1920 Detroit Heralds season
Head coachBill Marshall
Home fieldNavin Field
Results
Record2–3–3 Overall
1-3-0 APFA
League place9th APFA

The 1920 Detroit Heralds season was the 16th season for the Detroit Heralds, an independent American football team. Led by coach Bill Marshall, the team compiled a 2–3–3 record. The 1920 season was the team's first competing in the new American Professional Football Association (predecessor to the National Football League). The team finished in ninth place in the league.[1]

Schedule

The table below was compiled using the information from The Pro Football Archives, which used various contemporary newspapers.[2] A dagger (†) by a team means that team was not affiliated with the non-APFA. For the results column, the winning team's score is posted first followed by the result for the Heralds. For the attendance, if a cell is greyed out and has "N/A", then that means there is an unknown figure for that game. Green-colored rows indicate a win; yellow-colored rows indicate a tie; and red-colored rows indicate a loss.

Week Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance Record
1 No game scheduled
2 No game scheduled
3 October 10 Cleveland Panthers† W 40–14 Navin Field — 1–0
4 October 17 at Chicago Tigers L 0–12 Cubs Park 5,000 1–1
5 October 24 vs. Columbus Panhandles W 6–0 Mack Park — 2–1
6 October 31 at Racine Cardinals L 0–21 Cubs Park 3,000 2–2
7 November 7 at Akron Pros Cancelled
8 November 14 at Fort Wayne Friars† T 0–0 League Park 3,000 2–2–1
9 November 21 vs. Detroit Armadas† Cancelled
10 November 25 at Dayton Triangles L 0–28 Triangle Park — 2–3–1
November 28 vs. Lansing Oldsmobile† T 0–0 Mack Park — 2–3–2
11 December 5 vs. Detroit Maroons† T 7–7 Mack Park — 2–3–3
12 No game scheduled
13 No game scheduled

Week 3: vs. Cleveland Panthers

1 2 3 4 Total
Panthers 0 0 7 7 14
Heralds 6 13 14 7 40

October 10, 1920, at Navin Field

The Heralds opened their season with a game against the Cleveland Panthers, played at Navin Field on October 10, 1920. The Heralds won by a 40–14 score. Eddie Moegle, the Heralds' right halfback, scored the team's first touchdown of the 1920 NFL season. Additional touchdowns were scored by left end Heinie Schultz, left tackle Hugh Lowery, substitute left end Joe Fitzgerald, substitute fullback Wood, and quarterback Perce Wilson. Right tackle Steamer Horning converted four goals after touchdown for Detroit. After "a mix-up" with Detroit's Charlie Guy and Gil Runkel, Cleveland's star halfback Arnold Vogel was carried off the field in the fourth quarter with a broken left shoulder and three broken ribs; he was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital for medical treatment. The Detroit Free Press called it "a rough and tumble match," but also wrote that it was "a slow and rather uninteresting football battle."[3]

The Heralds' starting lineup against Columbus was Heinie Schultz (left end), Hugh Lowery (left tackle), Clarence Appelgran (left guard), Gil Runkel (center), Charlie Guy (right guard), Steamer Horning (right tackle), Ray Whipple (right end), Perce Wilson (quarterback), King (left halfback), Eddie Moegle (right halfback), and Pat Dunne (fullback). Jimmy Kelly (left halfback), Fitzgerald (left end), Wood (fullback), and McCoy (right tackle) appeared in the game as substitutes.[3]

Week 4: at Chicago Tigers

1 2 3 4 Total
Heralds 0 0 0 0 0
Tigers 6 0 6 0 12

October 17, 1920, at Cub Park

The Heralds lost by a 12–0 score to the Chicago Tigers on October 17, 1920, in a game played at Cub Park in Chicago.[4]

Week 5: vs. Columbus Panhandles

1 2 3 4 Total
Panhandles 0 0 0 0 0
Heralds 0 6 0 0 6

October 24, 1920, at Mack Park

Following the loss, the Heralds were visited by the Columbus Panhandles, an APFA team. The Panhandles' passing attack helped them outgain the Heralds, but, according to the Ohio State Journal, it was a close game and "one play decided the outcome."[5] The Heralds' left end, Joe Fitzgerald, intercepted a pass from Frank Nesser and ran it back for an 85-yard touchdown.[5]

The Heralds' starting lineup against Columbus was Fitzgerald (left end), Hugh Lowery (left tackle), Moose Gardner (left guard), Gil Runkel (center), Charlie Guy (right guard), Steamer Horning (right tackle), Ray Whipple (right end), Bill Joyce (quarterback), Bo Hanley (left halfback), Jimmy Kelly (right halfback), and Pat Dunne (fullback). Perce Wilson (quarterback), Birtie Maher (left end) and Ty Krentler (fullback) appeared in the game as substitutes.[6]

Week 6: at Chicago Cardinals

1 2 3 4 Total
Heralds 0 0 0 0 0
Cardinals 0 0 21 0 21

October 31, 1920, at Cub Park

The Heralds lost to the Chicago Cardinals on October 31, 1920, in a game played at Cub Park in Chicago. The game was a scoreless tie until the middle of the third period. Over a five-minute period, the Cardinals blocked three punts by Steamer Horning. Chicago scored touchdowns each time and won the game 21–0.[7]

Week 8: at Fort Wayne Friars

1 2 3 4 Total
Heralds 0 0 0 0 0
Friars 0 0 0 0 0

November 14, 1920, at League Park

On November 14, 1920, the Heralds played the Fort Wayne Friars to a scoreless tie at League Park in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The game was called "one of the best games of football seen here this season."[8]

Week 10: at Dayton Triangles

1 2 3 4 Total
Heralds 0 0 0 0 0
Triangles 0 0 0 0 0

November 25, 1920, at Triangle Park

Week 10: vs Lansing Oldsmobile

1 2 3 4 Total
Oldsmobile 0 0 0 0 0
Heralds 0 0 0 0 0

November 28, 1920, at Mack Park

On November 28, 1920, the Heralds played to a scoreless tie against the Lansing Oldsmobile team on a muddy field at Mack Park. The Heralds came closest to scoring on a long forward pass from Ernest Watson to Joe Fitzgerald who was downed at Lansing's six-yard line. The Heralds were held on downs from the six-yard line.[9]

The Heralds' starting lineup against Lansing was Blake Miller (left end), Hugh Lowery (left tackle), Gates (left guard), Gil Runkel (center), Tom Dickinson (right guard), Steamer Horning (right tackle), Joe Fitzgerald (right end), Ernest Watson (quarterback), Stan Jacobs (left halfback), Lynn Allen (right halfback), and Jimmy Kelly (fullback). Pat Dunne (fullback) and Perce Wilson (left halfback) appeared in the game as substitutes.[9]

Week 11: vs. Detroit Maroons

1 2 3 4 Total
Maroons 0 0 0 7 7
Heralds 0 0 7 0 7

December 5, 1920, at Mack Park

The Heralds finished the 1920 season with a game against the Detroit Maroons for the city championship. Substitute fullback Ty Krentler scored the Heralds' touchdown in the final minute of the third quarter. The Maroons tied the game with a touchdown in the fourth quarter by fullback Schultz.[10]

Standings

1920 APFA standings[11]
W L T PCT DIV DPCT PF PA STK
Akron Pros† 8 0 3 1.000 6–0–3 1.000 151 7 T2
Decatur Staleys 10 1 2 .909 5–1–2 .833 164 21 T1
Buffalo All-Americans 9 1 1 .900 4–1–1 .800 258 32 T1
Chicago Cardinals 6 2 2 .750 3–2–2 .600 101 29 T1
Rock Island Independents 6 2 2 .750 4–2–1 .667 201 49 W1
Dayton Triangles 5 2 2 .714 4–2–2 .667 150 54 L1
Rochester Jeffersons 6 3 2 .667 0–1–0 .000 156 57 T1
Canton Bulldogs 7 4 2 .636 4–3–1 .571 208 57 W1
Detroit Heralds 2 3 3 .400 1–3–0 .250 53 82 T2
Cleveland Tigers 2 4 2 .333 1–4–2 .200 28 46 L1
Chicago Tigers 2 5 1 .286 1–5–1 .167 49 63 W1
Hammond Pros 2 5 0 .286 0–3–0 .000 41 154 L3
Columbus Panhandles 2 6 2 .250 0–4–0 .000 41 121 W1
Muncie Flyers 0 1 0 .000 0–1–0 .000 0 45 L1

 †  Awarded the Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup and named APFA Champions.
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Players

References

  1. ^ 1920 Detroit Heralds
  2. ^ "1920 Detroit Heralds". The Pro Football Archives. Maher Sports Media. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Heralds Trim Panthers 40-14: Vogel, Cleveland Star Right Halfback, in Hospital From Injuries". Detroit Free Press. October 11, 1920. p. 13. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  4. ^ "FLUKY KICKS GIVE CHICAGO THE GAME: Detroit Heralds Lose Hard Fought Game, 12 to 0". Detroit Free Press. October 18, 1920. p. 11. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Willis (2007), p. 172
  6. ^ "Heralds Get Lonely Tally: Fitzgerald Intercepts Forward Pass, Runs 85 Yards to Beat Pan Handles; Local Team Plays Good Game as Do the Visitors; Big Crowd Out". Detroit Free Press. October 25, 1920. p. 12. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  7. ^ "HERALDS BEATEN BY LARGE SCORE: Three Blocked Punts Turn Detroit Team Back". Detroit Free Press. November 1, 1920. p. 15. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  8. ^ "Heralds Draw at Ft. Wayne". Detroit Free Press. November 15, 1920. p. 14. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  9. ^ a b "No Scoring in Title Battle: Neither Lansing Nor Champion Heralds Are Able to Tally on Muddy Gridiron; Visitors Outgain Locals but Long Forward Pass Almost Beats Them". Detroit Free Press. November 29, 1920. p. 11. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  10. ^ "EACH ELEVEN SCORES ONCE: Heralds and Maroons Go to 7-7 Tie on Muddy Grid Sunday Afternoon". Detroit Free Press. December 6, 1920. p. 11.
  11. ^ "NFL – 1920 Regular Season". National Football League. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
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