Hammond Pros
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2022) |
Founded | 1917 |
---|---|
Suspended | 1926 |
Based in | Hammond, Indiana, United States |
League | National Football League |
Team history | Hammond Pros (1920–1926) |
Team colors | Purple, gold, white |
Head coaches | Hank Gillo (1920) Max Hicks (1921) Wally Hess (1922–1924) Fritz Pollard (1925) Doc Young (1925) |
Owner(s) | Paul Parduhn Doc Young |
Home field(s) | Cubs Park |
The Hammond Pros were an American football team from Hammond, Indiana that played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1926 as a traveling team.
History
The Pros were established by local businessman
In 1919, the team starred George Halas at wide receiver; Halas left for the Decatur Staleys – the future Chicago Bears – the following year, remaining with that franchise as a player, coach and owner until his death in 1983.
Despite the name, the Pros were little more than a semi-professional outfit; most of the players were locals who had full-time jobs and couldn't practice much, and thus were simply no match for most other NFL squads. Nor did they really represent Hammond, as the town's stadium (A. Murray Turner Field) was built for baseball and seated only a few thousand. The Pros would play only two regular-season NFL games in Hammond over their seven years in the league,[1][2] and would use Cubs Park in Chicago as an unofficial "home" stadium[citation needed]. Nevertheless, Young kept the team going in the NFL for seven years and 34 games, with a combined record of 5–26–4. The Pros might have lasted even longer, but after winning the 1926 battle with the American Football League, the NFL decided to scale down to 12 teams, getting rid of many of the smaller franchises, including the Pros.
Of the nine
Hall of Famers
No. | Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted |
---|---|---|---|---|
— | Paddy Driscoll | QB/HB | 1919 | 1965 |
— | George Halas | End |
1919 | 1963 |
— | Fritz Pollard | HB Coach |
1923, 1925 | 2005 |
Season-by-season
Year | W | L | T | Finish | Coach |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1920 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 12th | Hank Gillo |
1921 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 13th | Max Hicks |
1922 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 15th | Wally Hess |
1923 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 15th | |
1924 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10th | |
1925 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 14th | Fritz Pollard, Doc Young |
1926 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 21st | Doc Young |
References
- ^ "Duluth Eskimos at Hammond Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
- ^ 1923 Hammond Pros Statistics & Players