John Brallier
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John Kinport "Sal" Brallier (December 12, 1876 – September 17, 1960) was one of the first professional
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
players. He was nationally acknowledged as the first openly paid professional football player when he was given $10 to play for the
Latrobe Athletic Association The Latrobe Athletic Association was a professional football team located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, from 1895 until 1909. A member of the unofficial Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit, the team is best known for being the first f ...
for a game against the
Jeanette Athletic Association The Jeannette Athletic Club, also referred to as the Jeannette Indians, was an early football team, based in Jeannette, Pennsylvania from 1894 until around 1906. The team is best known for its role in the Latrobe Athletic Association's hiring of J ...
in 1895.


Early life

Brallier was born in
Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania Cherry Tree is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 276 at the 2020 census. History Cherry Tree was originally known as "Canoe Place" because its location marked the spot where the West Branch of the Susqu ...
, near the city of
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. He was the son of Dr. Emanuel Brallier, a
physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
, and his wife, Lucy M. Kinport Brallier. His grandparents were from Alsace-Lorraine, accounting for the French-sounding name. As a boy, Brallier remembered having worked in a glass factory. His first recollection of football was in 1890, at the age of 13, playing in high school for the West Indiana Public School team. By his sophomore year in 1892, he was the captain and right halfback. In 1893, while still attending high school, Brallier also played
quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
for the Indiana Normal football club in 1893 and 1894. The team won three of four games played that year. Among his teammates was left guard Alex Stewart, future father of movie star
James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...
. During the fourth game of the 1894 season, Normal lost, 28–0, to
Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to ...
. However, Brallier's outstanding play led the Presidents coach E. Gard Edwards to write from Pittsburgh asking Brallier to play football for his team. Further correspondence followed through the winter between Brallier and Washington & Jefferson Presidents manager H. Wilson Boyd. The result was that Brallier agreed to go to Washington & Jefferson "if all expenses are paid for the entire year." The young football star graduated from Indiana Public School that spring and was awaiting the start of college when something happened 30 miles away in
Latrobe, Pennsylvania Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States and part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The city population was 8,338 as of the 2010 census (9,265 in 1990). It is located near Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Rid ...
that was to affect his career and the rest of his life.


Football career


Pro football pioneer

In 1895 the town of Latrobe established a formal football team. However, just before the start of the season, Latrobe quarterback
Eddie Blair James Edward Blair (August 5, 1871 – March 8, 1913) was an American football player and coach and physician. He was early professional football player with the Latrobe Athletic Association. He later relocated to Burlington, New Jersey where he ...
found himself in a scheduling conflict. Blair, who also played baseball in nearby Greensburg discovered that the team's first football game against the Jeannette Athletic Club conflicted with a prior baseball commitment. Manager David Berry, who was now seeking a replacement for Blair, had heard of Brallier's performance as Indiana Normal's quarterback. He contacted the 17-year-old at his home in Indiana and offered him expenses to play for Latrobe. However, Brallier was not particularly anxious to play, anticipating his entrance into Washington & Jefferson College in a few weeks. The young quarterback was afraid that an injury would jeopardize his scholarship, so the Latrobe offered to pay him to "make it worthwhile". Finally, Berry offered $10 a game plus expenses, while promising several other games and he threw in "some cakes". This offer made Brallier the first openly paid football player. The quarterback arrived in Latrobe the night before the game and practiced with the team under a street light. Latrobe would go on to win the game. Brallier kicked two
field goals A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...
for a final score of 12–0. While Brallier was considered the first professional football player and deemed a national icon for many years, it was not until after his death in 1960 that evidence proved John Brallier was not in fact the first professional football player, but merely the first one to openly admit he was paid. William "Pudge" Heffelfinger of the
Allegheny Athletic Association The Allegheny Athletic Association was an athletic club that fielded the first ever professional American football player and later the first fully professional football team. The organization was founded in 1890 as a regional athletic club in A ...
is now considered the first professional player.


College career

Brallier remained with Latrobe for a second game against an Altoona squad before leaving for college. Brallier promptly won the varsity quarterback position at Washington & Jefferson, and made his first start for the Presidents on September 28, 1895, against
Denison University Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary and ...
. Washington & Jefferson won the game 32–0. The 1895 Washington & Jefferson team won six games, tied
Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...
, and lost only to the
Pittsburgh Athletic Club The Pittsburgh Athletic Club (PAC) was one of the earliest professional ice hockey teams. It was based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from around 1895 until 1904 and again from 1907 to 1909. The team was a member of the Western Pennsylvania Hockey Le ...
, which was composed of former college stars. After the Washington & Jefferson season, Brallier returned to Latrobe to play another game, against
Greensburg Athletic Association The Greensburg Athletic Association was an early organized football team, based in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, that played in the unofficial Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit from 1890 until 1900. At times referred to as the Greensb ...
on November 30, 1895, which ended in a 4–0 loss. Brallier suffered an injury late in the game. Going into the 1896 season, Brallier had nine different offers from schools, colleges, and athletic clubs to play football for them. Both Washington & Jefferson and Latrobe wanted him to return, and his services also were sought by
West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...
,
Grove City College Grove City College (GCC) is a private, conservative Christian liberal arts college in Grove City, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1876 as a normal school, the college emphasizes a humanities core curriculum and offers 60 majors and 6 pre-profession ...
, The Kiski School, Indiana Normal, Johnstown Athletic Club,
Allegheny Athletic Association The Allegheny Athletic Association was an athletic club that fielded the first ever professional American football player and later the first fully professional football team. The organization was founded in 1890 as a regional athletic club in A ...
, and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. He accepted the West Virginia University offer, since he wanted to continue his education and the Mountaineers' offer was better than other schools could offer. However, he later stated that "unfortunately, the football management got into financial difficulties and could not take care of their men as promised." Brallier and two other players left after four games, one with
Geneva College Geneva College is a private Christian college in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1848, in Northwood, Ohio, the college moved to its present location in 1880, where it continues to educate a student body of about 1400 traditional under ...
and three with
Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...
, had been played. Brallier had captained the team and "Doggie" Trenchard, a former All-American from
Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...
was the Mountaineer's coach. After the Lafayette game, Brallier accepted a Latrobe Athletic Association's offer to serve as its quarterback and coach.


Returning to the pro ranks

After Latrobe's season, Brallier received an offer from a hotel proprietor who managed Punxsutawney's team to assemble some football talent to play for Punxsutawney in a deciding third game with rival DuBois. After a fun-filled week of practice and occupancy of the hotel's third floor, the game at DuBois lasted only 12 minutes before a riot ended play with Punxsutawney leading, 12–0. Both teams had outsiders with Latrobe's Harry Ryan and
Ed Abbaticchio Edward James Abbaticchio (April 15, 1877 – January 6, 1957) was the first Major League Baseball player and first professional football player of Italian ancestry. Baseball Born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Abbatticchio was primarily a shortstop ...
joining Brallier. The problem arose when the officials disallowed a DuBois score, although Punxsutawney's captain,
Lawson Fiscus Ira Lawson Fiscus (1866-1949) was one of the first professional football players. He attended Princeton University, where his outstanding play at offensive guard earned him the title Samson of Princeton, before going on to play professionally wit ...
, offered to start the game anew with no score. Speculation was that the riot gave DuBois a chance to escape what may have been a rather sound drubbing in a game on which great amounts of money had been wagered. Brallier returned to Latrobe for the 1897 season. On May 11, 1898, during the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...
, Brallier entered the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
. Although he was not mustered out until November, he was stationed near Latrobe for football season. He signed a contract to play for Latrobe for $150 and expenses for the season. He played three games, then left in mid-October to join the Pittsburgh Athletic Club at an increase in salary. After the Pittsburgh team's season was over he rejoined Latrobe for a final game against the Greensburg Athletic Association.


Second college career

In the fall of 1899, Brallier received an offer from the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
to play quarterback. However, Penn had worried that Brallier had played so much professional ball that the school's amateur standing would be at stake. Pennsylvania was trying quite hard to get
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
on their schedule. However, Harvard had refused to play Penn on the grounds that some of Quakers' players were not amateurs. After the Penn incident Brallier toured the city's dental schools and decided to attend Medico-Chirurgical College, from where his older brother had graduated the year before. Ironically Medico-Chi, as it was called, later became part of the University of Pennsylvania. Before leaving for school that fall, Brallier helped coach the Indiana Normal team and turned down a Latrobe offer. Brallier had planned to give up football for his studies. However, pressure from the football coach and squad members changed his mind. Brallier was elected captain and quarterbacked the school's undefeated team which wound up gloriously with a win over rival
Jefferson Medical College Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univer ...
. During the summers of 1899 and 1900, John Brallier worked with the surveying corps of Lackawanna Iron & Steel Company. In 1900, he helped lay out the town of Wehrum south of
Vintondale, Pennsylvania Vintondale is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 414 as of the 2010 census. History Vintondale was founded by Warren Delano IV, mat ...
in
Cambria County Cambria County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 133,472. Its county seat is Ebensburg. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from parts of Bedford, Huntingdon, and Somerset Cou ...
. Before the 1900 season, Brallier had an offer from the
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
to take up the coaching position." He refused it, stating that he wanted to dedicate more time to his studies. He returned to Medico-Chi and captained another undefeated team in its regular schedule. He graduated in 1902 with a degree in Orthodontia.


Returning again to the pro ranks

Brallier rejoined the Latrobe football team as
player-coach A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...
for 1902. He had turned down pro football offers from the
Franklin Athletic Club The Franklin Athletic Club was an early professional football team based in Franklin, Pennsylvania. It was considered the top team in professional football in 1903, by becoming the US Football Champions and winning the 1903 World Series of Foot ...
and Oil City Athletic Club, located in northwestern Pennsylvania. From 1903 to 1905 Brallier led Latrobe to three straight undefeated seasons. Including wins against the Canton Bulldogs, who later became a founding member of the
National Football League 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 ...
. Brallier wrote in retrospect in 1934 that the 1903 Latrobe backfield "was the best I had ever played with and the best I have ever seen." In 1906 the team began to experience financial problems. Brallier finished his career in 1907 and was considered as one of the best players of his era, right alongside Pudge Heffelfinger. In 1907, the decrease in community interest and the team's change to an amateur club status coincided with his last year as a player, although he continued to help coach local town teams.


After football

Brallier went on to practice dentistry, and served the community during a 20-year tenure as a school director, from which he retired at the end of 1931. In March 1941, tragedy struck when his wife was killed in an automobile accident. In the 1930s, Latrobe was recognized by the National Football League as the birthplace of professional football, and Dr. Brallier was given lifetime passes for all National Football League games. Latrobe became a candidate for the proposed
Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...
but the Hall went to
Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and ...
. Brallier spent his time, after retirement, in parts of
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. He enjoyed his recognition as one of the first professional football players. When he died on September 17, 1960, at age 83, he was the last surviving member of the Latrobe football team. In 1979, John Brallier was voted one of the "Best Pros Not in the Hall of Fame" by the
Pro Football Researchers Association The Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA) is an organization of researchers whose mission is to preserve and, in some cases, reconstruct professional football history. It was founded on June 22, 1979 in Canton, Ohio by writer/hist ...
.


Family

In February 1904, the engagement of Bess Garnette Moorhead of Indiana to now Dr. John K. Brallier of Latrobe was announced, and a wedding followed in April.


References


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brallier, John 1876 births 1960 deaths 19th-century players of American football IUP Crimson Hawks football players Latrobe Athletic Association coaches Latrobe Athletic Association players Pittsburgh Athletic Club (football) players Washington & Jefferson Presidents football players West Virginia Mountaineers football players People from Indiana County, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania