Adolf Frederick "Swede" Youngstrom (May 24, 1897 – August 5, 1968) was a professional football player. Over the span of his career in 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 ...

, Youngstrom played with the Buffalo All-Americans, Canton Bulldogs,

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

Cleveland Bulldogs The Cleveland Bulldogs were a team that played in Cleveland, Ohio in the National Football League. They were originally called the Indians in 1923, not to be confused with the Cleveland Indians NFL franchise in 1922. However, after team owner ...

and the

Frankford Yellow Jackets The Frankford Yellow Jackets were a professional American football team, part of the National Football League from 1924 to 1931, although its origin dates back to as early as 1899 with the Frankford Athletic Association. The Yellow Jackets won ...

. He also served as a

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 the Yellow Jackets in

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 ...

. Outside of the NFL, Youngstrom played pro football for the

Millville Big Blue Millville Football & Athletic Club also known as the Millville Big Blue was a professional football team based in Millville, New Jersey from 1921 until around 1928. The team won the mythical "Pro Football Championship of New Jersey" in 1923 and aga ...

and the

Haven-Villa of Winter Haven The Haven-Villa of Winter Haven was a professional football team based in Winter Haven, Florida in 1926. While the team originated as a successful local team. However, the team was taken over by members of the Tampa Cardinals, featuring Jim Thorp ...

. The Professional Football Researchers Association notes of Youngstrom's career that “He was, quite possibly, the best guard of his era, considering that the only guards in the

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, coa ...

who played during the 1920s—

Mike Michalske August Michael Michalske (April 24, 1903 – October 26, 1983), sometimes known as "Iron Mike", was an American football player and coach. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its second induction class in 1964. He was ...

and

Walt Kiesling Walter Andrew Kiesling (May 27, 1903 – March 2, 1962) was an American football guard and tackle who spent 36 years as a player, coach, and aide with National Football League (NFL) teams. He was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall ...

—actually played the majority of their careers in the 1930s.”

Early career

Swede's first exposure to football came during his time at

Waltham High School Waltham High School is a public high school located in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is the only high school operated by Waltham Public Schools. History The current Waltham High School was constructed in 1968 and expanded in 1998 a ...

. The school's football team practiced after classes. Youngstrom then sought his parents' permission to go out for the football team. However his parents refused to let him play. Swede's father feared that his son, who weighed just 140 pounds, would be susceptible to injury. However, during his senior year at Waltham, Swedejoined the team without his parents' consent or knowledge. However, when a local paper included some highlights involving Swede's on-field performance the secret was revealed. Youngstrom's father however did not let on that he knew of his son's involvement with the team. Instead, he sneaked to a Waltham practice session and watched his boy in action. After being impressed by his son's performance, Swede's father permitted him to stay with the team.

College

After high school, Swede entered

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

in 1914. At Dartmouth, he played every position on the

offensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

, however he was best known for playing the

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

position. However, he also played on defense as well. Swede's defensive play was also outstanding. He was credited with blocking nine punts in his senior year, three of those blocks came in the 1919 title game against Colgate University. His stellar play earned him a spot on Walter Camp's All-American team.

The NFL

Buffalo

After graduating, Swede was operating a candy store in

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of En ...

, with Dartmouth teammate

Ed Healey Edward Francis Healey Jr. (December 28, 1894 – December 9, 1978) was an American professional football player in the National Football League (NFL). Regarded as one of the best linemen in the league's early days, Healey was inducted into the P ...

when he was approached by representatives from Buffalo with an offer to play for their 1920 team in the new American Professional Football Association (renamed the National Football League in 1922). During his first season with the All-Americans, Youngstrom is reported to have blocked nine punts, the same number of blocks he attained during his senior year at Dartmouth. Three of those blocks were returned for

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

s. In 1922, Youngstrom's play began to attract

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

mention. In 1923 the All-Americans went 5–4–3, but Youngstrom's stellar play earned him a spot on the ''

Green Bay Press-Gazette The ''Green Bay Press-Gazette'' is a newspaper whose primary coverage is of northeastern Wisconsin, including Green Bay. It was founded as the ''Green Bay Gazette'' in 1866 as a weekly paper, becoming a daily newspaper in 1871. The ''Green Ba ...

'' All-Pro team. A year later, Swede ended up being the only bright spot for the Buffalo franchise (now called the Bisons) during terrible season, receiving All-Pro honors for the third consecutive year.

Frankford Yellow Jackets

In 1926, Youngstrom accepted an offer to play for the Frankford Yellow Jackets. In addition to his duties on the field, Swede was asked to coach the linemen. He spent two seasons with the Jackets, and played a major role in helping the team win the 1926 NFL title. He would then serve as the team's player-coach for the 1927 season.

Independent football

In 1921 the rules governing players in the AFPA were somewhat lax and many players took advantage of this situation by playing for teams in other leagues to make a little extra money between games. Eight members of the Buffalo squad, including Youngstrom) played for a non-league team called the

Union Quakers of Philadelphia The Union Quakers of Philadelphia were a professional independent football team, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1921. The team evolved from a number of pro players who played with the Union Club of Phoenixville during their 1920 season. ...

on Saturdays, then hopped the train for Buffalo and the next day's game. The Quakers played their games on Saturdays because

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

blue laws Blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, Sunday trade laws and Sunday closing laws, are laws restricting or banning certain activities on specified days, usually Sundays in the western world. The laws were adopted originally for religious reasons, ...

prohibited professional sports being played on Sunday. Youngstrom also played for the Millville Big Blue, a professional football team based in

Millville, New Jersey Millville is a city in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 28,400,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 ...

team, made up of several Big Blue members.

Legacy

In 2012, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Youngstrom to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2012, an honor bestowed upon outstanding NFL players not in the

References

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Youngstrom, Swede 1897 births 1968 deaths American football centers Buffalo All-Americans players Buffalo Bisons (NFL) players Canton Bulldogs players Cleveland Bulldogs players Frankford Yellow Jackets players Frankford Yellow Jackets coaches Dartmouth College alumni Dartmouth Big Green football players Millville Football & Athletic Club players Union Club of Phoenixville players All-American college football players American football guards American people of Swedish descent Sportspeople from Waltham, Massachusetts Players of American football from Massachusetts Burials in Massachusetts Waltham High School alumni