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

by Chris Willis

  The contract was then signed by President Carr and all ten owners. The deal was now complete; the NFL would have its own promotional film-some twenty-six years before the league formed NFL Films. Carr could see the NFL's continued growth, and he wanted to use everything in his power to promote the game. By using film and the increasing popularity of movie theaters, he took another bold gamble in trying to get the NFL to a broader audience. None of the other owners objected to this new idea, and they let Carr's media background take charge.

  Now that the film was in motion, Carr got back to putting the schedule together for the 1938 season. While assembling the games Carr gave permission to a few teams to play games in non-NFL cities such as Buffalo, New York, Erie, Pennsylvania, and Charleston, West Virginia, to help further the NFL's potential fan base. Carr set up the Charleston game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Pirates mainly for the new NFL film. He wanted to show off the league to a new audience in front of the rolling cameras. On July 7 Carr released the NFL schedule and its fifty-five regular-season games. The season was to start on September 9, and the 1938 NFL Championship Game would be played on the home field of the Eastern Division winner.

  As the summer began, Carr arranged for the film director hired by Industrial Pictures to shoot the training camp of the Detroit Lions. It would be the opening segment of the NFL promotional film. Lions head coach Dutch Clark agreed to be the technical advisor for the film. He allowed the film company to shoot his team going through camp-starting with the players' physicals and weigh-in and continuing onto the field where they filmed the players standing in their positions and running the plays of a typical NFL team. Clark was even asked to demonstrate the dropkick (he was the best in the league at drop-kicking), which was shot in super slow motion for added effect. Lions' owner G. A. Richards made a surprise visit to camp and would be mentioned in the movie. Filming was also done at every other team's training camps and would continue throughout the regular season with at least one league game shot for each team. The film would conclude with the season-ending 1938 NFL Championship Game.

  On August 1 the NFL heard some fantastic news. After months of going back and forth, Byron "Whizzer" White announced that he would sign a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, for $15,000. The money was too good to pass up. White was also able to convince the powers that be at Oxford to delay his entrance into the school until January of 1939. "If it was still a choice between the scholarship and pro football my decision would be the same as it was in June when I picked Oxford, but now it is definite I can still play football and go to England." Carr's league gained another star player and all eyes would be on the $15,000 star.'

  A week after the White signing was announced, Carr received some more good news and this time it was not about football. On August 9 Joe Carr Jr. received notification that he was 1 of 259 people to pass the Ohio state bar exam taken in June. He was now ready to be a full-time lawyer.7 Before the season began, NFL publicity director Ned Irish of New York talked to the press about the upcoming season and the league's newest star.

  "The league has grown up. This is the first time I remember it starting a season with the same teams and the same coaches it had the previous year.... I don't see how he can miss. He is a great back. The only thing that can get him down is the schedule. The Pirates play four games in 11 days in September. This will tire a fellow used to playing only once a week."8

  A week before the season started Carr was given the okay to travel. His first excursion was to Chicago to see the Tribune Charity All-Star Game (August 31) hosted by his good friend Arch Ward. The College All-Stars, led by Purdue quarterback Cecil Isbell (signed by the Packers), defeated the NFL's Washington Redskins 28-16, in front of another fantastic crowd for the charity game-74,250. Carr was excited about attending his first football game since his mild attack suffered in Cleveland in 1937. He was back doing the thing he loved the most-being president of the NFL.

  While in Chicago, President Carr called a league meeting at the Palmer House with members of the NFL's finance committee. At the meeting were Carr, Homer Marshman (Cleveland), Tim Mara (New York), Art Rooney (Pittsburgh), Dan Topping (Brooklyn), and Charles Bidwill (Chicago), who was substituting for George Halas. The owners just went over a few fine points within the league and then went their separate ways. Carr returned to Columbus feeling a little tired, but was happy that he was able to travel for a few days without any health problems, showing the owners he was still capable of performing all his tasks as NFL president.'

  After pretty much missing all the action of the 1937 season, the fiftynine-year-old Carr was excited about the beginning of the 1938 campaign (he celebrated his fifty-ninth birthday on October 23). He was back in the groove working at his job and depending less on his immediate family. The season got off to a great start, and Carr was back in the spotlight. After rumors of gambling in sports, Paul Mickelson of the Associated Press wrote a nice story about how Carr was operating the NFL on the "straightand-narrow" and even called for the sport to honor their pioneers.

  Fortunately for the professional pigskin chasers, they are directed by Mr. Joe Carr, an honest gentleman from Columbus, 0., who is as uncompromising in his demand for integrity as Kenesaw Mountain Landis, whose iron hand brought respect and faith to organized baseball. Joe, in many respects, is even better equipped for necessary detective work than stem Judge Landis. He's a man who gets around, talks to the high and the low, and never forgets a name, face or action. He has the confidence and affection of every club owner and player he represents.... When the pro footballers get around to installing their heroes in the hall of fame, Sammy [Baugh] will be there along with such pioneers as Carr, Chicago's George Halas and those ceaseless workers from Green Bay, who helped keep the game alive.10

  At this time pro football did not have a hall of fame. Major League Baseball had established their museum in 1936 and eventually inducted their first class of players in 1939 when it opened its doors for the first time. Mickelson was one of the first sportswriters to suggest a football hall of fame, but nobody was really listening. It would be another twenty-five years until the doors of the Pro Football Hall of Fame opened. At least Mickelson believed Carr was deserving of induction.

  Midway through the season, Carr was once again seeing big crowds attending NFL games. Since 1934 the NFL had seen the average attendance at games increase every year:

  1934: 13,247 fans per game

  1935: 13,805 fans per game

  1936: 14,814 fans per game

  1937: 17,282 fans per game

  The 1938 season seemed to be no different, and it looked like the league would see 1 million total fans for the first time. On Sunday, October 16, the NFL's four league games in Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Green Bay attracted 109,548 fans (average of 27,387 per game), which put a big smile on the face of President Carr. "We are trying to make professional football bigger every year. We are trying to give it more spectaculrism [sic] and put on a real show. We have formed our rules with that end in view. We want, and are getting, an abundance of spectator interest," said Carr to the International News Service." Throughout the 1938 season the NFL saw seven games attract crowds of more than 35,000 fans, including a season high of 57,461 fans at the Polo Grounds for the December 4 matchup between the Redskins and Giants. The NFL was now putting on the "greatest show in football." It made the league's old guard very happy about the future of the sport. Even George Halas cheered the increase in popularity: "Fans see one game and are sold on professional football. New stars each season, continued brilliant jobs by old favorites, keep the old fans coming back and new ones taking an initial interest. Poor games are the exception and there certainly aren't any pushovers in the circuit. At one time, the Bears were the only team to practice daily, but not anymore. Nowadays, every team works hard in practice and plays harder to win.""

  Deep inside, Carr rejoiced at the NFL's current success. Looking back at the eighteen years as NFL president, including
his heart attack the previous year, Carr must have felt extremely proud of how popular the league had become. From the early days of franchise instability and players jumping from team to team, the NFL in 1938 was showing signs of being that established sports organization that would eventually capture America's heart. Carr had to be proud of the work he and the other owners had done. The potential of seeing close to 1 million fans in a single season made Carr rest easier at night.

  In the middle of November, the city of Charleston, West Virginia, prepared itself for the arrival of the NFL. During the summer Carr announced that several non-NFL cities would host a few league games to help showcase the sport. Local sports promoter Henderson Peebles thought his city of roughly 67,914 citizens (1940 federal census) would enjoy seeing the NFL up close and personal. Carr contacted Peebles and scheduled the game in Charleston between the Pittsburgh Pirates, with the league's newest star, Whizzer White, and the Philadelphia Eagles for Saturday, November 19. Peebles secured Laidley Field (capacity of roughly 10,000) and set ticket prices at $2.00 for general admission and $1.50 for reserved seats. He also blocked off a section of bleacher seats priced at fifty cents for students. As the game approached, Carr informed Peebles that it would be part of the NFL's promotional film. He wanted the game captured on film to show the increasing popularity of the pro game. "The pictures that are to be taken in Charleston will be part of a five reel educational and entertaining picture on football which later will be shown in the theaters throughout the country and will be available for display in elementary and high schools, colleges, noon-day luncheons, clubs and other groups," Carr said.13

  In a letter to Peebles, he reiterated his attention of sending the film crew to Charleston.

  Dear Mr. Peebles:

  I sincerely hope you and your associates appreciate the unusual opportunity afforded Charleston for national advertising purposes-by the visit of the newsreel and motion picture men this coming weekend. The mere scheduling of the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia National League professional game for Charleston has already brought your city considerable publicity, but that is a small item compared to the advantages offered by the picture men.

  These films will be shown throughout the United States-wherever football is played and in addition to the action shots of Whizzer White, Dave Smukler [Eagles fullback] and other luminaries of the gridiron many views of the crowd and celebrities in attendance will be photographed.

  Charleston is the capital city of West Virginia and with such a marvelous chance to bring it to the attention of millions of people.... The importance of this motion picture invasion of your city cannot by over-emphasized.

  Get busy now and have your leading citizens dressed up and on parade Saturday. Motion picture fans and gridiron enthusiasts from coast to coast will be seeing them on screen a few months from now.

  With best wishes and greetings to my many Charleston friends, I remain as ever, Sincerely your friend,

  Joe F. Carr,

  President14

  The film crew from Industrial Pictures with director Juett Box and cameraman Oscar Ahbe traveled to Charleston to begin shooting. Arriving on Wednesday before the game, Box and Ahbe scouted the stadium to find the best angles to film the game. Box was impressed by the layout, and speaking to the Charleston Gazette, he talked about the experience of shooting the NFL's first promotional film.

  This is certainly a great break for Charleston. When you consider we have only operated in Brooklyn, Cleveland, Washington, Detroit, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and it puts Charleston right up with the big boys. President Joe Carr, of the National League, told me nothing was too good for Charleston so we are going to "shoot the works!"

  Hundreds of fans hear and read of "spinner players," "double wing backs," "off tackle slants," and "lateral passes" and not 10 percent of them know what they mean. We take pictures of these plays, in slow motion, as they are executed by the pros in practice. Later we take shots of the same plays as they are run off in a regular game.

  Tomorrow [Thursday] we expect to photograph the Eagles in action at Laidley Field. We'll catch them in various offensive and defensive maneuvers and then Saturday we'll film the same plays as they "try" to execute them against the Pirates. Present plans call for a reversal of this procedure on Pittsburgh, as we expect to make our shots of them Sunday afternoon here, the day after the game.

  I hope you have a banner crowd and we want every celebrity in the state to be on hand when we start grinding.15

  As the game approached the weather didn't cooperate, as a rain storm hit Charleston starting Friday afternoon, and it rained all day Saturday. Peebles conferred with owners Art Rooney and Bert Bell about postponing the game. They thought it was a good idea and told him to call Carr to ask permission to move the game. Carr told Peebles that a lot had gone into putting on the game, and that postponing the game until Sunday was fine with him. The forecast for Sunday was much better. As the two teams took the field on Sunday, what the two owners saw didn't make them happy. Only 6,500 fans came out to watch the NFL in Charleston. What a letdown. The small crowd did see an entertaining game-a 14-7 Eagles win-highlighted by Whizzer White's seventy-nine-yard touchdown run.

  Carr was disappointed with the attendance in Charleston but was happy the two teams played well. He was also pleased the film crew got a lot done in their time in West Virginia. The film was nearly complete with only the 1938 championship game and President Carr's introductory stand-up to shoot.

  As for the championship races, once again they were tight. In the Western Division, it was a two-team race between the Green Bay Packers (who won it all in 1936) and Detroit Lions (who won it all in 1935). On November 13 the Packers defeated the Lions 28-7 in front of 45,139 fans in Detroit to give them an 8-2 record. After the Packers lost to the Giants the following week, the Lions won back-to-back games to trail the Pack by just one game going into the final regular season game. If the Lions defeated the Eagles, they would tie the Packers at 8-3.

  On December 4 the Eagles, who had a record of 4-6, upset the Lions in the Motor City, winning 21-7. The Packers claimed the Western Division title for the second time in three years. In the Eastern Division, it was a two-horse race too-between the defending champs, the Washington Redskins, and the New York Giants. Both teams dominated their remaining opponents, setting up a season finale matchup on the same day the Lions lost to the Eagles. The game was hyped in New York as the NFL's game of the year, and the city of New York didn't disappoint. An NFL season high of 57,461 fans jammed the Polo Grounds to see who would capture the Eastern Division.

  The Giants (7-2-1) held a one-game lead in the division over the Redskins (6-2-2). After all the hype, the game was a blowout. Behind the play of the Giants' defense, which scored two touchdowns (one on a ninetysix-yard interception return by Ward Cuff), the Gotham squad crushed the champs 36-0. Tim Mara's team had won its fourth division title in six years of divisional play. They would host the Packers in the title game at the Polo Grounds on December 11. Carr was excited about the matchup, and he packed his bags for New York. After missing the previous championship game, the league's president wasn't going to miss this one.

  Carr arrived in the Big Apple early and checked into the Hotel New Yorker. The day before the game, the league held its annual draft and owners meeting. Once again Wellington Mara provided the list of college seniors to be drafted. Texas Christian University (TCU) center Ki Aldrich went number one overall to the Chicago Cardinals, but quarterbacks Sid Luckman of Columbia-who led the Chicago Bears to four NFL titles in his twelve years-and little Davey O'Brien of TCU were the big stars chosen. Luckman went number two overall, with O'Brien number four to the Philadelphia Eagles. Carr enjoyed running the owners meeting again and felt right back at home. After the meeting he announced the winner of the NFL's first annual Most Valuable Player (MVP) award voted on by six sportswriters from six NFL cities. The jury consisted of Harry Ferguson (United Press sports editor); H. G. Salsinger (Detroit News), Shirley Povich (Was
hington Post), Warren Brown (Chicago Herald & Examiner), Ed Bang (Cleveland News), and Lawton Carver (International News Service). Mel Hein, New York Giants center, was voted the first ever NFL MVP.16

  The six-feet-two, 225-pound center-linebacker was the best lineman in the NFL and an easy choice. Rookie Whizzer White led the NFL in rushing but gained only 567 yards with four rushing touchdowns. Packers end Don Hutson had a solid year (thirty-two catches for 548 yards and nine touchdowns), but Hein was the best player on the best team. Hein led a defense that gave up a league-low 79 points (just 7.2 points per game) in eleven games and surrendered just eight touchdowns all season (three rushing, five passing).

  On the day of the championship game, Carr headed over to the Polo Grounds with the other owners as the whole NFL was prepared to see the Packers and the Giants face off for the 1938 NFL championship. As they entered the stadium what they saw had never ever been seen at the previous five title matchups. The Polo Grounds was jammed packed with a record NFL Championship Game crowd of 48,120 fans. The anticipation of excitement was brewing in the stands. Carr walked out onto the football field with the game officials-led by referee Bobbie Cahn-smiling from ear to ear. He couldn't believe his eyes as he looked up to see nearly 50,000 fans settling in their seats to watch the NFL's marquee game .17

  While speaking with the officiating crew, the director and cameraman of Industrial Pictures came by to film the president with his whistle blowers. As pregame drills continued for both teams, President Carr was introduced to Giants center Mel Hein. As photographer's flashbulbs popped, Carr presented Hein with a gold watch as a symbol for winning the NFL's MVP award. Both men smiled for the cameras. As the 2:00 p.m. kickoff approached, Carr took his seat full of pride and relief. After going through the most difficult year of his life in 1937, he was now back on top, watching his league take another giant step forward. The NFL was no longer taking the baby steps it took back in the twenties to gain respect. The league had now become a respectable sport across the country, and the NFL Championship Game had become one of the premier sporting events. It had come full circle. Now it was time to give the fans a show.