The New York Pro Football League (NYPFL) was a 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 ...

league, active in the 1910s, and based in

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

, primarily

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY in ...

. Between 1920 and 1921, the league's best teams were absorbed into 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 ...

, though none survive in that league today. It was one of the biggest challengers to the

Ohio League The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1902 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship (OIC). As the name implied, its teams were mostly based in Ohio. It is the direct pr ...

in professional football in the 1910s. Its formation was highly informal. The teams were largely clustered around the two cities of

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

and

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, with rural teams to fill the differences. Rochester had built its reputation around a strong "sandlot football" circuit, for instance, and was most popular when it consisted mostly of local teams. Rochester's best team, the Jeffersons, was instrumental in bringing the NYPFL and the

together to form the American Professional Football Association. The circuit continued to exist even after the birth of the APFA (with the NYPFL teams continuing to play in both circuits), with the league finally dwindling away in the late 1920s and early 1930s. One NYPFL team, the

Watertown Red & Black The Watertown Red & Black is a semi-professional American football team based in Watertown, New York. The team is the oldest active semi-pro football team in the United States, and can trace its history to 1896, although the Professional Footba ...

, still survives.

Known champions

The NYPFL's championship games were mostly held in

, either at the

International Fair Association Grounds International Fair Association Grounds was a fairgrounds and later a short-lived baseball and football ground located in Buffalo, New York. The ballpark, built on a portion of the former fairgrounds, was home to the Buffalo Buffeds/Blues of the Fe ...

or at

Buffalo Baseball Park Olympic Park is the name shared by two former baseball grounds located in Buffalo, New York, United States. Prelude From 1878 through 1883, Buffalo's baseball teams had played at an initially unnamed ballpark at Fargo Avenue and Rhode Island ...

. The games were generally held on Thanksgiving. *1908: Buffalo Oakdales 7–2–2 *1909: Buffalo Oakdales 5–1–0 *1910: Buffalo Cazenovias 9–1–1 [The Cazenovias outscored their opponents 192-0 in the 10 game season, tying with the previous year's champion Oakdales 0-0 for a season record of 9-0-1. "The Cazenovias and Oakdales played a post-season game, November 27th. A dispute arose in the second half, with only seven minutes to play, which could not be amicably settled and the referee forfeited the game to the Oakdales, 1 to 0.” ] *1911: Buffalo Cazenovias 6–0–1 *1912: ''records incomplete'' *1913: Lancaster 8–0–1 *1914: All-Lancaster 6–0–1 *1915:

Rochester Jeffersons The Rochester Jeffersons from Rochester, New York played from 1898 to 1925, including play in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925. History Formed as an amateur outfit by a rag-tag group of Rochester-area teenagers after the turn of t ...

3–1–3 ''(records incomplete)'' *1916:

*1917: All-Tonawanda, def. Rochester Jeffersons 9–7 *1918: Buffalo Niagaras. **''Due to war and flu concerns in 1918, Buffalo played a six-game schedule (all wins) only in its own city. The Jeffersons continued operating, including a game against the

Detroit Heralds Detroit had four early teams in the National Football League before the Detroit Lions. The Heralds played in 1920, and had played as an independent as far back as 1905. The Tigers, a continuation of the Heralds, played in 1921, folding midseason ...

and one game against a local squad, but never challenged Buffalo to a title match.'' *1919: See below

1919 playoffs

The NYPFL is believed to have been the first professional football league to use a

playoff The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

format (as opposed to a single-game championship) in 1919. The Buffalo Semi-Pro, Rochester, and Central New York divisions were known to have championships. In the Buffalo division, the Buffalo Prospects defeated the Tonawanda Lumberjacks by a score of 12-7. In Central New York, All-Syracuse defeated the

and advanced to face Buffalo the next week. Buffalo defeated Syracuse 23-0. The

won the Rochester circuit title. This led to the two-game "New York Pro Championship" between the Buffalo and Rochester divisions over Thanksgiving weekend in 1919, with the Buffalo Prospects defeating the Rochester Jeffersons by a score of 20-0 in the second of two games (the first, held on Thanksgiving Day, was a scoreless tie, necessitating a

rematch ''Rematch'' is the first US-released Sammy Hagar compilation album. After Sammy left Capitol Records for Geffen in 1981, and after Rick Springfield had a hit with the Hagar-penned "I've Done Everything for You", this collection was released to ...

). Playoffs and championships were abandoned after the 1919 season once the NFL formed.

Role in the NFL's founding

Both Buffalo and Rochester had significant ties to the teams in the

, stemming back to 1917, when both teams went

barnstorming Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in t ...

in Ohio. The Jeffersons were able to land a game against the top team in the nation, the Canton Bulldogs, where Jeffersons owner

Leo Lyons Leo David William Lyons (born 30 November 1943) is an English musician, who was most notably the bassist of the blues rock band Ten Years After. Biography Leo Lyons was born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire in November 1943 and became a profess ...

suggested to Bulldogs coach

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Native ...

and owner

Ralph Hay Ralph Edward Hay (January 12, 1891July 29, 1944) was the owner of the Canton Bulldogs from 1918 through the 1922 season. However, he is mostly recognized for organizing the first meeting of teams that would later form the American Professional Fo ...

that a league format could eventually become as popular as

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

.THE TOWN THAT HATED PRO FOOTBALL
. Pro Football Researchers Association. 1981. Buffalo, too, had connections to the Ohio League. In addition to a team of "Buffalo All-Stars" barnstorming in 1917 against the

and

Massillon Tigers The Massillon Tigers were an early professional football team from Massillon, Ohio. Playing in the "Ohio League", the team was a rival to the pre-National Football League version of the Canton Bulldogs. The Tigers won Ohio League championships ...

, Buffalo quarterback

Tommy Hughitt Tommy Hughitt (born Ernest Fredrick Hughitt; December 27, 1892 – December 27, 1961) was a Canadian-American National Football League utility player, coach, referee and politician. He was also an All-American quarterback for the University ...

had moonlighted as a member of the Ohio League's

Youngstown Patricians The Youngstown Patricians were a semi-professional football team based in Youngstown, Ohio.McClellan (1998), p. 98. In the 1910s, the team briefly held the professional football championship and established itself as a fierce rival of more exper ...

. When the Ohio League owners moved to make a national league in 1920, Buffalo and Rochester, being familiar to the league owners, were invited to join, and both accepted.

Teams

Buffalo Semi Pro Football League

* Buffalo Niagaras/Prospects. Two teams led by utility player

; Hughitt's teams were the best in the league. Joined the NFL in 1920 as the Buffalo All-Americans, where it played until 1927, and was revived for one last season in 1929. Successor to the Buffalo All-Stars, who played from 1915 to 1917. * All-Tonawanda Lumberjacks. An all-star team of players from

Tonawanda, New York Tonawanda (formally ''City of Tonawanda'') is a city in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 15,130 at the 2010 census. It is at the northern edge of Erie County, south across the Erie Canal (Tonawanda Creek) from North Ton ...

; known to have formed in 1916 and coached for its entire existence by

Tam Rose Walter Sumner "Tam" Rose (December 5, 1888 – October 2, 1961) was an American football player at Syracuse University and then a player and coach with the Tonawanda Kardex, including during the team's brief stint in the National Football League ...

. Joined the NFL in 1921 as the ''Tonawanda Lumbermen'', or, under its sponsored name, as ''Tonawanda Kardex'' (after title sponsor Rand Kardex), but folded after one game in the league. * Buffalo Pierce-Arrows. Team sponsored by the

Pierce-Arrow The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company was an American motor vehicle manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York, which was active from 1901 to 1938. Although best known for its expensive luxury cars, Pierce-Arrow also manufactured commercial trucks ...

automobile manufacturer. * Buffalo Oakdales. Said to be an early dominant team in Buffalo semiprofessional football, but had fallen by the wayside by 1912 and folded around 1915. * All-Buffalo. An all-star team from Buffalo that existed in some form until at least 1921. *West Buffalo. Existed until at least 1920. *Tonawanda Frontiers. Another Tonawanda-based team, the Frontiers existed from the late 1910s through at least 1925. *Lancaster Malleables Based in

Lancaster, New York Lancaster is a town in Erie County, New York, United States, centered 14 miles east of downtown Buffalo. Lancaster is an outer ring suburb of Buffalo. As of the 2020 Census, the town population was 45,106. Located within the town is the villa ...

. Won the league championship in 1913 and 1914. *Fort Porter 74th Infantry Division. A team based at

Fort Porter Fort Porter was constructed between 1841 and 1844 at Buffalo in Erie County, New York, and named for General Peter Buell Porter. The site was bounded by Porter Avenue, Busti Avenue and the Erie Barge Canal. It was initially a square masonry two-s ...

from the time of its reactivation in 1917 to at least 1920.

Rochester sandlot circuit

. Based in

; they were the best team among a number of other Rochester-based teams. Joined the NFL in 1920, and played until 1925. * Rochester Scalpers. One of many Rochester-based teams; existed until at least 1920. * Rochester Oxfords. Another of many Rochester-based teams, and one of the better ones; it peaked in 1922 under the leadership of Romey Farrell. It existed until at least 1926, in its latter years, solely as a semiprofessional team. * Dutchtown Russers. Team backed by local wrestler Max Russer. * 19th Ward Regals. Operated by Leo Powers, founded 1920, ended 1921.

Central New York division

* All-Syracuse. Based in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

. Traces its history to the Syracuse Athletic Club, which was founded in 1890. May have joined the NFL in 1921, though there is significant doubt regarding this. * Watertown Red and Blacks. Based in

Watertown, New York Watertown is a city in, and the county seat of, Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River about east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by the ...

. The team never joined the NFL, but is the only one still in operation today; it is known today as the Watertown Red & Black and operates as a semiprofessional member of the Empire Football League. * All Fulton and Oswego. Based in

Oswego County, New York Oswego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 117,525. The county seat is Oswego. The county name is from a Mohawk-language word meaning "the pouring out place", referring to the point at ...

. Appears most frequently in historical records as a regional rival to the Red & Black.

Unaffiliated

* Jamestown Alcos. Based in

Jamestown, New York Jamestown is a city in southern Chautauqua County, in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 28,712 at the 2020 census. Situated between Lake Erie to the north and the Allegheny National Forest to the south, Jamestown is the largest pop ...

. * Geneva Glenwoods. Based in

Geneva, New York Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...

; oddly, this team had a home field that had no goal posts, which meant that no field goals could be attempted. * Endicott-Johnson Athletic Association. Based in

Binghamton, New York Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

; existed until at least 1921. * LeRoy. Unnamed team from

LeRoy, New York Le Roy, or more commonly LeRoy, is a town in Monroe County, New York or Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 7,641 at the time of the 2010 census. The town is named after one of the original land owners, Herman Le Roy. Th ...

. * Kanaweola Athletic Club (some spellings have ''Ranaweola''). Based in

Elmira, New York Elmira () is a city and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. The population was 26,523 at the 2020 cens ...

. Known to have existed in 1902, since they hosted the first ever night game in professional football, against the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

. Kanaweola lost the game, 39-0. Status unknown afterward.

References

WNY Pro Football Researchers Association chapter
information on Western New York teams prior to 1920

includes three articles, including two on the 1918 and 1919 seasons and one with a general history of pro football in Buffalo * Sye, Roy. http://www.independentfootball.site90.com/FootballResearch/unofficial_independent.htm

Citations

{{Professional gridiron football leagues in North America History of the National Football League Defunct American football leagues in the United States American football in New York (state) Defunct professional sports leagues in the United States