Eddie Wood
| Born: | November 29, 1879 End |
|---|---|
| College | Washington & Jefferson |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1895–1901 | Latrobe Athletic Association |
| 1898 | Western Pennsylvania All-Stars |
| 1902 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 1903 | Franklin Athletic Club |
| 1904–06 | Latrobe Athletic Association |
| 1906 | Canton Bulldogs |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Edwin Kimmell Wood (November 29, 1879 – April 29, 1926)
1906 scandal
Wood had a brief, but memorable, stint with the Canton Bulldogs. He played in just one game for team in 1906, but the game was for the "Ohio League" championship and was fought against Canton's rival, the Massillon Tigers. Wood was hired by Bulldogs coach, Blondy Wallace, to play in the game after a player named "Gilchrist" became injured. The game resulted in a 13-6 Canton loss and the events following the game later became known as the Canton Bulldogs–Massillon Tigers betting scandal. Wood was hinted as being persuaded by Wallace to throw the game for a profit in a, historically dismissed, 1934 book by Dr. Harry March entitled, Pro Football: Its Ups and Downs.
Of the incident, March stated that Wallace persuaded a Canton player to deliberately throw the game. When accused by his teammates this player said he had simply obeyed orders. The player then quickly left town, on the first available train, while still in his uniform. However, this player, mentioned by March, was obviously Eddie Wood of Latrobe. March gave the impression that he was running for his life from angry fans and teammates, however, even before the second Canton-Massillon game began, it was announced that Wood would be on the first train back to Latrobe once the game ended. Not to mention that when Wood returned on the following Thursday with the Latrobe team, he was not attacked by the fans or his teammates. Also during the second Canton-Massillon game, Wood scored the Bulldogs only score of the game. As for following Wallace's orders, Wood often crashed the middle of the field on defense, allowing the Tigers to escape outside. However, Massillon was historically known for running up the middle of field.
First forward pass
Wood was erroneously credited for catching the first
References
- ^ "Edwin K. Wood Pneumonia Victim; Prominent Dentist Passes Away After Short, Severe Illness". Indiana Evening Gazette. April 30, 1926. pp. 1, 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- Peterson, Robert W. (1997). Pigskin: The Early Years of Pro Football. ISBN 0-19-511913-4.
- Carroll, Bob (1980). "The First Football World Series" (PDF). Coffin Corner. 2 (Annual). Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-18.
- PFRA Research. "Franklin's Hired Guns: 1903" (PDF). Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-26.
- "Blondy Wallace and the Biggest Football Scandal Ever" (PDF). PFRA Annual. 5. Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–16. 1984. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-18.
- "The First Pro Pass" (PDF). PFRA Annual. 1. Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–2. 1971. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-27.