World Series of Football (1902–03)

The series is best remembered for showcasing the first indoor professional football game in 1902.

1902 series

The event was the idea of Tom O'Rourke, who was the manager of the Gardens at the time. He needed an event to draw people to the Gardens in late December, which was a slow time of the year for sporting events. Basketball and hockey were not yet major sports in New York, so O'Rourke decided to play to host a series of indoor football games. He decided to invite several professional and college teams to the Gardens for the series. Tom O'Rourke envisioned a series of games, showcasing the best in college and pro teams, eventually leading to one climactic game, crowning the "champion of the world."

Finding teams

O'Rourke had a tough time finding teams to play in the tournament. The colleges refused due to increased pressure from the Amateur Athletic Association to stop participating in professional games. Also the Pittsburgh Stars, Philadelphia Phillies and Philadelphia Athletics, along with the first National Football League, had all disbanded. The Watertown Red and Blacks, who were the top team in New York state at the time (and one of the few teams of the era that still exists today) also refused the series. For reasons not fully known, the best team in the nascent Ohio League, the Akron East Ends, were not invited. This left four teams to compete in the tournament: the Syracuse Athletic Club, the Knickerbocker Athletic Club, the Warslow Athletic Club and the Orange Athletic Club. O'Rourke did finally get a fifth team to join the series when some players from the Phillies and Athletics got together and formed was called the "New York" team. In calling them the "New York" team, O'Rourke expected to give his patrons the pleasure of watching a "home team" win. The team was made up of eight Phillies and four Athletics that included A's coach Charles "Blondy" Wallace and Phillies coach Ben Roller.

The field

Madison Square Garden had to be redone to accommodate the teams. The wooden flooring of the arena was removed and replaced by an earthen surface. During the event the goal lines were only 70 yards apart and the playing field was only 35 yards wide. The earthen surface also became sticky as the game progressed and made for some tough maneuvering, while the stands were right up to the playing field and proved to be a physical hazard. The kicking game was also drastically affected. In a game on a normal field the team with the longest punts had the advantage. However, the Gardens proved to be a dream for a weak punter due to the field size. The arena wall was right on the edge of the field, presenting a serious hazard for any sideline plays. One player reportedly knocked himself out of the tournament by running into the wall on the opening kickoff.

Outcome

The tournament was scheduled to last three nights starting on December 29 and ending on New Year's Eve. O'Rourke scheduled his tournament by considering the expected strengths of the teams. On opening night he scheduled the "New York" team against Syracuse. By defeating Syracuse the "New York" team, O'Rouke hoped, would defeat the team that would probably bring the fewest fans into the Garden. Then on the second night the Knickerbockers and Warlow would play to determine which team would be beaten by the "New York" team in the series third game. O'Rourke anticipated this game as having the best attendance of the tournament. Finally the fourth game, by holding out the Orange Athletic Club until the end, he predicted a New York versus New Jersey match-up in which New Jersey would lose a close game to one of the three New York teams.

However, O'Rourke did not realize how seriously the Syracuse team would take the tournament. Prior to the start of the series Syracuse signed three running backs from Watertown, along with Bemus and Hawley Pierce from the Carlisle Indian School and Bill Warner and his brother Glenn. The team was put together by Frank "Buck" O'Neill who conducted daily practices in preparation for the series.

Syracuse defeated "New York" in what has been called the first indoor pro football game. The final score of the game was recorded as 6–0, but in reality it was 5–0 since touchdowns only counted for five points in 1902 and Pop Warner missed the extra point. Warner later suffered a head injury and was replaced by Blondy Wallace from the "New York" team later in the series. The Knickerbockers defeated Warlow the next night 11–6. Syracuse defeated the Knickerbockers 36–0 on New Year's Eve. The finale on New Year's night against Orange resulted in another 36–0 win, and the series championship, for Syracuse.