The Columbus Panhandles

In 1901 workers at the Panhandle shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad in Columbus, Ohio formed a professional football team called the Columbus Panhandles. The railroad workers, mainly European immigrants, learned the game of football not on college gridirons, but on the sandlots of railroad yards during their lunch breaks. With the leadership of an innovative team manager and its tough physical play, the Panhandles went on to play for more than twenty years as one of the most successful teams in the rag-tag days of professional football.
Incorporating original interviews and actual newspaper accounts, Chris Willis recreates the largely forgotten story of this unique squad of men. In The Columbus Panhandles: A Complete History of Pro Football's Toughest Team, 1900-1922, Willis shows how team manager, future NFL commissioner Joseph Carr, used the perks of free railroad travel for employees and the gate attraction of the famous Nesser brothers to build pro football's most successful traveling team. Season by season, Willis provides a fascinating account of the team's spectacular triumphs and crushing losses.
Full of wonderful newspaper quotes, entertaining anecdotes, and many original photos, The Columbus Panhandles also profiles a number of principle figures in the team's history, most notably manager Joe Carr and the six Nesser brothers who comprised the heart of the squad for many years. Written to honor the legacy of the Columbus Panhandles, this book will be of interest to historians, sportswriters and general football fans eager to learn about the early days of professional football.

Chris Willis is the head of the Research Library at NFL Films. He is the author of multiple books on professional football, including The Man Who Built the National Football League: Joe F. Carr; Walter Lingo, Jim Thorpe, and the Oorang Indians: How a Dog Kennel Owner Created the NFL's Most Famous Traveling Team; and Red Grange: The Life and Legacy of the NFL's First Superstar, all published by Rowman & Littlefield. Willis was nominated for an Emmy in 2002 for his work on the HBO documentary The Game of Their Lives and won an Emmy in 2016 for his work on HBO's Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Houston Texans. He was awarded the Professional Football Researchers Association's Ralph Hay award for lifetime achievement in pro football research and historiography in 2012. He lives in Audubon, New Jersey.

Part 1 Preface
Part 2 Acknowledgments
Part 3 Reader's Note: History, Rules, Scoring, Equipment, and Salaries of Early Pro Football
Part 4 Part I: The Seasons, 1900-1922
Chapter 5 Chapter 1 The Panhandle Shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad in Columbus, Ohio
Chapter 6 Chapter 2 Origin of the Columbus Panhandles, 1900-1901
Chapter 7 Chapter 3 1902 Season
Chapter 8 Chapter 4 1903 Season
Chapter 9 Chapter 5 1904 Season
Chapter 10 Chapter 6 1907 Season
Chapter 11 Chapter 7 1908 Season
Chapter 12 Chapter 8 1909 Season
Chapter 13 Chapter 9 1910 Season
Chapter 14 Chapter 10 1911 Season
Chapter 15 Chapter 11 1912 Season
Chapter 16 Chapter 12 1913 Season
Chapter 17 Chapter 13 1914 Season
Chapter 18 Chapter 14 1915 Season
Chapter 19 Chapter 15 1916 Season
Chapter 20 Chapter 16 1917 Season
Chapter 21 Chapter 17 1918 Season
Chapter 22 Chapter 18 1919 Season
Chapter 23 Chapter 19 1920 APFA Season
Chapter 24 Chapter 20 1921 APFA Season
Chapter 25 Chapter 21 1922 APFA Season
Chapter 26 Chapter 22 The Legacy of the Columbus Panhandles
Part 27 Part II: The Players
Chapter 28 Chapter 23 Hi Brigham
Chapter 29 Chapter 24 Earl Colburn
Chapter 30 Chapter 25 Joe Mulbarger
Chapter 31 Chapter 26 Al Nesser
Chapter 32 Chapter 27 Frank Nesser
Chapter 33 Chapter 28 Fred Nesser
Chapter 34 Chapter 29 John Nesser
Chapter 35 Chapter 30 Phil Nesser
Chapter 36 Chapter 31 Ted Nesser
Chapter 37 Chapter 32 Emmett and Homer Ruh
Chapter 38 Chapter 33 John Schneider
Chapter 39 Chapter 34 Lee Snoots
Chapter 40 Chapter 35 Other Longtime Panhandle Players
Part 41 Part III: Places and Events
Chapter 42 Chapter 36 Columbus Panhandles Results against Columbus Opponents, 1901-1922
Chapter 43 Chapter 37 Columbus Panhandles Team Colors and Logo
Chapter 44 Chapter 38 Neil Park Athletic Field, Columbus, Ohio
Chapter 45 Chapter 39 The First Game in NFL History
Chapter 46 Chapter 40 The First NFL Office Building, 16 Easy Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio, 1921-1939
Chapter 47 Chapter 41 The 1951 Panhandle Team Reunion
Part 48 Appendix A Columbus Panhandles All-Time Roster, 1901-1922
Part 49 Appendix B Columbus Panhandles All-Time Yearly and Season Records, 1901-1922
Part 50 Appendix C Columbus Panhandles All-Time Records by Opponent
Part 51 Appendix D Complete Box Scores of All Columbus Panhandles Games, 1901-1922
Part 52 Bibliography
Part 53 Index
Part 54 About the Author