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

by Chris Willis

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  Willis, Chris. The Columbus Panhandles: A Complete History of Pro Football's Toughest Team, 1900-1922. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2007.

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  Articles

  Barnett, Bob. "1936: The First Draft." Coffin Corner 5, no. 6 (1983).

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  Scrapbooks and Unpublished Documents

  Carr, Joe F., with Michael Fanning. "Post-Graduate Football." Unpublished, 1938.

  JFC Scrapbook. Binders 1 and 2.

  Chris Willis has worked at NFL Films as head of the research library since 1996. His first book, Old Leather: An Oral History of Early Pro Football in Ohio, 1920-1935, was published in 2005 by Scarecrow Press. Old Leather was given the 2005 Nelson Ross Award by the Professional Football Researchers Association for recent Achievement in Football Research and Historiography. His second book, The Columbus Panhandles: A Complete History of Pro Football's Toughest Team, 1900-1922, was published in 2007 by Scarecrow Press.

  As the resident historian at NFL Films, Chris oversees all aspects of research for the company and their producers. In 2002 he was nominated for an Emmy for his work on the HBO Documentary The Game of Their Lives: Pro Football in the 1950s. He is also a member of the College Football Historical Society and the Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA). Several of his articles, including "The Pro Football Hall of Fame-The Beginning," "The Bodyguard and Johnny U," "Ralph Hay: Forgotten Pioneer," and "Joe Carr's Vision," have been published in the PFRA publication Coffin Corner. In 1997 and 1998 Chris gave oral presentations at the Pro Football and American Life symposiums held at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

  Before starting at NFL Films, Chris graduated with a B.S. in physical education from Urbana (Ohio) University-while playing four years on the Urbana football team-and attended one year of graduate school at The Ohio State University in sports history. Chris Willis is a native of Columbus, Ohio, and currently resides in Moorestown, New Jersey.

  Joe's father, Michael Carr (18411905), was born in the county of Armagh in Ireland. He came to America at the end of the Civil War and eventually resided in Columbus, Ohio. He married Margaret Hurley in 1866 and passed away in 1905 at the age of sixty-three. Photo from circa 1880-1885. Courtesy of James Carr.

  Joe's mother, Margaret (Hurley) Carr (circa 1840-1898), married Michael Carr and the couple went on to have seven children-five boys and two girls. Margaret was a stay-athome mother who passed away in 1898 at the age of fifty-eight. Photo from circa 1880-1885. Courtesy of James Carr.

  This is the only known photo of Joe F. Carr's Catholic school days. Carr is in the back row, fourth from the right, with his hands folded together. Sitting directly in front of him is his close friend Robert Drury, who would go on to be a part owner of the Boston Red Sox and a successful surgeon in Columbus. The school photo is from circa 1889-1890 when Carr was about ten years old. Courtesy of the Carr Family Scrapbook.

  As a teenager Joe F. Carr worked as a machinist at the Pennsylvania Railroad and in 1900 began his professional career in sports as the assistant sports editor of the Ohio State Journal. This photo of Carr is circa 1903-1905 when he was in his early to mid-twenties. Courtesy of Margaret Mooney.

  In this photo a young Joe F. Carr is seen throwing a baseball at a family picnic. Carr always liked to wear nice clothes; he is wearing a white dress shirt, bow tie, and derby hat for the occasion. This photo is from circa 1910. Courtesy of James Carr.

  Joe Carr (in the middle wearing the bow tie) was the team manager of the Columbus Panhandles for sixteen seasons (1907-1922), guiding the railroaders to great success as pro football's most famous traveling team. This p
hoto was taken in 1907-Carr's first year as team manager of the Panhandles. On the right is Harry Greenwood, an assistant manager, and on the left is Ed Hughes. Courtesy of James Carr.

  For nearly twenty years, the six Nesser brothers were the backbone of the Columbus Panhandles football team. In a photo from 1916, left to right, are Ted, Al, Fred, Frank, Phil, and John. None of the six brothers played college football; instead they all worked as boilermakers in the Panhandle Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Courtesy of the Ohio Historical Society.

  On June 27, 1911, in Columbus, Ohio, Joe Carr (back row, second from right) married Josephine Marie Sullivan (back row, first from right). In this photo from circa 1910-1911, Carr and Josephine pose with the whole Sullivan family. Courtesy of Martha Sullivan.

  Mary Carr was born on October 13, 1913, the first child of Joe and Josephine Carr. In these two photos, Mary, age two, poses for the camera in her favorite white dress, sitting on a wooden chair, reading her favorite book Little People's A B C. Photos courtesy of the Carr family.

  Joseph Francis Carr Jr. was born on October 1, 1915, the second child of Joe and Josephine Carr. This photo is from circa 1933, the year he graduated from Holy Rosary High School. Courtesy of James Carr.

  This photo was taken before Game 1 of the 1919 World Series in Cincinnati, Ohio. At this particular gathering, the Carr brothers were joined by John Philip Sousa, the famous American composer and conductor, who was nicknamed "the March King." Sousa composed 136 marches during his career and performed the "Star Spangled Banner" before the first pitch of Game 1 . In the photo are-in the back row, from left to right-Michael Carr (Joe's brother), John Philip Sousa, and Joe F. Carr. In the front row, from left to right, are unknown, John A. Karr (Joe's brother who lived in Chicago), and James Wilson. Courtesy of James Carr.

  This 1922 Columbus Panhandles team photo was taken at Neil Park. The 1922 Panhandles would be the last Panhandle team ever. The railroaders finished with an overall record of 3-8-0, including a horrible 0-8-0 record in NFL games. In the front row, from left to right, are John Conley, Lee Snoots, Bob Rapp, Frank Nesser (wearing helmet), Morris Glassman, Emmett Ruh, and Oscar Wolford. In the back row, from left to right, are assistant manager Jerry Corcoran, Walt Rogers, unknown, Joe Mulbarger, Homer Ruh, Hal Gaulke, Mark Stevenson, Ted Hopkins, coach Herb Dell, and team manager Joe Carr. Courtesy of Ohio Historical Society.

  NFL president Joe F. Carr, on the right, shakes hands with baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis at a football game in Chicago. Landis was the man responsible for cleaning up baseball after the 1919 Black Sox Scandal that rocked baseball. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1944. This photo is from a game circa 1922-1923. Courtesy of Carr Family.

  In 1925 New York bookie Tim Mara met with NFL president Joe F. Carr and invested in a NFL franchise. Starting that fall the New York Giants began play. In 1963 Mara was inducted as a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Courtesy of the New York Giants.

  Because of Joe Carr's traveling schedule, the rest of the family found ways to entertain themselves. In this photo from circa 1925-1927, the family poses for a formal photo. From left to right are Joe Carr Jr., Josephine Carr, and Mary Carr. Courtesy of Carr family.

  In 1926 sports promoter C. C. Pyle, along with his star player Red Grange, formed their own league to compete with the NFL. Pyle's American Football League failed after just one season. In this photo Pyle poses with NFL president Joe F. Carr. Courtesy of author's collection.

  During his time as NFL president, Joe F. Carr traveled to many NFL contests. In this photo taken on Saturday, November 6, 1926, Carr (in the middle tipping his hat) acknowledges the crowd in Frankford, Pennsylvania-just outside of Philadelphia-as he attends the game between the Chicago Cardinals and the hometown Frankford Yellow Jackets. The Yellow Jackets beat the Cardinals 33-7 in front of 8,000 fans. Frankford Athletic Association president Theodore Holden (far right) stands next to Carr, while the Frankford Girls Football Team hangs out in the back. Courtesy of Michael Moran.

  Kathleen Rubadue was hired by Joe F. Carr to be his secretary starting in 1929. She was the first and only NFL secretary during Carr's tenure as NFL president. Rubadue worked in the NFL office located on the eleventh floor at 16 East Broad Street in Columbus, Ohio, from 1929 to 1939. This photo was taken in 1936 and shows her taking a call at her desk. Courtesy of Robert Knapp.

  In this photo from 1931 NFL president Joe F. Carr, standing in the middle (shielding his eyes from the sun), presents the game ball to Spartans captain Father "Pop" Lumpkin at midfield while attending the Spartans-Giants game. Courtesy of Spartans Historical Society.

  In 1933 the NFL saw three new owners come into the league: Bert Bell, on left (Philadelphia Eagles); Art Rooney, on right (Pittsburgh Pirates); and Charlie Bidwill, in middle (Chicago Cardinals). All three owners ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Courtesy of author's collection.

  On December 7, 1933, in Columbus, Ohio, NFL president Joe F. Carr met with team owners Jack Mara of the New York Giants and George Halas of the Chicago Bears to discuss details for the upcoming NFL Championship Game to be played on December 17 in Chicago. After the meeting Carr took the football moguls for a visit to meet the governor of Ohio, George H. White. From left to right are Halas, Mara, Carr, and Governor White. Courtesy of Carr family.

  This photo was taken on Monday, December 10, 1934, one day after the New York Giants defeated the Chicago Bears 30-13 for the 1934 NFL championship, in a game that has become known as "the Sneaker Game," where the Giants used basketball sneakers in the second half to battle the frozen field. In this photo all the NFL owners watch NFL president Joe F. Carr hand the 1934 NFL championship trophy to Giants owners Tim Mara and his son Jack Mara. In the front row, from left to right, are Dr. Harry March (Giants executive), Carl Storck (NFL vice president), George Halas (Bears), George Richards (Lions), Joe F. Carr (NFL president), Tim Mara (Giants), Jack Mara (Giants), Dan Topping (Dodgers), William Alfs (Lions executive), Charles Bidwill (Cardinals). In the back row, from left to right, are Bert Bell (Eagles), George Preston Marshall (Boston Redskins), Lud Wray (Eagles), Frank Halas (Bears), Dick Guy (Pirates executive), and Art Rooney (Pittsburgh Pirates). Courtesy of New York Giants.

  George A. Richards, a Detroit radio mogul, was persuaded by NFL president Joe F. Carr to invest in an NFL franchise. In 1934 Richards purchased the struggling small-town Portsmouth Spartans and relocated the team to his hometown. Richards named his team the Detroit Lions. In 1935 the Lions-in just their second year-won the NFL championship. Courtesy of the Detroit Lions.

  In 1935 NFL president Joe F. Carr edited the first-ever Official Guide of the National Football League. The fifty-eight-page guide was published by the Spalding's American Sports Publishing Company. The NFL's official guide is now titled the Official NFL Record & Fact Book, and in 2009 it celebrated its seventy-fifth edition. Photos courtesy of the Spalding Sporting Goods Co.

  NFL president Joe F. Carr was always trying to find new ways to get fans, sportswriters, and special guests to attend NFL games. These two passes were examples: the top pass from 1936 was given to media personnel and special guests; the bottom pass came in the 1936 copies of Who's Who in Major League Football, and it allowed women to attend selected NFL games for free. Courtesy of author's collection.

  George Preston Marshall, on the left in a fur coat, bought the Boston Braves NFL franchise in 1932. After the Braves struggled for five years in Boston, Marshall moved his team south to Washington and renamed them the Washington Redskins. Courtesy of Jordan Wright.

  In early September of 1937, Joe F. Carr suffered a mild heart attack that kept him at home in bed for several months. In this photo, Carr-who poses with his trademark cigar-is at his desk in his Columbus office at 16 East Broad Street. Smoking cigars contributed to his heart problems. Courtesy of the Carr family.

  On December 11, 1938, Joe F. Carr presents the first ever NFL MVP award-a nice watch-to New York Giants center Mel Hein moments befor
e the 1938 NFL Championship Game between the Giants and the Green Bay Packers at the New York Polo Grounds. This would be the last NFL game Carr ever attended before dying of a heart attack in 1939. Starting in 1939 the league's MVP award was named the Joe F. Carr Memorial MVP Trophy. Courtesy of the author's collection.

  In February 1939, the NFL owners meeting was held in Chicago, Illinois, at the Congress Hotel. NFL president Joe F. Carr was reelected by the owners and given an unheard-of ten-year contract at $10,000 per year. This would be the last owners meeting Carr would attend; three months later he died of a heart attack. Front row, from left to right: Jack Mara (New York Giants), Carl Storck (NFL vice president), NFL president Joe Carr, Dan Topping (Brooklyn Dodgers), and Lee Joannes (Green Bay Packers). Back row, from left to right: George Halas (Chicago Bears), Bert Bell (Philadelphia Eagles), George Preston Marshall (Washington Redskins), Art Rooney (Pittsburgh Pirates), Thomas Lipscomb (Cleveland Rams), and Charlie Bidwill (Chicago Cardinals). Courtesy of SandyAllen-Storck family.

  On Wednesday, May 24, 1939, over 300 people attended the funeral of Joe F. Carr at Holy Rosary Church in Columbus, Ohio. Carr had over thirty honorary and eight active pallbearers, including NFL vice president Carl Storck (standing in front of the casket, partially hidden, second from left) and George Halas, owner of the Chicago Bears (in the middle wearing the dark suit). Courtesy of Margaret Mooney.

  On May 25, 1939, five days after Joe Carr passed away, Carl L. H. Storck was named president of the NFL. In 1941 Storck resigned as president when the league wanted to hire Elmer Layden as the first NFL commissioner. Feeling betrayed by the owners with whom he had worked, Storck never got over the way he was replaced as president. His health declined, and he died in a Dayton nursing home in 1950 at the age of fifty-six. Courtesy of Sandy Allen.