1920 Chicago Cardinals season

(Redirected from 1920 Racine Cardinals season) American Professional Football Association's Cardinals' inauguration

1920 Chicago Cardinals season

Head coach	Paddy Driscoll
Home field	Normal Park
Results
Record	6–2–2 overall 6–2–2 in APFA standings 3–2–1 against APFA teams
League place	4th APFA
Cardinals seasons 1921 →

The 1920 Chicago Cardinals season was the Cardinals' inaugural season in the American Professional Football Association (soon to be the National Football League). The team finished 6–2–1, earning fourth in the league. Their final two games of the season against the Chicago Stayms Foresters were played after the APFA season was officially over and did not count towards the standings.

Although the Cardinals' existence traced back as far as 1899, this was their first season as a member of the American Professional Football Association.

The last remaining active member of the 1920 Chicago Cardinals was Paddy Driscoll, who retired after the 1929 season.

Offseason

The Chicago Cardinals finished 4–3-0 in their 1919 season in the Chicago Football league Following the 1919 season, representatives of four Ohio League teams—the Canton Bulldogs, the Cleveland Tigers, the Dayton Triangles, and the Akron Pros—called a meeting on August 20, 1920, to discuss the formation of a new league. At the meeting, they tentatively agreed on a salary cap and pledged not to sign college players or players already under contract with other teams. They also agreed on a name for the circuit: the American Professional Football Conference. Then they contacted other major professional teams and invited them to a meeting for September 17.

At that meeting, held at Bulldogs owner Ralph Hay's Hupmobile showroom in Canton, representatives of the Rock Island Independents, the Muncie Flyers, the Decatur Staleys, the Massillon Tigers, the Cardinals, and the Hammond Pros agreed to join the league. Representatives of the Buffalo All-Americans and Rochester Jeffersons could not attend the meeting, but sent letters to Hay asking to be included in the league. Team representatives changed the league's name slightly to the American Professional Football Association and elected officers, installing Jim Thorpe as president. Under the new league structure, teams created their schedules dynamically as the season progressed, and representatives of each team voted to determine the winner of the APFA trophy. After joining the league, manager Chris O'Brien signed halfback John "Paddy" Driscoll for $3,000. One of Driscoll's young running backs was Ralph Horween, who previously played under the name of B. McMahon at Harvard University.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	Bye
2	Bye
3	October 10	at Chicago Tigers	T 0–0	0–0–1	Cubs Park	5,000
4	October 17	Moline Universal Tractors†	W 33–0	1–0–1	St. Rita's Field	–
5	October 24	at Rock Island Independents	L 0–7	1–1–1	Douglas Park	4,000
6	October 31	Detroit Heralds	W 21–0	2–1–1	Cubs Park	3,000
7	November 7	at Chicago Tigers	W 6–3	3–1–1	Cubs Park	7,000
8	November 14	vs. Cincinnati Celts†	W 20–0	4–1–1	Normal Park	5,000
9	November 21	Lansing Oldsmobile†	W 14–0	5–1–1	Normal Park	3,500
10	November 28	Decatur Staleys	W 7–6	6–1–1	Normal Park	5,000
11	December 5	Decatur Staleys	L 0–10	6–2–1	Cubs Park	11,000
12	Bye
13	December 19	at Chicago Stayms†	T 14–14	6–2–2	Pyott Field	–
14	January 9, 1921	vs. Chicago Stayms†	W 6–0	7–2–2	Normal Park	3,000

Game summaries

Week 3: at Chicago Tigers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0
Tigers	0	0	0	0	0

October 10, 1920, at Cubs Park

The Chicago Tigers hosted the Chicago Cardinals at Cubs Park in a scoreless 0-0 tie. While much of what happened in the quiet affair is unknown, it would eventually set the precedent for another, more important game in Week 7 that year.

Week 4: vs. Moline Universal Tractors

	1	2	3	4	Total
Universal Tractors	0	0	0	0	0
Cardinals	0	0	0	33	33

October 17, 1920, at St. Rita's Stadium

In a 33-0 rout, the Cardinals improved their record to 1-0-1 on the season with the win at St. Rita's Stadium. No detailed account of the game survived.

Week 5: at Rock Island Independents

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0
Independents	0	7	0	0	7

October 24, 1920, at Douglas Park

The Rock Island Independents hosted the Cardinals at Douglas Park, with the Cardinals losing 7-0 in front of 4,000 spectators. Their record fell to 1-1-1 as a result. The only touchdown in the game was a 6-yard pass from Sid Nichols to Arnie Wyman in the second quarter. Nichols also kicked the extra point.

Week 6: vs. Detroit Heralds

	1	2	3	4	Total
Heralds	0	0	0	0	0
Cardinals	0	0	21	0	21

October 31, 1920, at Cubs Park

In a 21-0 rout of the Heralds with 3,000 fans in attendance, the Cardinals improved to 2-1-1 on the season. All of the touchdowns scored were in the third quarter, two of which were blocked punts returned to the end zone by Lenny Sachs and Leo Chappell. The third touchdown was a 10-yard rushing touchdown by Paddy Driscoll, who also kicked each extra point.

Week 7: at Chicago Tigers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	6	0	0	6
Tigers	3	0	0	0	3

November 7, 1920, at Cubs Park

In front of 7,000 fans, the Tigers hosted the Cardinals in a game that, according to urban legend, decided the fate of both teams, with the loser required to fold their team. Responding to the Tigers' 27-yard field goal by Johnny Barrett in the first quarter, Paddy Driscoll ran for 40 yards to score the game-winning touchdown for the Cardinals in the second quarter. The extra point was seemingly no good. While neither team ended their season on the spot, and the Tigers and Cardinals fell and rose to 1-3-1 and 3-1-1, respectively, the Tigers would fold at the end of the 1920 season.

Week 8: vs. Cincinnati Celts

	1	2	3	4	Total
Celts	0	0	0	0	0
Cardinals	6	14	0	0	20

November 14, 1920, at Normal Park

In a 20-0 shutout victory, the Cardinals hosted the Cincinnati Celts. Two of the three touchdowns came from Nick McInerney and Paddy Driscoll running the ball in from unknown distances. Leo Chappell recovered a fumble and ran another in as well. Driscoll was 2-for-3 in extra point attempts, seemingly missing after McInerney's touchdown.

Week 9: vs. Lansing Oldsmobile

	1	2	3	4	Total
Oldsmobile	0	0	0	0	0
Cardinals	0	7	7	0	14

November 21, 1920, at Normal Park

The Cardinals hosted the Lansing Oldsmobile in a 14-0 win. The pair of scores came from two rushing touchdowns from Harry Curran and Paddy Driscoll in the second and third quarters, respectively. Driscoll also kicked both extra points.

Week 10: vs. Decatur Staleys

	1	2	3	4	Total
Staleys	6	0	0	0	6
Cardinals	0	0	7	0	7

November 28, 1920, at Normal Park

In the first of two matchups, the Cardinals won 7-6 against the Decatur Staleys in front of a crowd of 5,000 fans. The two major scores of the game were a fumble recovery for a touchdown by Bob Koehler for Decatur and a 20-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Lenny Sachs for the Cardinals. Paddy Driscoll kicked the extra point as well. The Cardinals would finish their season 6-2-1.

Week 11: vs. Decatur Staleys

	1	2	3	4	Total
Staleys	0	7	0	3	10
Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0

December 5, 1920, at Cubs Park

In their second matchup of the series, the Staleys struck back with a 10-0 shutout win over the Cardinals. The only two socres of the game were a Bob Koehler 2-yard rushing touchdown and a Dutch Sternaman field goal from an unknown distance. Sternaman also kicked the extra point after the touchdown by Koehler.

Week 13: at Chicago Stayms

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	0	8	6	14
Stayms	0	0	8	6	14

December 19, 1920, at Pyott's Park

The Chicago Stayms hosted the Cardinals in a 14-14 tie. Only parts of this game survived in detail, with a supposed rushing touchdown scored by Nick McInerney for the Cardinals and a blocked punt recovered and scored by an unknown Staym. The other eight points apiece were scored by unknown means. This game, along with a supposed second matchup, did not count towards the 1920 APFA season, as it had ended.

Week 14: vs. Chicago Stayms

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0
Stayms	0	0	0	0	0

December ??, 1920, at ????

Any information about this game, or if it even occurred, is unknown.

Standings

1920 APFA standings
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	DPCT	PF	PA	STK
Akron Pros†	8	0	3	1.000	6–0–3	1.000	151	7	T2
Decatur Staleys	10	1	2	.909	5–1–2	.833	164	21	T1
Buffalo All-Americans	9	1	1	.900	4–1–1	.800	258	32	T1
Chicago Cardinals	6	2	2	.750	3–2–2	.600	101	29	T1
Rock Island Independents	6	2	2	.750	4–2–1	.667	201	49	W1
Dayton Triangles	5	2	2	.714	4–2–2	.667	150	54	L1
Rochester Jeffersons	6	3	2	.667	0–1–0	.000	156	57	T1
Canton Bulldogs	7	4	2	.636	4–3–1	.571	208	57	W1
Detroit Heralds	2	3	3	.400	1–3–0	.250	53	82	T2
Cleveland Tigers	2	4	2	.333	1–4–2	.200	28	46	L1
Chicago Tigers	2	5	1	.286	1–5–1	.167	49	63	W1
Hammond Pros	2	5	0	.286	0–3–0	.000	41	154	L3
Columbus Panhandles	2	6	2	.250	0–4–0	.000	41	121	W1
Muncie Flyers	0	1	0	.000	0–1–0	.000	0	45	L1

† Awarded the Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup and named APFA Champions.
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Roster

Chicago Cardinals 1920 final roster
		-- Paddy Driscoll QB -- Nick McInerney FB -- Len Charpier FB -- Pete Schultz FB -- Paul Florence RE -- Dick Egan E -- Red O'Connor E -- Paul LaRoss E -- Lenny Sachs E -- Paul Florence C -- Charlie Knight C		-- Clyde Zoia RG -- Bill Clark G -- George Knight G -- Louie Kolls C -- Leo Chappell RG -- Joe Carey G -- Bill Fortune G -- Fred Gillies LT -- Bernie Halstrom RH -- Harry Curran LH -- Willis Brennan K

Postseason

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (February 2013)

Notes

Ziemba 1999, p. 64
PFRA Research 1980, pp. 3–4
Siwoff, Zimmber & Marini 2010, pp. 352–353
PFRA Research 1980, p. 3
^ PFRA Research 1980, p. 4
"Thorpe Made President" (PDF). The New York Times. September 19, 1920.
"Organize Pro Gridders; Choose Thorpe, Prexy". The Milwaukee Journal. September 19, 1920. p. 24. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012.
Peterson 1997, p. 74
Davis 2005, p. 59
Price, Mark (April 25, 2011). "Searching for Lost Trophy". Akron Beacon-Journal. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
"Franchise". Arizona Cardinals. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
"NFL – 1920 Regular Season". National Football League. Retrieved January 6, 2013.

References

Davis, Jeff (2005). Papa Bear, The Life and Legacy of George Halas. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-146054-3.
Peterson, Robert (1997). Pigskin: The Early Years of Pro Football. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507607-9.
PFRA Research (1980). "Happy Birthday NFL?" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. 2 (8). Professional Football Researchers Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 17, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
Siwoff, Seymour; Zimmber, Jon; Marini, Matt (2010). The Official NFL Record and Fact Book 2010. National Football League. ISBN 978-1-60320-833-8.

v t e Chicago Cardinals 1920 inaugural season roster
Willis Brennan Joe Carey Leo Chappell Len Charpier Paddy Driscoll Dick Egan Paul Florence Bill Fortune Fred Gillies Bernie Halstrom George Knight Nick McInerney Red O'Connor Lenny Sachs Clyde Zoia
Head coach: Paddy Driscoll

v t e Arizona Cardinals
Founded in 1898 Played in Chicago (1920–1959), St. Louis (1960–1987), and formerly the Phoenix Cardinals (1988–1993) Based in Glendale, Arizona Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona
Franchise	History in Chicago in St. Louis Seasons Head coaches All-time roster (A–Kin, Kir–Z) Quarterbacks First-round draft picks
Stadiums	Normal Park Comiskey Park Wrigley Field Forbes Field Soldier Field Busch Stadium Busch Memorial Stadium Mountain America Stadium State Farm Stadium
Culture	Chris O'Brien Charles Bidwill Bill Bidwill Red Sea Big Red (mascot) Jerry Maguire
Lore	1925 Chicago Cardinals–Milwaukee Badgers scandal 1925 NFL Championship controversy Card-Pitt Million Dollar Backfield Chicago Cardinals–Toronto Argonauts exhibition game Fútbol Americano "They are who we thought they were!" Hail Murray
Rivalries	Chicago Bears Kansas City Chiefs (former) Los Angeles Rams San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks
Division championships (7)	1947 1948 1974 1975 2008 2009 2015
Conference championships (1)	2008
League championships (2)	1925 1947
Retired numbers	8 40 77 88 99
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: West Division
Category

v t e Arizona Cardinals seasons
Played in Chicago (1920–1959), St. Louis (1960–1987), and formerly the Phoenix Cardinals (1988–1993)
1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Bold indicates NFL Championship or Super Bowl victory Italics indicates NFL Championship or Super Bowl appearance

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