An NFL Team Called the Triangles?…That played at Triangle Park?
The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association (now the National Football League) in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park (capacity 5,000), which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north Dayton.
 An Official Jersey Worn by the Triangles
Sponsored by the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (or Delco), the Dayton Metal Products Company and the Domestic Engineering Company (now called Delco-Light), the Triangles existed as a semi-pro squad in the 1910s, playing other top teams in the football-rich areas of Ohio and western Pennsylvania. On October 3, 1920, the Triangles won their first APFA game, a 14-0 defeat of the Columbus Panhandles in Triangle Park.
 A 1925 Triangles Program Cover vs. the Giants
The high point of the Triangles’ 1920 season was a 20-20 tie at Triangle Park with Jim Thorpe’s Canton Bulldogs; it was the first time a team had scored three touchdowns on the Bulldogs since 1915. Trailing the Triangles, 20-14, Thorpe nailed two late field goals to tie the score. Six games into the season, the Triangles remained undefeated (4-0-2) but in the final three games lost twice to eventual league champion Akron Pros, ending 1920 with a 5-2-2 mark(Wikipedia.com).
The Triangles entered the league around the same time as the Pottsville Maroons, one of the greatest NFL Teams ever that have been forgotten until recently..(Official Site). A petition has been started to bring back the championship to Pottsville PA, that was stolen by the NFL after a so-called rule violation.
I love the history here in Dayton. The City erected a plaque at the site. check it out at http://www.daytontriangles.com
Have a great Memorial Day weekend!
Dec 5th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
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