Pullman F.C. was one of the dominant American soccer teams of the early twentieth century. Established in 1883 as the Pullman Company team, it was an inaugural member of the Chicago League of Association Football before moving to the Association Football League. It dominated the Peel Cup during the 1910s and early 1920s.
History In 1883, Pullman F.C. played the 39th Street Wanderers at Pullman’s Lake Calumet athletic field complex in the first official association football game in Chicago, opening the inaugural season of the seven team Chicago League of Association Football (CLAF). Over the years, the Pullman Company sponsored numerous soccer teams, including teams for women, but the senior team remained in the CLAF for decades, competing for both the league championship, known as the Spalding Cup, and league cup, known as the Jackson Challenge Cup. Starting in 1901, Pullman also competed in a regional Midwestern professional soccer circuit, founded by Charles Comiskey in 1901 to take advantage of the popularity of the sport. The circuit included teams from Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Detroit. It folded however in 1904.
In 1904, a new Chicago league, the Association Football League (AFA), was created as a rival to the CLAF. Pullman soon jumped leagues as the CLAF faded into obscurity to be replaced by the AFA as the city’s dominant league. In 1912, Pullman built a soccer stadium for its team at 104th and Corliss. In 1913, the AFA collapsed, but was quickly replaced by the Chicago and District League, better known as the Chicago Soccer League. In 1917, Pullman disbanded its senior team. In 1920, the team was re-established. In the early twenties, Pullman moved to the Chicago Major Soccer League. It disbanded permanently in 1929.
Year-by-year YearLeagueReg. seasonPeel CupNational Challenge Cup1909/10 AFA 2nd Third round N/A1910/11 AFA 8th ? N/A1911/12 AFA1stChampion N/A1912/13 AFA1stChampion N/A1913/14 AFA1stChampion Quarterfinal1914/15 AFA1stChampion Fourth round1915/16 CSL1st ? Semifinal1916/17 ? ? ? Second round1917/18On hiatus1918/19On hiatus1919/20On hiatus1920/21 ? ?Champion Second round1921/22 CSL 2nd Final Quarterfinal1922/23 ? ?Champion First round1923/24 ? ? ? ?1924/25 ? ?Champion Fourth round1925/26 ? ?Champion Quarterfinal1926/27 ? ? ? ?1927/28 ? ? ? ?1928/29 ? ? ? ?
Honors Peel Cup Winner (8): 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1921, 1923, 1925, 1926 Runner Up (1): 1922
Jackson Cup (League Cup) Winner (2): 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915
League Championship Winner (5): 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916 Runner Up (2): 1910, 1922
References
External links Encyclopedia of Chicago: Soccer Chicago Soccer History