The Man Who Built the National Football League: Joe F. Carr

by Chris Willis

  Ted was also the coach of the Panhandles for thirteen years. He would direct the practices and call most of the plays. He was the vocal leader of the group, and the team (as well as his brothers) always responded to him. He also was the closest of the brothers to Joe Carr. "My dad and Joe Carr were real close; he adored Joe Carr. I guess that's how Joe got into football; my dad coaxed him in to take care of the money end of it and scheduling the games. Carr did a good job of it," says Babe Sherman.'

  Fred Nesser (six feet five, 250 pounds) was the tallest, but he was no string bean. He played fourteen seasons mainly as a tackle and end, but sometimes he would line up in the backfield at fullback, providing muchneeded blocking with his big frame. Fred was also an accomplished boxer and was considered a prime contender for Jess Willard's heavyweight crown before a wrist injury halted his pursuit. But Fred's first love was playing football with his brothers. In one Columbus newspaper, Fred revealed that the highest salary he ever earned for a single season from gate receipts was $950. But the money didn't matter; he was doing something he loved.'0

  Frank Nesser (six feet one, 245 pounds) played fifteen seasons with the railroaders and at times his play was unbelievable. Playing mostly fullback, he carried his weight with the grace of a ballet dancer. He was also one of the greatest punters who ever lived, and seventy-yard boots were common. "Uncle Frank could kick a football from one field goal to another. He put on kicking exhibitions with Jim Thorpe and Thorpe never kicked the ball as far as Uncle Frank," says Irene Cassady, niece of Frank Nesser.ll

  Joann Frankie, daughter of Frank Nesser, says,

  He was a big guy but jolly. He had a good disposition. I believe he would've done anything for anybody he could. He was a big fella but he never threw his weight around; he was a very nice person. He also respected Joe Carr for keeping the team together and making sure they had places to play and teams to play. There was a lot of work to it, come to think of it, because back in those days they didn't have all the telephones, cell phones, and e-mail back then. They had to get out and go. Just go. So he respected him. He would always say Mr. Joe Carr was one of the finest men I ever knew.12

  Al Nesser (six feet, 195 pounds) was the youngest of the brothers and played eight seasons as a guard for the Panhandles. Al joined his brothers on the team in 1910, becoming one of the best guards in the early days of professional football and continuing to play pro ball until 1931. Because of his age, Al had more success playing in the NFL than did his older siblings. He played ten seasons in the NFL, with four different teams, winning two NFL championships on the way-with the Akron Pros (1920) and the New York Giants (1927). During his playing career Al Nesser usually played without a helmet and shoulder pads, and his durability earned him the title of "the Iron Man of Football." On November 20, 1922, the Buffalo Evening-News said this about Al Nesser: "There may be better ends than Nesser, but none have ever appeared here, there may be better tackles than Nesser, but again none have displayed their wares in Buffalo; the same holds for guards. Nesser was a team in himself. Big, powerful and fast he spoiled Buffalo on-slaughts time and again. 1113

  Joe Carr used the Nesser brothers as the backbone of the Columbus Panhandles for the next fifteen years, and the group of boilermakers was perfectly built to play in the rough and tough early days of professional football. "Yes, they were rough. Absolutely. Ted was the captain and he called all the plays and what not. They played where they were needed, nobody had a specific assignment at that time. They had their little huddle on the sideline and they were told what to do and if they didn't do it, look out because they had five other brothers to answer to," says Irene Cassady, niece of the Nesser brothers.14 Although none of the Nessers played in college they were about to become household names in the sport that desperately needed some positive press. After the 1906 Massillon-Canton scandal professional football needed some stability and the Panhandles were about to reorganize, singing a different tune. The new Columbus Panhandles-led by Joe Carr-wouldn't steal players from another team for more money; they wouldn't offer a college player a spot on the team for a quick buck, or allow a player to play under an assumed name.

  With the five Nesser brothers on board (Al wouldn't join the team until 1910), Carr filled out the rest of his 1907 team with several players who would give him many years of service. Andy Kertzinger, a fellow machinist in the shops who played for the 1902-1904 Panhandles, rejoined the squad as a center and played until 1915 (missing only 1914). Chief Henry (three years) and Henry Spiers (three years) added depth to the 1907 squad. Carr now had a team and players. He then went to work on scheduling games. Using his sports connections, he went on to schedule six games in 1907, with four of them played on the road.

  One of the perks for all railroad workers was having free passes to travel anywhere on the train. Carr used this to his advantage, although it would be several years until they became a full-fledged traveling team. Carr booked games with some of the best pro teams, such as the Pittsburgh Lyceum, the Shelby Athletic Club, the Massillon Tigers, and a local team called the Columbias. As Carr was scheduling games, the team began to practice under the guidance of Ted Nesser. The only problem was when and where to practice. Most of the players had families and responsibilities after work, so Ted and the squad decided to practice during their lunch hour.

  "They would get an old melon-shaped football out and they would just practice there on the railroad yards. The men would eat their lunch in fifteen minutes, leaving forty-five minutes to practice. They wore no helmets or equipment, just work clothes. That's how they got started playing on the sandlots of the railroad yards," says Irene Cassady, niece of the Nesser brothers. "They would just throw the ball around and have light scrimmages, that sort of things, as well as doing the fundamentals because these folks were truly blessed. They were unusual. So they would spend most of the time working on basic fundamentals, throwing, catching, kicking, and punting," says James Carr, grandson of Joe Carr."

  Although in future years they would upgrade to several local parks for evening practices, the Panhandles mainly used the railroad yards as their primary practice site. Throughout September and early October the team practiced, as Carr set up their first game at Driving Park, against a local 160-pound squad called the Columbias. Carr knew his team outweighed the Columbias but he also knew that his team needed to ease into their schedule. As Panhandles manager, he would follow this philosophy of scheduling so-called warm-up games for his entire career. At 3:00 p.m. on October 13 at Driving Park, 400 fans saw the Panhandles play their first game under new team manager Joe Carr. The Columbus Dispatch recapped the action: "Manager [Joe] Carr's Panhandle football team opened its season yesterday at the Driving Park, defeating the Columbias 38 to 0. The Nesser boys were in evidence during the game, Frank getting three of the seven touchdowns. Lack of accurate knowledge of the signals on the part of the railroaders made their play less smooth than it would otherwise have been. 1116

  The Dispatch article would be the first time that Joe Carr's name appeared in the paper as the Panhandles manager. It was Carr's team now, and the press knew it; Carr's name would regularly appear in Columbus papers detailing the team's successes and failures. The article also mentioned the less-than-smooth football skills of the Panhandles, who were still in the learning process. But it was a victory for Carr and his boys and they wanted more. Six days later the team traveled east to play the very talented Pittsburgh Lyceum. Because of Pennsylvania's blue laws (which prevented Sunday football), the game was played on a Saturday. Just another roadblock that faced pro football managers in the early days of professional football.

  In front of a nice crowd of 3,000 fans the Panhandles lost a tough one, 11-6. The Pittsburgh papers had nice things to say about the railroaders.

  The Pittsburgh papers were loud in their praise of the Columbus team and, although the game was characterized as the most grueling contest seen in years, the Panhandles were highly complimented for the clean game they played.

  C
ommenting on the game, the Pittsburgh Post of Sunday said: "Although much heavier than Panhandle, the Lyceum met the most formidable bunch seen in Pittsburgh in years, and in the last half was perfectly helpless to the onslaught of the Columbus boys. Time alone kept the Panhandles from scoring another touchdown, as they were on the Lyceum 10-yard line and gaining continually."

  In discussing Panhandle's touchdown the Pittsburgh Press said: "A more spectacular football scene would be hard to imagine than when Frank Nesser went across Lyceum's line for the Panhandle's first touchdown. With five yards and the line to gain the two teams of giants lined up for the final struggle, the ball was passed and steadily Panhandle forced it over the line amid the plaudits of the 3000 spectators, who were loud in their praise of gameness of the boys from the Buckeye state. Lyceum wants a return engagement with the Panhandle and Manager Carr remained in Pittsburgh over Sunday to hold a conference for a return date."17

  As impressed as the Pittsburgh papers were, Carr was unable to get a return match with the Lyceum. The following week Carr's team was to travel and play the Massillon Tigers, Ted and John Nesser's old team, but another "problem" facing early pro football managers came up that would be out of Carr's hands-mother nature. As both teams took the field, a torrential downpour soaked the field and forced the two managers to postpone the game. They agreed to play the make-up game on Thanksgiving Day in Massillon.

  After the rainout Carr booked a road game against the well-known Shelby Athletic Club. Shelby had fielded very good teams for the past several years and had Charles Follis on its roster, the first documented black professional football player, who played on the squad from 1902-1906. Both teams played a rough game that ended in a 6-6 tie. The Panhandles were quick learners and looked like they could compete with the best teams in Ohio. Soon they would get a chance to prove it.

  As the team prepared to face the Toledo Athletic Club and Massillon Tigers at home, Carr was trying to get his team a little publicity in Columbus. The next two games would be played in the capital city, and he wanted to get fans to come out. A day before the Toledo game (November 10), Carr had set up a photo opportunity for the team. In the Sunday edition of the Columbus Dispatch, the first ever team photo of the Columbus Panhandles, with new team manager Joe Carr, appeared. The team looked like your typical rough-and-tough early pro football players, while Carr looked like a million bucks. He was dressed in a nice overcoat, suit, and bow tie, topped off with his black derby, looking very stylish for a team manager. His experience as a sportswriter definitely influenced his decision to try and get more publicity for his squad, and it paid off.18

  Nearly 2,000 people showed up to see the Panhandles destroy the Toledo Athletic Club 57-0. But Carr was not happy. The Columbus Press-Post revealed why: "Manager Carr of the Panhandles was quite disgusted at the showing made by the visitors. He had turned down other attractions to bring this team to Columbus, believing it would be capable of putting up some kind of game against the Panhandles. He added that it would be a long time before a Toledo team would again be given a game against the Panhandles."19

  Carr kept his word. The Panhandles did not play Toledo again until 1911, when the respected Toledo Maroons played the railroaders. Carr knew that a quality opponent was more important than a blowout victory if he wanted fans to keep paying for professional football in Columbus. To finish the season off, the Panhandles played a home and away series with Ohio's best professional football team-the Massillon Tigers. The first game was played in Columbus at Neil Park, and on November 13 the Ohio State Journal reported on the pregame hype:

  No athletic event that Columbus has produced in a long time is the subject of so much comment as the big Panhandle-Massillon game at Neil Park next Sunday afternoon. Parties are already being formed and a number of tallyhos have already been bid for.

  Word comes from Massillon that followers of the Orange and Black will accompany the Tigers to the number of about 300 and are expecting a bunch from Canton and Salem. The Panhandles will give their rivals a strong play for the state trophy goes without saying and from the way bets are being laid around town by followers of both sides it looks from here that chances are about even.

  Panhandle Athletic field is the daily scene of much life in football, and judging from the crowd of interested spectators that daily journey out to witness practice, interest in the local champions is beginning to gain some proportions.20

  On Sunday, November 17, the Panhandles and Tigers played before 4,000 spectators at Neil Park as the mighty Tigers came away with a tough 6-4 victory. Carr was ecstatic over the large crowd despite the unique setup for football games at local football fields in Columbus. "There was never any stands. People would just stand around like a little league game. But they would get crowds of 700 up to 2,000 for some of the bigger games, which was amazing at that time. But that spoke well early on of the reputation of the Nesser Brothers," says Ted Schneider, nephew of the Nesser Brothers.21 Nonetheless, getting a win would have made it a little more sweet. The railroaders played with only four Nesser brothers, with Fred being absent, and Frank Nesser was the star of the game. The Ohio State journal praised the big fullback:

  Many a college coach, after taking one look at Fullback Frank Nesser of the Panhandles, would welcome joyously that young man to his squad. Four of the brothers played yesterday, but Frank was the "king bee" not only of his family, but of all participants in the struggle. Staying on his feet was his principal strong point. By keeping from being thrown, he made it possible for his mates to push and pull him ahead for repeated gains. Then, when the P.H. attack went wrong because of fumbles, this big fellow kicked the ball over from placement and gave his side four points, all that could be secured, although a big bid was made for a touchdown in the second half 22

  Eleven days later on Thanksgiving Day (November 28) the Panhandles traveled to Massillon for the rematch and the make-up game from earlier in the season. Once again the railroaders lost as the Tigers pretty much controlled the whole game and came away with a 13-4 victory. The two losses to Massillon were nothing to be ashamed of, as the Tigers finished the season as the Ohio League Independent Champion with a 7-0-1 record. Watching the Tigers, Carr knew he was watching the best pro team in the Midwest but he also knew that the Tigers had a lot more money to spend to get players. He came away knowing that his team could compete with the best.

  The Panhandles finished the season with a 2-3-1 record, but the losing record wasn't the most important thing for the railroaders and professional football. Joe Carr had his own team, and he was gaining experience that first season that would launch a thirty-two-year career in professional football and make him a pioneer in the sport he wanted to be involved in. Writing a manuscript titled "Post-Graduate Football" in 1938, Carr made a short comment on his first year as team manager of the Panhandles: "My entry into the professional football game came in 1907. I fell in love with the sport then and the years that have passed have only added to my ardor."23

  The love of pro football ran through his blood and he couldn't wait to build his team. He spent all his extra time, in between his baseball job and being a machinist, learning everything about the sport. He not only wanted to be a good team manager off the field, but he wanted his team to be good on the field as well. He was driven to prove to everyone that he could be great at something like he was proving himself on the sandlots in the old Irish neighborhood.

  As the 1908 season approached, Joe Carr had pretty much the same team he had the previous year, with the five Nesser brothers leading the team. The Panhandles would play nine games against teams such as the Pittsburgh Lyceum (two games), Akron Giants, Canal Dover, Cincinnati Spauldings, and two games with the Dayton Oakwoods, starting a longtime rivalry with the best team from the Gem City in southwestern Ohio. Carr also would add a season-ending game against the other best team in Columbus for the Columbus city championship. Seven out of the nine games would be played in Columbus, giving the hometown fans plenty of opportunities to se
e Carr's Panhandles.

  On September 28 the Panhandles played their warm-up game and defeated the Columbus Southerns very easily, 43-0. A week later they stepped up in competition playing the unknown Akron Giants at Recreation Park. The tough Giants played the Panhandles to a scoreless tie as things got a little chippy on the field. The Columbus Press-Post reported the action: "In the first three minutes of play Frank Nesser, the big fullback of the Panhandles, was put out of the game for slugging, thus reducing the strength of the local team very materially. Akron had been booked for a return date and will be seen at Recreation park later in the season."24

  Carr knew his team would not back down from a fistfight (especially with the Nesser brothers), but he wanted to present his team of railroaders as a first class organization and not just a bunch of sluggers on the field-especially if he wanted to keep scheduling games. So to take away the spotlight from the fisticuffs against Akron, Carr announced before the next game that the Panhandles would look different. Carr's buddies at the Ohio State journal made the announcement under the headline"May Appear in New Uniforms": "If completed in time, the Panhandles will be out in natty new uniforms of maroon and gold and the swell gold keystone will be a pretty sight. Gates for Sunday's game will open at 1 o'clock and play will start promptly at 2:30. The general admission is 25 cents."25

  In an age where most pro teams didn't have matching uniforms, this was a brilliant idea for Carr to dress his team in identical jerseys-anything to help the Panhandles' tough-guy image. The only problem was that the new uniforms didn't come in time for the first game against the Dayton Oakwoods. In front of a nice crowd of 2,000 fans at Recreation Park the Panhandles defeated the Oakwoods 25-0. Frank Nesser made up for his dismissal the previous week by scoring three touchdowns. Over the next month the Panhandles played consistent football, losing at Pittsburgh (16-0), beating the Canal Dover Giants (who were the Akron team located in a new city), and wearing their new jerseys, and crushing a very dismal Cincinnati Spauldings team, 66-0.