Philadelphia’s Forgotten Champions: Unearthing the Gritty History of the Frankford Yellow Jackets
Posted in :
The Frankford Yellow Jackets may be a footnote in modern NFL history, but they represent the hard-scrabble origins of professional football in Philadelphia, predating the Eagles by more than a decade. Based on the new book, Frankford Yellow Jackets: Philadelphia’s First NFL Team by Brian Michael and Andrew Weiker, this is the story of a community-owned team whose sheer determination led them to the 1926 NFL Championship.
Philadelphia’s First NFL Team and Community Roots
The Yellow Jackets’ story began with the Frankford Athletic Association (FAA), started in 1899 in the working-class neighborhood of Frankford, which at the time was essentially a city within Philadelphia. Like the Green Bay Packers, the Yellow Jackets were community-owned, relying on local fans and businesses for sponsorship and even stadium construction.
Initially, baseball was the most popular sport under the FAA banner, but after the association dissolved and reformed around 1912, football became the dominant focus. This local team of “neighborhood guys” quickly gained traction due to their success, beating established professional teams long before they joined the league. By 1923, the team’s consistent victories led the NFL to invite them to officially join the league.
The Wild West of Early Pro Football
The Yellow Jackets’ NFL tenure (1923–1931) was defined by the chaotic, “Wild West” nature of early pro football.
- The Blue Law Hurdle: Due to Pennsylvania’s “Blue Laws,” which prohibited sports on Sundays, the Yellow Jackets were forced to play their home games on Saturdays. This meant they constantly had to compete for fan attention with powerful college football programs like the University of Pennsylvania.
- The Double-Header Grind: To maximize revenue, the team frequently played two games in one weekend, often traveling immediately after their Saturday home game to play a road game (sometimes as far as Chicago) on Sunday.
- Talent and Compensation: Many players held jobs outside of football and played simply “for the love of the game,” earning wages that often dipped below what they made for their home games.
The team eventually professionalized, recruiting star college players from powerhouses like Penn, Michigan, and Nebraska. Key figures in their history include business manager Shep Royal, who stabilized the organization, and Hall of Fame coach Guy Chamberlain, whose veteran leadership was instrumental in their 1926 title run. Other notable players included Link Lyman, Hap Moran, and Houston Stockton, grandfather of NBA star John Stockton.
Yellow Jackets Legacy and Innovation
The Yellow Jackets also contributed key innovations to the game.
- Two Bits Homan, one of the smallest players in history (5’5″), is credited with inventing the touchdown dance by holding the ball, shaking hands, and returning the ball to the official after a score.
- Team captain Ray Crowther, a boxer and Olympian, is credited with inventing the tackling sled still used in practice today.
Though the franchise only lasted until 1931, the Frankford Yellow Jackets’ legacy as Philadelphia’s first NFL champion and a vital early pillar of the league remains an incredible testament to the enduring passion of early American football.
