The Best Players of the 1920 Season

 

Top 20 Players of 1920 APFA Season

I'm starting a new project on this blog. I'm attempting to compile a list of the top 20 players of each season of professional football. The idea is that if we can get a snapshot of the best players year by year, it will allow us to value each season equally when comparing players across eras. The information we have available for the entire decade of the 20's is very limited. We can scrounge up enough information through partial box scores, All-Pro teams and football folklore to make an educated guess about who the top 20 players were for the season.

01. Fritz Pollard - Akron Pros
Akron was the only undefeated team in the league. Although Decatur and Buffalo tried to claim the league championship, it was Pollard's Pros who hoisted the Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup. Pollard was an offensive playmaker and he was also a key piece in a defense that allowed only 7 points during the entire season. He earned first team All-Pro. Pollard also dealt with prejudice and broke down barriers when it came to race. He and Bobby Marshall were the first black men to play professional football.

02. George Trafton - Decatur Staleys
The Center for the 1920s All-Decade team was a hard nosed winner. He played under Knute Rockne at Notre Dame and was a big part of an undefeated team in college before leading the Staleys to a second place finish in the inaugural season of the APFA. Trafton is said to be the first player to use one hand to snap the ball.

03. Pete Henry - Canton Bulldogs
At 5'11" 235 lbs, Henry was a mountain of a man for his era. He also had great speed. He ran the 100 meter dash in close to 11 seconds. He was one of the most sought after free agents prior to the first season of professional football. He chose to go to Canton because he wanted to play with the legendary Jim Thorpe. More on him later. Pete Henry was a first team All-Pro as a Tackle. He also had a receiving touchdown and a pick six during the season for good measure.

04. Paddy Driscoll - Chicago Cardinals
One of the most versatile players of his era, Driscoll put the "foot" in "football." He was an excellent drop kicker, reportedly his range extended well beyond 50 yards on such kicks. He also was proficient as a punter and that was a very important aspect of football during the 1920s and 1930s. He was also a solid passer, an electric runner and "elusive like a rabbit" on punt returns.

05. Rip King - Akron Pros
The other half of the Pros backfield tandem is not as well known as Fritz Pollard. Rip was a key element in their championship season. Even with incomplete box scores we can glean that he was a triple threat as a runner, a passer and a kicker. No doubt he also played a role in the Pros dominant defense.

06. Guy Chamberlin - Decatur Staleys
The legendary George Halas called Chamberlin " the best two way end I've ever seen." Versatility was the calling card of all superstars of this era, but Chamberlin exemplified that quality. Equally adept as a runner, receiver and defender.

07. Dutch Sternaman - Decatur Staleys
No one was playing fantasy football in 1920, but if such a thing existed back then, Dutch Sternaman would have been a league winner. Due to low offensive output most of the numbers gathered for the 1920 season are fairly unimpressive. Sternaman's 11 rushing touchdowns are astounding given the circumstances. In a season where 0-0 ties were commonplace, Sternaman was averaging almost a touchdown per game. He was also a productive kicker and co-owner of the Staleys.

08. Ockie Anderson - Buffalo All-Americans
The second leading scorer behind Sternaman was Ockie Anderson who scored eleven total touchdowns including 3 off of punts. He was among the greatest open field runners of his time and he is also regarded as a tremendous leader.

09. Al Mahrt - Dayton Triangles
The inventor of the spiral pass, Mahrt was the Sammy Baugh of the APFA. He was playing chess when everyone else was playing checkers. As a result, he threw for a league high 7 touchdown passes and 591 yards.

10. Hugh Blacklock - Decatur Staleys
A first team All-Pro as a guard who could occasionally play kicker or fullback when needed, Blacklock anchored the interior of the Staleys defense alongside fellow standout George Trafton.

11. Jim Thorpe - Canton Bulldogs
There is no denying that Thorpe was one of the greatest athletes that has ever lived. He also faced discrimination and social injustice and he triumphed over those obstacles with an iron will and a tremendous competitive drive. In 1919 Canton had been a powerhouse because of Thorpe's contributions. In 1920 the Bulldogs were good but not great, and from what we can glean from box scores it seems that Thorpe was not at his peak during this season.

12. Arnie "Pudge" Wyman - Rock Island Independents
As versatile as they come, Pudge picked off 5 passes, returned a kickoff for a TD (the first in NFL history), he scored twice on blocked punts, he also, passed, ran and received touchdowns. An absolute Jack-of-all-trades legend.

13. Jimmy Conzleman - Decatur Staleys
An all-around great athlete, Conzleman was the primary punter, halfback, passer and place kicker for the second place Staleys.

14. Joe Guyon - Canton Bulldogs
A 5'11" 190 lbs halfback, Guyon was a native American who played professionally and collegiately with Jim Thorpe. Guyon was a star in his own right even if he spent a considerable amount of time in Thorpe's shadow. Incomplete box scores indicate that he scored at least 5 rushing touchdowns during 1920 and threw for at least one more.

15. George Halas - Decatur Staleys
The role he would later play as owner and coach of the Bears definitely can make us forget that Halas was a terrific two way end during his playing days. He was a great football mind and guided the Staleys to sustained success. He was a talented receiver, but he made his greatest impact on the defensive side of the ball as a player.

16. Dewey Lyle - Rock Island Independents
A 1st team All-Pro as a lineman. Lyle was a veteran by the time the league began. He had a multi-faceted skill set and he played professional baseball for over a decade in addition to his football career.

17. Cub Buck - Canton Bulldogs
Jim Thorpe called Cub Buck the greatest lineman he had played with or against. Along with that high praise he also earned second team All-Pro honors. Curly Lambeau of the Green Bay Packers took notice aswell. In a shady move Lambeau payed Buck to play a game for the Packers while he was still with Canton.

18. Alf Cobb - Akron Pros
Another key piece of the Akron defense that only allowed 7 points all season. Cobb was a consensus All-American in the trenches for the Syracuse Orange football team before coming to professional football.

19. Eddie Novak - Rock Island Independents
An offensive weapon as a runner and receiver, Novak was a first team All-Pro in 1920. His nickname was "Five Yards" which seems to indicate he was good for five yards whenever he got the ball.

20. Al Nesser - Akron Pros
During a single game Nesser had two fumble recovery touchdowns and a touchdown on a blocked field goal. Pretty good for a lineman. Given the dominance of the Pros defense and ground game, it seems clear he deserves a spot in the top 20 players of 1920.