Guilford W. "Hawk" Falcon (December 15, 1892 – July 28, 1982) was a professional
American football player, owner and coach who spent six season, from 1920 to 1925, in the
National Football League (NFL) with the
Akron Pros
The Akron Pros were a professional football team that played in Akron, Ohio from 1908 to 1926. The team originated in 1908 as a semi-pro team named the Akron Indians, but later became Akron Pros in 1920 as the team set out to become a charter mem ...
,
Canton Bulldogs
The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and the American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football Leag ...
,
Chicago Tigers,
Hammond Pros,
Rochester Jeffersons and the
Toledo Maroons. Guil also served a
player-coach during his time with the Tigers and Maroons.
In 1920 the Chicago Tigers and Cardinals playing for the same Chicago fan dollar. Cardinals owner
Chris O’Brien offered—and Falcon agreed—to play for the right to represent Chicago in the
American Professional Football Association
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the maj ...
, with the winner to remain as the city’s only professional team, while the loser would fold operations.
Paddy Driscoll scored the game’s only touchdown on a 40-yard run and the Cardinals won, 6–3. As promised, the Tigers finished the season with a 2–5–1 record, dropped out of competition, becoming the first NFL/APFA team to fold.
Guil played with
Pro Football Hall of Famer
Fritz Pollard
Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard (January 27, 1894 – May 11, 1986) was an American football player and coach. In 1921, he became the first African-American head coach in the National Football League (NFL). Pollard and Bobby Marshall were the ...
during his stints with Akron and Hammond.
In 2022, he was named one of the 10 inaugural members for the Football Learning Academy's Hall of Honor, which looks to acknowledge deserving icons that are not currently inducted in the hall.
References
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Winner Take All
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falcon, Guil
1892 births
1982 deaths
Player-coaches
Akron Pros players
Canton Bulldogs players
Chicago Tigers players
Hammond Pros players
National Football League owners
Rochester Jeffersons players
Toledo Maroons players
Players of American football from Evanston, Illinois