The 1920 season was the Decatur Staleys′ 2nd season of existence, the first professional season of the franchise that would go on to be known as the Chicago Bears and their first under head coach George Halas, competing in the newly formed American Professional Football Association.
The team improved on their 6–1 record from 1919 to a 10–1–2 record and earning them a second-place finish in the league standings. In the last league game of the season, the Staleys needed a win versus Akron to have a chance at the title. Akron, predictably, played for a tie, achieved that, and won the first APFA title.
The stars of the Staleys were halfbacks Dutch Sternaman and Jimmy Conzelman, and end George Halas. Sternaman had a remarkable season with 11 rushing TDs, 1 receiving TDs, 4 field goals, and 3 PATs, totaling 87 points scored out of the Staleys' total of 164. Jimmy Conzelman ran for two scores and threw two more, while Halas led the team in receiving touchdowns with two.
Background The Decatur Staleys finished 6–1 in their 1919 season as an independent team. Their 1919 owner, George Chamberlain, asked George Halas to manage the team, and Halas accepted. After the 1919 season, representatives of four Ohio League 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 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 Association.PFRA Research (1980), pp. 3–4Siwoff, Zimmber & Marini (2010), pp. 352–353 They then invited other professional teams to a second meeting on September 17.
At that meeting, held at Bulldogs owner Ralph Hay's Hupmobile showroom in Canton, representatives of the Rock Island Independents, the Muncie Flyers, the Decatur Staleys, the Racine Cardinals, the Massillon Tigers, the Chicago Cardinals, and the Hammond Pros agreed to join the league. Representatives of the Buffalo All-Americans and Rochester Jeffersons could not attend the meeting, but sent letters to Hay asking to be included in the league.PFRA Research (1980), p. 4 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.Peterson (1997), p. 74Davis (2005), p. 59 Also, representatives of each team voted to determine the winner of the APFA trophy.
By previous agreement, the 1920 Staleys players were paid a share of the team's gate receipts at the end of the season — about $1600 per man.Jeff Davis, Papa Bear: The Life and Legacy of George Halas. New York: McGraw Hill, 2005; p. 62. For his additional duties as manager and coach, Halas was voted an extra share, a total of $2,322.77.
Schedule Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources 1 October 3 Moline Tractors W 20–0 1–0 Staley Field 1,500 Recap "Staley Eleven Opens Season Beating Moline Tractors, 20–0: 1500 See Local Team Crush Visitors Under Fast Fierce Attack," Decatur Herald, Oct. 4, 1920, p. 4."Staleys Beat Moline Sunday [October 3], Score 20 to 0," [Taylorsville, IL] Daily Breeze, Oct. 4, 1920, p. 1."Staleys Hold Back!" Rock Island [IL] Argus, Oct. 4, 1920, p. 15. — October 10 Muncie Flyers cancelled by Staleys due to Flyers' weakness Roy Sye, "Muncie Flyers - 1920," The Coffin Corner, vol. 24, no. 3 (2002). 2 October 10 Kewanee Walworths W 25–7 2–0 Staley Field 1,500 Recap "Staleys Win from Kewanee Walworths: Starch Workers Pile Up Big Lead in First Half But Unable to Score in Second, While Visitors Put One Over in Third Period," Decatur Herald, Oct. 11, 1920, p. 4. 3 October 17 at Rock Island Independents W 7–0 3–0 Douglas Park 7,000 Recap "Staley Football Team Defeats Rock Island Club 7 to 0: Starch Workers and Rock Island Eleven Stage Great Battle," Decatur Review, Oct. 18, 1920, p. 4."Staleys Defeat Rock Island," Chicago Tribune, Oct. 18, 1920, p. 19."Staleys Trim Independents, 7 to 0: Decatur Linemen Halt Rock Island," Moline Dispatch, Oct. 18, 1920, p. 14. 4 October 24 at Chicago Tigers W 10–0 4–0 Cubs Park 5,000 Recap "Staleys Trim Chicago Tigers 10–0 in Hard Fought Game: Windy City Eleven Forces Halas' Men to Play Their Best," Decatur Herald, Oct. 25, 1920, p. 4. 5 October 31 at Rockford A.C. W 29–0 5–0 Kishwaukee Park 3,000 Recap 6 November 7 at Rock Island Independents T 0–0 5–0–1 Douglas Park 7,000+ Recap "Rock Island Holds Staleys to 0–0 Tie," [Hammond, IN] Lake County Times, Nov. 8, 1920, p. 6."Staley and Rock Island Football Teams Battle to Tie: Great Professional Grid Elevens Unable to Score in Contest," Decatur Herald, Nov. 8, 1920, p. 4. 7 November 11 at Champaign Legion W 20–0 6–0–1 Champaign, Illinois 500 Recap 8 November 14 at Minneapolis Marines W 3–0 7–0–1 Nicollet Park "small crowd which braved the elements" Recap "Marines Lose Great 3 to 0 Battle to Staley All Star Eleven: Sternaman's Placement Boot Brings Victory," Minneapolis Star-Review, Nov. 15, 1920, p. 7."Staley Grid Team Defeats Minneapolis Marines 3 to 0: Starch Workers Win from Devil-Dogs by Means of Field Goal," Decatur Herald, Nov. 15, 1920, p. 4. 9 November 21 Hammond Pros W 28–7 8–0–1 Staley Field 3,000 Recap 10 November 25 at Chicago Tigers W 6–0 9–0–1 Cubs Park 8,000 Recap "Sternaman's Two Scoring Boots Defeat Tigers: Staleys Best Chicagoans Second Time, 6–0, After Line-Plunging Fails to Yield Distance," Rock Island [IL] Argus, Nov. 26, 1920, p. 26. 11 November 28 at Chicago Cardinals L 6–7 9–1–1 Normal Park 5,000 Recap "Staleys of Decatur Given First Defeat by Cardinals, 7-6," Chicago Tribune, November 29, 1920, p. 19."Chicago Cardinals Defeat Staleys by Score of 7 to 6: Chicago Outplays Starch Workers in Hard Fought Clash," Decautur Herald, Nov. 29, 1920, p. 4. 12 December 5 at Chicago Cardinals W 10–0 10–1–1 Cubs Park 11,000 Recap 13 December 12 vs. Akron Pros T 0–0 10–1–2 Cubs Park 12,000 Recap Bill Penhallegon, "Staleys Battle Akron to Scoreless Tie in Grid Scrap: Decatur Team Loses Chance to Score When Sternaman Kicks Wide," Decatur Herald, Dec. 13, 1920, p. 4."Staleys and Akron Battle to Scoreless Draw in Championship Tilt: Pro Teams Play Before 12,000 in Title Game," [Davenport, IA] Quad City Times, Dec. 13, 1920, p. 7."Decatur Holds Akron to a Scoreless Tie: Akron Comes Near Losing Title Honors to Staley's Outfit," Akron Evening Times, Dec. 13, 1920, p. 10."Staleys in 0–0 Tie with Akron," Hammond [IN] Times, Dec. 13, 1920, p. 6."Akron and Staleys Play Scoreless Tie: East and West Fail to Settle Pro Grid Title," Moline Dispatch, Dec. 13, 1920, p. 14. — January 15 at Chicago Logan Square A.C. T 0–0 — Dexter Pavilion — "Pro Football Match Billed for Sunday," Hammond Times, Jan. 13, 1921, p. 10. Note: Non-APFA teams in italics. Thanksgiving Day: November 25.
Standings
Game summaries Game 1: vs Moline Universal Tractors
October 3, 1920, at Staley Field
To start the season, the Staleys played the non-APFA team Moline Universal Tractors. A crowd estimated at 1,500 saw former Illinois star halfback Dutch Sternaman score all three touchdowns for Decatur, capped by two extra points from Hugh Blacklock. According to contemporary news reports, the margin might have been larger but the Staleys pulled their starting lineup to avoid running up the score and to conserve their stars for future encounters.
Game 3: at Rock Island Independents
October 17, 1920, at Douglas Park
After two games against non-APFA teams, the Staleys played against the APFA Rock Island Independents in front of a record crowd.[ "Lack of Practice and Poor Physical Condition Account for First Upset of Season,"] Rock Island Argus, October 18, 1920. Halfback Jimmy Conzelman provided the margin for Decatur's victory on a 35-yard touchdown run through a huge hole opened up by Dutch Sternaman, fullback Charlie Lanham, and tackle Burt Ingwersen, with Hugh Blacklock tagging on the kick for point after touchdown. All eleven starters for Decatur played the game wire-to-wire.
Game 4: at Chicago Tigers
October 24, 1920, at Cubs Park
In a matchup regarded by some as the game of the year, the Starchworkers and approximately 200 of their faithful traveled about 180 miles to the Windy City to take on the vaunted Chicago Tigers. With Dutch Sternaman snapping off a 22-yard run, Decatur kept the ball in the Chicago end for most of the first quarter but were unable to break the scoreless tie. Then in the second quarter, with the Staleys taking over after a punt near midfield, diminutive quarterback Pard Pearce broke free around left end, scrambling 55 yards for a touchdown. Blacklock converted and Decatur led 7–0. The lead was stretched to 10 in the 3rd frame when Jimmy Conzelman nailed a dropkick snapped to him from the 22-yard line. Chicago marched down the field later in the period but were unable to put the ball across, second-and-goal from just 6 inches away, and the Staleys held on to win, 10–0.
Game 6: at Rock Island Independents
November 7, 1920, at Douglas Park
On a five-game winning streak, the Starchworkers met the Independents again, this time with a less salutatory result — a 0–0 tie. While the eleven Staley starters played the game wire-to-wire, four Independents players were during the game. Sid Nichols, Fred Chicken, and Oke Smith injured their knees on different plays, while Harry Gunderson was hit late by George Trafton and needed thirteen stitches on his face and repair of a broken hand.
Game 8: at Minneapolis Marines
November 14, 1920, at Nicollet Park
To conclude their six-game road game streak, the Staleys played against the Minneapolis Marines. The Marines were a non-APFA team but joined the league in 1921.Quirk (1998), p. 2 The only score of the game was a 25-yard field goal from Sternaman, kicked from placement. Minneapolis tried to answer twice in the last three minutes of play, but the first field goal attempt was blocked, while a second try sailed wide of the goalposts as time expired.
Game 13: vs. Akron Pros
December 12, 1920, at Cubs Park
The stage was set for a de facto championship game pitting the Staleys against the Akron Pros (also known as the Indians in some press accounts). Prior to the game, Halas moved their home field to the much larger Cubs Park in Chicago and hired Paddy Driscoll from the Cardinals to play on his team in order to help defeat the Pros, which was against league rules at the time.Willis (2010), p. 131Davis (2005), p. 61 Twelve thousand fans, the largest recorded crowd of the season,Carroll (1982), p. 3 showed up to watch the game, about 2,000 of whom were from Akron African-American star Fritz Pollard's hometown.
The Pros almost scored twice, but failed once because of ineligible receiver penalties. On the other side, Pollar stopped a Staleys' touchdown against Sternment in the third quarter. On the same drive, the Staleys missed a 30-yard field goal. Chamberlin attempted to injure Pollard twice in an attempt to remove him from the game. The final score ended in a 0–0 tie; however, the Chicago Defender reported that the refereeing was biased towards Decatur.
Post-season exhibition game: at Chicago Logan Square A.C. At the start of 1921 Halas organized an indoor football game on January 15 in Chicago's Dexter Park Pavilion, a practice that was a semi-regular event among the local Chicago teams. The Bears played against a local team called Chicago Logan Square A.C. to a 0–0 tie.
The Staley monthly journal would state in the February 1921 issue that "the 'Western Champions' Played One Game of Indoor Football and Decided That Once Was Enough for Them."
Post season