The Man Who Built the National Football League: Joe F. Carr

by Chris Willis

  Then on November 8 the railroaders played at home in a rematch with the Pittsburgh Lyceum. For the third time under Carr, the Panhandles lost again (10-0) to the Steel City team. But Carr was pleased with the crowd of 2,500 who came out to Recreation Park. He would be even more pleased the next week when 3,500 fans in Dayton came out to witness the Panhandles 18-0 victory over the Oakwoods. Some of the hard work on the railroad yards was starting to pay off.

  The Panhandles were now 4-3-1 and Carr began to set up the game that would decide the city championship of Columbus. Their opponent would be the Columbus Nationals, and both teams talked endlessly about the matchup, which was building up to be the game of the year in central Ohio. Even Ted Nesser gave the newspaper a quote the day before the game saying, "I am confident as to the outcome."26

  The build up was tremendous and over 3,000 fans showed up at 3:00 p.m. at Recreation Park to watch the city's professional football championship game. The game was set up to witness the coming-out party for the Columbus Panhandles to show they were the best team in the capital city. But that wouldn't happen.

  "Nationals Win: Kern Still in His Old Form Wins Game"

  Bob Kern and his good right toe, which has broken up several games in years agone, again proved a winner, Sunday afternoon, at Recreation Park, when he dropped a goal from scoring the only points of the game which gave the Nationals the victory by the score of 4 to 0. The Nationals were aggressive all through the game, but the Panhandles held strong as their goal was neared. Kern made many efforts to kick the ball between the posts but failed to get the range again.27

  The loss was devastating to Carr and the Panhandles-finishing the season with a 4-4-1 record-as they thought they had a game plan to win. But it didn't happen. The loss was very bitter to Joe Carr as for the past two years he had built a team he thought was the best in Columbus. Despite the loss Carr was gracious in defeat, giving a postgame quote to his former employee, the Ohio State Journal: "Much of the sting of the defeat is taken away because the winning team is made up of, as square and fair a lot of players as we have ever met. Those Nationals were working for each other all the time. The Panhandle team was in condition, we have no excuses whatever to offer."28

  The loss to the Nationals would be a landmark game for the Panhandles and Joe Carr. After the loss Carr made two vows: (1) that the Panhandles would always make an effort to play the best Columbus teams each year, and (2) that the Panhandles would never lose to another Columbus team.

  Carr kept his word, as the Panhandles would go on to play twenty-four more games against Columbus teams from 1909 to 1922, and they would go 24-0 in those games. The railroaders would outscore their opponents 608 to 13 in those twenty-four games, giving up only two touchdowns on defense and racking up 21 shutouts. The Panhandles would go on to dominate the pro football scene in Columbus.

  Carr's first two seasons were a success as a team manager. He fielded a competitive team around the Nesser brothers, which in turn made it easy to schedule games with quality opponents (fifteen games in 1907-1908). He was a little concerned about the team's rough edges on the field, especially the physical play of his star attractions, the Nesser brothers. He didn't want anymore ejections or severe injuries that would keep them out of possible games. But it was almost impossible to tell the Nessers to take it easy on their bodies. In later years Carr commented on the brothers never wearing any padding by saying, "There aren't three good ribs amongst the lot of them."29 The sandlot toughness of the Nessers would become a staple for the Panhandles for many years to come-

  During the summer Carr got another opportunity to show off his leadership skills in the sports world. In August of 1909 Carr's good friend Bob Quinn, who was the president of the Ohio State (Baseball) League (OSL), had to fire the manager of the OSL's Newark minor league team and offered Carr the job. Carr accepted and finished the year as bench manager. The following year Quinn hired him as secretary of the OSL. Carr would serve five years (1910-1914) as secretary and then a couple years as president of the OSL, keeping the league going until World War I.

  As Joe got this new job, his older brother Michael started his own business. After several years of being a clerk/grocer, he established a new company called the Franklin Coffee Company in Columbus. One of his first moves was to hire his brother Eddie to be secretary of the company and use his bookkeeping experience. The two brothers would work together for the rest of their lives. It was a busy summer, but Joe was looking forward to the fall and back to football.

  As the season approached, he made a bold decision. Carr approached Ben Chamberlain about being the head coach for the Panhandles, allowing Ted Nesser to just concentrate on playing. Chamberlain had played local college football and then officiated several Panhandles games back in 1902, which led to him being hired by the Panhandles to be head coach in 1903 (he led the team to a 5-3 record) and 1904 (the team went 2-1 before folding).

  So Carr knew Chamberlain well from those early years and knew his experience and expertise would be perfect for the Panhandles to try and make that jump to being a more polished product on the field. At worst they would be a little more disciplined. Chamberlain agreed, and in early September the team came together; all five Nesser brothers, Andy Kertzinger, and Henry Spiers were back. Through the railroad shops Carr added a big tackle, Oscar Kuehner, who would play for twelve years; Bob Kern (the man that beat the Panhandles in the city championship in 1908); and John "Pop" Schneider, a blacksmith in the shops, who would take being part of the "Nesser family" to a whole new level.

  During one of the Panhandles games in Columbus, Schneider met Rose Nesser, one of the sisters of the famous Nesser brothers. "Rose Nesser very often would drive her brothers to the game in the family's horsedrawn cart. Because the field [Recreation Park] was about five or six miles away, she would stay and watch the game, then drive them back home," says Irene Cassady, daughter of Rose and John Schneider. "Well one time she drove the boys to the game and she met my father, John Schneider, who was playing on the team. My father said that once she stepped down off that wagon, he lost his heart, and the same with her."30

  John and Rose fell in love, but it was tough for Schneider to convince the Nesser brothers that his intentions were pure. "My grandfather took a shine to my dad, he really liked my dad," said Cassady about her father. "My dad was a very likable guy and he knew he'd have no problem at all asking my grandparents, Theodore and Catherine, if he could marry their daughter. But he said the thing that just made him shake in his boots was having to ask the brothers, that scared him." On June 19, 1912, John Schneider and Rose Nesser were married, and "Pop" officially became a member of the Nesser family. Schneider would make his own mark as a player for the Panhandles starting at center or guard for eight years.31

  Carr scheduled nine games (same as 1908), and after a 16-0 win over the Columbus Muldoons on September 26, the Panhandles began the start of one glorious season. With the combination of Chamberlain's coaching and the outstanding play of Bob Kern and the Nesser Brothers, the Panhandles made Joe Carr look like a genius.

  On October 3 the Panhandles took care of the Columbus Barracks by scoring eight touchdowns (winning 44-5) and followed that up with a 17-0 victory over the Dayton Oakwoods. The Panhandles, now 3-0, were not only going to be tested by their next two opponents, but by Carr himself. Because of the blue laws in Pittsburgh forbidding Sunday football, Carr scheduled back-to-back games for the railroaders. On Saturday (October 16) they traveled to play the Pittsburgh Lyceum and then came home and played the Cleveland All-Stars on Sunday (October 17). This was pretty normal for the pro game with teams playing twice in a week or playing back-to-back games, especially when playing teams from eastern states such as New York and Pennsylvania, which still had blue laws in effect.

  The Lyceum game was another low-scoring, rough football game, and for the fourth time the Panhandles came out on the losing end, a 3-0 heartbreaker. But the tough railroaders rebounded nicely the next day by crushing the Clevelan
d All-Stars at Indianola Park 57-5, led by three touchdowns by Frank Nesser. Carr's connections in the football world started to pay off as he made arrangements to play a new opponent in a familiar football city. The Canton Athletic Club would field a football team in 1909, and Carr's Panhandles would make their first visit to the city that was home to the famous Canton Bulldogs.

  The scandal had set the city back the last couple of seasons, but Canton was pumped to see the Panhandles. A football ad in the Canton Daily News advertised the upcoming game:32

  The game was lopsided and the Panhandles proved they were an elite team, beating the Canton Athletic Club 34-0. The crowd even cheered the Nesser brothers throughout the game, especially John Nesser, who scored two touchdowns. The Canton Repository reported that "the game was devoid of rough tactics and there was no squabbling. It was the cleanest exhibition of the year."33 Chamberlain's influence was very obvious as the Panhandles were getting the grasp of how to play the game of football, and Carr was pleased that his team was playing hard every week. The 5-1 record was no joke.

  Up next would be the rematch with the Pittsburgh Lyceum, this time in Columbus at Indianola Park. Carr had only two more home dates left, this game and the city championship, so he wanted to get as many fans out to the games as possible. This time he came up with an idea that he would eventually take to the NFL. During the week Carr announced special admission for the game and once again he went to the Ohio State journal to help him: "A splendid opportunity will be given the ladies to see this big game, as the manager [Carr] has decided to admit them free. Excellent arrangements are being made to care for an immense crowd and all will have an excellent chance to see the game. Plenty of seats, both grand stand and sideline bleachers, are assured. Added to this will be excellent street car service to handle the crowd to and from the grounds."34

  Carr continued to find new avenues to help promote his team, and this was a perfect example. He wanted to encourage female fans to come to the game, which in turn would bring more men out. What man would turn down the opportunity to go to a sporting event with his lady friend? Carr always wanted to provide a positive experience for fans who paid to watch the Panhandles play, a philosophy that he would carry for all his years as Panhandles manager, and as president of the NFL.

  Four hundred railroad workers and a near "capacity crowd" showed up at Indianola Park on November 7 and saw a closely fought game as the teams played to a 0-0 tie. But it was a game that ended in controversy. The Ohio State journal ran a headline that said, "Panhandles Make Lyceums Give Up: Pittsburgers Get Off the Field When Final Danger Mark Is Reached." The article continued the story:

  Frequently driving the Lyceum eleven toward a corner and positively forcing the big Pittsburgers to show their fear of ultimate defeat-the Panhandle eleven fell just a trifle short of the good fortune to make even three points in the game played Sunday afternoon at Indianola gridiron, around which was banked a capacity crowd.

  Two minutes before time for the game to end, the Panhandle team was sweeping toward the Lyceum goal. Ted Nesser and [Bob] Kern worked a legitimate forward pass play for substantial gain. Instantly the Lyceum leaders rushed upon Referee Barker [who hailed from Latrobe, Pennsylvania] with a demand that it be declared illegal. Barker yielded and the ensuing argument continued for a time. Play was never resumed.

  Evidently the Lyceum players, who have never been beaten in these days of modern football, were more willing to convince Columbus people that they are not game to the core than to stand up in a sportsman like way and take their medicine. Their playing record will have a scoreless game added to it and their reputation for being top-notch sportsmen given a black blot.35

  The Ohio State Journal might have been hard on the Lyceum team, but Carr was even tougher. It would be the last game the Panhandles played against the Pittsburgh team, ending a good rivalry. Following the controversy, the Panhandles were in need of some good publicity, and with the help of Carr, the Columbus Citizen on November 13 ran an article on the Nesser brothers titled "Five Famous Football Brothers." The article would be the first ever featured article written on all the Nesser brothers in a Columbus newspaper. Many more would follow. The Citizen had this to say about football's most famous family:

  The five brothers Nesser, whose aggregate weight is 1006 pounds, make the Panhandle football team a professional organization one of the best in the United States.

  The Panhandles have been constructed around the Nesser quintet, in whom football playing is almost an instinct. They are brawny, these Nessers, as the result of hard work in a railroad boiler shop, the same exercise which gave Jim Jeffries [heavyweight boxing champ] the constitution now standing him in good shape.

  Ted Nesser is the star of the family. He has years of experience on the whitewashed field, having starred with the famous Massillon Tigers when that eleven won the professional championship of the United States. Ted has until this year coached as well as played with the Panhandles. Every year he receives numerous offers to play with other professional organizations, but turns them down to play with his own team.

  The Panhandle Nessers, as someone called them, are: John, 34, who plays left half; Phil, 28, left tackle; Fred, 22, right half; Frank, 20, fullback; Ted, 26, left end.36

  The article was accompanied by a photo showing all five Nessers with their weight written across their chest. Even though the article never mentioned Joe Carr, it was definitely his idea to get the photo and the publicity in the local paper. Just like allowing ladies to attend games for free, Carr would use photos to help promote and publicize the team for years to come.

  The Nesser article gave the team some much-needed relief going into their annual trip to Dayton to play the Oakwoods (November 14). In front of a good crowd of 2,600, the Panhandles would beat the Oakwoods for the second time by a score of 16-0. Three different Nessers scored touchdowns-Frank, Fred, and Phil. The Dayton crowd was fascinated by the Nesser clan all day, even before the game started, the Dayton Journal would note:

  To these 2600 onlookers the five Nessers were the centers of attention. When the P.H. team left its hotel for the field it was found that hundreds of Day- tonians were lined up in the streets just as eager to see the Nessers as the average citizen is to look over a circus parade.

  When it comes to playing, the brotherhood made good. It was strictly football with them and their teammates at all times. Never was there a wrangle at any stage of the game and the crowd was so well pleased with the show that it gave the Panhandle team a parting cheer.37

  The Nesser clan was now becoming "rock stars" as professional football players-a must-see act. The rest of the Panhandle team also had reason to cheer: the season had just one game to go, and they had a 6-1-1 record. But all of that didn't matter to the railroaders; they only had one thing on their minds going into the last game. Revenge. All of the other games were just a tune-up for the finale, a rematch with the Columbus Nationals, the team that beat them for the 1908 city championship. The Panhandles had to win this game or it was a bad season.

  The city of Columbus became excited about the upcoming game, and the press was doing its part in the hoopla. The Ohio State journal ran daily articles previewing the game, but it was an article on November 17, four days before the matchup, that captured the city's interest in the gridiron battle. The article's title was "Chatter over a Championship: Football Fans Are Discussing Pro and Con Merits of Big Eleven":

  "On to Indianola" is the slogan of the National and Panhandle rooters. Everyone interested in the two teams is counting the minutes until the time will be called for the two big teams to take the field for the annual championship clash. Never before has an independent championship game caused as much talk among football fans of Columbus.

  "Do you think that the Nationals will repeat?" was asked by a prominent football coach yesterday of a Panhandle man and this was the reply: "Never in a thousand years." If it had been a National rooter the answer would have been, "We have won five times in a row a
nd will not let the sixth attempt go by"

  News from the two camps is very scarce and hardly a line can be gotten on either team because everything is being kept quiet. The only thing said openly is that the teams will give the battle of their career. If this is the case, the good game of last year will be forgotten after Sunday's game.

  Both managers are working day and night to perfect every detail and will not leave the smallest stone unturned to have everything in the smoothest order.38

  On the morning of November 21, both the city and the two teams were ready to battle. A crowd of 2,500 fans came out to Indianola Park and saw just how ready the Panhandles were, as the railroaders got their revenge in a big way, led by fullback Frank Nesser, who gave the greatest performance ever on a Columbus gridiron. The big 230-pound bulldozer had the game of his life, scoring six touchdowns as the Panhandles routed the Nationals 33-0. The Panhandles won the city championship title, and Carr was vindicated that his team was the best in central Ohio.

  The big win over the Nationals capped what was the greatest season in Panhandles team history. The 7-1-1 record was a great achievement not only for the team but also for the management under Joe Carr and the coaching under Ben Chamberlain. The Panhandles had scored thirty-nine touchdowns in 1909, and twenty-six of them were scored by guys named Nesser. Frank Nesser scored seventeen by himself. The defense was even better, surrendering only thirteen points all season, with six shutouts in nine games. What would Carr do for an encore?

  he success of the 1909 Panhandles put a lot of pressure on Joe Carr to see if he could duplicate the recipe. Before the season Carr's roster added a star and subtracted one. Bob Kern, who scored forty points, would leave the team. His running and kicking would be solely missed in 1910, but his presence would be replaced by the sixth member of the Nesser clan. Seventeen-year-old Al Nesser joined his brothers to give Carr six Nessers to help advertise his team. Al would play the next eight years with the Panhandles, mostly as a guard, and would quickly become one of the best at that position in the early days of professional football.