Cleveland Bulldogs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the second Cleveland Indians National Football League football team. For the first Cleveland Indians NFL team (1921), see Cleveland Tigers (NFL). For the third Cleveland Indians NFL team (1931), see Cleveland Indians (NFL 1931).
Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Bulldogs
Founded 1923
Folded 1927
Based in Cleveland, Ohio, United Stat
… Morees
League National Football League
Team history Cleveland Indians (1923)
Cleveland Bulldogs (1924–27)
Team colors Red, White (Indians)
Maroon, White (Bulldogs)
Head coaches Cap Edwards (1923, 1925)
Guy Chamberlin (1924)
LeRoy Andrews (1927)
Owner(s) Sam Deutsch (1923–25)
Herb Brandt (1925–27)
NFL Championship wins 1924
Home field(s) Dunn Field
The Cleveland Bulldogs were a team that played in Cleveland, Ohio in the National Football League. They were originally called the Indians in 1923, not to be confused with the Cleveland Indians NFL franchise in 1922. However, after team owner Samuel Deutsch purchased the Canton Bulldogs in 1924, he merged the Canton team with his Indians and renamed his franchise the Cleveland Bulldogs. The Canton Bulldogs remained a part of the team until 1925, when they were sold back to Canton. The Cleveland Bulldogs played in the NFL until 1928 when they were relocated to Detroit and became the Detroit Wolverines. The team was later incorporated into the New York Giants in 1929. The Cleveland Bulldogs won the 1924 NFL championship.
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Origins
1.2 Purchase of the Canton Bulldogs
1.3 1924 NFL champions and controversy
1.4 Decline
1.5 Ties to the New York Giants
2 Pro Football Hall of Famers
3 Season-by-season
4 External links
History[edit]
Origins[edit]
Sam Deutsch, a Cleveland jeweler and boxing promoter who also owned a minor-league baseball team, bought an NFL franchise in 1923 and named the team the Indians. They played only seven games in that first season, but they had a shot at the championship, with a 3–0–3 record going into their final game against the Canton Bulldogs, who were also undefeated. The Indians were defeated 46–0 and posted a 3–1–3 league record, finishing fifth in the league, which comprised twenty teams at the time.
Purchase of the Canton Bulldogs[edit]
However, in August 1924, Deutsch, bought the defending NFL champions Canton Bulldogs for $2,500. The Bulldogs were experiencing heavy financial troubles at time and were sold to Deutsch without much of a struggle. Duestch combined the Cleveland Indians with the Canton Bulldogs, creating a new team, the Cleveland Bulldogs. Only seven of the Canton players actually joined the new Bulldogs; among them was player-coach Guy Chamberlin. The team played all of its home games at Dunn Field although Deutch returned the team to Canton for the Thanksgiving game that season.
1924 NFL champions and controversy[edit]
The Cleveland Bulldogs won the NFL championship that year with a 7–1–1 record. After winning their first six games, the Bulldogs lost to the Frankford Yellow Jackets and entered a virtual tie with the Chicago Bears for first place in the standings. The Bears played more games, but also had more ties, and their one loss had come in the season opener against the Bulldogs. The Bears attempted to have an after-season exhibition game counted toward the standings, however in 1924 this was against the NFL's rules. In July 1924, NFL owners had agreed on a proposal that the 1924 NFL season would begin on September 27 and end on November 30. Ironically, as it turned out, the proposal was made by Dutch Sternaman, co-owner of the Bears. On the official end date, Cleveland had a 7–1–1 record to Bears' 6–1–4. Ties didn't count at all in those days, so the Bulldogs were in first place with an .875 winning percentage to Chicago's .857. However, on December 7, 1924 the Bulldogs went to Chicago for a challenge match. The Bears won the game, 23–0, and claimed that they deserved the NFL championship; they cited as precedent the 1921 championship decision (which the Bears had won over the Buffalo All-Americans) that declared there was no such thing as an exhibition game. However, the issue wasn't settled until the owners' meeting in January, when the owners voted for Cleveland to take the title. The owners also decided at that meeting that the 1925 season would run through December 20.
Decline Less
