Hardware Store[2]). The team joined the National Football League on July 28, 1923. The team was put together by Kelley-Duluth Hardware Store owner M. C. Gebert with the help of Dewey Scanlon,[3] a college graduate who played football at Valparaiso University in Indiana.[4]
The Kelleys, residing in the northernmost city in the NFL at the time, had the disadvantage of not being able to play at home during late November and early December, due to the harsh winters in northern Minnesota. This meant that Duluth either played unusually short seasons (they played only 16 games in three years as the Kelleys—seven in 1923, six in 1924 and three in 1925) or had to play on the road (as the Eskimos did, which allowed them to have much longer schedules). Duluth's best season came in 1924, when the Kelleys went 5–1, putting the Kelleys in fourth place.
Team renames
The Kelleys lost their name sponsorship in 1926, but signed star running back
Later years
Due to various transactions, the Kelleys/Eskimos have a tenuous link to the modern NFL.
In 1932, a Boston group received the next expansion franchise; strong circumstantial evidence indicates that it was awarded the assets of the failed Tornadoes/Indians organization.[5] This group used it to start the Boston Braves. In 1933, the team was renamed the Redskins, and in 1937 it moved to Washington, D.C. where it still plays as the Washington Commanders. However, due to the two-year period of dormancy, the Washington Commanders and the NFL consider the Boston/Washington franchise as a separate organization dating to 1932, and not as a continuation of the Tornadoes nor the Eskimos/Kelleys.
A second, unrelated, Duluth football team carried the "Eskimos" name, and played at the Northwest Football League in 1936.
Legacy
The 2008 film Leatherheads is partially based on the story of the Duluth Eskimos.[6]
On May 18, 2015, local lawmakers of one town in the
Pro Football Hall of Famers
| Duluth Eskimos Hall of Famers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | ||||
| No. | Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted |
| — | Walt Kiesling | T |
1926–1927 | 1966 |
| — | John "Blood" McNally |
HB | 1926–1927 | 1963 |
| — | Ernie Nevers | FB Coach |
1926–1927 | 1963 |
Season-by-season
| Year | W | L | T | Finish | Coach | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelleys | 1923 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7th | Joey Sternaman |
| 1924 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4th | Dewey Scanlon | |
| 1925 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 16th | ||
| Eskimos | 1926 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 8th | |
| 1927 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 11th | Ernie Nevers |
References
- ^ Sandager, David (November 22, 2016). "When the NFL came to Duluth: The story of the Eskimos". The Growler. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ^ a b "Kelley-How-Thomson Company (1902-1958)". Archives and Special Collections, Kathryn A. Martin Library, University of Minnesota Duluth. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ^ a b "Dewey Scanlon". Pro-Football-History.com. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ^ a b "Sports Legend Revealed: Did a $1 investment turn into 10% ownership of the Minnesota Vikings?". The Los Angeles Times. October 6, 2010. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ^ Horrigan, Joe (1982). "National Football League Franchise Transactions" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. 4. Pro Football Research Association. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ^ Kelleher, Bob (March 24, 2008). "Hundred of fans welcome Clooney, Zellweger to Duluth". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ^ "An NFL team in Duluth-Superior? Proctor is going long". TwinCities.com. May 17, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2022.