123 Years Ago Today - The Debut of Professional Football

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Yale’s William “Pudge” Heffelfinger accepted $500 to play for the Allegheny Athletic Club in a November 12, 1892 game against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club and became the earliest known professional. Rutgers opened its 1894 season before 800 at Lehigh and got shut out 24-0 on September 29, 1894. The box score from the October 1 Daily Times indicated “Pudge” Heffelfinger of Yale was the game’s official linesman.

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Allegheny won, by the way, 4-0, as Heffelfinger scooped up a fumble and returned in for a touchdown in the games only score (TDs worth 4 points in 1892).