The park was named such as it was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north Dayton. The team's 1917 campaign was successful. By the late twenties, Dayton was one of the league's doormats, winning just five of their 51 NFL contests from 1923-29. In 1973, the Dayton Triangles RFC rugby club was founded. The original Dayton Triangles members first began playing together as basketball players at St. Mary's College, now the University of Dayton from 1908 until 1912. The Triangles were able to score 188 points and gave up only 13 to their opponents. That season saw Al Marhrt take over as the team's coach. Like the aforementioned soccer club, this team also took its name from the original football team and city park. 1926: Playing all their games on the road again, the Triangles would start the season with a 3-0 win against the Buffalo Rangers ending their 14 game winless streak. It’s pretty worth enough for me. The Triangles would end the season with a 7-3 win over the Chicago Cardinals to finish the season with a record of 4-3-1. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The Triangles failed to win a game in their first season playing all their games, on the road, posting a record of 0-7-2. Week 4 would see the Triangles face the Canton Bulldogs in perhaps the best game of the first season, with the game finishing deadlocked 20-20 after going back and forth for 60 minutes. The Triangles were able to score 188 points and gave up only 13 to their opponents. The Triangles would play the league’s first game, hosting the Columbus Panhandles and earning a 14-0 win on October 3rd with Lou Partlow and Frank Bacon scoring touchdowns. To help make his team more comfortable, Carl Storck rented a Pullman Railcar. The Canton Bulldogs, with the legendary Jim Thorpe in the line-up, claimed the "Ohio League" Championship after their win over the Massillon Tigers. Like the football team, they took their name from the same city park and played an important role in development of soccer in the Miami Valley. Soon, the combination of poor home gates and the lure of $2,500 guarantees to play at larger venues (like Wrigley Field, Comiskey Park and the Polo Grounds), made the Triangles primarily a traveling team. Although the Triangles were one of only three original NFL teams (along with the Bears and Cardinals) to survive the 1920s, and the only team from the Ohio League to survive past 1926, it soon became apparent that Dayton was not big enough to support a team in the burgeoning league. They would fail to score in six of seven games; the lone exception was a 13-9 loss to the Frankford Yellow Jackets. Or write about sports? 1928: Under Coach Faye Abbott, the Triangles would again play all seven games on the road, and lost all seven games. However, it would be the only win of the season as they finished with a 1-4-1 record. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. The Triangles lone home game would come against the Columbus Tigers a game they would win 7-6. After four years the St. Mary’s Cadets decided to branch out into football. Soon, the combination of poor home gates and the lure of … They also won their third city championship. In 1915 the team changed its name to the Dayton Gym-Cadets after their presumed sponsors, the Dayton Gymnastic Club. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. Thank you for publishing this awesome article. On October 3, 1920, the Triangles won what could be considered the very first APFA/NFL game, with a 14–0 defeat of the Columbus Panhandles at Triangle Park. On October 3, 1920, the Triangles won what could be considered the very first APFA/NFL game, with a 14-0 defeat of the Columbus Panhandles at Triangle Park. This allowed the Triangles to keep a team on the field and beat what few representative teams. 1925: The Triangles would become an exclusive traveling team, playing all their games on the road. The Triangle player-coach that season was Earle "Greasy" Neale, since Bud Talbott joined the army. The team was reorganized in 1916, as a recreational football team from among the employees of three downtown Dayton factories; the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (or Delco), the Dayton Metal Products Company and the Domestic Engineering Company (now called Delco-Light). The football Cadets had success right away, winning three straight city titles. We present them here for purely educational purposes. In 1946, Brooklyn's owner jumped to the AAFC and played as the New York Yankees. Pro-Football-Reference utilizes Official NFL data for current NFL seasons. Cadet members started a football team when they graduated in 1912. The team went 6–0–2 that season. Through various amalgamations over the years, the club is still active under the name of the Dayton Area Rugby Club. 1920: Led by Carl Storck the Dayton Triangles would be one of the charter members of the American Professional Football Association which would become the NFL. They went by the name of the St. Mary's Cadets. In 1915 the team changed its name to the Dayton Gym-Cadets after their presumed sponsors, the Dayton Gymnastic Club. Like!! 1913-1919: The Dayton Triangles roots go into St. Mary’s College now known as University of Dayton, when a group of basketball players formed a team that played for early professional basketball championships. Data Provided By Through various amalgamations over the years, the club is still active under the name of the Dayton Area Rugby Club. In 1918 saw the United States entry in World War I, as well as a devastating Spanish flu pandemic. The team's name was also changed to the Dayton Triangles that season. Only the revenues from playing on the road kept them afloat. The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association (now the National Football League (NFL)) in 1920. Because of their poor showing on the field, the Triangles were not able to draw crowds for home games: Triangle Park, with a seating capacity of 5,000, rarely saw that many fans. He took most of the members of the 1929 Tornadoes with him for the new Dodgers team. {{{division_hist}}}. This site is not affiliated with the Dayton Triangles or the NFL. The following season saw the Triangles move into their new park, Triangle Park. The original Dayton Triangles members first began playing together as basketball players at St. Mary's College, now the University of Dayton from 1908 until 1912. Carl Storck, who later served as treasurer of the NFL and as acting league president from 1939 to 1941, co-sponsored the Dayton Cadets and used players recruited from the three factories to fill out the team roster. Your email address will not be published. (Schedule and Results), Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, October 19, 9:12AM. Popular: Tom Brady, Cam Newton, Aaron Donald, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Odell Beckham Jr., J.J. Watt, Peyton Manning, Patrick Mahomes, Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, … ©MMXV Tank Productions. Six games into the season, the Triangles remained undefeated (4-0-2) but in the final three games lost twice to eventual league champion, the Akron Pros, ending 1920 with a 5-2-2 mark. Keep up the great writing. Last updated on January 11, 2015 at 9:55 pm ET. In 1916, the Triangles went 9–1, defeating teams from Cincinnati, Detroit, Toledo and Pittsburgh. It can thus be argued that the Triangles still exist today, albeit indirectly. Subscribe to our Free Newsletter, This Month in Sports ReferenceFind out when we add a feature or make a change. The article has truly peaked my interest. The high point of the Triangles' 1920 season was a 20-20 tie at Triangle Park with Thorpe's Canton Bulldogs; it was the first time a team had scored three touchdowns on the Bulldogs since 1915. They were the longest-lasting traveling team in the NFL (1920–1929), and the last such "road team" until the Dallas Texans in 1952, who, coincidentally, descended from the Dayton franchise. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north Dayton. Pro-Football-Reference utilizes Official NFL data for current NFL seasons. The Triangles challenged the Bulldogs to a game on December 10, 1916, but the game was never played. Both ties were scoreless ties one against the Rock Island Independents to open the season and a non-league game against Steubenville-Toronto. This is the story of the growth and development of this professional football team — The Dayton Triangles. Because of their poor showing on the field, the Triangles were not able to draw crowds for home games: Triangle Park, with a seating capacity of 5,000, rarely saw that many fans. During the 1970s, the Dayton Triangles Soccer Club revived the name and enjoyed some success and recognition as a successful youth (and later semi-pro) soccer club. In 1919, they followed up their championship with a season record of 4-2-1. The Cadets claimed the title of "World Basketball Champions" by defeating the Buffalo German Ramblers.[1]. While the Triangles lost players to military service, they also had many kept home with regular jobs in industries deemed essential to the war effort and, along with the few other teams still playing, far less competition for the talent pool. While the Triangles lost players to military service, they also had many kept home with regular jobs in industries deemed essential to the war effort and, along with the few other teams still playing, far less competition for the talent pool. The Triangles would get back in the win column with a 3-2 win over the Cleveland Indians. This marked a decline in the team's performance, and the Triangles ceased being competitive in the NFL. The team finished their first season with a 7-0 record and won the Dayton City Championship. • The team changed its name to the Dayton Gym Cadets by 1915 and were playing as the Triangles by 1916, according to Ritter’s book. The team was coached by Louis Clark, who coached the St. Mary's college football team as well. National Football League ({{{NFL_start_yr}}}–present) I’ve just finished production on the final episode of the podcast and uploaded it to Buzzsprout. During the latter meeting, Jim Thorpe was unanimously elected as new league's president. Also at this meeting, a membership fee of $ 100 per team was established, however George Halas stated that none of the charter teams ever paid it. 1929: In what would be their final season, the traveling Dayton Triangles again failed to win a game, losing six straight and scoring just one touchdown in a 14-7 loss to the Frankford Yellow Jackets in Week 2. Finally, on July 12, 1930, a Brooklyn-based syndicate headed by reputed mobster Bill Dwyer bought the Triangles; the franchise moved to Brooklyn and was renamed the Brooklyn Dodgers. Join our linker program. During their championship run, the Triangles defeated future NFL teams, the Toledo Maroons, Hammond Pros, Columbus Panhandles and Detroit Heralds. In later years, the Brooklyn Dodgers would merge with the Boston Yanks franchise in 1945 (with the Brooklyn half "moving" to the AAFC the next year); in 1949, the Yanks moved to New York and became the New York Bulldogs; the Bulldogs franchise (renamed the New York Yanks in 1950) was "sold back" to the NFL in 1952 and awarded to a group from Texas, who formed the Dallas Texans; the Texans failed after one year and was sold back to the NFL.