Chris Willis - Old Leather: An Oral History of Early Pro Football in Ohio, 1920-1935

CHRIS WILLIS

SCARECROW PRESS, INC.

Published in the United States of America
by Scarecrow Press, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of
The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
www.scarecrowpress.com

PO Box 317
Oxford
OX2 9RU, UK

Copyright 2005 by Chris Willis

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Willis, Chris, 1970
Old leather : an oral history of early pro football in Ohio, 19201935 / Chris Willis.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8108-5660-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8108-5660-8
1. FootballOhioHistory20th centuryAnecdotes. 2. National Football LeagueHistory20th centuryAnecdotes. I. Title.

GV954.W55 2005
796.332'64'09771dc22

2005002219

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America.

Joe Horrigan

BY FAR, THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION BY VISITORS TO THE Pro Football Hall of Fame is Why Canton? And although there is a colorful display near the museums entrance detailing the answer, Hall of Fame staffers often share the Canton story before patrons come upon the detailed storyboards.

The answer is neither simple nor short, but the Halls frontline employees have related the tale enough times that they can pretty much get to the heart of the matter before the querying customer loses interest.

The narrative usually starts like this: The Pro Football Hall of Fame is located in Canton, Ohio, for three primary reasons. And from there the oft-told story is presented point by point. For the record, the three reasons are as follows: First, the National Football League (NFL), originally known as the American Professional Football Association, was founded in Canton in 1920. Next, the Canton Bulldogs, a pro football power even before the founding of the NFL, was the leagues first two-time champion, capturing titles in 1922 and 1923. And finally, but no less significantly, Jim Thorpe, the games first big-name performer and perhaps this countrys greatest athlete, played several years for the Bulldogs beginning in 1915.

Although this local history lesson is usually new information for Hall of Fame guests, that wasnt the case for Columbus, Ohio, native and Hall of Fame visitor Chris Willis. Through his own research and study, Chris already knew the Canton claim in detail when he asked to visit the Hall of Fames archives in the mid-1990s. More impressive, however, was the fact that the recent college graduate had a well-developed appreciation for pro footballs early years and, through his research, had come to understand the importance of the period in the genesis and growth of the NFL.

Ah, but an outlet, a venue for the dissemination of this young mans dedicated study, was needed. Impressed by his work, the Hall of Fame introduced Chris to the Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA). An organization of pro football researchers, scholars, and historians, the PFRA was a perfect conduit. Willis quickly became a regular contributor to PFRA publications and programs.

Chriss interest in and study of pro football history has not only earned him the respect of the Hall of Fame and pro football historians but has also provided history-rich NFL Films with an employee solidly committed to the preservation of the games all-important heritage. Willis provides NFL Filmspro footballs preeminent storytellersa historians perspective. And, as evidenced by this publication, he has found new ways to make use of material from the NFL archives.

Williss constant search for unfound or underappreciated nuggets of knowledge, however, has taken him beyond the archives of the Hall of Fame and NFL Films. He has traveled to places like Portsmouth and Ironton, Ohio, and Mesa, Arizona, to interview aging former players or just about anyone who can shed new light on an old subject. With a keen eye for history, Willis knows what to ask his subjects and how to elicit important recollections and stories that mainstream sports media have missed over the years. Stories like one shared by then-ninety-five-year-old Glenn Presnell, who related how he turned down contract offers from three NFL teams in 1928. Presnell, who later starred for the NFLs Portsmouth Spartans and Detroit Lions, initially passed on the NFL, opting instead to play for an independent pro team in Ironton called the Tanks.

A man named Nick McMahon made me a contract offer that was the same as the NFL, Presnell told Willis. However, the deal-maker, according to Presnell, was that McMahon also promised him a job as a teacher in the Ironton school system. It was a practice that gave the Tanks management the ability to successfully compete against the recruiting practices of the NFL.

Presnells recollections of a bygone era, like many others offered in this book, are priceless. The pro football reminiscences and stories compiled and transcribed for this book by Willis portray an accurate and entertaining look at that all-important old leather era of pro footballs past. Its a work whose time has come. Heres hoping that someone in the future has the same affection for our present as Chris Willis has demonstrated for our past.

Joe Horrigan
Vice President of Communications/Exhibits
Pro Football Hall of Fame

AS A YOUNG BOY GROWING UP IN COLUMBUS, OHIO, I DEVELOPED passions for reading and football. No wonder. My family grew up just a few miles from the Ohio State University campus and Buckeye football, and my father owned a used book store. Most of my free time was spent in the sports section of my fathers store reading every football book on the shelf. I especially enjoyed reading about the exploits of my favorite teamsthe Buckeyes and the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). With every page I turned and every book I finished, my passion for the sport grew.

Of course, obsessing about football is not unusual in Ohio, where fall weekends are devoted to the sport. Ohioans turn out en masse for high school games on Friday nights, for the Buckeyes and the states other small-college teams on Saturdays, and for the Browns and Cincinnati Bengals on Sundays. The state brims with football history and tradition, and nearly every citizen has a football story to tell. Thats why I wrote this book.

I was fortunate while growing up to be able to feed my passions for reading and football in my fathers bookstore. Im fortunate now, too, because my job allows me to continue indulging those passions. Since 1996 Ive worked in the Archives Department at NFL Films, and my duties include conducting research and occasionally interviewing former NFL players. One of my interview assignments inspired me to undertake this project.

While researching a piece on the leagues first-ever playoff game, the historic 1932 indoor battle between the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans, I discovered that Spartans running back Glenn Presnell was still living in Ironton, Ohio, near Portsmouth. He graciously agreed to an interview, and on a cold February day in 1999, he spent more than an hour with me sharing, in vivid detail, his memories of the joys and struggles of playing in Portsmouth during the Great Depression.