Highlighted Year: Doc Elliott, 1923

Fullback, Canton Bulldogs

Age: 23

2^nd season in pro football & with Bulldogs

College: Lafayette

Height: 5’10” Weight: 210

Prelude:

Elliott was a noteworthy performer in college until being sanctioned for rowdy off-field behavior. He joined the Bulldogs in 1922 and, proving to be an outstanding power runner, received first-team All-NFL honors from the Canton Daily News as the team went 10-0-2 and won the league title.

1923 Season Summary

Appeared in 9 of 12 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Scoring

Rushing TDs – 6 [2, tied with Paddy Driscoll & Ben Jones]

Receiving TDs – 0

Other TDs – 0

Total TDs – 6 [3, tied with Ben Jones]

Field Goals – 0

Extra Points – 0

Points – 36 [8, tied with Ben Jones]

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: Canton Daily News, Green Bay Press-Gazette

Bulldogs went 11-0-1 to finish first in the NFL for the second straight year while leading the league in touchdowns (32) and scoring (246 points).

Aftermath:

The franchise having been deactivated, Elliott moved along with many other top Canton players whose contracts were sold to the Cleveland Bulldogs in 1924. The club won the NFL Championship and Elliott received first-team All-NFL honors from the Green Bay Press-Gazette, scoring another six touchdowns and a total of 40 points. Following another year with Cleveland in 1925, Elliott jumped to the new AFL in ’26, splitting time with the Cleveland Panthers and Philadelphia Quakers, the league’s champions. With the demise of the league after one year, Elliott played minor league football before returning to the NFL with the Cleveland Indians for one last year in 1931. Overall in the NFL, Elliott scored 17 touchdowns, four field goals, and seven PATs, for a total of 121 points. He received at least some first-team NFL recognition after three seasons.

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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

Highlighted Year: Guy Chamberlin, 1922

End, Canton Bulldogs

Age: 28

4^th season in pro football, 3^rd in APFA/NFL & 2^nd with Bulldogs

College: Nebraska

Height: 6’2”   Weight: 192

Prelude:

Chamberlin transferred from Nebraska Wesleyan to the Univ. of Nebraska and was a consensus first-team All-American end in 1915. Following military service from 1917 to ’19, he joined Canton in 1919, when it was still part of the informal Ohio League, and moved on to the Decatur Staleys of the new NFL (then called American Professional Football Association) in ’20. Tall and fast, and outstanding on both offense and defense, Chamberlin received first-team All-League honors from The Rock Island Argus. The club shifted to Chicago in 1921 (and was rechristened the Bears the next year) and won the NFL Championship. Chamberlin returned to Canton as player/coach in 1922.

1922 Season Summary

Appeared in 12 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Scoring

Rushing TDs – 3 [10, tied with ten others]

Receiving TDs – 1 [5, tied with twenty-two others]

Interception TDs – 2 [1]

Misc. TDs – 1 [1, tied with Norb Sacksteder, Curly Lambeau & Al Nesser]

Total TDs – 7 [1, tied with Jimmy Conzelman]

Points – 42 [3]

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: George Halas

Bulldogs went 10-0-2 to finish first in the NFL while leading the league in touchdowns (26) and scoring (184 points).

Aftermath:

The Bulldogs went undefeated in 1923 to again top the NFL with an 11-0-1 record under Chamberlin’s guidance, and as a player he received first-team All-NFL honors from Collyers Eye and second-team recognition from the Green Bay Press-Gazette. The franchise was effectively shifted to Cleveland in 1924 and won another title. Chamberlin received first-team All-NFL honors from Collyers Eye. He moved on to become player/coach of the Frankford Yellow Jackets in 1925 and, after a sixth-place finish that year, they topped the NFL with a 14-1-2 record in ’26. Chamberlin ended up as both a player and coach with the Chicago Cardinals in 1927, who placed ninth with the only losing record of any team that he played for or coached. Overall, as a player Chamberlin played in 92 games and scored 17 touchdowns, and received at least some first-team All-League recognition four times. As a coach, his teams went 58-16-7, including 21-0-3 in two seasons with Canton, and won a total of four NFL Championships. Chamberlin was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1965.

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Highlighted Years features players who were 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.