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

by Chris Willis

  The loss of Mr. Carr is irreparable. Professional football's remarkable growth and popularity today is not the result of the efforts of any one owner or group of owners. It is due entirely to Mr. Carr's fair and impartial administration of its affairs and his steadfast belief in the game.-George Halas, owner of the Chicago Bears"

  Mr. Carr had the happy faculty of seeing the other fellow's side of every disagreement. He fought diligently against every reform that might make an enemy for professional athletics and athletes. He was professional football's balance wheel. Mr. Carr's integrity and sportsmanship alone were responsible for professional football overcoming the antagonistic attitude that existed among many sports leaders at the time the National League was founded. It will be impossible to replace him.-Charlie Bidwill, owner of the Chicago Cardinals18

  Gee, I can hardly believe that Joe Carr is dead. I was talking to him last week. He appeared to be in the best of health and said he felt great. He was planning to come to Pittsburgh for a league meeting next month. Carr's passing means a personal loss and a loss to professional football which cannot be replaced. He will be missed by those connected with the sport.-Art Rooney, owner of the Steelers19

  Ever since the league was founded in 1920 the NFL hadn't experienced a gloomier day than May 20. The following morning on the Lord's Day the whole country awoke to the headlines of "Joe Carr: Noted Football Executive Dies." In his hometown of Columbus the newspaper's front pages revealed the sad news.

  "Joe Carr, Nationally Known in Sports, Dies"-Ohio State Journal

  "Joe Carr, Vet Sports Organizer, Dies at 59, Headed Pro Loop"Columbus Citizen

  "Joe Carr, Noted Figure in Sports World, Is Taken by Death after Heart Attack"-Columbus Dispatch20

  As the sports world digested the shocking news the Carr family prepared to say good-bye to their fallen hero. As hundreds of condolences arrived, Josie, with help from her son Joe Jr., planned for the funeral to take place on Wednesday (May 24) at Holy Rosary Church-located a few blocks from their Bryden Road home. Before he passed away, Carr drew up a will that left an estate, valued at $43,174.49, to his wife and two children. He also made plans for his body to be buried at the new Catholic cemetery in the south end of Columbus-St. Joseph's Cemetery. On the day before the funeral, the Carr family announced the eight active pallbearers:

  1. William McGrath, former director of athletics of Columbus parochial schools

  2. Nick Barack, secretary of Agonis International

  3. Harry Murray, executive at Pennsylvania Railroad

  4. George M. Trautman, president of the American Baseball Association

  5. Bob Hooey, sportswriter Ohio State Journal

  6. Roy Swabby, employee at Ohio National Bank

  7. George Halas, president and coach of the Chicago Bears

  8. Carl L. Storck, vice president of the NFL21

  The evening before the funeral, all the NFL owners traveled to Columbus to pay their last respects to President Joe F. Carr. On May 24 the capital city of Ohio saw one of the greatest collections of sports executives ever. "The visitors at the funeral were not just football people. They were journalists; they were baseball people; they were basketball people. They were promotional people. They were politicians," says Gregory Carr, grandson of Joe F. Carr. "His influence was pretty significant and at that time one of the top sports influences in the country" Carr's secretary Kathleen Rubadue, who always felt close to the Carr family, was also in shock. "She was definitely sad about the whole thing," says Robert Knapp, son of Kathleen Rubadue. "Later on she never really said a whole lot about that."22

  The NFL owners who attended (joining Halas and league executive Storck) were designated as honorary pallbearers-Dan Topping (Brooklyn Dodgers); Charlie Bidwill (Chicago Cardinals); Tom Lipscomb (Cleveland Rams); William Alfs (Detroit Lions); Curly Lambeau (Green Bay Packers); Tim and Jack Mara (New York Giants); Art Rooney (Pittsburgh Pirates); George Preston Marshall (Washington Redskins); Jim McCurdo (Philadelphia Eagles). Other sports executives and newspaper writers who attended were Arch Ward, Branch Rickey, childhood friend Bob Quinn, Bill McKinnon, Lew Byrer, and Lee MacPhail. In all there were more than 300 people jammed into Holy Rosary Church that morning.

  After a private viewing at Egan-Ryan Chapel, Carr's body was brought to Holy Rosary for the service that started promptly at 10:00 a.m. Josie, with Mary and Joe Carr Jr.-as well as Carr's brothers Michael and Edward-sat bravely in the front row as fifteen visiting priests sat in the sanctuary. The casket was surrounded by "one of the most impressive and largest floral displays ever afforded to a national figure."23 A choir that featured thirty boys sang poignantly as the large crowd finally took their seats. Father John J. Murphy of Holy Rosary gave the eulogy:

  Mr. Carr's life work was in the field of national recreation.... Recreation is a useful, important and necessary part of life. It is not man made; it is from Nature which means that it is from God who, though he needed it not, set the example by resting on the seventh day of Creation.... Again, his work had to do largely with athletic competition. We cannot lose sight of the fact that this type of recreation carries with it a delicate condition. While in other occupations success may be distributed; that is, in business, in industry, in professional life, there is honor, there is success, there is victory for many. In the world of competitive athletics one group can win only because the other group loses. To encourage, to sustain in the face of loss and defeat, was the peculiarly trying task of Joe Carr. It is human nature that in losing we seek a change of administration. Yet with him through years of administration, admiration, appreciation and prestige increased.

  The reasons Mr. Carr was successful were based in the principles on which his life was founded. He believed that there always must be rules to guide the game and life, that there must be truth, nobility and kindness. His was a personality to be admired, nourished, cherished, envied and loved.

  Joe Carr chose to put his talents to use in the field of recreation and in that chosen field there is none who could surpass him.24

  The moving words by Father Murphy brought tears to everyone's eyes, including Josie and her two children. They knew that their husband and father was now in the hands of God and that he was in good hands. After the ceremony, the thirty-six honorary pallbearers formed two lines to form an aisle through which the eight active pallbearers would carry Carr's casket out of the church and into the hearse that would take him to St. Joseph's Cemetery. "It was an awesome ceremony. I mean it was probably the biggest funeral the city's ever seen," says Michael Carr, grandson of Joe F. Carr. "I saw the pictures. I mean there was flowers all over. Unbelievable. He was everything they said he was."25

  Most of the crowd piled in their cars to follow Carr's body, driving the ten miles south down High Street to St. Joseph's Cemetery. The large crowd then gathered in the St. Agnes section (plot 229) to hear the final rites given by Father Murphy. Carr was then buried next to his newly planted headstone that simply read-Joseph F. Carr. No dates or poem. "The headstone itself is pinkish granite and it's got inlays of various flowers and foliates on the corners of it," says Gregory Carr. "The center has a Gaelic cross with the I.S. insignia with my grandfather's name emblazoned upon the front of it. It's set on a granite footer to maintain the integrity of the gravestone."26

  "[The gravesite] for us this is a holy place. We're talking about my grandfather here. Not only was he the founder of the NFL, but we kind of looked to him as the founder of our family," says James Carr. "The very individual in our family who's like at the head of the table. That's how I look at him and I admire him. So it's a pretty intense place for our family." The very simple but stoic headstone was now the final resting place for one of the NFL's founding fathers. For the Carr family, it was a sad but perfect way to say good-bye. Before the NFL owners left Columbus, they made one announcement: that vice president and treasurer Carl L. Storck would be acting president until a formal meeting was scheduled sometime in July for Pittsburgh, where a permanent repla
cement would be named .27

  Just when it seemed that the Carr family could take a break from all the sadness more bad news came to them from Chicago. Two weeks after saying good-bye to Joe F. Carr, the family learned that John Karr, Joe's big brother, had passed away from a heart attack at the age of sixty-nine. John's health kept him from attending his brother's funeral and eventually became worse soon after his brother was buried. The original Carr family was now down to two-Michael and Edward.

  Although it had only been a month since President Carr passed away, the owners still had a league to run, and Carr would have wanted them to move forward as quickly as possible. It was the Irish way. On July 22 the NFL owners and coaches met at the Fort Pitt Hotel in Pittsburgh to discuss league matters; to set up the NFL schedule for 1939; and choose a new president. All of the owners showed up except for G. A. Richards, who remained in California due to health issues, and George Preston Marshall. Carl Storck presided over the meeting, which began with a permanent proposal to honor Carr's work for the NFL. Storck presented a motion about the future of the league's MVP award. Carr presented Hein with a watch but in the last owners meeting Carr was given the responsibility of coming up with a more dignified award. At this moment George Halas stood up and brought forth a motion saying:

  I would like to submit a resolution here in regard to the same award.... It is a resolution stating that the most valuable award should be called the Joe F. Carr Memorial Award.

  Where as the untimely death of Joe F. Carr, founder and president of the NFL, prevented action by Mr. Carr on the resolution adopted this Feb. 1939 meeting of National League, where in Mr. Carr was asked to designate a suitable award for National League MVP, it is proposed that the MVP resolution be amended as following:

  That the NFL's Most Valuable Player award be designated the Joe F. Carr Memorial Award. That the Joe F. Carr Memorial Award be given annually to the player named the Most Valuable in the National League championship race. That the selection of the MVP be made by the Professional Football Writers of America 28

  The motion carried unanimously. "You are giving the Award in the name of the man who has done more for professional football than any living man, and any man for a long, long time, " spoke Curly Lambeau at the meeting. It was a thoughtful and honorable gesture by the whole NFL to honor their late president. The MVP award was Carr's idea, who thought it could rival major league baseball's annual award, which was getting a lot of publicity at this time, so naming the award after him made perfect sense. The owners then turned to electing a new president. Because of the sudden death of Carr, the owners didn't have much time to interview potential candidates and with the absence of outspoken owners G. A. Richards and George Preston Marshall, they nominated Carl L. Storck as president. The owners approved Storck's election and gave him a one-year contract.

  After a lifetime of service the forty-five-year-old NFL employee was now replacing a legend and a close friend. "When Joe Carr passed away my parents were very upset and didn't know what was going to happen, " says Dolores Seitz, daughter of Carl Storck. "They felt a loss because they were very close and they were so in sync with their thinking. My father was not happy that he got it [to be president] the way he did." After being elected, Storck's first assignment from the owners was to "provide and present Mrs. Joe F. Carr a leather-bound memorial [book] detailing her husband's life work with services to the League."29 It was another small gesture to help honor Carr's life work. The owners also agreed to pay Carr's remaining 1939 salary to his widow. As the meeting adjourned the league took a huge breath of relief. Although the league had lost its heartbeat, the organization was in good hands. Carr had handpicked most of the owners to guide the NFL into the future. He would have also been pleased that the owners selected Storck to help continue his legacy.3o

  Since Storck had put in nearly twenty years of service, it made sense for the owners to select him as the next president. Storck moved the NFL office temporarily to his hometown of Dayton, leaving Kathleen Rubadue by herself in the old office at 16 East Broad Street. In less than a year, Rubadue would leave the NFL and get married. Just as with Carr, the NFL was Storck's life, and he could continue to promote Carr's ideals without any setbacks. As the 1939 season approached, it seemed strange to not see Carr at an opening weekend game. For the first time since 1921, the NFL would play a league game without Joe F. Carr in office. In the Official Guide of the National Football League: 1939, former superstar Red Grange wrote an article on the progress of professional football. He pointed out one individual responsible for its growth.

  In singling out the individual, who was most responsible for the growth of pro football, I think I can safely place the name of the late Joe F. Carr in nomination. Mr. Carr served as president of the league from the time it was founded in 1920 [1921] until his untimely death last May. Joe was a kindly, sympathetic, stubborn and, more important than anything else, an honest gentleman. He insisted from the start that pro football would one day be one of America's outstanding sports, despite the fact that colleges decried the game and prospective customers refused to be stamped. Joe remained un daunted, however, and fought doggedly for the recognition of an ideal. Mr. Carr, it seems to me, had more than an ideal when the league was founded. He had vision and common sense, too.

  Down through the years, it is a matter of record that Joe Carr gave everyone, no matter what their capacity, a square deal. Players coming into the league knew they would be treated fairly. The fact that former league players like myself, who are now engaged in business and professional life, are the league's greatest boosters, I think is a fine tribute to Carr's ability. A lot of folks talk about the Golden Rule. Carr put it into practice. He treated others as he wanted to be treated by them.

  The league is going to miss Joe Carr, but, I am firmly convinced he left it the heritage of a sound foundation, built on principles of honesty and common sense, that will be his invisible monument in years to come.31

  Yes, a foundation had been built by Carr that would endure, and yes the league was in good hands. On Sunday, September 10, the NFL played its first game without Carr as president. Some 15,075 fans showed up at Titan Stadium in Detroit to watch the Lions defeat the Chicago Cardinals 21-13. There was no report of a moment of silence or any tribute to the fallen president. Four weeks after the NFL's opening weekend, President Storck sent Josephine Carr a letter presenting her with the memorial book authorized by the NFL owners.

  Dear Mrs. Carr and Family:

  I have been authorized by the club owners of the National Football League to present you with a Memoriam of your late husband and father, for the loving services he rendered to all of us. I am forwarding it to you under separate cover.

  I sincerely hope you will accept our kind condolences and good wishes.

  Very sincerely yours

  Carl L. Storck

  President32

  The five-page memorial book was about an inch thick and was bound in a thick black leather binding. The five pages praised Carr's career and included facsimile signatures of all ten NFL owners and the original signature of President Storck. The book-which cost about $100 to publish-was so special to Josie and the Carr family that the original book and letter are still with the Carr family after seventy years .31

  As the 1939 season rolled on the NFL saw another milestone. On October 22 the Philadelphia Eagles played the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in front of 13,057 fans. Little did the crowd know that this would be the first NFL game broadcast on television. Carr would have been thrilled to see his league take another big step forward, even if it would take another twenty plus years for TV to make the NFL a money-making extravaganza. At the end of the season, the league saw a rematch of the 1938 championship game, with the Packers and Giants winning their divisions. This time the game was played in Green Bay.

  The outcome was different too. The Packers destroyed the Giants 27-0 to win their fifth NFL title. After the season the Football Writers of America voted for the NFL'
s Joe F. Carr Memorial Award. Although his team finished with just a 5-5-1 record, the Cleveland Rams rookie tailbackquarterback Parker Hall won the award. As the end of the decade arrived, the NFL was now at a crossroad. Carl L. Storck had replaced Carr, but he was signed for only one year. How would the NFL handle the aftermath of Carr's death?

  ike life the NFL would move on without its former president. But for the Carr family, it was a different story. At the age of fifty-nine, Josephine Carr was now a widow and she handled her husband's death with tons of courage and grace. She continued to live at the family home on Bryden Road the rest of her life while taking care of her family. Her son, Joseph Carr Jr., continued his work as a prominent lawyer and also started a family. He married a local woman, Marjorie Naddy, and the couple had seven children-all boys-although two died very early. Joseph F. Carr III and Francis Carr passed away before they reached their tenth birthdays. Buddy eventually moved his family out of the Bryden Road home to a more spacious residence at 252 Preston Road, which was less than a mile and a half away from his mother.

  Despite his success as a lawyer in Columbus, Joe Jr. always maintained his love for the NFL, and in his heart he wanted to continue his father's lifework. "He idolized his father and what he wanted to do was follow in his footsteps. He wanted to become more active and work in the NFL," says James Carr, grandson of Joe F. Carr. "My grandfather discouraged him from doing that. He told my dad to 'stick with the law, son, stick with the law.' I think he was sorely disappointed that he couldn't follow in his father's footsteps. I think his first love and his first choice would have been working with the NFL. But that was not to be."'

  As Buddy built a family and a career, his sister was having a hard time with the death of their father. Although she had her mother and brother there for support, she seemed to be struggling the most with the loss. "She was devastated. After she received her college degree she pretty much stayed at home. She stayed at home and dedicated her life to family matters. She was very dedicated to her family," says James Carr. "She was a very loving person, a very loyal person. A very bright lady who spoiled us later on. But she was devastated by the loss of her father." The loss of her beloved father had a lasting impact on her. She never married, and for the rest of her life she dedicated herself to whatever the Carr family needed.'