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

by Chris Willis

  The bottom line was that the game had more significance than its immediate effect on the NFL standings. The "Indoor Circus" would be one of the NFL's most important games. Upon returning home to Columbus, Carr also felt the significance of the game he had just witnessed. He kept only a few used tickets of games he attended in his personal scrapbook, but he made sure this one had a permanent spot in his memory and he wanted everyone to know. After placing the two-dollar ticket stub in his scrapbook he wrote, "Ticket used by me at the Championship Game between the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans on December 18 1932."41

  There was no doubt he could see the future of the game having a championship, so much so that he would write the statement next to the historic ticket, as it was the only time in his scrapbook that he would comment on a game. After witnessing the Indoor Circus he knew that the play on the field needed to be more exciting, and the rules had to be loosened up to allow the great athletes coming into the NFL to show off their skills. Plus, the ability to play a game indoors intrigued him too. The game of football was meant to be played outdoors and Carr knew that, but to be able to play a game indoors so fans could be comfortable was something he liked. For now that idea would have to stay in the back of his mind. It would be his vision of the pro game.

  A couple of days after the game several players, writers, and fans weren't satisfied with the outcome of the indoor game. Tom Swope of the Cincinnati Post said of the game, "Pennant Decided in Joke Contest" and called the charity exhibition game between the Bears-Spartans in Cincinnati (December 25) the true championship contest. Carr put to rest any potential controversy by saying,

  You fellows decided to play for the championship in the Stadium. You knew in advance the field was small. You should have known that the smallness of the so-called Stadium gridiron would preclude real football and prevent both sides from executing many of the plays at your command. But since you announced that the championship would hinge on the indoor game, the Bears must be declared champions of our league. We have a standing in the eyes of the country which we must try and improve, not tear down. If we are to make the championship a box office "football" and hippodrome it, we never will increase our appeal to the public in our league cities. You made your bed and now you must lie in it, so there can be no more games between the Bears and Spartans this year which will count in the league standing."42

  Despite some of the negative tone by the press, Carr was able to learn the most important lesson from the NFL's first ever playoff game-that the unbelievable interest generated among fans and media by a game for all the marbles at the end of the season was something the NFL needed to make permanent. The owners would also see the reaction to the indoor game, and they would respond quickly.

  On December 23 Carr's office, with help from the publicity department, sent out a press release recapping the 1932 season and announcing the first statistical leaders.

  The National Football League enjoyed one of its most successful seasons in 1932 with the official race ending in a tie for the title between the Chicago Bears and Portsmouth Spartans, ending the three-year reign of the Green Bay Packers as world's champions.

  The Chicago Bears after getting off to a slow start finished the season as one of the most powerful aggregations the league has ever boasted and capped its performance by defeating the Spartans in a post-season playoff game played indoors at the Chicago Stadium.

  An unusually fine crop of newcomers came up from the college ranks to make good in their first season. Cliff Battles, halfback, and Glen Edwards, tackle, of Boston; Bob Campigolo, quarterback of Stapleton; Jack Grossman, Brooklyn back; Bill Hewitt, Bears, end; and Clarke Hinkle, Green Bay fullback, were a few of the college products who upset tradition by gaining stellar honors in their first season. Earl "Dutch" Clark, Portsmouth, quarterback, was the outstanding back of the circuit. 1141

  1932 NFL Statistical Leaders

  Leading rusher-Cliff Battles (Boston Braves), with 576 rushing yards

  Rushing touchdowns-Bronko Nagurski (Chicago Bears), with four touchdowns

  Touchdown passes-Arnie Herber (Green Bay Packers), with nine touchdowns

  Passing yards-Arnie Herber (Green Bay Packers), with 630 passing yards

  Most receptions-Ray Flaherty (New York Giants), with five touchdowns

  Leading scorer-Dutch Clark (Portsmouth Spartans), with fifty-five points

  The most amazing thing about all the major statistical leaders from the first time the NFL kept statistics is that they would all eventually be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Carr knew it was now time to let these fantastic athletes spread their wings and fly.

  n 1932 Carr saw an increase in the average attendance per game as 599,561 fans went through the turnstiles of forty-eight NFL games (forty-seven regular-season games and one postseason game). That was an increase from 9,727 fans per game in 1931 to 12,490 fans per game in 1932. With the additional positive press from the season-ending playoff game, Carr and the NFL owners had big smiles on their faces-except for one.'

  The new kid on the block didn't seem to be rejoicing. George Preston Marshall and his partners lost $46,000 in their first season in Boston. The loss of income scared Marshall's wealthy cronies, and they wanted out. But the brash laundry magnate believed in the sport. Like his mentor Joe F. Carr he could see that professional football's best days were in front of it and not just as a profitable business. He saw the game had the potential of rivaling baseball as the number one sport in America. He would be quoted as saying "baseball, that's a common game. You have one everyday. Pro football's the national pastime."2 Although he lost a ton of money in 1932, and his partners bailed on him, Marshall still wanted in.

  The Boston Braves averaged 12,916 fans per game (77,500 total fans in six home games), which wasn't nearly as well as he thought the team would do, so Marshall looked to make a few changes. First, he didn't particularly care for the team's relationship with baseball's Boston Braves (the feeling was mutual), and he wanted his squad to have its own identity. Marshall moved his team's home games from Braves Field to Fenway Park and gave his team a new nickname-the Boston Redskins. He took the Native American theme to a new level by getting rid of Lud Wray and hiring Lone Star Dietz, former coach of Washington State and Purdue, to be his head coach. Soon Marshall would make a bigger impact on the sport he had just bought into.

  As one team changed its nickname, Carr was thinking about some of the potential changes his league might be going through. His league was progressing nicely (despite the country trying to survive the Depression), but a few issues were dancing in his head. Throughout the 1932 NFL season (as well as while watching the indoor playoff game), Carr and the other owners saw that the play on the field was getting stale. As a group they began some discussions about improving the game and made a conscious effort to make their game more enjoyable for their fans. Carr thought one of the main things the league had to do was to start separating itself from the more popular college game.

  In late January on one of his baseball meeting trips, Carr had a conversation with well-known sportswriter Sam Levy. Instead of chatting about America's pastime, Carr quickly turned to what Levy would describe as Carr's "first love":

  Professional football has been easily the most prosperous sporting venture of the depression period. While other sports have made hard work of hanging on this sport has moved steadily forward.

  Our venture was hard to sell at first. There were too many college men on newspapers who believed we were a menace. It was slow work convincing them we had a legitimate venture and a great sporting show. Now most of them are with us and I am only afraid they are going too far. Some of them are saying we will drive college football out of business. That's ridiculous. We couldn't if we wanted to and certainly we don't want to. The colleges need football and the partisanship and color of a college spectacle will save it. Moreover, we need college football. Each year it turns loose 2,500 experienced players from whom we can select the dozen or two do
zen best. These fellows come to us needing no more than a year or two of seasoning to fit into our game and they come with loads of publicity, with reputations already made and with big enthusiastic followings.'

  Levy then asked Carr about the rumors of Minneapolis planning to build a new municipal fieldhouse. "If they only knew how near our football league is to moving indoors and what a smashing success we are going to make of the pro game under cover they would not hesitate for a moment to spend the additional money needed to size the building up to the requirements of that game."4

  Was he serious? Did he really think in 1933 that the NFL would play in a domed stadium? Although the 1932 indoor game between the Spartans and Bears wasn't a thrilling display of gridiron action on the field, Carr saw how the fans enjoyed being comfortable in their seats while a driving snowstorm occurred outside. He was always thinking of the fans and how the game could be more appealing for them. Unfortunately, most cities-large or small-didn't have any money to actually build a domed stadium. Carr and the NFL would have to wait another thirty plus years to see a pro team (Houston Oilers) play in a domed stadium (Astrodome).

  Carr's crazy mind was in overdrive in 1933, and the other owners followed suit. The first thing to be discussed was what to do about all these tie games. Out of the fifty-seven regular-season games in 1932, a total of ten ended in a tie (17 percent). Giants owner Tim Mara called Carr to give his opinion on the subject and then talked to the New York Times on what might be done.

  In every sport but football the authorities have sought to avoid a tie score. No matter whom you are rooting for you don't want to see a game end in a tie. The game has reached such a stage now that few field goals are attempted. The one desire seems to be a touchdown.

  I think that if the point after touchdown were eliminated it would stimulate placements or drop kicks from the field.

  This [past] season we had made arrangements with the Chicago Bears in a game out there that if it ended in a tie we would experiment with an overtime period. This plan might not be feasible for collegians, but I think it would work out for the professionals. I believe that our men are in better physical condition and that it would not affect them as much. [If after overtime period the game is still tied,] ... I guess they would have to allow the tie to remain.

  These statistics show how ridiculous it is to decide a game on such a mechanical thing as making the extra point. A team could have kicked off and resumed play in the time devoted to preparation of the extra point plays

  Mara's mind, just like Carr's, was going crazy too. Eliminating the extra point was a radical idea (which eventually didn't happen), but Mara's other arguments were right on the nose. During the 1932 season, the NFL saw just six field goals made-Dutch Clark led the league with half of them. In comparison the NFL saw seven safeties, eight if you count the one in the indoor playoff game. Something had to be done when the stats showed that teams scored more safeties than field goals. More scoring had to be encouraged, which in theory would reduce the potential of low-scoring and tie games. Carr agreed.

  "Spectators are opposed to drawn-out games. They want rapid action, intermingled with thrills and glamour which have made football such a great spectacle. If the new [college] rules detract from the glamour of the game, we will have to revise them to suit our needs. It is our desire to open up the game and give the public as much action as possible. Our greatest appeal to the public is the speed with which a professional game moves."

  Carr could see that something had to be done and that the league couldn't wait until the summer to discuss the issues facing the owners. On top of all the chatter to make the NFL more fan friendly, Carr had several new franchise applications arrive across his desk. Several cities wanted in, including Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Cleveland (maybe to replace the struggling Portsmouth Spartans), and Pittsburgh. The Steel City had several different promoters interested, so Carr decided to kill two birds with one stone and called for a special league meeting in Pittsburgh set for February 25-26.

  At 1:00 p.m. in the conference room at the Fort Pitt Hotel in Pittsburgh, President Carr called the meeting to order. Vice President Carl L. Storck took the minutes. Teams and their respective owners present were

  Boston-George Preston Marshall;

  Brooklyn-Martin Shenker and star quarterback Benny Friedman;

  Chicago Bears-George Halas;

  Chicago Cardinals-Dr. David Jones;

  Green Bay-Curly Lambeau;

  New York-Tim Mara and Jack Mara;

  Portsmouth-Harry Snyder and Homer Selby;

  Staten Island-absent.7

  These twelve men who gathered at the Fort Pitt Hotel were about to change the course of professional football. Carr started the special meeting by suggesting the league bypass Old Business and go straight to New Business. Carr wasn't messing around; the league was there to get things done. The owners participated in a general discussion on what changes the league needed to make in order to make the game more entertaining, as well as reduce tie games, encourage more scoring, and separate their sport from the college game.

  One of the first owners to talk was George Preston Marshall, who after just one year as an NFL owner wasn't shy about expressing his feelings. "Gentleman it's about time we realized that we're not only in the football business. We're also in the entertainment business. If the colleges want to louse up their game with bad rules, let 'em. We don't have to follow suit. The hell with the colleges. We should do what's best for us. I say we should adopt rules that will give the pros a spectacular individuality and national significance. Face it, we're in show business. If people don't buy tickets, we'll have no business at all."8 After a lengthy discussion the owners adopted the following resolutions:

  1. Motion by George Preston Marshall, seconded by George Halas- that goal posts be placed back at the goal line, instead of back of the end zone. Motion Carried.

  2. Motion by George Preston Marshall, seconded by George Halas- that the rule covering the use of the forward pass, 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage before the ball can be thrown, be changed permitting the passer to pass the ball from any point behind the line of scrimmage. Motion Carried.

  3. Motion, that when the ball is within five yards of being out of bounds, the ball would be moved into the field of play 10 yards (hash marks). Motion Carried.

  4. Motion by Dr. David Jones, seconded by Benny Friedman-that the clipping penalty of 25 yards is to be retained. Motion Carried.'

  The owners, led by the two Georges-Marshall and Halas-had not only made some important changes (which were definitely needed); they were about to separate their game from the collegiate one. Ever since the National Football League was founded in 1920 (as the American Professional Football Association), they had followed the rules of college football, but in 1933 they made important decisions and rule changes that redirected the course of the NFL. The league needed to make its "product" much more exciting and marketable. This was a big start.

  To end the historic first day, the owners awarded the 1932 NFL championship to the Chicago Bears. The following morning at 8:00 a.m., Carr gathered the group to talk about a salary limit (nothing was established) and the fact that player contracts should be on file with the president. The owners then concluded the meeting by making a request, that President Carr draft a schedule for every team before the summer session in July. Because of the controversy at the end of 1931, the owners felt this would be the best way of putting together a schedule for future seasons. Carr's special meeting was a success. The president and the small gathering of sportsmen had accomplished what they wanted to do. In speaking to the press afterward, Carr expressed his happiness: "We think we have overcome the balance previously held by the defense. In fact if we can give the offense a slight edge, it doubtless would improve the game for both players and spectators."10 But they weren't completely done remaking the NFL.

  While in Pittsburgh, Carr also met with potential investors for an NFL franchise to be located in the western Penns
ylvania city. The team's admission into the NFL was predicated on the removal of the state's Blue Laws, which made it illegal to hold any professional sporting event on Sundays. The state's baseball teams had suffered for years under the Blue Law restriction, but baseball could be played any day of the week before numerous crowds. Because pro football teams normally played only one game per week, it needed the large crowds possible only on weekends, and Saturdays belonged to the colleges. The new law allowing Sunday games would go into effect that November.

  Among the three different investors that inquired about an NFL team, only one had all the characteristics Carr was looking for, and he met with him for a long conversation about a franchise for Pittsburgh. Art Rooney was a thirty-two-year-old former semipro baseball and football player who had been a professional boxer as well. Rooney was also a sports promoter who had fielded the best professional football team in the city of Pittsburgh over the past couple of years and was ready to join the NFL. "NFL President Joe F. Carr approached my father [to join the NFL] because the league saw Pittsburgh as a good expansion opportunity, now that Pennsylvania 'blue laws' prohibiting Sunday play were about to be repealed," wrote Dan Rooney, son of Art Rooney, in his 2007 autobiography. "Carr and the NFL owners knew Art Rooney to be the best promoter in Western Pennsylvania. They also appreciated the fact that he was a real football man-he understood the sport and would be just the guy to cultivate a fan base in the Pittsburgh market.""

  Arthur Joseph Rooney was born on January 27, 1901, in Pittsburgh to Daniel and Margaret Rooney. Art's father was an Irish immigrant who settled in Pittsburgh and met his future wife in the Steel City. The couple had eight children, and Daniel Rooney eventually moved his family to the north side (also known as the First Ward of Allegheny City), a workingclass neighborhood made up of mostly immigrants from the British Isles. Daniel Rooney owned a tavern called Dan Rooney's Cafe and Saloon located at 528 General Robinson in "the Ward" as Art Rooney would call it.12