On this date Nov 12, 1892 – Who??? Became the First Pro Football Player!!
If someone asked my this morning who William Heffelfinger was, I wouldn’t have known – do you?? Well, like I said I didn’t know until I read at Wikipedia that…..
….On November 12, 1892, Heffelfinger was paid $25 for his expenses and a bonus of $500 (far above and beyond even double his expenses) by the Allegheny Athletic Association to play in a game against the rival Pittsburgh Athletic Club. The game was played at Recreation Park, which was located on Pittsburgh’s north shore. The spot is marked by a historic marker.[5] Although the payment for Heffelfinger’s play was not published or admitted, his presence set off quite a controversy as Pittsburgh A.C. protested the presence of Heffelfinger and several other Chicago Athletic Association players in their line-up. Allegheny retaliated with the fact that Pittsburgh had imported players as well. The game ended in a 4–0 Allgheny win. Heffelfinger scored the game’s only touchdown on a recovered fumble. A touchdown was only worth four points at the time. Read More