1921 Buffalo All-Americans season

The 1921 Buffalo All-Americans season was their second in the league. The team matched their previous output of 9–1–1, going 9–1–2 against league opponents, and losing the league title to the Chicago Staleys in a disputed tiebreaker.[1]

1921 Buffalo All-Americans season
Head coachTommy Hughitt
Home fieldCanisius College
Results
Record10–1–2 Overall
9–1–2 APFA
Division place2nd APFA
Playoff finishLost 10–7 to Chicago Staleys

Philadelphia Quakers moonlighting controversy and absorption of Detroit Heralds

During the 1921 season, several of the Buffalo All-Americans, most notably future Philadelphia Eagles co-founder Lud Wray, also played for the Philadelphia Quakers, an independent club based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since Philadelphia was subject to blue laws in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Quakers had to play their games on Saturdays, as opposed to the Sundays used by the APFA, including Buffalo. The Buffalo players played for Philadelphia on Saturday, then traveled back to Buffalo for Sunday's game. A few days before Buffalo played Canton, the league found out about violation of league policy, and made the players choose which team they wanted to play for. Five, including Wray, chose to stay with the Quakers, blaming the Buffalo management for "blowing the whistle." Buffalo was able to hire players from the Detroit Heralds, who folded midseason, to complete their roster.[2]

De facto championship game

The Chicago Staleys (to be renamed the Chicago Bears after the end of the season), led by wide receiver George Halas, and the Buffalo All-Americans, led by quarterback Tommy Hughitt and fullback Catchy Oliphant, were the two top teams in the league; each playing all of their games at home, Buffalo and Chicago amassed 6–0 records in league play. On Thanksgiving 1921, Buffalo played one of its only road games of the season, in Chicago, and prevailed 7–6. Chicago demanded a rematch.

The All-Americans agreed to rematch the Staleys on December 4, again in Chicago, on the condition that the game would be considered a "post-season" exhibition game not to be counted in the standings; had it not, Buffalo would have had an undefeated season and won the title. (Buffalo had played, and defeated, the Akron Pros just one day prior.) Chicago defeated Buffalo, who did not have the services of the Heralds players it had borrowed (they were playing against the Detroit Maroons the same day), in the rematch by a score of 10–7. Halas rebutted that the second game was played on December 4 (well before teams typically stopped playing games in those days), and the Staleys played two more games against top opponents, the Canton Bulldogs and Chicago Cardinals after the second Buffalo game (though, at the time of the Buffalo-Chicago matchup, Chicago had played three fewer games than Buffalo).

The league counted the All-Americans game in the standings, against Buffalo's wishes, resulting in Buffalo (9–1–2) and Chicago (9–1–1) being tied atop the standings. The league then implemented the first ever tiebreaker: a rule, now considered archaic and removed from league rulebooks, that states that if two teams play multiple times in a season, the last game between the two teams carries more weight. Thus, the Chicago victory actually counted more in the standings, giving Chicago the championship. Buffalo sports fans have been known to refer to this, justly or unjustly, as the "Staley Swindle," and have cited it as the first evidence of a sports curse on the city.

Oliphant was the most valuable player for the All-Americans as he led the league in scoring; (47 points), FGs (5) and PATs (26), 1 touchdown; he also led the league in touchdown passes (7).

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result
– September 25, 1921 McKeesport Olympics W 28–0
1 October 2, 1921 Hammond Pros W 17–0
2 October 9, 1921 Columbus Panhandles W 38–0
3 October 16, 1921 New York Brickley Giants W 55–0
4 October 23, 1921 Rochester Jeffersons W 28–0
5 October 30, 1921 at Detroit Tigers W 21–0
6 November 6, 1921 Cleveland Indians W 10–6
7 November 13, 1921 Akron Pros T 0–0
8 November 20, 1921 Canton Bulldogs T 7–7
9 November 24, 1921 at Chicago Staleys W 7–6
10 November 27, 1921 Dayton Triangles W 7–0
11 December 3, 1921 Akron Pros W 14–0
12 December 4, 1921 at Chicago Staleys L 10–7

Game in italics was against a non-NFL team, is therefore not counted in league standings.

Standings
APFA standings
W L T PCT PF PA STK
Chicago Staleys 911.90012853T1
Buffalo All-Americans 912.90021129L1
Akron Pros 831.72714831W1
Canton Bulldogs 523.71410655W1
Rock Island Independents 421.6676530L1
Evansville Crimson Giants 320.6008946W1
Green Bay Packers 321.6007055L1
Dayton Triangles 441.5009667L1
Chicago Cardinals 332.5005453T1
Rochester Jeffersons 230.4008576W2
Cleveland Indians 350.3759558L1
Washington Senators 120.3342143L1
Cincinnati Celts 130.25014117L2
Hammond Pros 131.2501745L2
Minneapolis Marines 130.2503741L1
Detroit Tigers 151.16719109L5
Columbus Panhandles 180.11147222W1
Tonawanda Kardex 010.000045L1
Muncie Flyers 020.000028L2
Louisville Brecks 020.000027L2
New York Brickley Giants 020.000072L2

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

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References
  1. 1921 Buffalo All-Americans
  2. Who Really Won in 1921? Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Bills Backers United.
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