Ghosts of the Gridiron - Virtual Scrapbook Library

Vol. 6: Philadelphia Quakers of 1926

In the mid-1920s the most famous name in football, college or professional, was Harold “Red” Grange.  Grange turned pro with the Chicago Bears at the end of the 1925 season, and the following year made a bid for a National Football League franchise of his own.  Rebuffed by the league’s owners, he partnered with his agent, C.C. "Cash & Carry" Pyle, to organize the American Football League.  Grange's marquee lent immediate credibility to the endeavor, and it wasn't long before the he had enlisted teams in nine cities across the country.  Among the clubs joining the upstart league was the Philadelphia Quakers. The Quakers were headed by Leo Conway.  No stranger to the pro football scene, Conway had, just a few years earlier, been involved in his own failed effort to bring an NFL franchise to Philly.  Nearly everyone expected Red Grange's New York Yankees to run-away with the league championship, but the Quakers head man had other ideas.  He enlisted the services of former Penn coach Bob Folwell and assembled a roster of proven talent.  A respectable offense combined with the league’s stingiest defense kept the Quakers in position to upset the Yankees as the two teams headed into a two game series over the final weekend in November.  A Thanksgiving Day victory at Yankee Stadium put the Quakers in the cat-bird's seat; a follow-up victory just two days later at Shibe Park sealed the deal.

More detailed information on this team can be found at Ghosts of the Gridiron's Philadelphia Quakers page.

(8-2-0 AFL; 10-3-1 overall)

Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 9/5/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 9/12/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 9/20/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 10/1/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 10/1/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 10/3/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 10/7/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 10/8/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 10/9/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 10/14/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 10/15/1926 Public Ledger Philadelphia, PA 10/17/1926 Evening Bulletin Philadelphia, PA 10/19/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 10/21/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 10/21/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 10/24/1926 Public Ledger Philadelphia, PA 10/24/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 10/30/1926 Public Ledger Philadelphia, PA 10/31/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 11/4/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 11/8/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 11/15/1926 Evening Public Ledger Philadelphia, PA 11/19/1926 Evening Public Ledger Philadelphia, PA 11/19/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 11/22/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 11/23/1926 Public Ledger Philadelphia, PA 11/26/1926 Public Ledger Philadelphia, PA 11/26/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 11/28/1926 Public Ledger Philadelphia, PA 11/28/1926 Evening Bulletin Philadelphia, PA 11/29/1926 Evening Bulletin Philadelphia, PA 11/29/1926 Evening Public Ledger Philadelphia, PA 11/29/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 11/29/1926 Public Ledger Philadelphia, PA 11/29/1926 Public Ledger Philadelphia, PA 11/29/1926 Philadelphia Record Philadelphia, PA 12/13/1926