The 1920 Buffalo All-Americans season was the franchise's inaugural season with the American Professional Football Association (APFA), an

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 wi ...

league, and fifth total as a team. The All-Americans entered 1920 coming off a 9–1–1 record in

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the ...

as the Buffalo Prospects in the

New York Pro Football League The New York Pro Football League (NYPFL) was a professional American football league, active in the 1910s, and based in upstate New York, primarily Western New York. Between 1920 and 1921, the league's best teams were absorbed into the National Foo ...

(NYPFL). Several representatives from another professional football league, 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 ...

, wanted to form a new national league, and thus the APFA was created. Buffalo reshaped itself for the 1920 season. Only two players from the 1919 season stayed, and the team went into new management.

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 ...

(one of the returning players) became the new coach, and Frank McNeil became the new owner. The All-Americans opened the season with a 32–6 victory over the local semi-pro team West Buffalo, en route to a 9-win, 1–loss, 1-tie (9–1–1) record. Its only loss of the season was a 3–0 game against the Canton Bulldogs. A meeting was held by the officials of the APFA to determine a winner, with each coach having a vote. The All-Americans stated their cases; they believed they should deserve the championship trophy because they had the most wins and were undefeated against the Akron Pros and the

Decatur Staleys Decatur may refer to a number of places, streets, military establishments, schools, and others mostly named after Stephen Decatur: Places in the United States * Decatur, Alabama, county seat of Morgan County ** Decatur metropolitan area, Alaba ...

. The officials, however, awarded the

Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup was a silver trophy donated to the American Professional Football Association (renamed the National Football League in 1922) by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, Tire Division. History According to the Septemb ...

to the Akron Pros because they had a 1.000

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

. Had standings been counted as they are as of today, the All-Americans would be co-champions. The sportswriter Bruce Copeland compiled the 1920

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 ...

list, but no players from the All-Americans were on it. That is because Copeland wrote for the

Rock Island Argus ''The Dispatch–Argus'' is a daily morning newspaper in East Moline, Illinois and circulated primarily throughout the Illinois side of the Quad Cities — Moline, East Moline, Rock Island and Rock Island County, but also for sale in retail esta ...

and did not see any players from the easternmost teams in the league. As of 2012, no player from the 1920 All-Americans has been enshrined 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 ...

Offseason

In the 1919 season, the franchise was named the Buffalo Prospects, and finished with a 9–1–1 in the NYPFL. As a result, they won the New York Championship. After the 1919 season, the Prospects went under new management, and the name was changed to the All-Americans.

became the coach, and several players from the 1919 squad left. Of the 33 players on the 1919 team, only

Barney Lepper Howard Emmett Lepper (February 19, 1898 – December 1, 1985)
was a professional 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 ...

remained on the team for the 1920 season. After the 1919 season, representatives of four

teams—the Canton Bulldogs, the Cleveland Tigers, the Dayton Triangles, and the Akron Pros—called a meeting on August 20, 1920, to discuss the formation of a new league. At the meeting, they tentatively agreed on a

salary cap In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Sever ...

and pledged not to sign college players or players already under contract with other teams. They also agreed on a name for the circuit: the American Professional Football Conference. They then invited other professional teams to a second meeting on September 17. At that meeting, held at Bulldogs 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 ...

Hupmobile Hupmobile was an automobile built from 1909 through 1939 by the Hupp Motor Car Company of Detroit. The prototype was developed in 1908. History Founding In 1909, Bobby Hupp co-founded Hupp Motor Car Company, with Charles Hastings, for ...

showroom in Canton, representatives of the Rock Island Independents, the Muncie Flyers, the

, the

Racine Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots c ...

, the

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 i ...

, the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ...

, and the

Hammond Pros The Hammond Pros from Hammond, Indiana played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1926 as a traveling team. History The Pros were established by local businessman Paul Parduhn and Dr. Alva Young. Young, a boxing promoter and owner o ...

agreed to join the league. Representatives of the All-Americans and

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 ...

could not attend the meeting, but sent letters to Hay asking to be included in the league. Team representatives changed the league's name slightly to the American Professional Football Association and elected officers, installing Jim Thorpe as president. Under the new league structure, teams created their schedules dynamically as the season progressed, so there were no minimum or maximum number of games needed to be played. Also, representatives of each team voted to determine the winner of the APFA trophy.

Schedule

The table below was compiled using the information from The Pro Football Archives, which used various contemporary newspapers. A dagger () indicated a non-APFA team. For the results column, the winning team's score is posted first. For the attendance, if a block has "N/A", then that means there is an unknown figure for that game. The green-colored cells indicates a win; the yellow-colored cells indicates a tie; and the red-colored cells indicate a loss.

Game summaries

Week 2: vs. West Buffalo

'' October 3, 1920, at Canisius Field'' To open the season, the All-Americans defeated the local, semi-pro team West Buffalo.

Running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

John Weldon scored a rushing

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 ...

early in the first quarter.

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 ...

and Weldon added touchdowns in the second quarter to make the score 19–0 going into halftime. Hughitt scored from a yard out in the third quarter to make the score 25–0. West Buffalo got on the scoreboard when Bob Langdon intercepted a Buffalo pass and ran it back 75 yards for a touchdown. This was West Buffalo's only points scored their entire year. Buffalo finished off the scoring in the fourth quarter and won the game 32–6.

Week 3: vs. All-Buffalo

''October 10, 1920, at Canisius Field'' For their second game of the season, the All-Americans played against another local team, the Buffalo All-Buffalo. Once again, the All-Americans shut out their opponents, winning 51–0. In the first quarter, Weldon scored a rushing touchdown. In the second quarter, the All-Americans scored three times: Running back Ockie Anderson returned a punt for a touchdown, Hughitt ran for a rushing touchdown, and Weldon caught a receiving touchdown from Hughitt. To start the second half, Anderson scored another rushing touchdown, and that was the only score of the third quarter. In the final quarter, Anderson kicked a 35-yard field goal. Also,

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

Murray Shelton recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown. Hughitt's rushing touchdown was the final score of the game.

Week 4: vs. McKeesport Olympics

''October 17, 1920, at Canisius Field'' The McKeesport Olympics, a team from McKeesport, Pennsylvania, was the All-Americans next opponent. This game had to be played outside of Pennsylvania because of that state's

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, ...

which disallowed football on Sundays. In fact, this was one of only two away games for the Olympics. Hughitt scored a rushing touchdown in the first quarter to start the game. In the second quarter, Hughitt threw a touchdown pass to offensive lineman

Heinie Miller Henry John "Heinie" Miller (January 1, 1893 – June 9, 1964) was an American football player and coach from 1920 to 1942. He played in The National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo All-Americans and the Milwaukee Badgers. Miller also play ...

to bring the All-Americans' lead to 14–0 going into halftime. The Olympics scored their only points of the game in the third quarter. A player with the last name of Schreiner caught a receiving touchdown. The All-Americans answered when offensive lineman

Lou Little Luigi "Lou Little" Piccirilli December 6, 1891 – May 28, 1979) was an American football player and coach born in Boston, Massachusetts. City of Boston, Birth Registrations, number 8583, December 6, 1891After Lou's birth, his father changed his ...

blocked a field goal and ran it back for a touchdown. The final score of the game came when Shelton caught a receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter from Hughitt.

Week 5: vs. Toledo Maroons

''October 24, 1920, at Canisius Field'' For the All-Americans' next game, they played against the Toledo Maroons. Based in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

, the Maroons were an independent team but became part of the APFA in 1922. Coming into the game, the Maroons had not scored a point for the entire season, and that streak continued this game. Six thousand people were in attendance for the 38–0 All-Americans victory. In the first quarter, Anderson returned a 40-yard and a 50-yard punt for two touchdowns. Hughitt scored a rushing touchdown in the second quarter, and Weldon kicked a 35-yard field goal to make the score 24–0 at halftime. Anderson scored the final two touchdowns of the game. He scored two rushing touchdowns: one in the third quarter and one in the fourth quarter.

Week 6: vs. Rochester Jeffersons

''October 31, 1920, at Canisius Field'' In week six, the All-Americans played their first game against an APFA team, challenging the Rochester Jeffersons. The All-Americans received the kickoff, and on its opening drive kicked a 30-yard field goal. The Jeffersons' first drive resulted a

turnover on downs In gridiron football, a turnover on downs occurs when a team's offense has used all their downs but has not progressed downfield enough to earn another set of downs. The resulting turnover gives possession of the ball to the team currently on def ...

. Weldon scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown on the resulting All-Americans' drive. Rochester running back

Jim Laird James Tyler Laird (September 10, 1897 – August 16, 1970) was a professional American football player who played running back for the Rochester Jeffersons, the Buffalo All-Americans, the Canton Bulldogs, the Providence Steam Rollers, and the Sta ...

scored all of his team's points. In the second and the fourth quarter, he kicked a 30-yard and a 33-yard field goal, respectively. The All-Americans' final score of the game came from a blocked punt. Red Quigley was punting from his own

end zone The end zone is the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field. ...

when Swede Youngstrom blocked the punt, and defensive guard Bill Brace ran it back.

Week 7: vs. All-Tonawanda Lumberjacks

''November 7, 1920, at Canisius Field'' The All-Americans next game was against the All-Tonawanda Lumberjacks, who would join the APFA the following year. Anderson scored a rushing touchdown to put the All-Americans up 7–0 at the end of the first quarter. The All-Americans followed up with three touchdowns in the next quarter. Anderson rushed for two, and running back

Barney Lepper Howard Emmett Lepper (February 19, 1898 – December 1, 1985)
was a professional This game was the Lumberjacks only loss of the season, and the only game in which they failed to score a point.

Week 8: vs. Columbus Panhandles

''November 14, 1920, at Canisius Field'' With 9,000 fans in attendance, the All-Americans played an APFA opponent, the Columbus Panhandles. At the end of the first quarter, the Panhandles were winning 7–6. After that, the game "proved disastrous", according to football historian Chris Willis, to the Panhandles. The final score was 43–7. The Panhandles' only score was a receiving touchdown from Homer Ruh. The All-Americans had six rushing touchdowns, four of which came from Smith. The other two came from Anderson and Hughitt. From these six rushing touchdowns, five of the extra points were converted, and the All-Americans' defense got a

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...

Week 9: vs. Canton Bulldogs

''November 21, 1920, at Buffalo Baseball Park'' In week nine, the All-Americans played the Bulldogs. Jim Thorpe, who was later inducted into the

, started the game for the Bulldogs, but he came out at halftime because he believed it would end in a tie. Both teams were slowed by a muddy field, and the football became soggy after three quarters. Neither the All-Americans nor the Bulldogs could gain a lot of yards during the game. The lone score of the game came with under four minutes to play: a field goal from the Bulldogs' Al Feeney. He never missed a field goal the entire 1920 season, and the final score of the game was 3–0.

Week 10: vs. Cleveland Tigers

''November 28, 1920, at Buffalo Baseball Park'' Following their first loss of the season, the All-Americans challenged the Cleveland Tigers. The owner of the Tigers,

Jimmy O'Donnell James M. O'Donnell (November 3, 1872 - October 1, 1947) was the owner and co-founder of the first National Football League (then called the American Professional Football Association) franchise in Cleveland, called the Cleveland Tigers. He was a ...

, helped with the foundation of the APFA. A total of 5,000 fans showed up to the game. The only score of the game came in the third quarter. Anderson scored an 8-yard rushing touchdown. This loss for the Tigers would be their final game of the season.

Week 11: vs. Canton Bulldogs

''December 4, 1920, at Polo Grounds'' The following week, the All-Americans played their second game against the Bulldogs, winning 7–3. The Bulldogs did not get a first down or complete a pass during the game, but Thorpe kicked a field goal in the third quarter after a fumble recovery for the team's only score. In the fourth quarter, All-Americans tackle Youngstrom blocked a Thorpe punt and returned it for a touchdown. ''The Sunday Chronicle'' named Thorpe, Henry and Lowe as the Bulldogs' stars, while Anderson, Youngstrom, and Miller were the standouts for the All-Americans.

Week 11: vs. Akron Pros

''December 5, 1920, at Buffalo Baseball Park'' The All-Americans had the Akron Pros as their next opponent. The All-Americans were tired from their victory against the Canton Bulldogs the day before. Before the start of the game, Bob Nash of Akron was sold to the All-Americans for $300 and 5% of the Akron-Buffalo gate, making the first deal in APFA history. The reason for the trade was because rain was responsible for a low turnout of fans, and the game would not have been profitable for the Pros. However, Nash did not appear in the game for either team, and Scotty Bierce replaced Nash for the Pros. The rain caused sloppy game play as well as a small crowd of 3,000 people. The All-Americans had an opportunity to score in the final minutes of the game. Fritz Pollard fumbled the ball, and

recovered it. Buffalo had the ball on the 12-yard-line, but the officials called the end of the game. It resulted in a 0–0 tie.

Post-season

Since there were no playoff system in the APFA until 1932, a meeting was held to determine the 1920 APFA Champions. Each team that showed up had a vote to determine the champions. The All-Americans stated that they should win the award because they had more wins and were not beaten by the Akron Pros. Since the Akron Pros had a 1.000 winning percentage, however, the Pros were awarded the

on April 30, 1921. Ties were not counted in standings until 1972, which is why Akron is credited with a 1.000 winning percentage. The sportswriter Bruce Copeland compiled the

list for the 1920 season. No player from the All-Americans were on the list.

Roster

Standings

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:1920 Buffalo All-Americans Season Buffalo All-Americans seasons Buffalo All-Americans Buffalo All-Americans