The historic 1925 NFL season got off to a flying start for the Pottsville Maroons.
The coal region hosts pounded the visiting Buffalo Bisons, 28-0, in front of a capacity crowd of 3,500 at Minersville Park on Sunday, September 27.
Pottsville got its season started in Week 2 of the season. The win moved the team to 1-0 on the season. The loss dropped Buffalo to 0-2.
1925 NFL Week 2: Pottsville Maroons 28, Buffalo Bisons 0 (Sept. 27)
The Maroons posted touchdowns in each quarter en route to the shutout win.
Barney Wentz pounded in a score on the ground in the first quarter from 5 yards out to get the home team on the board.
In the second quarter, Eddie Doyle hauled in a Jack Ernst 9-yard pass to give Pottsville a comfortable 14-0 lead.
Ernst would put one in from a yard out in the third quarter. And Frank Bucher scored on a 15-yard toss from Hoot Flanagan in the fourth quarter to complete the blowout win.
Ernst not only threw and rushed for touchdowns in the game, he also supplied the extra point kick on his rushing touchdown in the third. In fact, the Maroons used 3 kickers in the game. Denny Hughes booted the first two PATs through. And Barney Wentz supplied the 28th point of the day with a PAT in the fourth quarter.
Pottsville looked to bolster its kicking game in the days following Sunday’s big win.
The Mount Carmel Item reported on Sept. 30, 1925, that the team was bringing in Walter French and Charlie Berry to improve its prowess on special teams.
The addition of each to the roster would, by the end of the season, prove to be strokes of genius by team ownership.
(Via Newspapers.com, Mount Carmel Item, Sept. 30, 1925)
Homecoming of Sorts for Buffalo’s James Nobel
The game at Minersville Park was a bit of a homecoming for Buffalo’s James Nobel. While visiting the coal region with his team, the Buffalo star had a chance to meet up with his aunt and uncle in Locust Gap.
Here’s a report from the Mount Carmel Item on Sept. 28, 1925:
(Via Newspapers.com – Mount Carmel Item, Sept. 28, 1925)
Next Game: Sunday, Oct. 4, 1925 vs. Providence Steamroller
In Week 3 of the 1925 NFL season, Pottsville continued its homestand at Minersville Park with a game against Providence Steamroller.
The Mount Carmel Daily News glossed over the fact that Providence lost its opening NFL game in 1925, 7-0, to the Frankford Yellow Jackets. They did, however, note an exhibition game Providence played against the West Point Artillery Team that, shall we say, was a tad lopsided. However, there’s a dispute on just how lopsided the game is. One report says the score was 127-0 in favor of the Steamroller.
The editor in Mount Carmel maybe stopped counting at 124:
(Via Newspapers.com, Mount Carmel Daily News, Oct. 3, 1925)
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