Today Ryan Learned Evansville Had an NFL Team Called the Crimson Giants in 1921

Evansville has always had a rich sports history, but wasn't until recently that I discovered our city was home to one of the National Football League's first franchises.

I first discovered the team when the following stat on ESPN.com caught my eye while researching the Colts versus Patriots game as I was putting together my notes for the Ford & O'Bryan show earlier this week:

From Elias: the last time a player rushed for 4 TD after entering game with 0 career TD was Herb Henderson of the Evansville Crimson Giants against the Cincinnati Celts on November 27, 1921.

Wait. The who?

Knowing we're not the only "Evansville" in the United States, I did a little digging to see if these "Crimson Giants" were indeed from our Evansville. And if you didn't figure it out by now, they were.

According to Wikipedia, before the NFL became the premiere sports league in the U.S. (and one could argue, the world), it began as the American Professional Football League with humble roots as a 14-team league in 1920 that included teams such as the Muncie Flyers, the Decatur Staleys, and the Rock Island Independents. In 1921 it expanded to a 22-team league that included our very own team known as the Evansville Crimson Giants.

The Crimson Giants weren't the first professional football team to come from Evansville, however. The Evansville Ex-Collegians formed in 1920 comprised of mostly local players who worked normal day jobs. After finishing 7-1 in their debut season, the Ex-Collegians were approached by a group of local businessmen interested in purchasing the team from the players. After failing to reach an agreement, the investors decided they would start their own team in 1921, bringing along former Ex-Collegian players, fullback Frank Fausch and offensive lineman Mark Ingleand, who created an ownership group with the investors money known as the "American Football Association". The team became an official member of the NFL on August 27th, 1921 after Fausch traveled to Chicago and secured the teams franchise rights. With that, the Crimson Giants were born.

Playing their home games at Bosse Field, the Giants did well in their first season, winning five of their first seven games. However the success was short lived as scheduling issues, poor attendance, and poor management under Fausch (who was appointed team's president and general manager) left the team financially strapped quickly.

The issues created enough frustration with players that a group of them known as "The Committee of Five" forced Fausch out at the end of the 1921 season and took over the squad themselves. Unfortunately, the struggles continued for the team the following year as they lost all their games, nine of which were played at home. At that point, Fausch re-entered the picture claiming he held the franchise rights, therefore ownership of the team.

With the franchise back in his control, Fausch suggested he would play all games on the road which lead to players leaving the team (remember, these guys had day jobs). It didn't get any better from there as the team played only three games in 1922, losing all three.

Fausch spoke of bringing the team back for the 1923 season, but apparently never made a solid effort, and the short-lived era of the Evansville Crimson Giants came to an end.

It may not have been the most impressive team ever put together, but the fact that we here in Evansville, Indiana, had a small stake in early stages of what has become one of these most powerful sport businesses in the world is pretty special.

[Source: Wikipedia]