The Man Who Built the National Football League: Joe F. Carr Page 10
Death was the victor in one of the most valiant fights for life ever made by a patient at the Akron City Hospital, when John E. "Key" Wilson, manager of the Indian football team, leading contenders for the professional football championship of Ohio, succumbed to an operation for appendicitis.
Staging his favorite songs and whistling to keep up his courage almost until the last spark of life remained, Wilson fought death with that same spirit which characterized the work of his gridiron heroes. Mr. Wilson continued to repeat to the nurses and friends that he must live until his team had won the state football championship. "I cannot and must not die-I shall be out of here in time to see the boys win the state title," he said. And then he would proceed to sing or whistle one of his favorite songs.28
Carr could relate, as most early pro football team managers would do anything to win a game; it meant that much to them. Years later Carr would face his own battle with an ailing appendix. The Panhandles had suffered another loss and the rematch with the Dayton Oakwoods wouldn't be any better. On October 27 in Dayton the railroaders took an early 6-0 lead on a John Nesser touchdown catch from his brother Ted-but Ted would miss the point after. The lead held up until late in the fourth quarter when the Oakwoods blocked a punt, which led to a touchdown. The Dayton team converted the extra point and gave the Panhandles a heartbreaking 7-6 loss. The railroaders had now lost four consecutive games (three by six points or less) for the first time in team history. Could the season get any worse? Yes.
After an uninspiring 6-0 home win over the Cincinnati Celts, the Panhandles followed that up it with probably the most embarrassing loss in Joe Carr's career. The following week the Panhandles played another team from Cincinnati, this time the Cincinnati Christ Church. The team name didn't instill fear or toughness as the Panhandles name did, but the railroaders weren't ready to play. The Christ Church football team pounded the Panhandles 25-3 as a fifty-yard drop kick for a field goal was the only highlight for the Panhandles. The disappointing loss to such an inferior opponent left the railroaders with a disappointing 2-5 record.
The season did end on a high note with a tie against the Toledo Overlands and a nice 19-0 win in the city championship game against the Columbus Muldoons, behind two touchdowns by John Nesser. After the season Carr turned his attention to his family, and his team's first losing season since his first year as manager in 1907 slipped from his mind. Not too far after the holidays and the beginning of the new year, Joe and Josephine announced they were expecting their first child. With this big news the couple went looking for a new home.
After living the past year and half at the boarding house, the parentsto-be looked just outside the old Irish neighborhood and found a small house located at 1285 East Long Street as their first "baile." The new baby in the fall would call this home. Carr continued his work as secretary of the Ohio State League, but the machinist job at the railroad shops was starting to weigh him down. He saw his future as a sports executive, not as a railroad worker, and saw this as a perfect time for a change. His great relationship with the Panhandle shops guaranteed his continuation as team manager, but he was ready to leave the daily grind. Late in the summer before the season started, Carr was offered a job he wasn't even looking for.
Carr Is Secretary of County License Board: Well Known Pennsy. Railroad Employee Gets Place With-out Applicant.
Joseph F. Carr, of the motor department of the Pennsylvania railroad, has been chosen for the secretaryship of the Franklin County liquor licensing board. He was not an applicant and did not know he was being considered for the position. He has been secretary and treasurer of the Ohio State Baseball League for five years, and the efficient manner in which he handled the finances of that organization made such a favorable impression upon the board that it was decided to tender him to place 29
Carr now had another job. It wasn't that he wanted a career in the liquor industry but it was an opportunity to help control alcohol in the city he loved. It was also a well-respected position that probably had a very nice salary, and with a baby on the way this was something he couldn't pass up.
Even with the new house and job and a baby on the way, Carr didn't forget about his beloved Panhandles. The summer of 1913 might have been his best year of recruiting new players for the team since he took over as manager, though it didn't start off well. Frank Nesser left his brothers to play full time for the mighty Akron Indians; the lure of making good money was too strong for him.
The running, passing, and kicking of the bruising fullback was the heart and soul of the Columbus attack, and the team struggled to find a replacement for Frank. But Carr found a trio of players that changed the fortunes of his team for the next four years. Lee Snoots and Emmett Ruh were high school stars in the city of Columbus that Carr wanted badly. They were two of the fastest players to ever play in the capital city, and Carr knew they would adapt to the new pro game that was emphasizing speed. At the start of the season, Ted Nesser decided to put Fred Nesser at fullback and play Ruh at end, not really knowing how much speed he had. Snoots played in the backfield, and over time Ruh and Snoots would team up and provide the speed needed to match up with the physical play of the Panhandles.
The third player Carr wanted happened to play right under his nose. While watching a game being played by the Fahrney's Tailors, a local professional team sponsored by a tailor shop, Carr noticed Hi Brigham, who was making a name for himself as a pretty good center in the Columbus professional football scene. Carr offered Brigham twenty dollars a game, with two dollars for expenses on road trips and a job at the railroad for a salary of seventy-five dollars a month. Brigham took the offer and worked first as a clerk and then as a repairman in the railroad shops.
Ted Nesser started practice with just five Nesser brothers, Earl Colburn, Andy Kertzinger (who Brigham would replace at center), John Schneider, Ruh, Snoots, and both Kuehner brothers. Carr scheduled nine games with six of them on the road as he was getting closer to making the railroaders a full-fledged traveling team and taking advantage of those free passes. Instead of a "cupcake" to start the season, Carr scheduled a heavyweight-the Akron Indians with Frank Nesser. But Carr had his reason for choosing the Indians, as well as the late date for an opening game. On October 12 the railroaders (without Snoots and Brigham) traveled north and played before 2,000 rain-soaked fans, who saw the Indians defeat the Panhandles 19-0.
The Indians, led by Peggy Parratt, would once again field a strong team and finish as the best team in Ohio with a 9-1-2 record. But the game was secondary to Joe Carr-who probably didn't make the trip to Akron-as the following day Carr's life changed forever. On Monday, October 13, 1913, Mary Agnes Carr was born as Joe and Josephine welcomed home the baby girl to the house on East Long Street. The little princess of the well-known sports executive instantly became daddy's girl.
Two weeks after the birth (and the day after the Panhandles lost 6-0 to Canton), Mary Carr was baptized at St. Patrick Church, with Joe's younger brother, Eddie, and his new fiance, Kathryn Traynor, as her godparents. The new baby brought quick joy to the young Irish couple, and she would not disappoint them. For the rest of her life she would dedicate herself to her loving parents, especially her father, who she just worshipped. "She idolized her father," says Martha Sullivan. "He was the end all, be all for her."30
From an early age Mary would show the flair of a movie star. In the earliest photos of her, the curly brunette is seen smiling while posing for the camera wearing her best white dress. In another one she poses with her favorite children's book, Little People's A-B-C: A Picture Alphabet Book for Little People, as she sits on a small wooden chair. She was a natural for the camera and her biggest fan was her father. But daddy's girl wouldn't have been happy with her dad's start to the 1913 season. The Canton loss was a tough one to swallow and the team's fighting didn't help. The Canton Daily News described the brawl. "A sidelight to the engagement was found in the belligerency of right guard [Al] Nesser of Columbus and guard Schlott of Canton. The
pair was ejected from the contest for slugging in the third quarter, but both returned by agree ment. Canton being without the services of an eligible player under the rule of substitution. 1131
The "new game" of professional football (with passing and speed) was slowly being used by the railroaders as the new recruits needed time to get used to playing the pro game; but when would it click? After back-to-back scoreless ties against the Dayton Oakwoods and the McKeesport (Pennsylvania) pro team, the Panhandles lost a tough one to the Cincinnati Celts, 7-0. After five straight road games and a winless record (0-3-2), Carr stayed close to home and scheduled mostly games against Columbus teams to end the season. The next four games would change the team's fortunes forever and change the way they played on the field.
Before the game with the Columbus Muldoons, coach Ted Nesser decided to make some position changes in the starting lineup. For the upcoming game Ted moved his brother Fred from fullback to end and moved speedy Emmett Ruh to halfback. Ted moved himself from halfback to fullback. This switch helped the team go on to win three of their last four games. With a backfield of Ted Nesser, Emmett Ruh, Lee Snoots, and John Nesser, the Panhandles finally put some points on the scoreboard, defeating the Muldoons 23-0 at Indianola Park. Ted tallied two touchdowns and Emmett Ruh accounted for eleven points (one touchdown, two extra points, and one field goal).
After a tough Thanksgiving Day loss against the Wabash (Indiana) Athletic Association (played before 2,500 fans), the Panhandles won their second game of the year by defeating the Barracks 23-0 in front of 1,500 spectators. Emmett Ruh, Ted Nesser, and Lee Snoots all scored touchdowns. After beating the Barracks, Carr arranged one last game to decide the Columbus city championship. This time the railroaders played their old rivals-the Columbus Nationals. On December 2 the Ohio State journal officially announced the game. "The Panhandles will meet the Fahrney Nationals next Sunday. After the defeat of the Muldoons and the Barracks by the champions, the Nationals contend that, inasmuch as that their goal line was not crossed by either the Muldoons or the Barracks, they were entitled to consideration before the final announcement making the Panhandles the undisputed champions of the city."32
But on the day of the game, the weather didn't cooperate, as the Columbus Dispatch explained:
Held off by the blizzard, which struck Columbus early Sunday morning the Panhandles and Fahrney Nationals were forced to postpone their battle for the city professional championship, which was to have been staged at Indianola Park, Sunday afternoon.
Although the weather prevented the teams from meeting it did not stop hundreds of football fans from journeying to the park in hope of seeing the game played, despite the storm. "If arrangements can be made the game may still be played later in the year, although it is not likely," said Mr. Fahrney of the Nationals Monday morning.33
The game was cancelled because of the storm, but Carr and the team got together anyway. The Ohio State Journal reported on the team's nighttime activity with the headline "Panhandle Entertained at Ruh Home": "Mr. and Mrs. Ruh, parents of Emmett Ruh, who has been one of the stars of the champion Panhandles this year, entertained his teammates at dinner at their home on Sunday evening. The party was in the nature of a surprise for the popular Panhandle player. After an elegant dinner, the boys were entertained by some of their number and the Misses Ruh and Caldwell."34
The surprise dinner party seemed to reenergize the team and Carr worked to reschedule the game against the Nationals. Four days after the cancelled game the two teams agreed to play again. On December 14 the two teams finally took the field at Indianola Park and the Panhandles played their best football in years. The final game capped off a difficult year on a positive note and gave the team some momentum for the 1914 season.
The railroaders simply pounded the Nationals by scoring ten touchdowns and claimed the city title with a convincing 68-0 victory. Emmett Ruh and Lee Snoots scored four touchdowns each, and the Ohio State Journal praised the railroaders on their big win.
Panhandles 68; Fahrney's National All-Stars 0, briefly tells the story of the last independent football game of the season to determine finally the Columbus championship. The Panhandles have demonstrated beyond the shadow of any doubt that they are far and above any other team in the city at the game called football.
Eliminating each team that claimed any right to the title by first defeating the Muldoons and then defeating the Barracks, the Panhandle heard the Nationals contending that they were to be considered before the champions could wear the laurels. As a closing number for the season, the Panhandles got to work early in the game yesterday and in less than five minutes of play, Emmett Ruh went over the goal line for the first touchdown. This was the stiffest resistance the Nationals offered. After the first scores by the champions, they romped up and down the field almost at will.""5
A season of frustration was released against the Nationals as the team scored 117 points and won three of their final four games. Carr was disappointed that the team finished under .500 for the season but was very happy that his roster was now set to challenge for the mythical Ohio League pro football championship. He now had the perfect blend of speed (Snoots and Ruh) and power (Brigham and the Nesser brothers) and for the next three seasons the Columbus Panhandles would play their best stretch of football.
The year 1913 was pivotal for Joe Carr, as he found a new home and a new job, had his first child, and established a new roster that would soon make his talented bunch of railroaders a household name. He had found that magic touch again, as in 1909, and now he was ready to take his team on the road and show them off to the rest of the pro football world.
fter a disappointing season, Joe Carr would start out 1914 on a positive note, as Eddie Carr would tie the knot with his fiance Kathryn Traynor. On February 18 the godparents of little Mary Carr exchanged their wedding vows in a very small ceremony at St. Patrick Church. Kathryn was a very tiny (five feet three), independent, private woman, whose father worked at the Pennsy railroad and attended church at St. Patrick's with the Carr family. "Katie always liked the Carr brothers and thought they were really wonderful. She was totally in love with Eddie. Although they never had any children, they were totally devoted to each other," says Joy Dolan, great-niece of Kathryn Traynor-Carr.'
"Eddie Carr was a very gentle man and I would say that he was the most serious of the Carr brothers," says Margaret Mooney, granddaughter of Michael Carr. Eddie and Kathryn would remain married for thirtyeight years, and he would continue to work as secretary-treasurer for his brother Michael at the Franklin Coffee Company in Columbus. "Katie always knew that Joe Carr wasn't wasting his time with the football team and later with the NFL. She knew he would make it work because that was the type of guy he was. When he set his mind up to accomplish something he usually did," says Joy Dolan 2
Joe continued his work at the Liquor Licensing Board and as secretary of the Ohio State League under Robert W. Read, who had replaced Carr's good friend Bobby Quinn in 1910 as president. But during the summer his thoughts quickly turned to his football team. During some of those days at the ballpark, or staying up late with Mary, he would think about how he could give his team the best opportunity to display its skills. This was going to be his best team to date, and he wanted to showcase them to the football world in the best way possible-especially in the state of Ohio. For the past couple of seasons Carr was able to take advantage of the railroad's perk of free passes for all railroad employees, which included himself (although he know longer worked there). His good relationship with the Pennsylvania Railroad insured his free pass. Over his first seven seasons as manager, he had slowly increased the team's road games:
1907-four road games
1908-two road games
1909-three road games
1910-two road games
1911-four road games
1912-five road games
1913-six road games
The six road games in 1913 proved to him that he could take his team on the road a
nd promote his squad as a traveling team. By taking them on the road, Carr would keep the team's expenses down for the entire year because he didn't have to pay for a home field, officials, promotion, and so forth, and in turn they would be able to make a little money. With his roster set with the perfect blend of speed and power-as well as the attraction of the six Nesser brothers to bring out the fans-this was the right time to hit the road. Using his experience as a sports promoter and writer, Carr built pro football's greatest traveling team. "The Nesser brothers had developed a reputation of being hardnosed football players, certainly. One of them broke their leg one time and came back into the game to play. That shows you how tough these guys were. So with this reputation they were able to barnstorm around Ohio and the Midwest," says James Carr, grandson of Joe Carr. "At this time the Nesser brothers were getting a reputation as being some of the most well-known pro football players in the country. I've talked to people who watched them and they all said they were awesome. So everybody wanted to play them, and it made it easier for my grandfather to schedule road games for the Panhandles to play," says Michael Carr, grandson of Joe Carr.'
In 1914 Frank Nesser returned to play with his famous siblings, and the Panhandles fielded a talented team comprised of the six Nesser brothers (who played every position possible), Lee Snoots, and Emmett Ruh in the backfield; Hi Brigham, Charlie Dunn, and Roscoe Kuehner (Oscar Kuehner sat out the year) on the line. Throughout the season the railroaders would explode on offense, scoring 210 points, and flex their muscle on defense, allowing only 60 points in nine games. After playing the opener at home (a 57-0 warm-up game against an overmatched Columbus Wyandottes team), the team would play six straight road games, from October 4 to November 15, before finishing the year with two home games.