341:. Lyons refused to play the game. According to Lyons, the Senators had a poor fan turnout due to a snowstorm and said they would only pay the Jeffersons roughly $ 200. That amount would not allow for the team to be paid to play the game, or even meet its travel expenses for the trip back to Rochester. The game had an NFL guarantee that the Jeffersons must be paid $ 800 for the game regardless of anything. Lyons refused to play the game because of Washington not paying the $ 800 that was in the game contract. Later, NFL commissioner
358:
were almost certain to be blowouts in one direction or the other, resulting in a boring product that
Rochester residents were not willing to pay to see. After investing almost all of his personal wealth (including mortgaging his house) into the team, Lyons ran out of money in 1925 and was forced to suspend the team. The inactive team was left in limbo for the next two seasons before the NFL canceled Lyons's franchise at the 1928 owners' meetings.
357:
By the early 1920s, Lyons had encountered a conundrum. Despite his investments, the
Jeffersons were never able to consistently compete with other members of the league, but the team was far better than the semi-pro local squads that occupied the Rochester area. That meant that the Jeffersons' games
328:
On
September 17, 1920, Lyons represented Rochester at a meeting of the nation's leading pro football team managers held in Canton, for the purpose of creating the American Professional Football Association (later known as the National Football League in 1922). The Jeffersons were charter members of
312:. Canton won the game easily, 41–0. However this led Lyons to study and adopt the Bulldogs way of recruiting and playing. In 1919, he brought in some outside players and the Jeffersons won the city semi-pro championship with ease, eventually finishing runner up in the
32:
295:
Years later, Lyons became owner of the team. By the time the
Jeffersons were an NFL team, he served the team as a manager, owner, photographer, doctor, counselor, financier, field worker, game booker, agent, and scout. He also was the manager of a
967:
275:
Lyons started out as a 16-year-old player, in 1908, for the
Rochester Jeffersons semi-pro football team. By 1910, he was manager as well as a player of the team, who guided the Jeffersons to the
629:
535:
977:
366:
Lyons served as an
Honorary Historian of the NFL from after the Jeffersons folded until his death, maintaining connections with some of the owners from his era, including
622:
528:
445:
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383:
473:
952:
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521:
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370:. While not entirely flawless and often heavily weighted toward his own Jeffersons, his histories were considered better and more accurate than
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871:
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team, comprising his football players, to keep the team in shape. Lyons developed ambitions for the team. He took the
Jeffersons to
861:
375:
411:
313:
180:
387:
338:
901:
638:
260:
187:
386:, noted that Lyons had "served well" in that capacity. He was a major advocate of, and contributor to, the
726:
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582:
937:
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544:
379:
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37:
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has not recognized this game as a forfeit and official NFL standings also say it was not a forfeit.
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276:
79:
62:
741:
243:
816:
751:
474:"Leo Lyons: The man who got a Rochester team into the National Football League at its start"
280:
911:
851:
701:
305:
159:
141:
131:
926:
836:
771:
566:
317:
607:
513:
796:
781:
658:
586:
558:
367:
301:
761:
736:
594:
371:
342:
716:
691:
686:
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309:
297:
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846:
826:
806:
711:
664:
446:"Honoring the sports icons behind Rochester NFL and NBA teams of yesteryear"
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city championship. As a manager, Leo recruited one of pro football's first
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On
December 5, 1921, a game was scheduled between the Jeffersons and the
390:; he himself was nominated several times but has never been inducted.
31:
503:
90:
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the organization and played in the league from 1920–25.
259:(March 11, 1892 – May 18, 1976) was a co-founder of the
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American football player, coach, and executive (1892–1976)
263:(NFL). He was a player, manager, coach and owner of the
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Players of
American football from Rochester, New York
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384:Professional Football Researchers Association
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345:ruled in favor of Lyons and the Jeffs. The
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978:Sportspeople from Monroe County, New York
504:The Rochester Jeffersons Official Website
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304:, early in the 1917 season to play the
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663:on September 17, 1920 at Ralph Hay's
7:
963:Rochester Jeffersons (NYPFL) players
654:founded the National Football League
472:Johnson, James (November 12, 2019).
158:Rochester Jeffersons (Owner) (1910–
444:Memmott, Jim (November 23, 2019).
412:"THE TOWN THAT HATED PRO FOOTBALL"
14:
953:National Football League founders
546:Rochester Jeffersons head coaches
137:Rochester Jeffersons (1910–1918)
958:National Football League owners
973:People from Fairport, New York
173:Career highlights and awards
1:
948:Rochester Jeffersons coaches
943:Rochester Jeffersons players
181:New York Pro Football League
130:Rochester Jeffersons (1910–
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863:Racine (Chicago) Cardinals
36:Leo Lyons playing for the
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388:Pro Football Hall of Fame
376:earlier work on the topic
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127:
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903:Rock Island Independents
640:National Football League
261:National Football League
188:National Football League
21:American football player
479:Democrat and Chronicle
451:Democrat and Chronicle
140:Rochester Jeffersons (
410:Carroll, Bob (1981).
200:Career NFL statistics
883:Rochester Jeffersons
265:Rochester Jeffersons
209:NFL Win–loss record:
114:Rochester Jeffersons
45:Personal information
38:Rochester Jeffersons
353:Demise of the Jeffs
347:Elias Sports Bureau
339:Washington Senators
333:Forfeit controversy
267:from 1908 to 1925.
183:Championship (1916)
80:Rochester, New York
26:
314:state championship
241:Coaching stats at
186:Co-founder of the
63:Fairport, New York
920:
919:
728:Cleveland Indians
605:
604:
419:The Coffin Corner
382:, founder of the
318:rivals in Buffalo
291:Manager and owner
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818:Massillon Tigers
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281:African-American
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151:As an executive:
101:Career history
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742:Jimmy O'Donnell
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324:Forming the NFL
306:Canton Bulldogs
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217:Winning %:
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22:
17:
12:
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5:
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787:Morgan O'Brien
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498:External links
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77:(aged 84)
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60:March 11, 1892
51:
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42:
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35:
20:
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10:
9:
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798:Hammond Pros
782:George Halas
660:Canton, Ohio
650:
587:Jerry Noonan
574:
559:Jack Forsyth
483:. Retrieved
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455:. Retrieved
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427:. Retrieved
422:
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368:George Halas
365:
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336:
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302:Canton, Ohio
294:
274:
271:Early career
257:Leo V. Lyons
256:
255:
242:
106:As a player:
75:(1976-05-18)
73:May 18, 1976
18:
938:1976 deaths
933:1892 births
762:Carl Storck
737:Stan Cofall
595:Cecil Grigg
561:(1919–1921)
380:Bob Carroll
372:Harry March
343:Joseph Carr
123:As a coach:
116:(1908–1915)
927:Categories
717:Jim Thorpe
692:Art Ranney
687:Frank Nied
678:Akron Pros
669:dealership
651:Group who
394:References
310:Jim Thorpe
298:basketball
95:Head coach
56:1892-03-11
892:Leo Lyons
847:Earl Ball
827:Ralph Hay
807:Doc Young
712:Ralph Hay
666:Hupmobile
575:Leo Lyons
485:March 10,
316:to their
308:, led by
283:players,
277:Rochester
87:Position:
25:Leo Lyons
643:founders
457:March 9,
429:March 9,
597:(1925)
589:(1924)
585:&
577:(1923)
569:(1922)
378:, and
362:Honors
225:Games:
82:, U.S.
65:, U.S.
415:(PDF)
212:0-7-0
91:Owner
70:Died:
50:Born:
509:PFRA
487:2024
459:2024
431:2024
425:(11)
220:.000
160:1925
142:1923
132:1923
657:in
374:'s
244:PFR
929::
476:.
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402:^
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287:.
93:,
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228:7
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58:)
54:(
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