Highlighted Year: Paddy Driscoll, 1926

Back, Chicago Bears

Age: 31

8^th season in pro football, 7^th in APFA/NFL & 1^st with Bears

College: Northwestern

Height: 5’11” Weight: 160

Prelude:

Driscoll played football and baseball in college, briefly spending time with the Chicago Cubs in 1917. While in the military during World War I, he was with the Great Lakes Naval Station team that won the 1919 Rose Bowl. Driscoll joined the Hammond Pros in 1919 and moved on to the Chicago Cardinals of the new American Professional Football Association (later renamed NFL) in ’20. Deceptively mild-mannered and small in stature, he was an outstanding all-around player who was an elusive halfback and kick returner, precision punter, and outstanding drop-kicker. In six seasons with the Cardinals (three of which he was also the coach), Driscoll scored 17 touchdowns and kicked 37 field goals, leading the league three times, and 31 PATs for a total of 244 points, topping the NFL with 78 in 1923. He received first-team All-NFL recognition after four of those seasons. Following the 1925 season, in which the team won the NFL title, the financially-strapped Cardinals sold Driscoll’s contract to the Bears.

1926 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

TDs – 6 [1, tied with Eddie Scharer]

Scoring

Rushing TDs – 4 [8, tied with Hap Moran, Tony Latone & Cully Lidberg]

Receiving TDs – 1 [12, tied with many others]

Other TDs – 1

Total TDs – 6 [7, tied with Hinkey Haines]

Field Goals – 12 [1]

Extra Points – 14 [3, tied with Pid Purdy]

Points – 86 [1]

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: Collyers Eye, Chicago Tribune, Green Bay Press-Gazette

Bears went 12-1-3 to finish second in the NFL while leading the league in rushing touchdowns (17, tied with Frankford Yellow Jackets), pass receiving TDs (8, tied with Green Bay Packers), and scoring (216 points).

Aftermath:

Driscoll spent three more seasons with the Bears, scoring 43 points and again receiving consensus first-team All-NFL honors in 1927. Overall for his career, he scored 31 touchdowns and kicked 63 extra points and 51 field goals for a total of 402 points. Driscoll’s scoring total was the NFL record until 1942 and his field goal total the league standard until 1952, with his single-season record of 12 in 1926 not exceeded until 1950. Driscoll received at least some first-team All-NFL recognition after seven seasons and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1965. He later became a long-time assistant coach for the Bears and was head coach in 1956 and ’57.

--

Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

1926: LA Buccaneers Come From Behind to Defeat Canton

On October 17, 1926 the Los Angeles Buccaneers came to Canton to take on the Bulldogs in an early-season NFL contest. The Buccaneers were a traveling team, thus playing all road games while being ostensibly a Los Angeles franchise. End Brick Muller, formerly a major college star at the University of California, was the most well-known player on the club that was sometimes referred to as “Brick Muller’s Californians”. He was also a player/coach along with his former college teammate, tailback Tut Imlay (pictured above), and the roster drew heavily from California schools. The Buccaneers came into the game at Canton with a 1-1 record.

The Bulldogs were a once-formidable franchise that had fallen on lean times. After being dormant for a year, Canton back to the NFL in 1925 and went 4-4. They were 1-1-1 thus far in ’26 and still contained big names such as tackle Pete “Fats” Henry, who was also a co-coach along with back Harry Robb, and the aging legend, Jim Thorpe.

There were 5000 fans in attendance at Lakeside Park in Canton. The first quarter was scoreless, but in the second quarter a mixup in the LA backfield caused a loose ball that was picked up by end Cliff Marker of the Bulldogs, who ran 30 yards for a touchdown. Pete Henry (pictured below) added the extra point. Late in the period, the Buccaneers scored on a pass from FB Tuffy Maul to Tut Imlay for a 30-yard TD. However, Maul’s extra point attempt was unsuccessful and Canton held onto a 7-6 lead at the half.

Early in the third quarter, the visitors were forced to punt from their own end zone, which gave the Bulldogs possession at the LA 33. A good drive led to a one-yard touchdown carry by Harry Robb. Henry’s PAT attempt was nullified by a penalty, but Canton’s margin was now 13-6.

Later in the period, the Buccaneers drove to a one-yard TD by Maul, who added the point after to tie the score at 13-13. LA reached deep into Canton territory in the fourth quarter and Maul kicked a 17-yard field goal to put the Buccaneers in front by three points. The Bulldogs went to the air in desperation, but couldn’t come close to scoring again. The closest opportunity was a Henry drop-kick from midfield that was blocked. The Buccaneers hung on to win by a final score of 16-13.

The point total for the Buccaneers proved to be their second-highest of the season, although they compiled a healthy 6-3-1 record that placed sixth in the non-divisional 22-team NFL. The 1926 season proved to be the only one for the franchise, although they did play preseason contests in ’27 (and actually played them in California). Canton struggled through a poor 1-9-3 campaign that ranked 20^th in the league. It also proved to be the final year for the once-proud club.

Highlighted Year: Johnny Budd, 1926

Guard/Tackle, Frankford Yellow Jackets

Age: 27

1^st season in pro football

College: Lafayette

Height: 5’11” Weight: 246

Prelude:

A latecomer to college, Budd starred with outstanding Lafayette College football teams that went a combined 14-3-1 in his junior and senior seasons. He signed with the Yellow Jackets and played right tackle while splitting the placekicking with Hap Moran.

1926 Season Summary

Appeared in all 17 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Scoring

Field Goals – 6 [4]

PATs – 12 [5]

Points – 30 [13, tied with Jim Welsh]

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: Chicago Tribune, Green Bay Press-Gazette

Yellow Jackets went 14-1-2 to finish first in the NFL while leading the league in scoring (236 points) and touchdowns (28).

Aftermath:

Budd played with the Pottsville Maroons in 1927 and ’28 and went on to perform with independent pro teams, most notably the Millville Big Blue, that sometimes played non-league contests against NFL clubs. Overall in the NFL, he appeared in a total of 40 games and scored 33 points on six field goals and 15 extra points.

--

Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

1926: Giants Edge Duluth & Nevers on Blocked Extra Point

The New York Giants, in their second year of existence in the NFL, had a 4-3-1 record as they hosted the Duluth Eskimos on November 11, 1926. Coached by Joe Alexander, a physician as well as player-coach, the Giants were struggling in competition with the New York Yankees of the new American Football League (the first to be known by that name) that included star HB Red Grange on the roster. While they had lost several players, as well as their first head coach, to the new circuit, New York had a good team that included FB Jack McBride, TB Hinkey Haines (pictured above), and promising tackle Steve Owen. While they had yet to give up more than seven points in a game, they had been shut out three straight times in the early going.

Duluth had been in the league two years longer than the Giants, having started out as an independent club before joining the NFL. The Eskimos were coached by owner Dewey Scanlon and played almost exclusively on the road, banking on the notoriety of rookie FB Ernie Nevers (pictured below), an All-American out of Stanford with tremendous all-around ability and ferocious intensity on the field. Despite utilizing a small roster of only 13 players, “the Iron Men of the North” arrived in New York with a solid 4-1-2 record and promised to provide a major test for the Giants.  

There were 5000 fans for a Thursday game at the Polo Grounds in 20 degree weather. The Giants received the opening kickoff and drove effectively, with Jack McBride handling most of the ball carrying. McBride finished off the series with a dive into the end zone and also added the extra point.

Duluth responded with an equally impressive drive. The big play was a pass from Ernie Nevers to back Cobb Rooney that gained 40 yards. Nevers capped the series with a two-yard touchdown run and kicked the point after to tie the score at 7-7.

After the two scoring drives, the teams settled into a defensive struggle for the remainder of the first half. In the third quarter, the Giants went back on top as Hinkey Haines ran for a 25-yard TD. McBride again successfully converted to make it a 14-7 game.

That was the case as the contest moved into the fourth quarter. With time running out and the ball at their 20, the Eskimos advanced down the field. Nevers carried most of the load and accounted for six first downs along the way. He scored his second touchdown, but his try for the extra point was blocked by tackle Tilly Voss. The Giants held on to win by a final score of 14-13.

The Giants lost their next game but won their remaining three league contests to finish with an 8-4-1 record that placed seventh in the 22-team NFL (divisions did not yet exist). Duluth, playing its brutal road schedule, lost games on the following Saturday and Sunday and ended up eighth at 6-5-3. The Eskimos continued on traveling into February as they also played numerous exhibition games.

Jack McBride topped the Giants in scoring with 48 points on his five rushing touchdowns, 15 extra points, and one field goal and HInkey Haines led the club with six TDs overall.

Ernie Nevers, showing an impressive durability, ranked second in the league with 8 rushing touchdowns and, adding in 11 extra points and four field goals, his 71 points. He was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection.

1926: Driscoll Dominates as Bears Shut Out Cards

In the early days of the NFL, one of the league’s biggest stars was John “Paddy” Driscoll. At a time when versatility was highly valued, the 5’11”, 160-pound Driscoll could run and pass effectively out of the quarterback, halfback, or tailback positions, was a good defensive player, and an excellent punter and drop-kicker. After playing collegiately at Northwestern and having a brief major league baseball career, Driscoll was with the Great Lakes Naval Training Station football team that won the 1919 Rose Bowl (and included George Halas, later the long-time head coach and owner of the Bears). After playing professionally in the pre-NFL year of 1919 with Hammond, he joined the Chicago Cardinals of the new league (then called the American Professional Football Association) for 1920.

From then through 1925, Driscoll scored 17 touchdowns, kicked 37 field goals and 31 extra points, and scored 244 points while receiving All-Pro recognition in five of the six years. He led the league in scoring in 1923 and in field goals on three occasions, including 1925 as the Cardinals won the NFL Championship. Driscoll also tended to be particularly effective against the cross-town rivals of the Cards, the Chicago Bears.

In 1926, a rival league, the first to be called the American Football League, was formed and Driscoll received a salary offer from that circuit’s Chicago franchise that the Cardinals could not match. Not wanting to see Driscoll go to the other circuit, the Cards sold him to Halas and the Bears for $3500.

Driscoll proved to be a good pickup for the Bears, and on October 17, 1926 they faced the Cardinals. It was a big game – both teams had yet to lose (the Cards were 4-0 and the Bears 3-0-1). There were 12,000 fans in attendance at Normal Park, home of the Cards.

Three minutes into the first quarter, Driscoll dropkicked a 38-yard field goal following his fair catch of a punt. Early in the second quarter, Driscoll passed to Halas, an end as well as the owner and coach, for a 40-yard gain to the Cardinals’ 20. He followed up with a run around end for 11 yards and shortly thereafter went off tackle for a five-yard touchdown. The multitalented back added the extra point to make it 10-0.

Later in the same period, center George Trafton of the Bears intercepted a pass in Cardinals territory, and while they weren’t able to move the ball on offense, Driscoll booted a 25-yard field goal. Before the end of the half, Driscoll completed the scoring with a 50-yard field goal and that was it. While the Cardinals drove into Bears territory on several occasions during the second half, fumbles kept them from scoring and the halftime score of 16-0 ended up being the final tally.

The Bears accumulated 10 first downs to 8 for the Cards. Paddy Driscoll accounted for all of the points against his former team as he kicked three field goals, scored a touchdown, and added the extra point. Backs Roy Lamb and Red Dunn were the top ground gainers for the Cardinals.

The first defeat of the season for the Cardinals moved the Bears into undisputed possession of first place. They didn’t hold onto it in the end, however, finishing second in the division-less, 22-club NFL with a 12-1-3 record. The only team to defeat them, the Frankford Yellow Jackets, claimed the league title at 14-1-2. The Cardinals slumped to 5-6-1, winning just one more game after the initial loss to the Bears (they played them twice more and suffered another defeat along with a tie). They placed tenth in the final standings.

Paddy Driscoll led the NFL in scoring for the second time with 86 points and also was the leader in touchdown passes (6, tied with Eddie Scharer of the Detroit Panthers) and field goals (12) – both were league records, the scoring mark lasting until 1941 and the field goal total remaining the standard until 1950. He also scored a total of six touchdowns and kicked 14 extra points and was named first-team All-NFL by Collyers Eye Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, and the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

Driscoll stayed with the Bears until 1929, when his playing career ended. At the time, he was the NFL’s career scoring leader with 402 points and, not surprisingly, the career leader in field goals with 51. His 63 extra points were also a record and he was named to at least one all-league team in eight of his nine years in the NFL. Driscoll went on to become a long-time assistant coach for the Bears and was head coach in 1956 and ’57, when Halas took a hiatus. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.