Akron Pros

The Akron Pros were an American football team in the early 20th century from the city of Akron in Ohio. They belonged in 1920 to the 14 founding members of the American Professional Football Association, which changed its name in 1922 in the National Football League. In the debut season of APFA won the "pros " unbeaten (with three draws ) the championship, which is considered the first NFL Championship today.

At the beginning of the 20th century, there was already a successful semi- professional team in Akron, the Indians. The Akron Indians won in 1908, 1909, 1913 and 1914, the unofficial Amateur Championship before 1915 Games Clearance Sale meant the end. In the same year, the Pros were founded as Akron Burkhardt of the brewery family Burkhardt as a semi professional team, in 1917, the team of Vernon McGinnis and Stephen Welch was purchased, renamed Pros and reinforced by numerous foreign players. After 1918 because of the First World War, caused by the lack players no team has been made, they returned in 1919 in memory of the glorious past days as Indians on the football stage back. This year, Fritz Pollard moved to Akron, who was one of the few black players of the first NFL years and was in Akron 's first black head coach of the NFL history. The Indians were disbanded after one season again, whereupon Frank Ranney type Envy and a new team organized ( once again under the name Pros) joined and the newly formed APFA. After the 1920 championship was in 1921 the third place be achieved as a result the team went into a sporting offside. 1925 Pros were after all once again fifth. As to the sporting issues also came financial, the team was disbanded after the season in 1926, after the team had previously been renamed again in Akron Indians. The license of the team went out 1928.

Players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

The only player of the Akron Pros is Fritz Pollard, 1919-21 and 1925/26, as a player; 1921 and 1925/26, as a coach, admitted in 2005