The Origins of the Pillars of the NFL

A couple weeks ago the Bears-Packers Thursday Night Game featured some interesting footage at the beginning of the broadcast called The Original Ringers. A mini-bio on Halas and Lambeau in their very early days:  Halas's working for the Staley Starch Company which started the Decatur Staley/Bears and Lambeau's connection to Green Bay and the  Acme Meat Packing company started the Packers. The roughly 2-minute piece was a nice lead-in to the game and gave viewers a little slice of abbreviated history.

The history and creation of these teams and the roles of Halas and Lambeau is something we covered in our classic book called Pillars of the NFL by Patrick McCaskey. I am very proud of this book and for the place it holds in the literature of football. People no longer buy the best books on sports subjects, but I honestly believe this has to be one of the best--easy to access information  and covering some history (like Guy Chamberlin's career), which is rarely covered. 

Football History

Pillars of the NFL: Coaches Who Have Won Three or More Championships examines the football lives of the greatest coaches in NFL history--those won the most NFL Championships. Who were the greatest coaches in NFL history? How did they succeed? Some coached in the early days of professional football and some later, but all made vital contributions. Pillars of the NFL looks at these interesting and important coaches: Bill Belichick, Paul Brown, Guy Chamberlin, Weeb Ewbank, Joe Gibbs, George Halas, Chuck Noll, Curly Lambeau, Vince Lombardi, and Bill Walsh.

Pillars sheds light on the early lives, backgrounds, playing years, and teams of these great coaches. Contributions to the game are examined, photos and illustrations enhance the presentation. Peering into the rich history of professional football: Bill Belichick creates a dynasty in New England using old-school ideas and modern methods. Vince Lombardi establishes an unrivaled passion for football in Green Bay. Paul Brown conquers the city of Cleveland and then Cincinnati. Chuck Noll wakes up a sleepy franchise in Pittsburgh to become the most dominant force in football. Joe Gibbs accomplishes the improbable with players who overachieve. Bill Walsh takes football strategy to a new level. George Halas sculpts the NFL and shapes football from its humblest roots to the TV era. Curley Lambeau creates a football powerhouse to stand among giants. Weeb Ewbank wins the Greatest Game Ever Played and shocks the sports world in Super Bowl III. Guy Chamberlin coaches three different NFL teams to four championships in the early days of professional football. Readers see how each coach fits into professional football history; they come to understand the coach's approach to the game and they are treated to entertaining insights that delve into these great men.

Chicago Bears in the 1920s

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The following passage is from Pillars of the NFL  by Patrick McCaskey, Copyright Sporting Chance Press.

In two seasons, the Staleys proved they had what it takes to win it all and perhaps win for several years. But it was almost impossible for any team to keep all of its top players. Halas would say: 

"There was no bidding for players in those days, no one had the money." 

Chicago lost a big star in Guy Chamberlin who left for Canton after the 1921 season. Halas would later say that Guy Chamberlin was one that got away and he regretted it. 

Halas however, had plenty of success. In a league that was sometimes bloated with more than 20 teams, his Staleys-Bears of the Roaring 20s managed to win, place, or show every year from 1920-1927. He was also busy in the middle of the decade working hard to recruit, sign, and promote the first superstar of professional football, Red Grange. Halas’s efforts would provide sustenance for the Bears and other NFL teams that were trying to survive. 

Halas’s work for the league would not go unnoticed by Guy Chamberlin. Chamberlin would say: 18 

"Pro football owes George Halas a great debt. Everything he has fought for over the years has been for the good of the league, not just for his own job."

George Halas Becomes Professional Football Team Owner

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The following passage is from Pillars of the NFL  by Patrick McCaskey, Copyright Sporting Chance Press.

In 1921, the economy hit a downturn. The Staley Starch Company determined that it could no longer afford the juggernaut that Halas had assembled. Owner A. E. Staley seeded funds to Halas that allowed the young coach to start up his own team in Chicago.17 Halas made fellow University of Illinois alum, Edward “Dutch” Sternaman, whom he had recruited in 1920, co-owner. 

Of the original 11 professional football teams, only two would survive: The StaleysBears and the Cardinals. In the 90+ years since the league’s founding, the Bears moved from Decatur to Chicago; the Cardinals moved from Chicago to Saint Louis to Arizona. Halas worked with Chicago Cubs’ President William Veeck Sr. to arrange playing time in Cubs Park—later known as Wrigley Field. Halas was a baseball fan. He called his team the Bears given the larger size of football players. Having a great deal of experience with players of the era, Halas had an eye for talent, understood the player’s mentality, and worked diligently to establish professional football. 

For many years, professional football was a financially fragile undertaking. Players were paid on a game-by-game basis and sometimes the money was difficult to find. A poorly attended game could be financially disastrous. Few players thought of professional football providing a long term living. 

Halas's Decatur Staleys in 1920

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The following passage is from Pillars of the NFL  by Patrick McCaskey, Copyright Sporting Chance Press.

Halas had recruited some of the top players in the country for the 1920 Staleys. In addition to Halas himself, the Staleys featured Hall of Famers George Trafton, Jimmy Conzelman, and Guy Chamberlin for starters. 

Trafton was a 6-foot-2, 230 pound bull who loved to mix it up. He was a tough player who was known around the league for his aggressive style of play. Conzelman was highly intelligent and played quarterback in 1920. 

Chamberlin was a game changer—a peerless defensive end, and on offense an excellent rusher and receiver. Halas’s future Bears’ partner Dutch Sternaman, could play any position in the backfield. Among others who joined the team were tackle Hugh Blacklock, back Jake Lanum, center John Mintun, and quarterback Pard Pearce. Several of Halas’s recruits were players he knew from his time at Great Lakes and the University of Illinois. 

After easily beating two semipro industrial teams, the Staleys traveled to Rock Island to defeat the tough Independents 7–0 in their first league match. The Staleys shut out the Chicago Tigers, 10–0, beat Rockford, 29–0, and then had a rematch with the Rock Island Independents that ended in a 0–0 tie. Halas’s men were too much for the Minneapolis Marines, 3–0, and the Hammond Pros, 28–7. Once again they shut out the Chicago Tigers, this time 6–0. Halas had back-to-back games against another Great Lakes pal, Paddy Driscoll, who was a player-coach with the Chicago Cardinals. In the first game, the Staleys kicked off to the Cardinals and when the ball touched a Cardinal player, fullback Bob Koehler picked it up and ran it in for the Staleys’ score. The extra point was missed.14 

Behind 6–0, Leonard Sachs picked up a Staleys’ fumble on the 20-yard line and ran it in for the score. The Cardinals’ successful extra point gave them a 7–6 win. When the Staleys played the Cardinals the following week, the Staleys won, 10–0. The final game of the season matched the Decatur Staleys with the Akron Pros. Akron’s 7–0–3 record was slightly better than Decatur’s 10–1–1 record. It would take a win for the Staleys to become champions. Halas’s friend and football adversary from the Cardinals, quarterback Paddy Driscoll, joined the Staleys for this one game in what was billed the league championship. 

The Pros had a huge star of their own—Hall of Fame running back, Fritz Pollard. African American Pollard was an excellent runner and dangerous punt and kick returner. When Pollard ran around end, Chamberlin, Halas, and others had their hands full trying to contain him. Regardless of the offensive talent in the game, defense ruled the day. Two penalties ruined promising Akron drives in the first half. One opportunity for the Staleys came in the third quarter. The Staleys drove down to the 18-yard line and moved a few yards toward center on two more plays for a field goal attempt. The kick was wide and the teams fought the rest of the way to a 0–0 tie. When the team managers got together long after the season had ended, they voted Akron the league champion.

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Professional Football Opportunity Comes for George Halas

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The following passage is from Pillars of the NFL  by Patrick McCaskey, Copyright Sporting Chance Press.

Halas was recruited to work at Staley Starch Company in Decatur in a dual management-training and athletic-director position. Staley had baseball, basketball, and football teams. Halas sharpened his sports management skills by running the Staleys football team. 

Scheduling games among unaffiliated teams was difficult; Halas sensed an opportunity to organize the teams that had been playing together to form a league. He sent a letter expressing such an interest to Ralph Hay of Canton, Ohio. Hay was working to improve the organization of Ohio teams. In many ways, Canton was the fertile crescent of pro football. 

Hay’s Canton Bulldogs had the 1912 Olympic Athlete Jim Thorpe as its player-coach at the time. Hay invited interested parties to Canton, where they outlined the basic league structure. On paper, the Staleys and 10 other teams pitched in $100 each and made up the new American Professional Football Association that would come to be called the National Football League in 1922. Halas said later that none of those at the meeting actually had $100 so the fee was never collected.

Like early professional baseball, professional football would be a precarious business investment. Popularizing professional Pillars of the NFL football was difficult because many Americans thought that college football was the highest form of the game and they believed professional football was a poor imitation of the sport that could have a corrupting influence. Halas’s Players Halas had seen many of the top players in action himself. He also traveled to  see others in whom he was interested. As professional football developed, Halas continued to look out for good recruits. He was drawn to tough competitive men who played aggressively.

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Pillars and Post: Orders Coming in Now

GREATEST BOOK ON NFL COACHES

We published a football book in 2014: Pillars of the NFL: Coaches Who Have Won Three or More Championships written by Patrick McCaskey, the grandson of Papa Bear George Halas.  The book examines the football lives the 10 Greatest coaches in NFL history. 

Pillars is finally getting  some attention from coaches. It's about time! I'm not getting any younger. 

As a publisher, I am always concerned about the model used for each of our books--how we cover what we are covering, the depth of information--how it all looks and is organized.  A model is important because it give you continuity  and it makes it easier on the reader as he goes from topic to topic, chapter to chapter. And Pillars is a book that delivers one some succinct information about some of the most important men that helped form the National Football League. 

In Pillars, we cover the football lives of George Halas, Guy Chamberlin, Curly Lambeau, Paul Brown, Weeb Ewbank, Vince Lombardi, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs and Bill Belichick.  

We wanted to keep Pillars manageable and create useful and interesting information but only go so deep. We wanted to focus  on each coach's early life, schooling, key players, coaching with an emphasis on championships, contributions, and provide a historical timeline, and highlights.  I think the concise model kept us on task and helped us include the right information. 

Look of the Book

My friend Don Torres, a graphic artist, did the design and Bill Potter provided some illustrations of the coaches, some of which resemble those biographical montages that you used to see in newspapers. 

When you publish a book like Pillars, the art is in the details.  Many of the coaches are no longer around and you gather information from other books, news stories, and organizations. Hundreds of endnotes lead readers to more information. 

So if you know any coaches, or you have NFL fans on your shopping list, buy some copies of Pillars of the NFL. 

The Power of Pillars Principles

Author Patrick McCaskey

Pillars of the NFL  by Patrick McCaskey is about the top 10 coaches in NFL history. A study on the great men of the NFL is a worthwhile exercise. Great ideas came and continue to come from NFL thought leaders. Here are five personal principles (paraphrased in some cases) culled from NFL legends that coaches/trainers should help instill in their “players.” These are general principles that should be of interest to people in every walk of life.

1.    “Never go to bed a loser”—George “Papa Bear” Halas

George Halas's Chicago Bears became a premier sports enterprise and this little principle was his way to promote great effort every day. The Bears were the Monsters of the Midway and Halas knew the importance of good self esteem. He could be tough on is players, but he appreciated their efforts.  He wanted his players to be healthy people and this principle was a personal one that made sense to him.

2.    Treat everyone with kindness, but never let anyone mistake kindness for weakness—Art Rooney, Sr.

Rooney was a boxer, baseball player, and a sports promoter whose family continues to play a leading role in professional sports ownership along with many philanthropic causes. He loved his family and his players, but he was always looking for the proper expression of manhood and motivation from those he worked with in Pittsburgh. He was charitable, but he was no fool. 

3.    Love and respect all, but fear no one.—Wellington Mara

Wellington Mara owned the New York Giants football team and he was one of the most advanced thinking owners. His family became wealthy, but he worked tirelessly to improve the NFL--at times he sacrificed time to the League that might have been spent on the team. But it was necessary.  Sometimes people criticized him for ridiculous reasons and he famously fought back on occasion. Sometimes it takes courage to go to battle over something important where you are in the limelight because he know chances are the press will not always be fair. 

4.    You don’t necessarily have to like your players, but as a leader you must love them—Vince Lombardi

School-teacher Lombardi was a legendary motivator who focused on basics and preparation. Shades of meaning were important to him. He was tuned into emotions like no other coach. You could understand how Lombardi might not like some of his men, but he loved them all. He wanted them to excel, to be the best. 

5.    Focus on your job—focus on what you do and do it right—Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick runs the tightest of organizations. He can often be heard in key situations telling a player, “just do your job.” He wants focus rather than everyone worrying about what other people are going to do. Players worrying about what others are doing are hurting the organization and the team. 


Principles are often short and sweet, but have a deeper meaning for people as they consider their implications. 

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