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

by Chris Willis

  Just like the rest of his brothers, Al loved playing and practicing on the same team together with his siblings. "The brothers were like steel. When they came out to their lunch breaks they would practice on the cinders and not complain. My father would work at that hard [boilermaker] job and then for lunch he and the rest of the brothers would practice, then go back in and work their next eight hours. I think they worked twelve hours back then. For the weekend to relax they would play football games. They roughed it," says Sally Nesser, daughter of Al Nesser. "My father really liked Joe Carr, he said he was a very low-key guy, quite a scholarly person, smart. Joe Carr was a household name in our house for a long time, " says Connie Shomo, daughter of Al Nesser.l

  Joining Al as a rookie on the team was Roscoe Kuehner, who joined his brother Oscar, giving the Panhandles two sets of siblings. It looked like Carr's team would have another banner year, but in reality it would be a season full of turmoil and disappointment. Ben Chamberlain returned to coach, with help from Ted Nesser, and the season opened with mostly the new recruits playing (as Al Nesser would make his pro debut) in a 10-0 victory over the Columbus Northerns. The Panhandles first big test would be a road trip to play the competitive Queen City squad, the Cincinnati Celts, and the railroaders didn't look good settling for a scoreless tie. For the Panhandles it felt like a loss. After the Celts game the team held a special practice to learn some new plays. On October 20 the Ohio State journal reported on the practice with a headline stating, "Secret Practice by Panhandles, " which shows it wasn't really much of a secret since it appeared in the newspaper: "Panhandle eleven will practice today at the athletic field back of the shop, and every day this week, preparatory to the trip to Akron next Sunday. Coaches Chamberlain and (Ted) Nesser realize that a tough proposition is on hand at Akron and are very desirous that all be present for practice daily. A special lot of new plays are going to be rehearsed

  The "secret" practice and the new plays didn't help the Panhandles as they (with four Nesser brothers in the lineup) were beaten badly by the Akron Indians 40-0 as a crowd of 5,000 fans in Akron saw the future of professional football. In the game recap from the Ohio State Journal the Akron squad was praised: "The Indians played modern football all the way through, swinging the ends and operating forward passes with great precision." The Indians would dominate professional football in 1910, going 7-2, with their only two losses to the Shelby Blues, who would finish the season undefeated. Years later Carr recalled this game, "Our boys had never seen the forward pass worked that well before. They saw plenty that day. I think we had possession of the ball just six times. The rest of the time those fellows were playing catch with each other and making touchdowns every play or two." The loss left Carr very dumbfounded about the abilities of his team.'

  After the game the railroaders and Joe Carr faced their first big crisis since the team disbanded after the 1904 season. On October 27 the Ohio State journal reported that three of the Nesser brothers had quit football. The article read,

  The Panhandle eleven will have its first practice since Sunday last at noon today. The team will undergo a little overhauling, as three of the Nesser brothers have decided to quit the game. They have found that they will be unable to practice at this time of the year. This will probably make the Panhandle back field a little lighter, but the line will remain the same.

  Several new men have already announced their intention of playing on the eleven. Some radical changes will be made with the intention of increasing the speed and agility of the team. The passing of John, Ted and Fred mark the passing of a great trio from the football ranks.4

  Nobody knew why the three Nesser brothers suddenly quit; maybe the work at the railroad shops was too much to handle and playing a football game was impossible. Maybe Ted Nesser and Ben Chamberlain didn't see eye-to-eye on how to run the team.

  On October 28 the Ohio State journal reported more on the changes of the Panhandles as they prepared for their next game against the Cleveland Lyceum on October 30.

  Panhandles first practice with the reorganized team proved a hummer and 16 men were on hand. Three new men with long football experience were on hand, and will probably be placed in the regular positions. They are Wyant, Grimm and Stowall. All have played for two or three years on college elevens and will make valuable additions to the team. The line is just the same as before, and the new men will take places in the back field. The only shift made in the line was Kertzinger going back to the center and Schneider, who has been playing the position, will play a guard position. Busby made his first appearance and the little fellow took hold like an old-timer. The drilling will continue daily, and all candidates are to be on the field promptly at noon."5

  On the day of the game the Ohio State journal ran an article saying that "admission will be 25 cents, with this price it looks as if a capacity crowd will be on hand." The crowd saw the new-look Panhandles lose to an inferior Cleveland Lyceum team, 12-6, as Phil Nesser (the only Nesser brother to play) scored the only touchdown. The railroaders were now 1-2-1 and with more questions than answers. After a week of chaos, Joe Carr was able to find one answer: the trio of brothers would return. After the Cleveland game, Carr brought Ted Nesser back to coach the team. There was no more mention of Ben Chamberlain as coach; Carr gave all the power to Ted. With Ted back as coach, he brought back all his brothersJohn, Fred, and Frank.6

  Carr weathered his first big storm, but the team's stability was not where Carr wanted it to be, so he scheduled the city championship of Columbus early, against the Columbus Barracks. The Panhandles and five of the Nesser brothers beat the Barracks easily, 24-0. They followed that up with a 28-0 victory over the weaker Akron Tigers. The Panhandles had now won consecutive games for the first time in 1910 and had just one game left-a Thanksgiving Day contest against the Dayton Oakwoods. With ten days to prepare for the Oakwoods, the railroaders practiced hard and gave the fans of Dayton a historic event. This would be the first time in Panhandles team history that all six Nesser brothers would play together in the same game. It was a historic game indeed.

  On November 24 the Panhandles and all six Nesser brothers took the field on a rainy Thanksgiving afternoon in Dayton, Ohio. On a sloppy gridiron the teams played to a 5-5 tie as the only score for the railroaders came on an eighty-yard fumble recovery by guard John "Pop" Schneider. It was the only touchdown that Schneider scored in his career. It was a flawed and physical game for the Panhandles as the Columbus Dispatch reported: "[Dayton] Quarterback Weber suffered a broken nose and was carried from the field unconscious.... Six of the Nesser brothers were in the game."7

  If anything, the game against the Oakwoods will be remembered for the participation of all six Nesser brothers, but the rest of the season might be forgotten. After having such great success in 1909, Carr's Panhandles should have been fighting for something more than a winning record in 1910. But with the constant shake-up of the starting lineup and the change in coaching, the Panhandles did all they could just to finish with a 3-2-2 record. But maybe there was a reason Carr was distracted.

  About this time Joe Carr started to notice a beautiful young lady in his Irish neighborhood and became totally smitten. The Ted Nesser-Ben Chamberlain power struggle probably took a back seat to getting to know the woman he would eventually marry. Josephine Marie Sullivan was a slim, good-looking, blue-eyed brunette who came from a very wellknown railroad family.

  The Sullivan family also originated from Ireland, as Josephine's grandfather, James A. Sullivan, and his wife, Catherine, both came from County Kerry to America. They eventually found a home in Richmond, Indiana. James found work as a laborer on the railroad and would be described as having a "kindly disposition, [a man] who loved his church." He loved church so much that he became an original founder of St. Mary's Church (which is still operating) in Richmond. The couple had eleven children, but tragedy struck the Sullivan children often. By the time Catherine, age sixty-nine, died in 1907 and James, age eighty, died in 1908, only three of the S
ullivan siblings remained: Josephine (Sullivan) Reece, James Sullivan Jr., and John S. Sullivan-the father of Josephine.'

  John S. Sullivan was a powerfully built, no-nonsense man, who had a presence about him. He followed his father into the railroad trade, starting out as a blacksmith and working his way up to foreman, eventually becoming a superintendent with the Pennsylvania Railroad.

  While in Richmond John met Mary Farrell and on September 19, 1877, the two married. "He was a very big man, a very attractive man who became a man of stature in the community in Richmond. He was a success as a person independent of his professional achievements," says Martha Sullivan, granddaughter of John S. Sullivan. "My grandmother, Mary Sullivan, was a very outgoing person; she enjoyed life. Sometimes she could be a little flighty but that made her fun to be around." Over the next twenty years the couple would live eight blocks from the railroad shops at 308 North 16th Street Street and have four children-Rose Sullivan (1878), Josephine Marie Sullivan (November 20,1879), William E. Sullivan (1880), and Francis John Sullivan (May 20, 1890).9

  Josephine looked just like her mother. "She was a brunette and she had these very large blue eyes. She was just a very good looking woman, extremely attractive," says Martha Sullivan, niece of Josephine Sullivan. "Oh yes, she had a glorious sense of humor too. She just enjoyed life and she was a happy person. It just kind of radiated to all the people she came in contact with." The family called her "Josie," and when she turned twenty-one her father was transferred to Mill Township near Dennison, Ohio, to be a foreman there. After four years he was transferred one last time by the Pennsylvania Railroad to Columbus, Ohio. They made their home in the Irish neighborhood, near the shops, first on Monroe Avenue and then at 39 North 22nd Street. Older sister Rose married John Callahan and moved to Pittsburgh with their four children, while younger brother Frank Sullivan became a doctor and married a Columbus girl, Marie Ann Driscoll, and had three children. Josie's other brother William passed away in his early twenties before they arrived in Columbus.

  Josie fit in well in the old Irish neighborhood. She worked occasionally as a seamstress, helped the family around the house, and attended church at St. Patrick's. With these connections to the railroad and church she was introduced to Joe Carr. Before Josie came along Joe didn't seem interested in too many women, but the beautiful brunette caught his eye. He would eventually take a road trip to prove his love. "He was just introduced to her and he found her very attractive. The story goes my grandmother was up at Lake Erie at Cedar Point and he came up to see her on a surprise visit. He sat next to her and said, 'Josie, I didn't come up here to see the lake.' She was enamored by that," says Michael Carr, grandson of Joe Can. "She was a very slim and very attractive woman. That's what he liked about her. He also thought she was a very warm and tender woman. It was a perfect match."10

  The couple quickly fell in love and it was obvious that Joe would propose. The wedding invitation was simple.

  They set a date for the summer of 1911 on the one day all railroad workers could get off. On a lovely Tuesday morning on June 27 at St. Dominic's Church (where Joe attended school), the couple gave their vows in front of their families and Rev. Thomas J. O'Reilly. The wedding was perfect and Joe couldn't have been happier. The Panhandles dismal 1910 season was the furthest thing from his mind. Joe was now married, and Josie moved in with him and Eddie at the boarding house at 295 North 21st Street until they could afford a home of their own.

  Joe didn't stop keeping busy, as he continued to work as a machinist at the railroad, secretary of the Ohio State League, and his favorite jobmanager of the Columbus Panhandles. The summer was very hectic for the young newlyweds. Joe's life with Josie had started, and he was now part of a family again. The Sullivan family adopted him warmly. "They were a very close-knit family; they got along very well. They seemed to thoroughly enjoy one another's company and spent a lot of time together," says Martha Sullivan."

  The 1911 Panhandles squad included all six Nesser brothers, Andy Kertzinger, John Schneider, and both Kuehner brothers. Two new recruits from the shops joined the team for the following three seasons. Parker Jarvis, a local high school star, and Earl "Cumpy" Colburn, a bookkeeper, would contribute to Carr's team. "My father was proud that he knew Joe Carr and the Nesser brothers. He told everyone. He was proud of the fact that he had been on the team with all of the Nessers," said Joe Colburn, son of Earl Colburn. "Carr paid him ten dollars a game in all the time he played for the Panhandles. That's it. But he thought it was great. He loved the fact that he played the whole sixty minutes. The only time they didn't play is when they were carried off the field.""

  Ted Nesser returned to coach the railroaders and try to incorporate some of the new features of the pro game, especially throwing the ball a little more with big Frank Nesser, who had the best arm on the team. After scoring seventeen touchdowns in 1909 and five in 1910, Frank would score none in 1911, concentrating on passing from his fullback position. Carr again set up a very competitive schedule with ten total games, but only four would be on the road, as he wanted to spend a little more time home with Josie.

  After a sluggish 3-0 opening-game victory over the Columbus Northerns, the railroaders followed up with a tough 10-5 win over the Cleveland Genesee Athletic Club (with only two Nessers playing). The Panhandles were now 2-0, but the always busy Carr got sidetracked from his football duties to be a guest at baseball's premier event, the World Series. The Philadelphia As of the American League were facing off against the New York Giants of the National League. Carr's good friend Bobby Quinn set up a group of Columbus baseball executives and fans to be his guests at the first two games of the series. The first game would be played in New York and the second game in Philly.

  As part of his trip Carr agreed to write a few daily stories for his former paper the Ohio State Journal. On October 13 Carr left his new wife and headed east to New York. Most of the Columbus delegation predicted that Connie Mack's As would sweep the Giants. Joe's readers back in Columbus got a first hand report on the games.

  By Joe Carr

  The Columbus people in attendance at the World Series are just a little disappointed tonight over the defeat of the Athletics. About all are ardent rooters for the Mackmen and rooted lustily for them to bring home the bunting and keep it up until the last man was out in the ninth inning. The only member of the party who is pulling for the Giants is Mr. Louis Hoster and he had a lively time after the game in kidding the losers. Bobby Quinn had all arrangements complete and there was nothing for the tourists to do but enjoy themselves. Hotel accommodations had been arranged for and much sought-for tickets for the game were plentiful when the hustling Columbus promoter got to work, immediately after the arrival of the party this morning. The weather was simply made to order, being a bright sunny day with just enough cold to make an overcoat comfortable. A number of the party have arranged to remain during the entire series, while about half of them will remain to see the Monday game at Philadelphia, returning to Columbus on Tuesday.

  By Joe Carr

  Loss of the first game by the Athletics has not shaken the faith of the loyal rooters from Columbus and they are of the opinion that the Giants cannot repeat, all contending that the Giants have displayed all they have and that the Athletics were at their worst from the fact that (Eddie) Collins was responsible for the run-getting of the New York club in the early part of the game and that he will not make as many mistakes in all games yet to be played. The entire credit of the victory of Saturday is given to Christy Mathewson by all of the big fellows in baseball. It was surely a masterful performance by this grandest of pitchers.

  By Joe Carr

  The Columbus contingent at the World's [sic] Series was in high glee tonight over the triumph of the Athletics in the second game. While many were disappointed that they were denied the privilege of seeing Jack Coombs pitch, they were all pleased with the masterful work of Plank and are more confident than ever that the Athletics will bring home the bunting. The setting fo
r today's game could not have been more perfect, all things considered. The rain of Sunday put the playing field in the best of conditions and the day was perfect. Perhaps never in the history of the game have the spectators been treated to such a demonstration as that which followed the drive of Frank Baker. At first it appeared that the ball had struck high in the bleachers, but when it was seen that it had just cleared the fence the multitude was on its feet and the deafening applause continued long after Baker had reached the bench. It was a terrific drive and went straight on a line.14

  After watching Game 2 of the series Carr headed back home. It was a joy for Carr to witness a World Series up close and seeing the likes of Christy Mathewson pitch and Frank "Home Run" Baker hit. Four games later Carr and the Columbus group would be happy again as the As clinched the title by beating the Giants, four games to two. Carr's articles were well received and showed off his flair for writing and promotion. The grammar school kid was grown up now and could spin a yarn far beyond his years in the educational system.

  While Carr was off at the World Series, Ted Nesser took the team north to play the Akron Indians, the same team that thumped the Panhandles 40-0 the previous year. This time the railroaders played their best game in a few seasons and brought out the best in the Indians, as the Akron Beacon-Journal stated:

  (Akron) Fullback Hess was the hero of the Akron Indian-Columbus Panhandle contest Sunday afternoon at Nollan Park. It was he who carried the ball over the Panhandle line for a touchdown just four minutes before the end of the game.