Ohio League Champions 1903-1919
| Year | Champions | W | L | T |
| 1903 | Massillon Tigers | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 1904 | Massillon Tigers | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1905 | Massillon Tigers | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 1906 | Massillon Tigers | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 1907 | All-Massillons | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 1908 | Akron Indians | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 1909 | Akron Indians | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1910 | Shelby Blues | ? | 0 | |
| 1911 | Shelby Blues | ? | 0 | |
| 1912 | Elyria Athletics | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913 | Akron Indians | 8 | 1 | 2 |
| 1914 | Akron Indians | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| 1915 | No Clear Winner | |||
| 1916 | Canton Bulldogs | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| 1917 | Canton Bulldogs | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 1918 | Dayton Triangles | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 1919 | Canton Bulldogs | 9 | 0 | 1 |
Reference: [1]
Note: * The Shelby Blues team of 1910-1911 was undefeated.
Bob Nash, E-T, Who was born in Collinstown, Co. Meath, played End & Tackle for the Massillon Tigers from 1917-1919. [Reference: 2]
Report
The Ohio League, while not a formal league, was the top Professional American Football League from 1903 to 1919, and the first to openly pay its players. Teams scheduled matches against both other Ohio teams and teams from other States. Bob Nash, who was born in Collinstown, Co. Meath, Ireland, played End and Tackle for the Massillon Tigers from 1917 to 1919. Masillon were one of the top teams in the League and vied for the Championship most seasons with Shelby Blues and Canton Bulldogs.
In 1920, with rising wage costs due to players continually jumping from one team to another across state lines, the top four teams in Ohio, along with the top teams in Upstate New York, New York City , New York / New Jersey and Pennsylvania Leagues joined forces to form the American Professional Football Association, which in 1922 changed its name to the National Football League. The importance of the Ohio League is noted by the National Football League in its’ placing of the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
References
Websites
[1] Braunwart, Bob & Carroll, Bob (1981) The Coffin Corner (1981) Professional Football Researchers Association.3 (7) https://web.archive.org/web/20140822043543/http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/03-07-068.pdf [Accessed 20 July 2018]
[2] Pro Football Archives (2019) Bob Nash [Internet] Available from: https://www.profootballarchives.com/playern/nash00200.html [Accessed 11 October 2019]
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Richard Declan Mulcahy, Nora Mulcahy, Brigid Kingston, Michael Tully & Mary Tully
About this document
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 3 January 2021
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2018-2020
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