Tonawanda Kardex Lumbermen
Founded | 1913 |
---|---|
Folded | 1921 |
Based in | American Kardex |
Home field(s) | Tonawanda High School (1916–1920) Traveling Team (1921) |
The Tonawanda Kardex (also known as the Tonawanda Lumbermen and during its first season, the All-Tonawanda Lumberjacks) was an
Early history
Professional football was being played in Tonawanda by no later than 1913 (this
The 1920 All Tonawanda Lumberjacks were a very successful team, garnering a record of 7–1 against two local American Professional Football Association (the predecessor to the NFL) franchises and other independent teams, only allowing more than 6 points in one of their contests (the one loss, a 35–0 decision to Buffalo). Their last game of the season against the Rochester Jeffersons was among the first games in the traditional Thanksgiving Day series.
Tonawanda in the APFA
With their 1920 success (and a crackdown by the APFA on playing non-league teams), the Lumberjacks joined the league in 1921 as the Tonawanda Lumbermen or Tonawanda Kardex, named for (and presumably sponsored by)
Before 1921, the team played its home games at Tonawanda High School; however, its lone game in the NFL was an away game, and according to contemporary news reports, the team had intended to play as a traveling team had it continued beyond one game.[1] NFL records list the nonexistent and spurious "Lumbermen Stadium" as the team's home field.
The 1921 season began much like the first, with a scoreless tie against the Syracuse Pros, followed by a 9–7 win against the Cleveland Panthers. A game against the Rochester Scalpers scheduled for November was canceled; instead, on November 6, 1921, the Kardex traveled to Rochester to play their sole APFA league game, against the Rochester Jeffersons. There they played the worst game of their existence, a 45–0 blowout loss to the Jeffs in front of 2,700 fans.
Several factors played into the Lumbermen's departure from the league. Records from the
Whether or not the team continued to exist is somewhat unclear. Records from 1925 show that the
The "Lumberjacks" name is currently in use by North Tonawanda High School.
Team roster
Due to incomplete record-keeping during this time, some players from the 1921 team are only reported upon by their last name.
Backnor, C; Fred Brumm, LT; Cassidy, QB; Joe Dussosoit, RE; Andy Fletcher, LHB; Art Georke, LE; Clarence Hosmer, LG; Rudy Kraft, LG-C; George Kuhrt, LT; Buck MacDonald, RG; Tom McLaughlin, RHB-FB; Bill Meisner, RHB; Frank Morrisey, RT; Frank Primeau, RE-QB; Tam Rose, LHB; Spin Roy, LE; Bill Sanborn, RE; Charles Tallman, RT; Red Werder, C; Wex, FB;Wise, QB
Season-by-season
Year | W | L | T | Finish | Coach |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1916 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6th NYPFL | Tam Rose |
1917 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2nd NYPFL | |
1919 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3rd NYPFL | |
1920 | 7 | 1 | 0 | Nonleague | |
1921 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18th APFA |
References
- ^ Horrigan, Joe. THE TONAWANDA KARDEX: THE FORGOTTEN FRANCHISE. Pro Football Researchers Association.
- ^ "Tonawanda Kardex an NFL enigma". Life in the Slow Lane. 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
External links
This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (October 2023) |
- Historical Record for Tonawanda Kardex
- Tonawanda Kardex an NFL enigma
- Deconstructing NFL Uniforms
- The Tonawanda What?
- The Tonawanda Kardex
- Tom educates
- One and Done
- NFL team survived to lose one game
- Made in WNY
- Did you know?
- Old Team Tuesday: The Tonawanda Kardex
- Meet the NFL team that lost its only game ever before folding
- Unknown stories of WYN: Tonawanda's day in the NFL
- The Fate of the Tonawanda Kardex
- A story better than Hollywood or Tonawanda
- The Tonawanda Kardex: The NFL's shortest-lived team
- We're Lumberjacks and we're OK!
- The One Losing Game for Tonawanda's 1921 NFL Team
- There used to be an NFL football team in Tonawanda