The University of Peabody was a semipro American football team based in

Peabody, Massachusetts Peabody () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. Peabody is located in the North Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known for its rich industrial histo ...

. The team consisted mostly of former high school and college players and was run by local sports followers. It won the state semipro football championship in 1923 and 1924.

History

In December 1922, the University of Peabody lost an exhibition game to New Hampshire State University at Donovan Field in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

. The following season, the University of Peabody was undefeated. In 1923, the team did not give up any touchdowns and only one field goal. The team matched this success the following season, winning all of its games and only getting scored on once. In 1925, the team lost three of its players; Stanley Burnham left to take a teaching/coaching position at 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 ...

, Karl Young enrolled at

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

, and John Lawrence enrolled at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

. On November 29, 1915, the "University" lost to Pere Marquette of

South Boston South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformati ...

12 to 7 in front of a crowd of 18,000 spectators at Leo Buckley Stadium, ending the team's winning streak. In 1926, the team struggled. In order to strengthen the roster,

Al Pierotti Albert Felix Pierotti (October 24, 1895 – February 12, 1964) was a professional American football center and Major League Baseball pitcher. Football career Pierotti played in the American Professional Football League with the Akron Pros, Clev ...

of the Boston Bulldogs was added to the team late in the season. The "University" returned to form the following season. After finishing their schedule undefeated, the team faced off against Pere Marquette in a championship game at

Braves Field Braves Field was a baseball park located in Boston, Massachusetts. Today the site is home to Nickerson Field on the campus of Boston University. The stadium was home of the Boston Braves of the National League from 1915 to 1952, prior to the B ...

. Pere Marquette won the game 19 to 0.

Facilities

The University of Peabody played their games at Leo Buckley Stadium in Peabody, which was also the home stadium of Peabody High School. The University of Peabody played its games on Sunday. It was the only team North of Boston to play on Sundays, which allowed it to draw large crowds from all over

Essex County, Massachusetts Essex County is a County (United States), county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the total population was 809,829, making it the third-most populous county in the stat ...

. In 1924, the team practiced at the new

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

Field in

Lynn, Massachusetts Lynn is the eighth-largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line at Suffolk Downs, Lynn is part of Greater Boston's urban inner core. Settled by E ...

. One of the first stadiums with lights, the University of Peabody was able to conduct outdoor practices during the evening. The team also held practices in the Peabody High School gymnasium.

Roster

The University of Peabody's players included Stanley Burnham (Harvard), Oscar "Pike" Johnson (Vermont), John Leahy (Norwich), Billy Crean (Boston College), Buster Donahue (Providence Steam Roller/Boston College), Ben Batchelder (Haverhill High School), Joe Tansey, Karl Young, Hubby Lawrence, John Lawrence, Ray Trask, Joe Luz, Blaine Kehoe, Eddie O'Conner, Eddie Phelan, and Harry Miller. The team was coached by Ed Brawley, who had played professional football for

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 ...

( Cleveland Tigers) and

Charles Brickley Charles Edward Brickley (November 24, 1891 – December 28, 1949) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the Johns Hopkins University in 1915, at Boston College from 1916 to 1917, and at Fordham Univer ...

( Brickley's Giants). The team manager was Bernard J. "Bernie" Nagle.

Other sports

In addition to football, the University of Peabody also played basketball. Its home arena was the Endicott Street Hall in Peabody.

References

{{reflist American football in Massachusetts