Ohio League

Ohio League

The Ohio League was an informal group of American football teams that played between 1902 and 1919. These teams were mostly from Ohio. They competed for a title called the Ohio Independent Championship. Even though they had champions each year, the Ohio League was not a formal organization until later.

There was a plan to create a bigger league called the "Football Association" by adding teams from places outside Ohio, like the Latrobe Athletic Association, but this idea did not happen before the 1904 season.

In 1920, some teams from the Ohio League joined with clubs from other states to start the American Professional Football Association. By 1922, this group became the National Football League. Most Ohio League teams left the NFL after the 1926 season, except for the Dayton Triangles. They kept playing until 1929, then moved to Brooklyn and became known as the Dodgers. This team later merged with another team in 1945, and the Brooklyn part of the team stopped existing after that season.

Championships

The Ohio League was a group of football teams in Ohio from 1902 to 1919. The teams played for a title called the Ohio Independent Championship. Later, this league helped start the National Football League, which is still played today.

Other teams

Here are some additional teams that were part of the Ohio League:

• Akron Pros
• Cincinnati Celts
• Cleveland Panthers (started in 1919, mostly played against teams outside Ohio)
• Cleveland Tigers
• Coleman Athletic Club
• Columbus Panhandles
• Franklin Athletic Club of Cleveland
• Ironton Tanks (formed by combining two other teams)
• Lancaster Anchors
• Portsmouth Spartans (later moved to Detroit and became the Detroit Lions in 1933)
• Shelby Tigers (joined with another team in 1911)
• Toledo Maroons
• Washington Vigilants
• Youngstown Patricians
• Zanesville Mark Greys

The Detroit Heralds, although from Michigan, often played against teams from Ohio.

Successor leagues

Ohio Valley League (1925-1929)

Some strong teams from the 1920s in the Ohio Valley formed a group called The Ohio Valley League. This group was similar to the older Ohio League. But it stopped when the Great Depression began.

The best teams were the Portsmouth Spartans and the Ironton Tanks. In 1930, after this league ended, these teams played against big teams like the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears. The Portsmouth Spartans later joined the NFL and became the Detroit Lions. Other good teams included workers from Armco Corporation, such as the Ashland Armco Yellowjackets from Kentucky and the Middletown Armco Blues from Ohio. These teams had many former college players, including Red Roberts.

Champions

1925 Ironton Tanks (9-1-2)
1926 Ironton Tanks (11-1-1)
1927 Ashland Armco YellowJackets (7-1-3)
1928 Ironton Tanks (7-1-3)
1929 Portsmouth Spartans (12-2-1)

Ohio Professional Football League (1941)

In 1941, teams in Ohio tried to start a new league called The Ohio Professional Football League, sometimes called the Ohio Valley League. Six teams joined together: The Dayton Dakotas, Dayton Merchants, Cincinnati Pepsi-Colas, Columbus Avondales, Middletown Merchants, and a team from Canada called the Thomas Athletic Club from Windsor, Ontario. However, this team left before the season even started.

This new league was much smaller than earlier ones and did not continue after one season.