Cleveland Bulldogs

National Football League team in the 1920s

This article is about the second Cleveland Indians National Football League football team. For the first Cleveland Indians NFL team (1921), see Cleveland Tigers (NFL). For the third Cleveland Indians NFL team (1931), see Cleveland Indians (NFL 1931).

Cleveland Indians
Cleveland BulldogsFounded| 1923

|

Folded| 1927
Based in| Cleveland, Ohio, United States
League| National Football League
Team history| Cleveland Indians (1923)
Cleveland Bulldogs (1924–1927)
Team colors| Red, white (Indians)

Maroon, white (Bulldogs)

Head coaches| Cap Edwards (1923, 1925)
Guy Chamberlin (1924)
LeRoy Andrews (1927)
Owner(s)| Sam Deutsch (1923–1925)
Herb Brandt (1925–1927)
NFL Championship wins| 1 (1924)
Home field(s)| Dunn Field

The Cleveland Bulldogs were a team that played in Cleveland, Ohio in the National Football League. They were originally called the Indians in 1923, not to be confused with the Cleveland Indians NFL franchise in 1922. However, after team owner Samuel Deutsch purchased the Canton Bulldogs in 1924, he merged the Canton team with his Indians and renamed his franchise the Cleveland Bulldogs. The Canton Bulldogs remained a part of the team until 1925, when they were sold back to Canton. The Cleveland Bulldogs played in the NFL until 1928 when they were relocated to Detroit and became the Detroit Wolverines. The team was later incorporated into the New York Giants in 1929. The Cleveland Bulldogs won the 1924 NFL championship.

## History

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### Origins

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Sam Deutsch, a Cleveland jeweler and boxing promoter who also owned a minor-league baseball team, bought an NFL franchise in 1923 and named the team the Indians. They played only seven games in that first season, but they had a shot at the championship, with a 3–0–3 record going into their final game against the Canton Bulldogs, who were also undefeated. The Indians were defeated 46–0 and posted a 3–1–3 league record, finishing fifth in the league, which comprised twenty teams at the time.

### Purchase of the Canton Bulldogs

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However, in August 1924, Deutsch, bought the defending NFL champions Canton Bulldogs for $2,500. The Bulldogs were experiencing heavy financial troubles at time and were sold to Deutsch without much of a struggle. Duestch combined the Cleveland Indians with the Canton Bulldogs, creating a new team, the Cleveland Bulldogs. Only seven of the Canton players actually joined the new Bulldogs; among them was player-coach Guy Chamberlin. The team played all of its home games at Dunn Field although Deutsch returned the team to Canton for the Thanksgiving game that season.

### 1924 NFL champions and controversy

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The Cleveland Bulldogs won the NFL championship that year with a 7–1–1 record. After winning their first six games, the Bulldogs lost to the Frankford Yellow Jackets and entered a virtual tie with the Chicago Bears for first place in the standings. The Bears played more games, but also had more ties, and their one loss had come in the season opener against the Bulldogs. The Bears attempted to have an after-season exhibition game counted toward the standings, however in 1924 this was against the NFL's rules. In July 1924, NFL owners had agreed on a proposal that the 1924 NFL season would begin on September 27 and end on November 30. Ironically, as it turned out, the proposal was made by Dutch Sternaman, co-owner of the Bears. On the official end date, Cleveland had a 7–1–1 record to Bears' 6–1–4. Ties didn't count at all in those days, so the Bulldogs were in first place with an .875 winning percentage to Chicago's .857. However, on December 7, 1924, the Bulldogs went to Chicago for a challenge match. The Bears won the game, 23–0, and claimed that they deserved the NFL championship; they cited as precedent the 1921 championship decision (which the Bears had won over the Buffalo All-Americans) that declared there was no such thing as an exhibition game. However, the issue wasn't settled until the owners' meeting in January, when the owners voted for Cleveland to take the title. The owners also decided at that meeting that the 1925 season would run through December 20.

### Decline

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In 1925, several Canton businessmen purchased the rights to the old Canton Bulldogs team from Deutsch for $3,000. The Bulldogs, now known as the Canton Bulldogs, played in Canton during the 1925 and 1926 seasons. However Deutsch continued to call his Cleveland franchise the Bulldogs. He also sold his Cleveland Indians half of the club to Herb Brandt in August 1925. That season the Cleveland Bulldogs fell to a dismal 5–8–1 record. The team performed poorly on the field and at the bank. By mid-November the organization was nearly bankrupt.

Benny Friedman

In 1926 Brandt received authority from the league to suspend operations for a year.

In 1927 by Sammy Deutsch made his reappearance, heading an ownership group which included Brandt, Max Rosenblum, Harold Gould, and Clinton Winfrey that took over and restarted the Cleveland Bulldogs franchise. The financially failing Kansas City Cowboys was purchased and provided the core of players for the new 1927 Bulldogs football club. Deutsch saw the team as a new business opportunity when he was able to procure the services of Cleveland-born Michigan passing legend Benny Friedman, whom he contracted of an astounding $18,000 for the 1927 season — the second highest compensation package in the league behind only Red Grange.[1]

The team finished fourth in the National Football League in 1927, with an 8–4–1 record, but the joy was short-lived as the team relocated to become the Detroit Wolverines in 1928 to better cash in on Friedman's popularity.

### Ties to the New York Giants

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At the end of the season, Elliott Fisher purchased the Bulldogs and moved the team to Detroit to become the Wolverines. The 1928 Wolverines team consisted of 12 former Bulldogs players. Before the 1929 season, Tim Mara, owner of the New York Giants, purchased the entire Wolverines squad — with superstar passer Benny Friedman the primary object of his desire — and absorbed the team into his New York Giants franchise. Eight former Bulldogs players ended up playing for the Giants that season.

## Pro Football Hall of Famers

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Cleveland Bulldogs/Indians Hall of Famers

Players
No.  | Name  | Position  | Tenure  | Inducted
— | Guy Chamberlin | End, HB | 1924 | 1965
— | Benny Friedman | QB | 1927 | 2005
— | William "Link" Lyman | T | 1924 | 1964
— | Steve Owen | T/G | 1925 | 1966

## Season-by-season

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| Year | W | L | T | Finish | Coach

|
|
|
|
|
|

Indians  | 1923 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5th | Cap Edwards
Bulldogs  | 1924 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1st | Guy Chamberlin
1925 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 12th | Cap Edwards
1926 | Suspended Operations
1927 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 4th | LeRoy Andrews

## References

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1. ^ Murray Greenberg, Passing Game: Benny Friedman and the Transformation of Football. New York: Public Affairs, 2008; p. 140.

## External links

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* Peterson, Robert W. (1997). Pigskin: The Early Years of Pro Football. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-511913-4.
* Lahman, Sean (2008). The Pro Football Historical Abstract. The Lyons Press. ISBN 978-1-59228-940-0.
* Ohio History Central: Cleveland Bulldogs
* Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: Cleveland Bulldogs

Achievements

Preceded by

Canton Bulldogs
1922, 1923

|  Cleveland Bulldogs
NFL Champions
1924 | Succeeded by

Chicago Cardinals
1925

* v
* t
* e

Cleveland Indians / Bulldogs

* Defunct National Football League club 1923–27
* Based in Cleveland, Ohio

The Franchise|

* History
* Indians players
* Bulldogs players

NFL Championships (1)|

* 1924 NFL Championship

Stadia|

* Dunn Field

Owners|

* Samuel Deutsch
* Herb Brandt

Head Coaches|

* Cap Edwards
* Guy Chamberlin
* LeRoy Andrews

Seasons|

* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1927

Franchise ties|

* Canton Bulldogs
* Detroit Wolverines
* Kansas City Cowboys
* New York Giants

Unrelated Cleveland Indians NFL franchises|

* Cleveland Indians (1921)
* Cleveland Indians (1931)

Links to related articles

* v
* t
* e

Cleveland Bulldogs 1924 NFL champions

* Chalmer Ault
* Scotty Bierce
* Hal Burt
* Guy Chamberlin
* Rudy Comstock
* Cap Edwards
* Doc Elliott
* Charlie Honaker
* Ben Jones
* Jerry Jones
* Link Lyman
* Stanley Muirhead
* Dave Noble
* Duke Osborn
* Wooky Roberts
* Olin Smith
* Russ Smith
* John Tanner
* Ralph Vince
* Dick Wolf
* Joe Work
* Hoge Workman

Head coach Guy Chamberlin

* v
* t
* e

Cleveland Indians/Bulldogs seasons

* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1927

* v
* t
* e

Defunct NFL franchises

Charter
teams|

* Chicago Tigers (1920)
* Cleveland Tigers / Indians (1920–1921)
* Muncie Flyers (1920–1921)
* Rochester Jeffersons (1920–1925)
* Rock Island Independents (1920–1925)
* Akron Pros / Indians (1920–1926)
* Canton Bulldogs (1920–1926)
* Columbus Panhandles / Tigers (1920–1926)
* Hammond Pros (1920–1926)
* Detroit Heralds / Tigers / Panthers / Wolverines (1920–1928)
* Buffalo All-Americans / Bisons / Rangers (1920–1929)
* Dayton Triangles (1920–1929)

1920s|

* Cincinnati Celts (1921)
* New York Brickley Giants (1921)
* Tonawanda Kardex Lumbermen (1921)
* Washington Senators (1921)
* Evansville Crimson Giants (1921–1922)
* Louisville Breckenridges / Colonels (1921–1923, 1926)
* Minneapolis Marines / Red Jackets (1921–1924, 1929–1930)
* Oorang Indians (1922–1923)
* Toledo Maroons (1922–1923)
* Racine Legion / Tornadoes (1922–1924, 1926)
* Milwaukee Badgers (1922–1926)
* St. Louis All-Stars (1923)
* Cleveland Indians / Bulldogs (1923–1927)
* Duluth Kelleys / Eskimos (1923–1927)
* Kenosha Maroons (1924)
* Kansas City Blues (1924)
* Kansas City Cowboys (1925–1926)
* Frankford Yellow Jackets (1924–1931)
* Pottsville Maroons / Boston Bulldogs (1925–1929)
* Providence Steam Roller (1925–1931)
* Brooklyn Lions (1926)
* Hartford Blues (1926)
* Los Angeles Buccaneers (1926)
* New York Yankees (1927–1928)
* Orange / Newark Tornadoes (1929–1930)
* Staten Island Stapletons (1929–1932)

1930s–50s|

* Brooklyn Dodgers / Tigers (1930–1944)
* Cleveland Indians (1931)
* Cincinnati Reds (1933–1934)
* St. Louis Gunners (1934)
* Boston Yanks (1944–1948)
* Miami Seahawks / Baltimore Colts (1947–1950)
* New York Bulldogs / Yanks (1949–1951)
* Dallas Texans (1952)

* v
* t
* e

Canton Bulldogs

* Defunct Ohio League and National Football League club 1905–27
* Formerly the Canton Athletic Club and the Canton Professionals
* Based in Canton, Ohio

The franchise|

* History
* Players

NFL championships (2)|

* 1922 NFL Championship
* 1923 NFL Championship

Ohio League championships (3)|

* 1916
* 1917
* 1919

Rivalries|

* Massillon Tigers
* Shelby Blues
* Akron Pros
* Latrobe Athletic Association

Lore|

* Canton Bulldogs–Massillon Tigers betting scandal
* Cleveland Bulldogs
* Jim Thorpe – All-American
* Ralph Hay
* Pro Football Hall of Fame
* Ralph Hay Pioneer Award

Head coaches|

* Blondy Wallace
* Jack Cusack
* Jim Thorpe
* Cap Edwards
* Guy Chamberlin
* Harry Robb
* Pete Henry

Seasons|

* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926

Championship seasons in bold

* v
* t
* e

Cleveland Tigers / Indians

* Defunct Ohio League and National Football League club 1919–22
* Based in Cleveland, Ohio

The Franchise|

* History
* Tigers players
* Indians players

Stadia|

* League Park

Head Coaches|

* Peggy Parratt
* Stan Cofall
* Al Pierotti
* Jim Thorpe

Owners|

* Jimmy O'Donnell

Unrelated franchises|

* Cleveland Indians (1923)
* Cleveland Indians (1931)

Seasons|

* 1916
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921

* v
* t
* e

Cleveland Indians (NFL 1931)

* Defunct National Football League club 1931
* Based in Cleveland, Ohio

The Franchise|

* Players

Stadium|

* Cleveland Municipal Stadium

Head Coaches|

* Al Cornsweet & Hoge Workman

Seasons|

* 1931

Related franchises|

Preceded by the Orange/Newark Tornadoes — Succeeded by the Boston/Washington Redskins

Unrelated franchises|

* Cleveland Indians (1921)
* Cleveland Indians (1923)

* v
* t
* e

Detroit Heralds / Tigers / Panthers / Wolverines

* Series of defunct Ohio League and National Football League clubs 1908–28 based in Detroit

* Detroit Heralds from 1905–20
* The Heralds were renamed the Detroit Tigers in 1921
* A new franchise was established as the Detroit Panthers 1925–26
* Cleveland Bulldogs relocated to Detroit and played in 1928 as the Detroit Wolverines

The Franchise|

* Detroit Heralds/Tigers
* Detroit Panthers
* Detroit Wolverines

Stadiums|

* Mack Park (Heralds)
* Packard Park (Heralds)
* Navin Field (Heralds, Tigers, Panthers)
* Dinan Field (Wolverines)

NFL seasons|

* 1920
* 1921
* 1925
* 1926
* 1928

Lore|

* Cleveland Bulldogs
* New York Giants
* Thanksgiving Day football games

Owners|

* Bill Marshall (Heralds/Tigers)
* Jimmy Conzelman (Panthers)
* Benny Friedman (Wolverines)

Coaches|

* Bill Marshall (Heralds/Tigers)
* Jimmy Conzelman (Panthers)
* LeRoy Andrews (Wolverines)

* v
* t
* e

New York Giants

* Founded in 1925
* Based and headquartered in East Rutherford, New Jersey

Franchise|

* Franchise
* Seasons
* Coaches
* All-time roster (A–Kim, Kin–Z)
* First-round draft picks
* Quarterbacks
* Logos and uniforms

History|

* 1925–1978
* 1979–1993
* 1994–present
* Financial history

Stadiums|

* Polo Grounds
* Yankee Stadium
* Yale Bowl
* Shea Stadium
* Giants Stadium
* MetLife Stadium

Culture|

* Cleveland Bulldogs
* The Duke
* Crunch Bunch
* Gatorade shower
* Big Blue Wrecking Crew
* I'm going to Disney World!
* Little Giants
* "New York Groove"
* "We Fly High"
* "The Masseuse" (Seinfeld episode)
* Big Fan
* Bob Sheppard
* Jim Hall
* Yankee Stadium Legacy
* License Plate Guy
* The Best Man Holiday
* Finding Giants

Lore|

* Sneakers Game
* The Greatest Game Ever Played
* Chuck Bednarik's hit on Frank Gifford
* The Fumble
* Wide Right
* Snowball Game
* 2007 game vs. New England Patriots
* 2007 NFC Championship Game
* Helmet Catch
* Miracle at the New Meadowlands

Rivalries|

* Chicago Bears
* Dallas Cowboys
* Green Bay Packers
* New England Patriots
* New York Jets
* Philadelphia Eagles
* San Francisco 49ers
* Washington Commanders

Key personnel|

* Owners: John Mara & Steve Tisch
* General manager: Joe Schoen
* Head coach: Brian Daboll

Division championships (22)|

* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1938
* 1939
* 1941
* 1944
* 1946
* 1956
* 1958
* 1959
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1986
* 1989
* 1990
* 1997
* 2000
* 2005
* 2008
* 2011

Conference championships (11)|

* 1956
* 1958
* 1959
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1986
* 1990
* 2000
* 2007
* 2011

League championships (8)|

* 1927
* 1934
* 1938
* 1956
* 1986 (XXI)
* 1990 (XXV)
* 2007 (XLII)
* 2011 (XLVI)

Retired numbers|

* 1
* 4
* 7
* 10
* 11
* 14
* 14
* 16
* 32
* 40
* 42
* 50
* 56
* 92

Media|

* Broadcasters
* Radio network
* Bob Papa
* Carl Banks
* Howard Cross

Current league affiliations|

* League: National Football League
* Conference: National Football Conference
* Division: East Division

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